🌟 The Light Within
The Light Within — a safe, scripture-shaped space where children learn to name what is hidden and meet Christ as their refuge.
Save One Another Foundation (SOAF) is actively serving children across Thailand through three core projects: Dream Builders, Light Within, Voices of Hope
Pictured: A small group of children stands in a bright classroom, holding pink heart-shaped artwork created during The Light Within session. Volunteers stand among them; a program banner is visible behind. The scene conveys warmth, safety, and focused creative reflection.
Children display their "Heart of Strength" artwork during The Light Within reflection session.
Photo credit: Photo: Save One Another Foundation (SOAF) / June Thewase
🖋️A Word from Dr. Gregg Tyler Milligan
The Light Within is a sanctuary for the interior life: a scripture-shaped, trauma-sensitive space where children learn to name what is hidden, to weep and to hope, and to meet Christ as refuge.
We do not coax confessions; we invite testimony. Led by trauma-informed facilitators, each session is held with ritual and tenderness—storytelling that carries truth, worship that steadily redirects the heart, creative practice that translates feeling into form, and guided reflection that turns silence into speech. Psalm 34:18 (NKJV)—"The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart"—is the daily frame: dignity is preserved, consent is required, pastoral care is present.
The Light Within trains volunteers and teachers to bear testimony with theological clarity and pastoral tenderness, so that shame yields to identity and sorrow is reshaped into renewed purpose. This is not instant therapy but faithful accompaniment: we walk with children from being remembered by God to seeing themselves as God-known.
🕊️Program Overview
Purpose
To nurture each child's God-given dignity, identity, and emotional resilience through Scripture, worship, trauma-informed mentoring, and creative healing practices.
Theological anchor (NKJV)
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27, NKJV). This work rests on the conviction that God tends the inner life and calls the church to tender care for the brokenhearted.
Age groups served
Children ages 8–15 from vulnerable, at-risk, or disadvantaged households.
Session cadence (2025)
10 sessions total
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Sessions 1–9: Monthly formation sessions (January–November)
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Session 10: Christmas of Hope — a special celebration of Christ's love and communal restoration
Core activities
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Scripture-shaped worship and short devotionals designed for safety and accessibility
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Small-group mentoring focused on emotional literacy and peer connection
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Art-based, trauma-informed creative practices (drawing, role-play, storytelling) for internal naming and expression
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Identity formation and life-skills teaching (boundaries, forgiveness, hope-building)
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Voluntary testimony invitations with pastoral accompaniment (always invited, never extracted)
🕯️2025 Highlights
Total sessions: 10
Location: CHF — Nakhon Nayok
Participants: Average 7–16 children per session; 32 total children engaged in 2025
Notable outcomes
• Increased voluntary participation in worship and group sharing.
• Measurable reduction in social withdrawal among high-risk children (field metrics).
• Eight children initiated private pastoral or caregiver conversations about faith, forgiveness, and identity.
• Art-based reflection activities revealed marked growth in self-awareness and vocabulary for feeling.
• Session 10 deepened children's grasp of the Christmas message: Jesus as the Light who meets sorrow with hope.
(All outcomes measured with trauma-aware indicators and in partnership with caregivers.)
📖Story of Testimony — "Fiew"
Title: "What I Found Inside My Heart" — Fiew, age 14
Consent: Published with trauma-aware written permission from the child and caregiver; no identifiable image used.
During a creative reflection in Session 5, Fiew quietly showed a heart-shaped card she had made. She said, "When I wrote this, I realized I still have something good inside me. I'm not what people say I am. God sees me." She told the team she often felt unseen and not good enough, but the worship and the small group's kindness had brought a peace she could not explain. Before leaving, she said, "Next time, I want to learn how to forgive myself."
Editorial note: Details are intentionally de-identified to protect the child. The testimony models honest, redemptive movement from shame toward identity in Christ.
📝How We Work
The Light Within operates as a trauma-aware, Christ-centered companioning program that honors the dignity and agency of every child. Each session opens with predictable grounding practices to establish safety: a brief welcome, a short Scripture reading (NKJV), and a steady ritual—song, breathing, or simple movement—that helps regulate hearts' rest. Children participate voluntarily; we invite testimony, never extract it. Staff are trained in trauma-responsive facilitation, confidentiality, and pastoral listening. When a child signals deeper needs, we follow an agreed referral pathway—engaging caregivers, trusted partner services, and, when appropriate, licensed mental-health professionals.
All identifiable testimonies, images, and recordings are published only with written, trauma-aware consent that includes an opt-out. Sensitive data and media are stored in encrypted systems accessible only to authorized SOAF staff. Our safeguarding posture is clear: consent first, dignity always, and ongoing pastoral support. We integrate worship, Scripture, and creative expression not to "fix" trauma quickly but to accompany children toward meaning and restoration—an arc God shapes: suffering → meaning → restoration. Volunteers and teachers are coached to hold theological truth gently so spiritual formation is both safe and restorative.