ANSWERING A CALLING FROM GOD: National HerStory Awardees Share Transformative Wisdom for Women
Photo of awardees and WFWP staff smiling for a group picture
In anticipation of National Women’s History month (March) on February 26, 2022 , WFWP USA launched a monthly national HerStory Award ceremony series, to acknowledge five women leaders, one from each region of the United States, for their courage, compassion, and commitment to using their gifts and talents to uplift others, despite often overwhelming challenges. 75 participants gathered to hear “the story behind their story” as to how they accomplished extraordinary things.
After a brief introduction by Mrs. Katarina Connery, who facilitated this special occasion, WFWP USA President Angelika Selle explained the deeper significance and honor of this award. Each awardee was called up one by one to receive the award, and then share three to five practical points or lessons learned as to how she overcame trials and tribulations. Each story moved the audience deeply, and sometimes the presenter also couldn’t hold back her tears.
The chatbox overflowed with comments, congratulations and gratitude from participants, including friends and family of the awardees.
There are many more HerStories to be told, and we already look forward to next month’s celebration of women heroines!
Please enjoy some excerpts of each of these women’s stories below. Each of their full story can be viewed at www.wfwp.us/herstory
Northeast: Joan Myers, gospel singer, songwriter, and businesswoman
The gift of family is one of the greatest reasons that propels me to fuel a selfless lifestyle lived out of a deep sense of love for others. I have a reason for having a focused sense of purpose in my life because there has been a call in my life. I have also realized that self-reliance always falls short and the world-denying solutions provide no answer in the end.
First, I understood the call. Since I was a child, the selfless act of serving others was introduced to my siblings and I by our now deceased parents who served others diligently. This legacy is the heart of my story. Let me encourage you to give until there's no more to give, love until there’s no more to love.
Secondly, I responded to the call. This call has compelled me to respond practically and compassionately to human needs. I have felt pain in my calling in serving others but it is in those moments that I realize that love is demanding and it requires a death to my self-constructed ego. I am honored to be called to serve where He places me. Some of those places are extremely uncomfortable and deeply painful, but I stood and served.
Finally, I embrace the call. In a recent devotional reflection on my job, there was a picture presented to me of a tow truck pulling another tow truck. This reminded me regardless of how strong I am in life, I do have breaking points and it means I need people and people need me. As a Jamaican, I hold firm to the words of our national anthem which says, “Teach us to respect for all, stir response to do this call.”
Southeast: Dr. Charlene Jenkins, CEO & Founder of LadyJ Media
I take no credit for anything, I give all glory to God for all that He’s allowed me to do. I have suffered three strokes and a heart attack. I was in a mentally abusive relationship for a very very long time which affected my brain and my mental capacity. Years later the pain and everything that I was holding in caused me to have three strokes. The first point I wanted to make is God is amazing. Everything we go through, there is a purpose and there is a reason. My second point is that things are not always as they seem.
As I went through the strokes and heart attack, I had to learn how to walk, talk, use my phone, all the things we take for granted, I had to learn how to do all of those things over three times. I never ever gave up because I knew that there was a reason I just didn't know at the time. God will allow us to go through journeys and go through things in our life because he's trying to take us somewhere. Sometimes we don't know where but we have to go through the journey.
Number three, you can't run from your calling. I ran and I ran because I did not want to be anywhere in the ministry because my dad is a pastor and I didn't want to be anywhere near it. Coming full circle, that’s where I am today. You cannot run from your calling no matter how you try. God will pull you back and place you where you're supposed to be.
Midwest: Pastor Janet D. Reid, Founder of Blood Covenant Sisters International, Ministries INC.
The difficulties in ministry come from you as a person accepting the call of God in your life. The most difficult moments that I've ever had were when I wanted to say, “God, you got the wrong girl,” or when He called you wanting to hang up the phone and say, “Wrong number.” Saying yes is the key and once God has a grip on your heart you are just willing at that time to take on whatever comes. Because he never promised us that the road will be easy. He never said that it was going to be a bed of roses. He just said come, come and follow me. What I say to every woman is know that God is the one who called you. Ministry is always going to be about others. When we deal with other people of course you know that all of us have our ups we have our downs. But when you’re with God, you’re able to receive what anyone has going on in their life.
