‘the copper tree’ began in 2017. after spending three consecutive summers oversees in cambodia and thailand, volunteering with anti-sex trafficking organizations, i realized i needed to take a gap from missions and heal from what my eyes, heart and mind experienced. i initially sought counsel but, at times, talking about what i experienced was more painful than the experience itself. i decided to take a gap from missions and walk through a journey of love with God, desiring to embrace the words He spoke in Zephaniah three:17; “His love alone will quiet you”. as i walked through this journey, i began to daily ask God to erase what my eyes had seen and my ears had heard. in a moment of shear frustration with tears falling down, angry that He was not responding to my request, God whispered over me “someone needed to look and I knew you would survive it”. it was in that moment, accepting God’s words over me, ‘the copper tree’ began. making jewelry pieces added an element to my healing where i did not have to relive my experiences, just create. the summer of 2017 thecoppertree became a public presence at the hurkamp park farmers market in dowtown fredericksburg, virginia. story upon story poured in of how each piece purchased became a piece of someone else’s journey of healing. what began as a story of rescue for me, was now a part of another. as thecoppertree now takes on this new public platform, i pray each piece you choose to purchase for yourself, or as a gift for someone you love, becomes a little bit of beauty for ashes whether walking a journey of healing or a reminder to just keep walking.
the copper tree 