Roger Marsh: Well, welcome to Family Talk the radio program from the ministry of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Roger Marsh. Thank you for joining us today.
Just a brief disclaimer that today's interview contains some rather mature content. Although there are no graphic descriptions, today's program is still intended for a mature audience.
Our guest today is Christine Soule and she has a powerful testimony about overcoming her traumatic childhood. Her teen years were even more troubling as she dealt with abuse, drug use, and being trafficked. Christine Soule has experienced a miraculous turnaround, and now as an adult is a philanthropist, an author, and a Christian non-profit leader. She's the founder and CEO of Providence Heights a nonprofit ministry created to provide shelter and transitional housing for women and children. Providence Heights provides counseling, education, and jobs to women in their programs. Christine is married to a loving and compassionate man named Mitch, and together they have five children and two grandchildren.
Christine's story truly shows how God can transform a life. Today we will hear the first part of this conversation that she had with our own Dr. James Dobson. He'll tell you a little bit more about her in just a moment.
First, though, I'd like to share with you that as we all work toward our end of year planning, keep in mind that just for this special month of December, some very special friends of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute have provided a matching grant. This means that for any amount that you donate to the JDFI today, your gift will be doubled. Your donation will not only help Family Talk stay on the air, but you'll also be helping to protect biblical truth that can reach the heart of a person you care about or even that person in need. To make a donation to the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute online, just visit us at drjamesdobson.org. That's drjamesdobson.org.
We're truly grateful for your faithful financial support and your prayers, and we appreciate you listening to today's broadcast. Now, let's listen in to Christine Soule as she begins with Dr. Dobson to share her story with us.
Dr. James Dobson: On our program today, I want you to meet a godly woman whom I met last summer at an event where we had both been asked to speak and afterwards someone introduced me to Christine Soule who has an incredible story to tell. She's an author and a speaker and the CEO and founder of a non-profit organization called Providence Heights. It is a residential facility that provides counseling, education and career training for needy women and children. It's located in Seattle, Washington.
Christine has written an autobiographical book called Broken and Beautiful in which she tells the story of her childhood abuse and trauma and ultimate victory in Christ.
Christine is on the line. Thanks so much for being with us today.
Christine Soule: Thank you for having me. It's such an honor.
Dr. James Dobson: Well, Christine, as an opportunity to get acquainted with you and understand where you've come from, it's quite a story. Would you begin by just sharing what happened to you in the early days of your life, especially the dysfunctional family that you were born into?
Christine Soule: Yeah, I'd be happy to share that. So my mom was married four times. My father was married eight. They were divorced when I was about five years old. And I at my dad's funeral actually had met 14 other siblings, and so that made 18 in total kids. I only saw my dad a handful of times after the age of five, so I really didn't know him.
And my mom had gotten married again when I was in the fourth grade, and that didn't turn out so well as I will share the story later on. And then we had...
At about age 10 I started to do drugs and my mom was married a third time to the man that I believed was really my father. That was where I really found home and felt like I belonged. And that man ended up having an affair with my sister, which really threw me into a lifestyle of feeling completely lost and worthless. And so that's really where my journey had began as a child. I can't really say, Dr. Dobson, that I remember a lot about my childhood. I remember bits and pieces. There's probably only about three memories that I even have from my biological father. I really didn't know who he was.
And I'm so grateful that in those later years as an adult, I had an opportunity to meet with him and forgive him for my past. But I had my fourth child and I really wanted to take that opportunity to just let go and release and forgive. And I had come to Christ at that point in my life. And so I had met with him. And I think you expect that it's going to be some amazing moment. And I can't say it was that, but you know what? I had the opportunity to totally forgive him and release that, and it was beautiful. And about two months later is when he passed away.
Dr. James Dobson: So, you had that last conversation with him.
Christine Soule: I sure did.
Dr. James Dobson: Did he reciprocate? Did he also respond warmly to you?
