CAMEO Ministries

Janet is a successful freelance writer. She has had five books published and has written numerous articles for newspapers, national magazines, and has edited several Christian newsletters. Janet also authored a written testimony, I Don’t Want To Remember, as well as the Choose Freedom Workbook and Leader Guide. As a NYS Department of Health Certified Sexual Assault Counselor, Janet served as a volunteer for the Sexual Assault & Crime Victims Asssistance Program for Rensselaer County. She was a member of the Advisory Council for this program. Janet currently serves as Secretary of the Advisory Board for CAMEO Ministries. Janet and Jim, her husband of 42 years, live in Grafton, NY and have three grown children and six grandchildren.

The statistics are alarmingly high concerning the incidence of the sexual abuse of women in the United States, some stating that 1 out of every 3 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes in this country. Whether there is one time or repeated abuse (physical, emotional, verbal), these women often carry a load of bitterness, anger, fear, unforgiveness, and self-pity that ends up controlling their lives.

But I don’t want to consider victims of sexual (or other) abuse as statistics. They are flesh and blood feeling human beings who have been hurt beyond the comprehension or understanding of most people. Yet there is One who does comprehend their pain completely.

I was a victim of severe sexual abuse as a child. I feel that God has prepared me to give my testimony so that others may see what He has done for me. To those of you who have suffered from abuse such as mine, I want to  tell you there is hope, there is healing, there is a happy, fulfilled life waiting for you. God has shown me the way, not though any strength of my own, but because He loves every one of us and He hears and answers our prayers. Like a cameo, God will carve away our past, revealing the beautiful women we were always meant to be. – Janet Chiefari

Eileen Kopsaftis is a medical professional – a Physical Therapist. Blessed with healing hands, she also has a healing heart. She believes that God will triumph over all that wounds us in our lives; we just need to work with Him, not against Him. One of her favorite scriptures is “Trust in the Lord, and do good.” God has shown Himself to be ever faithful, ever healing, ever patient, ever loving, and much more in her life. Being part of CAMEO is an honor.

“My presence is not required for God to heal in this ministry; yet He allows me to participate in His miracles every week. For that I am abundantly thankful. The joy I receive when bondages are broken and women are set free is beyond description. Watching women set free from shame, anger, unforgiveness, and more is something I will cherish all of my days. I truly love every woman God sends to us.” – Eileen Kopsaftis

Eileen serves as President of the Advisory Board for this ministry. Eileen and her husband Pete have four children and three grandchildren.

 

Jacqueline Simmons is a mother of 3 adult children, grandmother of 9, and spiritual mother to many. She is an ordained minister, missionary, and has over 25 years of experience in prison ministry. She is also a survivor of sexual and physical abuse. Having experienced abuse herself, the desire of her heart is to see others experience God’s healing power.

I realized there were undiscovered dimensions of pain from my past. It is my testimony that God’s desire for us is to overcome darkness with light, and pain with healing. I have faith and trust that He is at work to bring us to strength and make us whole. Healing from the inside out is one of the means by which “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28.

I want to continue to receive his blessing so I can bless others. God has used my life to help and touch others and it all began with healing the hurt from my past. What the Lord has done for me he can do for other women.”