Jesusluvsall's Blog

Yesterday morning I substitute taught a Welcome Class for new refugees. It is a class that provides English lessons during their first few months in America. For this class, we understand there will be mornings the student does not come because of all the appointments they will have such as doctor, dentist, or for obtaining things they will need such as a Social Security card.

In class yesterday, there were a married couple from Guatemala, a mother, brother, and sister from Congo, and a woman from Burma. Seeing them smile as I taught was a blessing. Being with them brought back memories from when I taught the class for a few years back in the day.

It has been a blessing to help, teach, and share Jesus with refugees for twenty-three years. I plan to continue doing so in the coming years. But during lunch with my pastor last week, another thing got real concrete in my mind.

I shared with my pastor that my belief is that Jesus is adding another dimension to my ministry which is helping set the captives free along the lines of Isaiah 61. By the captives, I am referring to those who have suffered trauma in their lives It is the purpose behind my book Jesus Understands Trauma.

It is exciting to be in the beginning stages of it wondering how Jesus will work. Each week, there is encouragement Jesus sends my way such as the review by Jasmine I shared on Monday, the lunch I had with the counseling pastor from another church last week etc.

The Sunday before Jesus Understands Trauma went live on Amazon, I asked my pastor to pray for me. I told him I wanted to do it and yet I did not want to do it. By want to do it, I mean definitely yes I want to help people who suffer trauma. By not wanting to do it, I mean I do not want my identity in the minds of others to include the things I have overcome. It was the tug of war going on in my mind during the year of writing, editing, and adding to my book, But then 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 has kept coming to my mind as I wrestled with the opposing thoughts in my mind.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

So the hesitant “here I am Lord, send me maybe I am not sure” has changed to “Here I am Lord, send me.”

I share these things because I feel that it is important to be real and not gloss over the experience of saying yes to Jesus.

Can you relate?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.