Christine Soule: It was okay. It was not I think what a young child would hope for and then you would have this beautiful father in your life again. And I can't really say it turned out to be that. But you know what? It was good and it was peaceful. And the thing for me is it was freedom for my soul and to just release him and not have to carry that as a weight for me, but that I could totally turn that over to the Lord.
Dr. James Dobson: Knowing where you've been really speaks to the miracle of who you are today. And we'll describe later on what you're doing, but it's amazing how the Lord has taken your brokenness and turned it into just a wonderful ministry for the Lord. That brings me to the topic of your book. I mentioned it earlier, but the title of it is Broken and Beautiful. And you were talking about yourself. You were broken, weren't you?
Christine Soule: Yeah.
Dr. James Dobson: And you are now, I can tell you and our listeners can hear it, are a beautiful woman.
Christine Soule: Thank you. Thank you so much. I love people so radically, and it's just the greatest honor to be able to really care for and love them.
Dr. James Dobson: Well, then your mother married again.
Christine Soule: Yeah.
Dr. James Dobson: When did the second father come into your life?
Christine Soule: Second father came into my life when I was in, I believe, the fourth grade. And I remember in the fourth grade I actually had pneumonia. And so when I was home sick by myself I was receiving phone calls. And these phone calls were somebody on the other line was saying that they were going to come and rape me and it was very traumatic. They started describing what I looked like, what I was wearing, and what the inside of my house looked like. My mom had the phones tapped and we found out that it was my brand new stepdad that was actually calling.
Dr. James Dobson: Oh, my goodness.
Christine Soule: Yeah, he had just gotten out of jail for that very thing. And so he went straight back to jail. And it really led me to a life of fear and trauma and God radically redeemed that many, many years later.
Dr. James Dobson: So, your mom made two mistakes, but apparently two more. She was married four times.
Christine Soule: Well, I would say one more. She's still married to the other guy. He is a pretty good guy. We'll keep him.
My third father is actually the dad that I really felt like he was my dad. He adopted me actually and I really felt like I found my family, I found a home, I belonged. And I wasn't feeling well one day. And I walked downstairs and I had realized that my adopted father was having an affair with my sister.
Dr. James Dobson: Oh, my goodness.
Christine Soule: Oh yeah. It absolutely shocked me. And it was me that had to go and tell my mom. And it destroyed her. Well, my adopted father married my sister and by law my sister became my stepmom and my dad became my brother-in-law.
Dr. James Dobson: Oh my.
Christine Soule: That'll throw a kid into a bit of a spiral, and I didn't even know how to function. And I found myself one day sitting in the classroom as a 15 year old girl thinking, I don't even know what normal is. How do I act like a normal person when I don't even know what it looks like?
And I actually, I had planned a suicide. I was going to take my life. And I had written a letter out and prepared everything, and I decided I was going to go for a final walk. And while I was walking, I met a boy that's from my school and I don't know what he said to me. It really wasn't anything spectacular, but he made me feel like I mattered. I belonged.
As I was walking away, he called my name and I turned back and I looked at him and he said, "I'll see you at school tomorrow." And I said, "Yeah, I will see you at school." I was going to school that next day.
But when I got to school, I didn't know where to fit. I didn't know how to do life. And I had asked if I could stay at this girl's house. She was a liked girl by everyone and I was not the one you wanted to take home to mama. At this point I was already doing drugs and making bad choices. And I had gone to her house and I stayed there for a week. And what I witnessed was love and compassion and family. And it was really a glimmer of hope for my future. And it changed my life forever.
Dr. James Dobson: My wife Shirley had a similar experience. Her father was an alcoholic, and you can imagine all the things that went along with that. And she had never seen a functional loving family. And she went to a little church and the family that was there invited her home for dinner. I think she spent the night there and she saw a loving Christian family for the first time. And it influenced everything that was to follow because she saw what she wanted and she began praying for a loving husband. She was praying for me even though I didn't meet her until we were in college.
