Imperfect People: The stealing of innocence: Ophelia’s story

I just HAD to share this with you.


Imperfect People | The stealing of innocence: Ophelia’s story



♥Jurney 

Life

These last two weeks have been quite eventful for me. 

My husband left for Florida to start a new job, leaving me and the kids behind to finish out the school year on the complete polar opposite side of these United States. But before you all go...

"What?!? How could he do that?!?"

  

...and everything, let me tell you it wasn't his idea for us to stay behind. He wanted us to come with him but the kids and I, didn't think it was a very good idea to start a new school district towards the end of the year. 

Speaking of my kids and starting a new school district next year...my fifteen year old is NOT dealing with the move very well. I feel bad for her because even though I'm an old lady, I still remember what it felt like to be fifteen and to think that your friends were your whole world.

Shout out to my BFF Leigh who moved away when we were fifteen. 

I remember thinking that my life was over and I feared I would never see her again but that was, like, 

23 years ago and we are still going strong. We talk almost everyday...except these last two weeks because things have been so crazy. 

So, if you want to say a little prayer for my daughter I would appreciate it. 

But these last two weeks haven't been all bad. 

Last week was National Crime Victims' Rights Week, where the nation remembers all the crime victims of the past and present. This year, the focus was on the many different victims' support groups that have developed over the last 30 years and I had the privilege to share my personal story of healing at a college in upstate New York.

It was such an amazing experience. 

It was my first time speaking outside of a Christian environment. All of my other speaking engagements were for women's church groups so I was worried that the criminal justice students would think I was a "Jesus Freak" or something and dismiss me...ha ha ha...but they didn't. In fact, everything went really well. Not only do I feel like I reached a lot of people with my story, but I feel like I gained a lot of insight into how I can help more people. I'm so grateful to have gotten that opportunity. I look forward to creating new bonds with all of the wonderful people I met there.

I'd like to give another shout out to Becky, John, Paul, Ree, Veronica and Joyce. 

Thank you for your kind words and your support. 

Each one of you were an inspiration to me and I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart...Joyce-Keep me updated please. I really do care. :) 

Other than that tid-bit of good news, I learned that our offer on a house in Florida has been accepted and we are scheduled to close on it by May 19. 


This relieves a lot of stress in my life. I hated the "not knowing" phase of relocating. Were we going to find a house or were we going to be crammed into another tiny apartment again? It was very stressful.

 But, right now, I'm fighting the "Sand Man" so I better get going. I'll try to keep you updated more often. I'm sorry.

♥ Jurney Eve

Michael Patrick Ellerson

Michael Patrick Ellerson Obituary: View Michael Ellerson's Obituary by Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

You will be missed.

♥ Jurney Eve

Crime Victims' Rights Week April 10-16th 2011

Bradley's Blessings

So, yesterday was Sunday, and you know what that means...I received another insightful message at church that I feel compelled to share with you today. I'm going to start calling these posts of mine that are inspired by my Pastor as Bradley's Blessings.

Sunday's message was about a subject that I've talked about a lot over the years with my friends but have never spoken about publicly. I'm kind of a "tread-lightly-without-offending-anyone" type of person. I'm a firm believer in acceptance. It is not my place to judge you. As a Christian, I feel that I am a representative of Christ and because of that, I should strive to conduct myself and treat others the way Christ would have conducted himself and treated others. 

Something that I will be working on for the remainder of my life. :)

Woah! I can already hear some of you saying stuff like, "But as a Christian you're supposed to lead people to God. You're supposed to spread the news and tell everyone you see about Him. You'll never grow as a Christian if you don't fight for Him..." and I agree with these statements.

I know that God wants us to tell people about Him. He wants us to share our testimonies with people and tell them how God has worked in our lives and how He has changed us for the better. But I think some people misunderstand this and end up pushing people further away from God in the process. Telling people about Jesus isn't "a high pressure sale," nor are "we meant to be political activists." Just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I think I'm better than you if you're not. I don't look down on you. I don't judge you. I'm not going to stand outside a soldier's funeral with picket signs, or bomb an abortion clinic, or burn Korans.

Jesus would NEVER do those things!

If you really want to reach people then you have to get to their hearts. You have to love them, and you have to mean it, even if you don't agree with the way they live or the things they do. And not in a "I love you because I have to because Jesus loves you!" kind of way. Jesus loved/s the unlovable. Jesus loved/s the people that no one else would associate with and He did it without judgement...even though He's the only one who can judge us.

There is a quote, "Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear what you’re saying."  If what we do doesn't reflect what we say or believe then why would anyone listen to us? 

We have to learn how to practice what we preach and how to accept and welcome people who are different than us. But most of all, we need to remember that we are representatives of Christ and we need to conduct ourselves as such.

