Meet Mary Therese Hutchinson

I made contact with Mary at a recent Facebook party that I was participating in - she won a copy of my ebook 'Twenty Years an Expat'. Whilst making contact in order to get an email address, Mary mentioned that she had also written a book and she'd love me to read it. She sent it to me and I added it to be my To Be Read list.

When it eventually reached the top of the list, I really wished I'd got to it sooner. Mary tells the amazing true story of how God rescued her from being murdered, not once but four times in the same night, and how He pursued her until her eventual salvation many years later. It is an emotional, at times harrowing read, but one so full of the life-changing power of the good news of Jesus that faith can't help but be refreshed.

Read our interview and be encouraged by Mary as she shares her testimony and some thoughts with us. The link to purchase her book on Amazon is at the end of the interview. Please get a copy!

Hi Mary. Thanks for taking the time to share with us today.

Thanks for having me Anna. For those who don’t know me, I live on the East Coast of the U.S. with my husband and little rescue dog, Fergie. This past year I published my memoir, The Road to Mercy: A Journey of Secrets, Survival and Redemption (which is available on Amazon), which has won two Christian book awards. It’s an incredible story of how God spared my life as a child, and then later dramatically transformed it.

Your book ‘The Road to Mercy’ is a very emotional read but an incredible testimony of God’s goodness towards you. What would be the one thing you would like readers to take away from reading it?

That no matter what you’ve been through, God can bring good out of it if we ask him, and he can heal those deep emotional wounds.

You speak a lot about being prompted by God to choose to forgive those who have hurt you. Do you have any advice for anyone who feels they need to do the same but don’t know how to go about it, especially when the hurt just seems to be too much?

In my case, when I became a Christian I was so grateful that God had forgiven me for my wild lifestyle in my early 20s, that I wanted to extend that forgiveness to others. I also learned that harboring unforgiveness keeps us in bondage, and not the person we haven’t forgiven. It really set me free to forgive those who wounded me. Sometimes it took a while for me to be able to do this though. I could never have done it without God’s help.

You also speak about your wait for God to bring you a husband. What words of encouragement would you give to anyone in a similar situation, whether they are waiting for a husband, or a job, or anything else they are praying for?

What I did was to find a particular scripture where God promises to meet that particular need, whether it be for a husband, a job, or anything else. Then I kept reminding God of his promise to meet that need and thanked him for it in advance. If it takes an unusually long period of time to receive the answer, then I ask God if something is blocking me from receiving the answer. For example, years ago I was looking for a job. After two years and multiple interviews, I knew there was something wrong. I finally realized I was only looking in the direction of where I wanted to go, and not asking God where He wanted me to be. Once I did that, I found a job I ordinarily would not have applied for and ended up working there for years.

When you’re not writing or sharing your story with others, how do you like to spend your time? What are some of your favorite hobbies and pastimes?

I love going for my hour walk in the mornings and also walking my little dog. It gives me time to think and time to pray. I also love to make cards. Although right now I must confess I’m addicted to a new Christian film series called “The Chosen” by Dallas Jenkins. It is not on mainstream television, but instead can be viewed on their free “The Chosen” app and then streamed on your tv or watched via Youtube. It’s been viewed over 60 million times all over the world. It is the first multi-season show about the life of Christ and his followers and changing lives all over the world (they’re planning on the series running for seven years). They are just now filming season 2. It is the most powerful series to ever be made. It makes Jesus and his disciples and the whole New Testament come to life.

If someone reading your book has suffered from childhood trauma and perhaps has never spoken about it, what advice would you give them?

I wasn’t emotionally able to speak about my traumas before I became a Christian, but those deep dark secrets imprisoned me. Once I became a Christian, it all came pouring out of me. The more I shared, the easier it became to talk about them. It was actually part of my healing to speak about it. But I had to do it when God enabled me to do it and also in safe environments.

Thanks so much for sharing with us Mary, it's been lovely getting to know you and the person behind the story a little more.

If you'd like a copy of Mary's book 'The Road to Mercy' you can order it here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0825GMYZ4

PS at the end of 'The Road to Mercy', Mary mentions going on a mission trip to northern France where she and her husband helped out with renovations to a chateau which was being established as an international prayer centre. Turns out it's the same place I visited as a teenager shortly after the mission organisation acquired the property. How's that for a small world?!