But it was the same kind of thing that a family can demonstrate, can model for somebody that has been in a dysfunctional family. And man, you were in one. You had one unfortunate relationship after another, didn't you? How in the world have you landed on your feet? I know the answer to this, but tell me how that has occurred.
Christine Soule: Well, I'll tell you. Actually, at 17, I had gotten pregnant with my first beautiful girl, Melissa. And less than two years later, I had identical twin boys, Tyler and Dylan. And though they are the love of my life, at that time, I was actually a meth addict just trying to survive, really. And I ended up being trafficked. I was abused and I was filled with rage. Filled with rage.
Dr. James Dobson: Were you absolutely lost at that time? You must have been.
Christine Soule: I was so broken and so lost. And I think people make it really hard to approach or understand those that are so broken and feel so far away. But I was so desperate to be loved.
I was so desperate to have value, but the only thing that was spoken over me was that I was worthless and that I had no hope. And I really believed that. I bought that. And I felt that my only value and my only worth was in my appearance. And I was really told what kind of value I had and it was nothing. And so I believed that lie, and that was really what I lived. And so I was desperate.
And there was a couple points, very pivotal moments in my life. One was that I had jumped into my neighbor's car. She was the one person that I knew at that time in my life that was just kind and supportive. She would help babysit the kids.
And I jumped into her car and there was a cassette tape that was playing, and it tells you how long ago it was, but I said to her, I said, "What is that?" And she said, "Oh, that's just my pastor speaking." And she ejected the tape. And I started asking her questions, "What? Your pastor talks on a tape?" And "Yeah, yeah he does sermons and then they record them." And I just kept asking questions and she kept shutting the door.
Well, it was after that I was pretty brutally raped and trafficked, and that was a horrific moment in my life. And it was after that about two months later that I was going to the strip club that I was forced to work at and I kept having all these traffic issues. And when I'd get to work, there was all these parking issues because, gosh, there was this guy named Benny Hinn and he was really messing up my commute and he was having a big crusade right next to where I worked.
And years and years later, I realized at some point I bet he asked his audience to put his hands toward that strip club and pray for those people to come to the knowledge of Christ. Because it was right after he had left that conference that he was having that I fell to my knees as a 21 year old girl and I cried out to Jesus and I said, "If you are real, take my life. It's yours."
And I so tangibly felt the power and presence of God that I threw all of the drugs and alcohol away. And instead of having withdrawals, I instead, I just, I never even had a temptation, desire, or withdrawal. I was completely set free in that moment.
Dr. James Dobson: So that was the end of your drug experience?
Christine Soule: Completely. That and alcohol. And it really set me on this journey of trying to figure out who this Jesus guy is and where do I fit. And I also ended up bouncing from house to house, not knowing how I was going to survive.
But I ended up in a church and I had three kids, and I didn't know how to dress. I mean, I had just come out of a lifestyle of being a stripper. And so of course I had a low cut, skirt, and I walked into the church with my three kids and needless to say I did not fit in. And you know what? Nobody welcomed me either. And it was one thing that I would really love to say to all of your audience. If someone comes into a church and they don't look like you, they're in the church, they're searching, they're desperate. Love them.
Dr. James Dobson: Christine, that's a powerful, powerful message because we people in the church look a certain way and when somebody comes in that's way out of that mainstream sometimes we don't reach out for them.
Christine Soule: Yeah.
Dr. James Dobson: You desperately needed somebody to love you, didn't you?
Christine Soule: Oh, I sure did. I sure did.
Dr. James Dobson: Christine, you had had such a difficult life. Everything had gone wrong for you and we know what happens when a child goes through those kind of traumatic experiences. And somehow you came to know Jesus Christ. Tell us that story. How in the world did you find Him out of that kind of environment?
Christine Soule: In the midst of my brokenness, I really found myself falling to my knees and crying out to God. And I said, "If you are real, take my life. It's yours." And I so tangibly felt the power and presence of God. Now, my life had radically changed.
