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From times
of singing in a dark closet to the
founding of a national women’s mentoring
ministry, Thelma Wells' life has been a
courageous journey of faith. The name on
her birth certificate read simply: Baby
Girl Morris. Thelma’s mother was a
severely deformed teenager with no
husband and no place to go, since her
own abusive mother insisted that she
take the baby and leave the house. So
when the baby was born, her unwed
teenage mother found work as a maid
cleaning “the big house” while living
with her baby daughter in servants’
quarters. Eventually, the baby went to
live with her great-grandparents, who
called her Thelma Louise Smith and loved
her dearly. They took little Thelma to
church, where she learned to love the
hymns and praise songs.
On those occasions when Thelma was taken
to her grandparents’ home, her
grandmother abused her, just as she had
tormented Thelma’s mother. She was
locked in a dark, smelly,
insect-infested closet until just before
her grandfather came home when her
grandmother would bring her out of the
closet, clean her up, and act as if all
was well. In spite of her deep fear,
little Thelma spent her time in the
closet singing every hymn and praise
song she could remember. She would sing
herself to sleep in that closet, and the
Lord received this little girl’s
innocent praise and rewarded it with an
abundant life of joy, protecting her
from feelings of anger or bitterness.
Visit Thelma's website to read her
full bio.
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