The voice was clear and held no hesitation. "You have to write a book, Delores" said Pastor Melvin Battle, stopping me at the door as I was starting to leave the room where the conference was being held. "God told me to tell you so". And now, apparently, God was passing on a message. "He said" concluded the pastor, "that you need to hurry". So there it is. I'm not writing this book for myself. I am a past victim of abuse, yes; but I've brought closure to that time in my life. I've also worked for Child Protective Services at the Department of Social Services, and I've been horrified beyond words, beyond thought, beyond emotion, by some of what I've had to hear, have had to learn; and I've dealt with that, too. I'm not writing this book to say how terrible abuse is-we all know that, and many other books have already made that point to anyone who doesn't know it yet. I'm writing this book, rather, to speak to those who are in abusive situations, who have a history of having been abused. I am writing for those who feel that no one understands their pain, for those who believe that they are alone. Because they are not. I'm here to say that I am a survivor. I endured. I was healed, I was delivered, and I was set free. And what happened to me can happen to you. Because through the guilt, the pain, the fear, the loss, there is a God who loves you. There is a God who loves you so much that He sent Christ to suffer next to you, along with you, close to you. And it is through Christ that you can overcome. And so my testimony is a testimony of faith. It is a testimony of hope. It is a testimony of how the love of God has worked in my life, has brought me from pain into glory, from horror into gladness, from darkness to light. It is my testimony. But it is written for you-for everyone who has felt that pain, who has known that darkness. And my prayer for you is that you may discover all of that, and more, in The Alabaster Box.