Frequently Asked Questions

Answered by Linda Fossen, Founder and President

What brought about the prison ministry?  Why would an author be doing prison ministry?

I have had a love for those in prison for a very long time.  I met and married my husband in prison and spent 18 years waiting for him to come home.  He was released in 1995 and we are still together and still in love.   I had no idea that I would ever go back to prisons.  I could not find a single church that would have me come and speak.  No one wanted to hear about sexual abuse in the church but the prisons were wide open.  I was hooked from the first time I spoke - it was like coming home again.  I love ministering to the women in prison and my background gives me instant credibility with them.

How did you come up with the name "I Am Whole, Inc" for this ministry?

The name came from a prayer that Pastor Benny Hinn prayed over me when I was in the depths of my pain.  He prayed that Jesus Christ would make me whole from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.  That prayer became the cry of my heart because I had never known wholeness my entire life.   I had always felt fractured.  I could not even imagine what wholeness would mean.  After I found my freedom in Jesus, I could finally say "I am whole!"

Is this ministry affiliated with Benny Hinn Ministries?

No, there is no affiliation between Benny Hinn Ministries and I Am Whole, Inc.  I don't think Benny Hinn has even heard of me.  God just used Pastor Benny to reach me when I was completely without hope - the doctor told my husband to get ready because I was going to die.  After being sexually abused by my preacher father for ten years, I had complete distain for preachers.  Benny Hinn was unlike any preacher I had ever seen and it got my attention!   God used Pastor Benny's ministry to reach me when no one else could.  I will always love Pastor Benny for throwing out a life-line to me when I was drowning in the depths of despair.  I personally love him and his ministry but I Am Whole, Inc. is not in any way affiliated with Pastor Benny's ministry.

Are you ordained as a minister?

Not yet, but it is something I am working on.  I feel that God has called me to minister to the broken-hearted.  When I published my book, I had no plans for a ministry at all.  I was simply telling my story in hopes that I could help one other little girl not to have to go through all the years of suffering in silence like I had.  It never entered my mind that I would ever have a ministry.  But the story took off and I watched in awe as Jesus took it to the world.  The response has been completely overwhelming.  I had no idea that my story would resonate with so many different people from so many different cultures.

Do you have any other books planned?

Yes, I am working two books but feel that I will write many more.  One will be my husband incredible testimony and the other is a follow up book to Out of the Miry Clay and will tell the stories of the many different people God brought into my life who had also been abused and how God used my story to touch their lives.  Watch LindaFossen.com for details on when these books will be coming out.

Do you attend church, and if so, where?

After the pain of being sexually abused by my preacher father, I often wondered if I would find a pastor that I could love and respect.  Just as with everything else in my life, the Lord has done an incredible work of restoration.  I am a member of an amazing church called the Lisbon Church of God under the leadership of Pastor Gary L. Greer.  Pastor Greer is an awesome man of God who is anointed with the Holy Spirit in a remarkable way.  His website is www.glgministries.com.