Jane studied at Eston College from 2006-2010. Since then she has been involved in a variety of ministries, especially Street Invaders. Currently, she lives in Saskatoon and works as a health care professional.
Do you ever have those moments when you are in awe of how far God has brought you? You look at where you were in life, where you are now, and you marvel at the leading of God! Looking at myself today I am staggered by God’s redemptive power.
I came to Eston College in 2006 as an upbeat, passionate young women but internally I was barely hanging on. I had overwhelming emotional and spiritual baggage from being a victim of sexual abuse. Soon in the caring, spirit-filled community of Eston College, I began to unravel. You see it is impossible to sit in one of those classrooms and learn about God without it impacting the deepest parts of your life. Each lesson spoke to my brokenness while pointing to my Savior.
I was surrounded by professors, staff, and friends who told me there was hope and demonstrated that hope to me. During this time, as God was healing me, He spoke to me about His call on my life--a call to share His hope and healing with others who has been victimized by sexual violence. Although it has taken seven long years of emotional healing, this summer marked a pivotal point in my life where God released me to start walking out that call. Much of my summer was spent in South East Asia where adults and children are being abused and raped on a daily basis through forced prostitution.
I traveled around the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia serving with organizations fighting against the tyrants who were committing these heinous acts. I saw children, teens and women being bought and sold and even stared into the eyes of drugged teenage girls who were being forced into dancing for their customers. I saw street kids running around alone in the red light district with no one to protect them and I was routinely offered men, women and children for a ‘good price’. Though what I saw with my physical eyes was earth shattering, God allowed me to catch a glimpse of His redemptive vision for these people. I left Asia resolved to become part of the solution.
The streets of South East Asia are a far cry from the hallways of Eston College, yet my time in Eston played an integral role in God’s preparation for what would lie ahead. Without the assurance gained in learning the Scriptures and without experiencing the transformative power of God, I could not have looked those girls in the eye, and confidently shared Christ’s hope for their lives. In the eyes of the world those girls are in the most hopeless of situations but through the eyes of God we gain a kingdom perspective. Christ has allowed me to see that the darker the situation the brighter His light shines.
As hard as it is to see human beings bought and sold, I walked in an incredible peace that can only come from being in God’s will. As I reflect on the next step of His plan for me, I am overjoyed that I get to do as Christ did; “…to proclaim good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners….” (Isaiah 61:1)
Do you ever have those moments when you are in awe of how far God has brought you? You look at where you were in life, where you are now, and you marvel at the leading of God! Looking at myself today I am staggered by God’s redemptive power.
I came to Eston College in 2006 as an upbeat, passionate young women but internally I was barely hanging on. I had overwhelming emotional and spiritual baggage from being a victim of sexual abuse. Soon in the caring, spirit-filled community of Eston College, I began to unravel. You see it is impossible to sit in one of those classrooms and learn about God without it impacting the deepest parts of your life. Each lesson spoke to my brokenness while pointing to my Savior.
I was surrounded by professors, staff, and friends who told me there was hope and demonstrated that hope to me. During this time, as God was healing me, He spoke to me about His call on my life--a call to share His hope and healing with others who has been victimized by sexual violence. Although it has taken seven long years of emotional healing, this summer marked a pivotal point in my life where God released me to start walking out that call. Much of my summer was spent in South East Asia where adults and children are being abused and raped on a daily basis through forced prostitution.
I traveled around the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia serving with organizations fighting against the tyrants who were committing these heinous acts. I saw children, teens and women being bought and sold and even stared into the eyes of drugged teenage girls who were being forced into dancing for their customers. I saw street kids running around alone in the red light district with no one to protect them and I was routinely offered men, women and children for a ‘good price’. Though what I saw with my physical eyes was earth shattering, God allowed me to catch a glimpse of His redemptive vision for these people. I left Asia resolved to become part of the solution.
The streets of South East Asia are a far cry from the hallways of Eston College, yet my time in Eston played an integral role in God’s preparation for what would lie ahead. Without the assurance gained in learning the Scriptures and without experiencing the transformative power of God, I could not have looked those girls in the eye, and confidently shared Christ’s hope for their lives. In the eyes of the world those girls are in the most hopeless of situations but through the eyes of God we gain a kingdom perspective. Christ has allowed me to see that the darker the situation the brighter His light shines.
As hard as it is to see human beings bought and sold, I walked in an incredible peace that can only come from being in God’s will. As I reflect on the next step of His plan for me, I am overjoyed that I get to do as Christ did; “…to proclaim good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners….” (Isaiah 61:1)