Fresh start and new beginning is hard but possible!!

Starting all over is not as cut and dried as it sounds. Got all excited anticipating new beginnings. Everything is going to be perfect. A fresh start was all I needed and it’s going to be fine. The struggles of the last few years will disappear and everything will come up roses!

Well they haven’t. I did not see the battles which were waiting for me around the corner. The doors that GOD had shut and were not meant to be re-opened, keep popping up every where I turned. I forgot that I was a very private person and that the few people that were in my life were a hindrance and GOD had sent them packing. I forgot that for years, health issues were neglected, because first of all, I needed to work through ill health as the money was needed and we had no other resources available.

I returned to a home occupied with an evil squatter who refused to move, and I had to get the law involved, had to deal with issues in the home that were neglected in my absence, damp, mold, state taxes, rent arrears, and lest I forget, noise and loud music from neighbors, thought that was left in the past, you name it they were all there. Add on dealing with high blood pressure, severe back and joint pains, doctors and hospital appointments, waiting for appointments for physiotherapy and other issues.

How on earth did Abraham and the children of Israel deal with all they dealt with all those years when they were traveling for all those years, going through unfamiliar territories?

I keep thinking of all that needs to be done and my stress and anxiety levels are going through the roof. I struggled for years, living my life for others and totally neglected myself. I have to learn to start living for me.

I pray for strength and patience, as I really need it. GOD knows I need it!! I’m waiting on GOD’s promises, and I know Faith without works is dead, but I also know, that after you've done all you can, stand. So I stand because I know I have done all I could possibly do. I know that dawn is fast approaching and the sun will come through the dark clouds bringing my breakthrough!

Through all this though, I can see the silver lining in the clouds. I see my daughter re-emerging, pressing and pushing past and through the obstacles and mountains that are in her way. She is trying so hard!! Achieving what was impossible only a few months ago. So proud of her and I love and appreciate her so much.

Old issues, does not just disappear. New beginnings help you deal more effectively and efficiently with issues, because you have learnt from the past. I have learnt to trust GOD because he is GOD and not man and he means what he says. I trust JESUS CHRIST, because he loves me so much that he gave his life for me. What I am facing is nothing compares to what he faced. So I am just going to hold on to his hand and let him show me the way, because only he can help me find it!! So it's so fitting that i end this piece with this song by Sidewalk Prophets- Help me find it. This is my daily prayer.

The spirit of hospitality is still alive!!

I had to start with this song Hold us together by Matt Maher. It speaks volumes

I had to learn this lesson of hospitality the hard way. I was such a naïve, people trusting, man depending, brand new born again Christian. I believed in the honesty and good nature of my fellow man, and it was this trust that was used by the enemy during the early part of my renewed walk and relationship with GOD over the last seven years. I trusted my checking account to be handled by a person I considered a friend and who I thought had my best interest at heart, even though my daughter warned me about her persona several times. According to my daughter, something about her was just not right. To cut a long story short, thousands of dollars was stolen and my account was wiped clean.

We now found ourselves in a dilemma, no one to turn to, no job, family or friends. I had made these plans, allocated funds to cover us for a couple of years, now all of these plans just fell apart. GOD is awesome though; he turned around and used what the enemy meant to use to destroy us to glorify him. I had to learn to be humble and ask people for help. To be honest I don’t know why at this point I did not return to London, which would have been the most sensible thing to do. I believe GOD held us back for his purpose, plus at that time my daughter was in high school and I did not want to disrupt her education.

It was at this point that I discovered the true meaning of hospitality and people’s take on it, and how some people will take advantage of you when you are at a low point and you are vulnerable. I worked for a family member, renovating  and helping her set up her new store for about two months and she did not pay me a dime, instead she told me that the store did not make enough money. I also worked at night cleaning offices, but at the end of each week, after working between 25-35 hours weekly, there was barely enough to make it to the other week.

Some of the people I asked for help told me point blank, that they cannot help us, because we were undocumented in the country and that if they helped us, they will be sinning. ????(At this point in time, we had a couple of lawyers who were trying to help us sort out our documents). It was at this point that I started to research the Bible about migration and hospitality.

Throughout the bible, there is a whole lot of information about migration and hospitality and helping the poor and needy. As far back as I can go, starting from the days of Abraham, GOD asked Abraham to move to a place where he will bless him and future generations. Throughout Abraham’s journey, GOD always made provision for him, either through people he met on the way, or people GOD send to purposefully bless him.

When the children of Israel were in the desert for 40 years, GOD provided Manna from heaven for them so that they could eat, because at that time, they were not able to fend for themselves.

When Ruth returned with her mother-in-law Naomi, Boaz allowed her and other less fortunate people to collect grains after his harvesters. 

