Story of the Week: Long Road Home
The love of a mentor made a difference in the life of one young woman, and the light of Christ broke through.
It’s a Year of Story at Woodmen. As we study the story of Jesus, we’ll see how the hope He brings is transforming the stories of people in our own community. We’re excited to share 52 unique stories — one each week — that all point to the best and truest story of all: The good news of Jesus.
In our story this week, we’ll see how the love of a mentor made a difference in the life of one young woman, and how the light of Christ broke through.
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From an early age, Abigail Bates experienced a quiet ache inside — a deep sense that she didn’t belong. Not in Colorado Springs, not in her family, not in this world.
What’s the point? For Abigail, it wasn’t just a passing thought; it was a weight she carried like an eclipse that threatened to plunge her world into darkness.
Countless scars and suicide attempts marked her inability to answer the question. She always seemed to come up empty.
Depression consumed her teen years. The walls of psychiatric wards became all too familiar. It was hard to believe that healing was possible. At home, harsh words, broken family relationships and a tangle of trauma left Abigail viewing religion as just another weapon.
BATTLE LINES
On a bleak day in January 2024, a Cru Ministry leader handed Abigail a card as she walked across the UCCS campus. The card’s headline read, Interested in Faith? Abigail filled it out as an act of defiance. She was ready for a fight. But what she found wasn’t the expected judgment, it was love — a kind of love that disarmed her completely.
She started meeting weekly with a Cru leader named Aspen Willyard. Sometimes they talked about God. Sometimes they didn’t. Some weeks Abigail vented about work or the drama of life in freshman year. But Aspen never pushed, she simply kept showing up — no pressure, no agenda, just presence.
When Aspen left town for the summer, Abigail was once again alone with her thoughts and the question that haunted her: What’s the point? And for the first time, the answer came to her — not in the form of despair or unhealthy coping mechanisms, but in a person: Jesus.
A SACRED SURRENDER
Abigail could hardly wait for Aspen’s return. Over their first coffee that fall, Abigail blurted out, “I want to give my life to Jesus.” That coffee turned into a sacred moment neither of them will forget.
They talked until the café closed, but the conversation didn’t end there. Out in the quiet, almost-empty parking lot, Abigail fell to her knees and prayed, surrendering her life to Jesus. Aspen knelt beside her. They wept and hugged as the Holy Spirit washed over them.
For the first time, Abigail knew peace. The air seemed lighter, the world brighter. A single leaf caught her focus and she wept, overwhelmed that God made something so simple, yet beautiful.
She saw it now. The point wasn’t to escape the world, it was to walk through it while realizing that it wasn’t her ultimate home. The reason she’d never felt like she belonged was because she did not belong to this world. Finally, Abigail was fully at home, where she truly belonged, in the rescuing, life-changing love of Jesus.
AN OPEN DOOR
Since that night, Abigail hasn’t had a single suicidal thought. Although mental illness is not to be taken lightly and treatment can be vital for many, Abigail shares that her mind, once a battlefield, has now become a garden.
She was baptized at Woodmen Heights a few months after giving her life to Jesus. Aspen, who walked with her through the valley, had the honor of raising Abigail up from the water as the congregation cheered, celebrating her new life in Christ.
But God wasn’t done moving that day. Two hours after her baptism, Abigail’s mom called. They hadn’t spoken in over a year. That conversation opened the door to a renewed relationship. God wasn’t just healing Abigail’s heart, He was redeeming her story.
Today, Abigail walks with purpose. Whether it’s a coworker, a neighbor, or a family member, she can’t help but share what God has done in her life. “It’s an honor to be blessed with such an amazing story,” she says. “Who am I that the Lord would trust me with it and allow me to share it with others?”
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