Dr. James Dobson: Most people find the Lord by influence of others who know Him, or a church that has a Bible believing pastor, or there's some influence in life to lead him in the right direction. I don't hear that you had anybody. You went looking for Him and didn't even know who He was. Is that right?
Christine Soule: You are so right. Yeah, it was an amazing moment where I really look back at my life and I see how His hand was on my life. And I always even believed that there was a God. I just never had anyone really walk me through what faith looked like.
Dr. James Dobson: Well, go on with your story. I know that your husband was named Mitch. Where'd he come into the picture?
Christine Soule: Yes. Oh, I'll share that. So I'm bouncing from couch to couch not knowing how to survive. I have three babies. I didn't graduate high school. And so any job that I was qualified for wouldn't even pay for my childcare. And one day I fanned out all my bills. I had $40 to my name and no job, no income to provide. And I sat there in that moment and I thought, the Lord really saved me before. I wonder if He can do something with this situation.
And I went to the one person I knew that went to a Christian Church and I asked him to give it to his church. He had no idea it was the last penny that I had to take care of my babies. And I wish I would've written down how God provided for me because it was miraculous. But the guy that I gave that check to is also the man that I've been married to for 24 years, the love of my life, Mitch Soule. And he really believed in me, loved me, and called out the best in me, and really helped me to discover my identity in Christ.
Dr. James Dobson: And which of your children was fathered by him?
Christine Soule: Yeah, I have two kids from Mitch, my daughter Ariel who's 23 and then I have a 12 year old girl named Zoe. And she is amazing. And he really did raise all five kids. It's interesting. People would say stepdad or half siblings. And that was really never the case in our house. He was dad. He was dad to all five and it was a beautiful, beautiful family structure that we were able to give them.
Dr. James Dobson: And he was an answer to prayer too, wasn't he?
Christine Soule: Oh gosh, he was such an answer to prayer in every way.
Dr. James Dobson: How does he feel about you revealing these sorted moments of your life?
Christine Soule: Great question. I actually broke up with him. When I really discovered that I was in love with him I broke up and he was in tears.
Dr. James Dobson: You broke up?
Christine Soule: I did. I broke up with him when we were dating because I thought if he knew what I had done he would never want someone like me.
Dr. James Dobson: Yeah.
Christine Soule: And he was in tears and he's asking why. And I said that. I said, "if you knew, if you only knew, you wouldn't want me." And he said, "Well, fine. If you're breaking up with me anyway, you might as well tell me." And I thought, well, that's a good point. And so I told him everything, everything about my past. And he said, "Do you do any of that now?" And I went, "No. Oh, no, no, no." And he said, "Well, then what are you worried about?"
And what was so amazing is never in our entire 24 years of marriage has he ever thrown that in my face, had an ounce of jealousy, had just a spirit of uncertainty. He believed that I was set free and even when I had insecurities because every person in my life had affairs and did things. And even in my own insecurities, he taught me how to trust by trusting in me.
Dr. James Dobson: Is he a believer in Jesus Christ?
Christine Soule: Oh, he is a major believer in Jesus Christ and the Lord is his all in all. And he really sets an example to people and mentors them. He's incredible.
Dr. James Dobson: He sounds like a godsend to me.
Christine Soule: Oh, he sure is.
Roger Marsh: You are listening to Family Talk and I'm Roger Marsh. What a remarkable story we've just heard. And this was just part one of the conversation. Be sure to tune in again tomorrow for part two and you can hear more about what Christine's Soule is doing today.
Now, today's conversation is one of several that is featured in our 2022 Best of Broadcast Collection. There are six CDs in all or one large audio stream featuring 18 best of programs. We'll be happy to send you a copy as our way of thanking you for a suggested donation of $50 or more in support of the ministry here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. To request your copy, simply visit drjamesdobson.org/bestof2022. That's drjamesdobson.org/bestof2022.
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