There are many examples of how GOD made provisions for the needy and migrants throughout the Bible

Leviticus 19:34 says

Hebrews 13:2 says

Proverbs 31:20

Even though things were tough, living of one income, GOD opened doors that we never knew existed. He revealed resources that were available to us. He allowed an awesome woman of GOD to give me a job which lasted for five years. These people would never know that their hospitality and good deeds made a vast difference to our lives. We will be forever grateful for that. That is why it really frustrates me when bureaucrats both in the United Kingdom and over in the USA pass these unbelievable laws about feeding the homeless and hungry. Last week in Fort Lauderdale, a 90 year old man and two priests were arrested and jailed because they went against the law and fed some homeless people.

Over here in the UK, the hungry, needy and homeless are restricted access to food banks and in some areas, some cannot use them for more than three times a year. A lot of churches are now petitioning the government for help.

This is a quote I read from Pastor John Hagee a couple of days ago
”It's easy to point out someone's flaws. It takes a servant of the Living God to look past their faults and see their need...then help them fulfill that need. You may not be able to help millions of people from your own backyard, but you should be willing to help the ONE that God puts right in front of you!”

Before passing judgments or condemning, talk to some of them and you will be amazed to hear their stories.

GOD allowed different people from our church to bless us with food, rent and other stuff after I lost my job. We were also blessed with other stuff, such as rides to and from church and where we needed to go and even clothing. We even got help from out of state from a young lady and her friends who heard of our dilemma. A lot of times, it is not a financial Blessing that is needed, but empathy, hugs, a kind word, even a smile helps!

The spirit of hospitality is still alive in a lot of people, Christian and non Christian alike, not everyone is critical or judgmental. There are a lot of people making a difference in the lives of people all around the world, ordinary people like you and me.

Before my world turned upside down, I would like to believe that I was a nice and compassionate person, who went to church regularly, donated to charities, helped others as best as I could, because it was the right thing to do. I never once really bothered to go one step further to see if I could help remedy the underlying causes. Now that has all changed. I help and will do so because I want to make a difference and impact the lives of people in GOD’s kingdom. I will not walk away if I could do something.

I have also had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people who are making an impact on the lives of others. To name a few, The Outreach ministry at the Living Hope Christian Center in Pennsauken NJ, Pastored by Pastor Ronald King Sr and Pastor Angela King, The Waymakers, Inc, which is a non profit organization based in New Jersey, headlined by two awesome women of GOD Pastor Carol Robinson and Samantha Pompey who spend all their available time raising funds to educate, feed and are even building wells in Ghana for the impoverished and disadvantaged, not forgetting Carol Pavlicin who works with youth/women and children at Urban Promise in Camden, New Jersey. These are a couple of examples demonstrating the spirit of hospitality and how every one in their own unique way can make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Why i write and share my story

I write because it is the ideal way to tell my story, share my experiences, tell about the growth of my faith, how it was developed, fed and strengthened.

I incorporate the bible verses that have helped me along the way. I also write about the prophetic words that GOD has allowed his prophets to speak over my life.

When this particular phase that I write about started about eight years ago, the support under my feet had literally been yanked from under it. My daughter and I were living a nightmare, at that time; she was only just past 16 years of age. Our world had crumbled and fell apart. We were living in an uncertain place, no one to turn to and the only people we knew had stabbed us not only in the back, but in our face also. Even the old church we used to go to turned into a nightmare. Our faith was being tried, tested and stretched.

It was at this point that GOD allowed us to turn to him instead of man. A lot of people would have walked away, lose their faith, but ours started to grow, because GOD had a plan for us. A couple of media that GOD used to build us was Christian and gospel music and the Bible, that’s why I share the music that GOD allowed me to listen to and they in turn started to heal and inspire me.

I write about the church I joined The Living hope Christian Center in Pennsauken NJ and our pastors Ronald king Sr and Angela King, because over the years they prayed for us without ceasing. They are highly anointed and transparent and one of the most realistic man and woman of GOD that I have ever met, and their encouraging words have helped me and they continue to feed my faith.

My writing is about my Faith and my GOD and my real life’s journey. I write about what I went through. It is not a story, it really happened and I know that somewhere right now, someone is going through what I went through and if by chance they stumble across my writing, I want them to know that GOD can and will pull them through as he did for us.

I write and am an advocate for the homeless, hurting, lonely people, going through stuff through no fault of theirs. Ones who think they have no one to turn to. I want them to know that they have GOD and JESUS to turn to and that they will never leave them or forsake them, and that though the world says one thing, it is GOD’s words and opinions that matters.

 God surely had a reason for what we went through. Only he knew why people had to be cut off from our lives and why he shut all those doors.

I learnt and am still learning to pray, asking GOD for divine intervention, interpretation and strength. Slowly the answers have started to come.

When I write, it’ not that I want people to feel sorry for me, it’s because I want people to be strengthened, to not look at the world or man, but to look up to GOD, to let go and let GOD. That’s why I write.

It’s not peaches and cream yet for us, far from it. But so long as my Faith is strong and I have GOD, there is hope.

I put my trust, faith and belief on GOD and him alone. GOD is all I have and he is all I need and I am not ashamed to declare it to the world. That’s why I write!!