Meet Joanne

I am aware that I usually spend my life with people who are very similar to me and often view life in the same way. I I love meeting whose lives and perspectives are so different to my own, it chalenges me to think why I do say and think the way I do. Joanne was one of those people. Calm and confident, she came across to me as someone who was very comfortable in her own skin and happy with her life. Her story amazed me. Her life has been transformed from suffering from an eating disorder, being suicidal and addicted to alcohol and drugs.  She now lives life feeling completely free  of her past and has a deep sense of happiness and contentment and it shows. She runs a support group for women who like her, through a series of life events have ended up working in the sex industry and are wanting to leave it behind.  (www.timeisprecious.net).

When I met her, she was on the way to San Francisco to go into the strip clubs and give the girls presents. She would also give them a copy of her story and how she got away from the sex industry to give them hope of that for their own lives.

Joanne grew up with a Step-Father who was alcoholic and abusive, when she tried to tell people what was happening, no-one believed her and she was left to deal with it on her own. She threw herself into sport  but got into drinking and taking drugs whilse she was still at high school.  In her final year, she was date-raped at a party and later found out that she was already 14 weeks  pregnant at the time of the party. Her son was born  weighing under 4lbs and, overwhelmed with all that had happened in her life, she tried to commit suicide. 

Life got even harder when her 16 year old sister was murdered. Desperate for a new start, she moved to Las Vegas, hoping to leave the alcohol and drugs behind her. She found that life started to get better but then she met a lady whose lifestyle she envied. She  lateer found out that this ladies glamorous clothes car and house were funded by her job as a dancer at a strip club. This lady encouraged Joanne to try the job for a night as she would make a lot of money. Joanne agreed to give it a go and intended to do it once but one night became six years.

One evening she was too drunk to drive home so a friend dropped her home . When she went to pick up the car from the Valet the next day, she heard an audible voice say ‘Joanne, you have a serious problem, you need to get help’. She turned to look in the back of the car, at the same time realising that she idn’t have a passenger. This was the jolt she needed to realise that her need for alcohol was controlling her  and she rang Alcoholics Anonymous. 

She tells it better than me:  “This was when my life started to change. I went to meetings every night. I learned about God, the Lord’s  prayer and the Serenity prayer. After 50 days of sobriety at work, I walked into the club, paid my fee and got ready for work. I walked out on the floor looked around and I heard an audible voice say, " I have something better for you, this is not for you.” 

I walked up to my mangers and told them I was quitting and they responded to me, no girls leave this environment you will be back.  That night I walked out with no job lined up not knowing what I would do, but remembering God saying He had something better for me. So I got my car out of valet with a trash bag in my hand with all my stuff. I said, God I don’t know who you are, but I want to know you more.  I quit stripping that night, with out a job. I took a leap of faith, quit my money making job and never went back. 

I can't say that my journey from here on out has been easy nor am I perfect or have it figured it all out. But what I do know with certainty is this; The love I have been searching for in others was found in my heavenly Father.  God has poured out his unconditional love on me. He is my comforter, my protector and my provider. 
He is the love I've been longing all my life.  His presence fills my soul and His love never fails. I am sharing my story to bring you hope. God loves you.”

 

Joanne’s story is such a contrast to my own and yet I found myself thinking we have so much in common – not least, a deep indescribable gratitude to a God who planned for us to be alive, knows us inside out and still thinks the world of us, who wants us to be happy and live life to the full and the same goes for you, whatever your story. 

Shared with permission. You can read more about Joanne at  http://www.timeisprecious.net/Meet_the_Team.html

The Unspoken...

A 4 minute video I came across on a friend's facebook page is a powerful example of one of the things that I think we can't do enough of...tell people what you really think of them! ...short word of warning...I cried my way through it (in a good way)...

 

http://gnatgnat.posterous.com/the-unspoken

Lots of Miracles and hardly any Mishaps...

After an eventful ten days, our team of 16 arrived home in style from Ecuador at 6am last Tuesday morning. We had two delayed planes, missed one flight, lost a team member in LA, and had no luggage arriving with us when we got to San Francisco. All the fun travelling was absolutely worth it as we had an amazing time during our brief trip to Riobamba and Quito. It's hard to know how to summarise it and give the experience justice but here is my attempt at outlining my highlights!

We found the Ecuadorians to be so hospitable - it was so humbling how well they treated us and how pleased they were that we had come to their country! In both cities we got to go to the hospitals and pray for people in the waiting rooms and hosptial wards. It was a surreal experience to be able to freely walk around, saying that we were Christians from California who believe that Jesus still heals today and ask if we could pray for people.  An experience that I didn't think I would enjoy but our motive was simple (letting people know that God loves them and giving them an opporunity to experience that for themselves) but acutally I loved it. Most people were pleased to see us and we got the chance to pray for about 10-15 people each time we went.

On stage at a church in Riobamba :)

A few of us also got to visit a school and spend time with the children there - one of my favourite parts of the trip. My lack of Spanish made it an interesting experience trying to communicate with them beyond my name and age but with lots of gestures and a bit of sign language we got by. Maybe one day I will actually be able to speak more than 10 words of Spanish... We also visited several churches in the both cities. As I have mentioned before Bethel (the church & school I am at) has become known around the world for healing miracles. It was humbling to meet a people who were so keen to learn more about the experiences I have become so used to in California and it was a good reminder of what a privilege it has been to be 

at the school.

