Stories and songs have always caught my attention. Be it the story of a lone woman serving in the interiors of a far-off land, or a song challenging the status quo. I began my walk with Jesus in response to a song. It was a song that inspired me to fully surrender and enter mission work as an educator. I stopped singing for a period of my life when sorrow hit me hard, I started singing again when the burden was lifted. This site is an expression of the song of my life. You will see glimpses of me here – my memories of joy, pain, burnout, and recovery from burnout. You will hear my anguish over spiritual abuse and my sound of freedom over that abuse. It is all here – in the poems, in the notes. It is my song and I want to share it with you in the hope that it gives you hope too.
My name is Lydia Royce. My husband Royce and I live in Mumbai with our 3 children. We were missionaries in a small village in Odisha for 18 years. After a season of extreme burnout, we left our mission field in 2022 having handed over the school we had started in 2006. We have experienced and continue to experience God’s healing over our minds and bodies. And He is setting us free to live well once again in the place He is calling us to.
I hold a M.A in English Literature and Bachelors in Education from Mumbai University. I also hold a Master of Education from the National Institute of Christian Education, Australia, Besides being an educator for 25 years, both on the mission field and in Mumbai before that, I am an alum of the Renovaré Institute of Spiritual Formation, USA. I am certified as a Spiritual Accompanier for children by Companioning Center, USA and as a Spiritual Accompanier for adults by the Jesuit Institute of South Africa.