Calling From Lived Experience

Today, I want to share something truly personal. Here’s a picture of me from a time when I had just moved into a transitional apartment. It marked a pivotal moment in my journey: transitioning from homelessness to an emergency shelter, then to a women’s home, and finally to this transitional apartment.

But this photo symbolizes more than just a physical move. During this transition, God was quietly transforming me on the inside—spiritually and emotionally. It was a bit like Moses in the wilderness, being prepared for a greater calling. He led me to Psalm 82, and having experienced what it was like to be homeless and to face those stigmas, I realized these circumstances didn’t define me.

The Lord guided me through that season, provided people and resources to climb out, and ultimately called and commissioned me as a pastor of the Refuge of Peace Justice and Advocacy Center. I walk now as someone who has been through the fire and is ready to minister to others, alongside a team called by God.

It takes a team as well as a community—it truly takes a village—to help people find restoration.