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." Matthew 12:33

♥Jurney Eve

God Works in Subtle Ways

The Revolve Tour was amazing! 

I'm so thankful that I got to bring my daughter and her friends. I hope the weekend, with all of the inspiring messages and music,  meant as much to them as they meant to me. I honestly didn't expect too much this weekend for myself because the last time I volunteered for The Revolve Tour I had so many responsibilities that I didn't get an opportunity to listen to any of the speakers or musicians.

A small price to pay for my daughter and her friends. :) 

But this year, I had very few responsibilities, one of which was to sit with our girls once the show started. It was a much different experience than the last time. The gentleman in charge of the volunteers told us he wanted us to remember that this is a ministry that is trying to reach people and encourage and inspire them. And while we already knew that, of course, it was so nice to hear it coming from him. As a volunteer, I was used to just hearing the facts...learn the layout of the arena; learn where the elevators are; learn where the mens' rooms are; learn how to keep the crowd controlled...It was nice to be reminded of what and why we were really volunteering. You know?

Plus, if I hadn't been sitting with my girls I wouldn't have been ministered to. God works in subtle ways. This year, I applied for the volunteer position of "Talent Runner", which if I had gotten it would've meant that I would work behind the scenes with the speakers. I thought it would be an amazing opportunity for me to see what it's like for them to prepare to speak in front of thousands of people. It would be a great learning experience for me since I'm so new to public speaking. But I didn't get it.

Aww! Boo hoo!

But don't cry for me yet. Instead, I got to relax and really listen to what they had to say. There were two new speakers this year and I think God brought me to that seat next to my girls just so I would hear their stories .

One of the new speakers was Jamie Grace. Jamie's story is different than mine in many ways but in some ways it is similar. Jamie struggles with Tourette Syndrome. Tourettes is a neuropychiatric disorder that begins in childhood, characterized by multiple physical "tics" and at least one vocal "tic". The "tics" are sudden, repetitive, stereotyped, nonrhythmic movements and utterances. Tourette's was once considered a rare and bizarre syndrome, most often associated with the exclamation of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks, but this symptom is present in only a small minority of people with Tourette's. In Jamie's case, her "tics" involved her legs and arms. They were sudden, frequent, repetitive and she couldn't control them. She spent most of her life trying to be "normal". All she wanted was to fit in instead of stand out. Until one day she realized she was sick of trying to be "normal". She decided she didn't want to fit in.  Why fit in when she could stand out for God and be an inspiration to others who are also struggling with Tourettes. So she started speaking out and she became an activist and now she's on The Revolve Tour.

She tells it way better.

Not only am I inspired by her decision to accept her condition and her passion to help others, I'm encouraged by her because she started out just trusting that God wanted to use her to help others and now she's reaching thousands of people. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be in a position where I can reach thousands of people too...and maybe not. I'm just going to trust God and accept what ever He throws my way with as much grace and humility as I can. 

In the meantime, you should check out Jamie Grace. Maybe she will inspire you as much as she has inspired and encouraged me. 

http://www.jamie-grace.com/

♥Jurney Eve

The Revolve Tour presents DREAM ON - The Event for Teen girls

I'm so excited because tonight I get to go to The Revolve Tour!

Since 1996, more than 4 million women have packed themselves and their friends into sold-out arenas across North America for 2-day events that are inspiring, encouraging, and fun. Every year, they come back for another weekend with Women of Faith, and for many of those years, they said (in pretty much these exact words), “This is awesome! But what about something for my daughter?”

In 2005, Women of Faith created The Revolve Tour as a response to those requests. The result is a one-of-a-kind inspirational weekend for 6th– to 12th–grade girls that combines award-winning bands and speakers with real, relevant messages in a high-energy event.

There’s way more to The Revolve Tour than just a fun time with the girls. Since it began, more than 35,000 girls have indicated they made first-time decisions for Christ at a Revolve Tour event. In addition, more than 16,000 children have been sponsored through World Vision as a result of The Revolve Tour.

And I'm going! Not only am I going but I am volunteering as a usher, like I have been for the past 4 years. I love to volunteer for Women of Faith events. I get to meet a lot of great people, watch the show and I get to bring 3 teenage girls with me too. For free!

So, I thought of a fun challenge for my readers...all 9 of you...ha ha ha...If you will be attending the Revolve Tour this weekend in Hartford, CT then I challenge you to find me. It shouldn't be too hard. There are only about 12 volunteer ushers and we all have to wear khaki pants and black tops. If you find me then I have something for you. 

I hope to see you there.