When I read [the Bible] I find people like you and me in those stories. They have some difficulty but they made it through the trenches because they put all their trust in God. Noah to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Moses were challenged and they just decided you know what, I said yes, and I'm going all the way.
Southwest: Nishia Slater, Owner of Star Life Wellness, LLC
My mother is such an inspiration. She didn't show us how to be strong physically, she showed us how to be strong mentally. When we think about strength, we think about, “Can I pick this up?” It's not even about that. Can you pick yourself up? Over the years I have learned how to pick myself up throughout my journey. Being born in poverty in the 80s, 3 of 7, I honestly look back and I don't know and understand how my mother did it. She inspired me so, so much. I was able to use all that trauma and those obstacles that I went through as stepping stones.
Being molested and having my voice taken away from me, that changed my life tremendously. It changed how I view myself. It changed how I treated myself, even as a child. I am a teen mom and that is okay. I am a high school dropout and that’s okay too. When the weapons are being thrown, keep throwing them, I’m going to continue to rise above them. I continued to live my life for my children and I learned–it took a long time, 30-something years–if I continue to live for them, I’m only living through them. I’m not living for myself. I had to learn to love myself, through all that trauma.
I went from feeling, “why me?” to thinking, “why not me?” The way my mother inspired me, I want to inspire other women. But I had to learn how to use my voice. All that fear, trauma, anger, hurt, and of course, confusion, led me to believe there was no hope. Throughout the years, I was able to create my own lens to see that the pain, anger, and hurt that I was holding on to, wasn't doing anything but causing me to live the life that I did not want. I had to go within, I had to heal the inner child that was screaming out for help. I took that trauma and those obstacles one step at a time. And I started building up. That self-love that I didn’t have, I have it. The confidence, I have it. To be empowered, I have it. It all starts in the mindset.
West: Heidi Lieb-Williams, Chair of Alaska’s Governor’s Council for Disabilities and Special Education and GCDSE Executive committee
God deserves the glory for what He has done in my life, lighting the way for others to see a testimony of what He can do. He establishes the pathways of opportunity for me to walk through to make a difference. His plan is bigger than any dreams or goals I could have ever imagined.
No one overcomes a quest without a challenge. Growing up I struggled to fit in, trying to be like others, comparing myself, and feeling rejected because I was different. I always had difficulty keeping a job and was told they knew I was doing my best but my best would never amount to being good enough. Discovering my children and some immediate family members were on the autism spectrum helped me to learn more about my diagnoses. Some people assumed I couldn’t be taught or do certain things because of being functionally deaf hard-of-hearing along with multiple other disabilities.
I had to change my thinking. I had to learn to embrace autism. God created me like this, to be born to stand out, to make a difference, and not be ashamed of who I am. I love being able to share my fixations on special interests. I was told I talk too much but it turned out I actually share knowledge. I struggle with failure but strive to overcome it. I've learned to advocate for support and understand it's okay to reach out and ask for help. We all need each other in this world.
With assistance and incredible mentors, I started my own business called Puzzled with Purpose–Autistically Inspired Creations in order for me to help others discover their passions, talents, and build confidence. It is a gift to see them filled with hope, learn to face hurdles, and persevere no matter how long it takes and witness their success. Reality is: it is okay to not be okay sometimes. Through it all, I’ve learned that doing my best doesn’t mean pushing myself until I break, but that being kind to myself allows me to give the best version of me to others. Despite my flaws, I am determined even through heartbreaking moments to shine through and true. Because of the amazing people who have left handprints on my life, I pray I can leave a thumbprint legacy of God’s love. When someone tells you you can’t or it’s impossible, don’t underestimate the power of adding the word “yet.”