In every church meeting lots of people wanted prayer for healing. I prayed for people who had problems with hearing, eye sight, pain in their backs, fingers, necks, kidneys, knees and lots more! Every person said they could feel God's presence (mostly in the form of heat or peace) and all of them felt their pain decrease or disappear. People told me their vision was now clear and I got kisses from a lady who  who could hear clearly after we prayed for her.  This year I have probably prayed for 100 people for healing but this time I could feel God's presence in my hands - they would get hot every time I prayed for people and it was amazing to know that God was using me to show his love to people.  For me it was physical evidence of an unseen world that I know to be true - God does not want people to be in pain and  the healing miracles that happened in biblical times are still happening today because God uses normal people like me.  

I have so many stories to tell but there isn't space for them here. It was amazing to fly to a part of the world I have never been to before and feel like everyone we met was family. My school is so big that I hadn't met most of the people on my team until we had a planning meeting but spending time with them, our translators, the church leaders, the children in the school etc etc - all felt like meeting family.

Children from the school

Yep...it's a guinea pig

We also visited the equator, ate guinea pig for lunch  ( I must admit I ate the smallest piece imaginable)and climbed part way up Chimborazo mountain in the Andes (up to 16,000 ft!).

Quito

Lynda with Marlon - our permanent translator.

Bonding time on the bus

I will be able to tell you these and all my other stories better in person. After all my airport palavers from this blog...I won't take it personally if you never want to get on a plane with me but I do have a few tips for you for going through U.S customs...:). Adios for now.

Quick update...

I went to a 'wellness' seminar in January and have been enjoying taking the time to eat more healthily and do more exercise: two things which I have been meaning to fit in for the last few years! I have started running and have bravely (stupidly?) signed up to do a 10k race in May. A 16 mile bike ride along the Sacremento River in the hail and wind and a 4 mile run in the rain at 8am were both quite an experience - made much more pleasant by the fact that one of my housemates has now joined in the training with me :). Much to the horror of the other girls in the house I have also been enjoying the odd corainder smoothie (their shrieks and refusal to taste them have only spurred me on of course).

A couple of weeks ago I also got to go skiing which I absolutely loved. I spent most of the time on my back laughing (whilst 4 year olds whizzed past me) but I did finally manage to make it off the baby slope and went onto on of the grown up ones and loved hurtling down that. I did it with much speed and very little style but I enjoyed myself and did not break anything which was a key aim of the day.  I did manage to fall face first and give myself a black eye  (which I was rather proud of and spent the next day at school pointing it out to people).

School has continued to be fabulous and is the most encouraging place you could ever hope to be. They teach a lot on 'calling out the gold in people' and telling them the potential you/God sees in them and the qualities they have. They also teaching  us other people skills like methods for resolving conflicts, how people give and receive love (e.g. people's 'love language' may be gifts, quality time, postive words, acts of service or touch). 

At first this all felt a bit un-Me ( un-British?) (tell people you don't know that well what you really think? talk face to face about a disagreement rather than letting it go?) but it has made a big difference to me and how I view myself and others. I really love how practical the teaching is and we get lots of opportunities to put this into practice in and out of the classroom. When I am my healing team where we pray for people in the church who are not well, some teams go into the shops and streets of Redding each week and find creative ways of letting people know that they are important, valued and loved (making artwork for them, hosting street BBQs, praying for them, giving the children balloons etc).

I leave tonight for Quito, Ecuador to visit people there and in Riobamba. A team of 16 of us are going to visit youth groups, nursing homes, children's hospitals and our aimis to let them know that they are loved and valued. I have a feeling I am going to be pushed out of my comfort zone somewhat! The whole class has had the opportunity to go overseas and we have heard lots of great stories from teams who have been to L.A, Mexico, South Africa, England, Alabama etc etc etc! My roomate is currently in Guatemala cooking meals and spending time with people who live in rubbish dumps.

Corainder & Avoacado...You know you want one really!

Riobamba

I mentioned before that lots of my classmates have got incredible stories of how their lives have been completely turned around from drug addictions, homelessness and other difficult circumstances. My aim is to share some of those stories on here soon. I will fill you in on my Ecuador trip too...

I should add... you are loved, valued, important, significant and well pretty fab really! 

Thoughts for the day...

One thing I have realised over the last few weeks is that we don't need to be Mother Teresa to make a big difference to people. Seems obvious I know but the airport incident and  regular reports from my Grampa on various helpful banking clerks and shop assistants in my home town made me realise that being genuinely interested in people, sympathetic to what they are saying, doing your job well, smiling and listening all make a  big difference whether you feel like it does or not.

I love stories like this - seemingly little things that people do for a stranger when there is no benefit in it for themselves. I am sure most of these people have no/little idea of the impact of their actions:

'Good Samaritan' stories from the BBC

An interesting fact...

• When surveyed (by me) most Americans agreed that they trust their Sat Nav (GPS) more when it speaks with a British accent :).   

To make you smile...

• I had a very unpleasant experience with some very strong, creamy mushroom soup the other day - initially I felt pleased with myself that I was obviously doing well with my healthy eating because creamy food tasted so rich and unpalatable and it was almost inedible. I was already to give myself a pat on the back...then my very sensible (18 year old) housemate pointed out that I was eating condensed soup and asked if I had remembered to add water to it?...

This Santa story is also very inspiring!

Secret Santa spreads joy and disbelief in Kansas City