It wasn’t easy for Mary when she left the UK in 2015 to serve in a least-reached part of South Asia.
“I was completely overwhelmed by the heat, the dust, the noises and the language,” she admits, “so I began taking photos of things I was curious about, or things that struck me as beautiful or different. I wanted to understand people, to see them, and relate to them.
“One day I stuck a piece of paper on my wall, got out some acrylics, and began painting. Somehow looking closely at things and putting them down on paper began to be a way of processing and growing in awareness of the people around me and the culture I was trying to bring my children up in.
“Art became an escape, but also a way to connect and help others to experience what I experienced. Over the years, I’ve attended classes and made friends, given dozens of paintings away to people who love the region as much as I do, and slowly learned to use my art to bless others.”
Since then, the universal language of art has helped Mary build relationships and create gospel conversations where she can show God’s love and point people towards Jesus.
“Sometimes I have friends round and we’ll sit and paint mugs or make earrings, which I love doing, but it also gives me great opportunities to share things that might help point them towards finding Christ. It might be my testimony, or even just saying, ‘This is what I was learning about Jesus today’…”
Together with her husband, Dave, Mary has a heart for young people in this South Asian country, where 64% of the population is under 30. The couple now live and serve in a bustling city that’s rife with drug addiction.
“My husband’s recently been involved in opening a local rehab centre and once a week, I do art with members to help them process, heal, and find a new life in Christ,” says Mary.
Mary also runs arts clubs for children – both local and Third Culture Kids – where she can build relationships with parents and provide a safe space for the children to be creative and make friends.
“Put any child in front of a piece of paper and they’ll just create because they’re not afraid and I wander around and chat with them about what they’re doing,” she explains.
She’s also started another art club with a group of girls who live in a local orphanage.
“Many of the girls aren’t actually orphans, but for example, their mums have died and their dads have got remarried, but aren’t willing to look after them, so they end up living in the hostel,” says Mary.
The club is where girls can come and process things through art and while Mary finds it hugely rewarding, it’s also sometimes a heartbreaking experience.
“During an early session, one of the girls painted her entire paper black and when I asked why, she said it was how she felt because her mum had died and she was waiting for her dad to get out of prison,” Mary recalls.
God has now led Mary to use her artistic gifts to study for a Master’s degree in art psychotherapy.
“I studied a degree in mental health nursing at university and have a deep interest in mental well-being, so combining this with art has brought me much joy! I’m one year into a three-year online Master’s that means I’ll be able to offer professional support to people going through difficult things.
“I want to use my love for art to show God’s love to people as they work through trauma in a sustainable way.
“Art therapy is great for kids because they don’t care what it looks like, but as adults we’re more guarded and say things like, ‘I’m not an artist’ or ‘I can’t do art’ because we’re afraid of being judged.
“But it’s not about being an artist, it’s understanding that art can be a really good way of realising feelings you don’t know you have and speak in a way that words can’t.
“I want to help take away that layer of shame adults have and help them to know it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it’s about the process.
“I’m so grateful to God that art psychotherapy is a great way to minister to all types of people here.”
Creative arts ministries
Are you ready to develop your artistic skills for God’s glory?
Please go to sim.co.uk/serve or email [email protected] to start a conversation with one of our Mission Journey Coordinators.
Please pray
- give thanks that Mary is using her artistic gifts for God’s glory;
- that God will continue using her as a bridge to the gospel in this least-reached community;
- for Mary’s ministry to help children and adults express themselves and experience God’s healing touch through the therapeutic power of art.