♥Jurney Eve

Chances and Changes

God has been opening some pretty big doors for me lately. Ever since I started on my "journey to heal"...which is what I refer to as the last four years of my life; from the time I got the idea to write about being kidnapped to the present day...I've been asking God to show me what He wants me to do with my story. Who does He want me to help? I want to help as many people as I can. I just don't know how to get started doing that.


I know I'm not going to help anyone unless I put myself out there and talk about it. The problem I'm having is I'm not sure who to approach. My story isn't for everyone. My story is about surviving and healing from a violent sexual assault, which isn't exactly geared for a mainstream audience. But one might think I could approach women's clinics or charity groups or something along those lines. But another very important aspect of my story, and I think the most important aspect, is the relationship I developed with God throughout the last 20 years of my life, which is responsible for healing me. If it wasn't for God I wouldn't be the person I am today. Therefore, I believe I must include Him when I share my story.


Do you see my dilemma?


So...back to the doors that God is opening for me...




Apparently April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and many places all around the nation are raising awareness by hosting events and I have been asked to speak at one of them. On April 14th I will share my story, my whole story, God and all, to approximately 300 people at a college in upstate NY! Is this my answer from God?  We'll see. I'm so excited yet completely terrified at the same time. I'll let you know how that goes.
 


I'm still working on the second edition of Intended Harm but I don't think my goal of having it finished by the end of spring is going to happen because of another huge, life altering change that is about to happen in my family. We are being relocated to Florida this summer with my husband's job. He actually leaves on April 6th because they need him by April 11th, but the kids and I will stay behind to finish out the school year. So I will, essentially, be a single mother to three kids for a couple of months, while working two jobs, editing my book, writing a speech and I'll also be responsible for packing everything we own. I'm very grateful but at times I feel completely overwhelmed. 


Oh no! Look at the time! I'm gonna have to wrap this up because I have to be at my daughter's school in a few minutes. It's Wednesday and on Wednesdays I volunteer in her classroom. 

Thank you God for all of the blessings in my life. 

♥Jurney 

Laura Story - Blessings [HQ]

You Must Be Willing To Be Ridiculed To Stand Up For What You Believe In.

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. What's it been? Two weeks? Three? 

My days are running into each other. They feel like a blur to me. At the end of each day I feel like I still have an unfinished to-do list that never seems to go away.

But I am getting things accomplished. My house is clean...and if you've been to my house within the last three weeks you would be amazed by that statement. 

Cynthia...You can actually see the floor in my laundry room!

But more importantly, I'm making significant progress on the second edition of Intended Harm. It's going to be amazing...at least I think so. I've been talking to *Renee, who is my kidnapper's ex-wife, and she has been sharing some of her personal memories with me, which I will definitely be including in my second edition. My goal is to have it finished by the end of spring.

I had a great day at church this morning. I just LOVE my church! Every Sunday, it doesn't matter what Pastor is preaching about, it feels like he's talking directly to me. Does anyone else ever feel that way at church? It feels like he knows exactly what I'm struggling with and he's there to help me. This morning, for a brief second, I was like, "Is he talking to me?" His message was about how we are all called to be missionaries for God. We don't have to go to a foreign country to do it. We can do it right here. We can do it at our jobs. We can minister to the person sitting next to us just by telling them how God has worked in our lives. He talked about how missionaries that are over seas face a lot of dangers. Not only do they struggle with different diseases and, let's face it, less than comfortable living conditions, a lot of them are thrust into countries with people that want to kill them. 

And we complain about facing rush hour traffic.

They didn't worry about being uncomfortable or sick. Well, I'm sure they worried about it but their message outweighed their fear...even their fear of being killed. And that made me think...I have been so worried and afraid of the "what-ifs". 

What if *Mr. Smith finds out I wrote this book?

What if it makes him angry?

What if he tries to find me?

What if people think I'm weird?

What if...?

What if...?

What if...?

I need to be more like those missionaries. 

Yes, I am worried about the "what-ifs". 

Yes, I'm incredibly uncomfortable putting my personal life out for display.

Yes, my heart fluctuates when I talk to a group of people about my story.

But I know that the message I have to share is far more important than my comfort. 

That doesn't necessarily make it any easier but it is very encouraging to me. For the past year I have been thinking that it shouldn't be this hard. If this message is something God wants me to share, then wouldn't it come easily to me? 

But Pastor's message this morning made me realize that when comfort is more important than serving God, you will never be successful for God. God wants to take us out of our comfort zone. When we are uncomfortable we rely on a strength that is greater than our own. 

God gave me this message that he wants me to give to you and no matter how uncomfortable it makes me I'm willing to give it. After all, what I have isn't mine anyway...it's God's.

 ♥Jurney Eve