The unpopular truth...

Following the Bible is not easy nor popular. People always challenged the word of God, his existence and purpose. Before Christ was born, when he was alive and still till this day. This blog post is a little different from what I normally post but it has been something that has been on my mind heavily. This isn’t a think piece either. I took a 21 day social media fast in November to clear my mind, pray and focus on the end of the year.  It was getting harder for me to hear God’s voice. The post, memes and arguments were excessive also this talk of the “universe” was starting to annoy me. Why you ask? Because people use it in the same context as God. The one and only God that sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. Nowadays I have to be exact when I refer to God because people create their own “gods”. It sounds “like”, but they never mention Jesus. John 14 verse 6 says Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You cannot get to God without acknowledging and accepting his son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. With the constant misinformation shared online I have to hold myself accountable with what I share online. Not everyone is going to do the research.

It seems like the internet is trying to rebrand God by spreading words of positivity that kinda sound like something you would hear in a sermon or read in the Bible but without any context. But I am here to be CLEAR and HONEST with you. The “universe” cannot do NOTHING for you. God created the universe so therefore it is a creation just like you and me. Hence we cannot praise or worship it or put our faith in it. This post is not to shame people who believe in the “universe” it is to bring some clarity to the misconceptions that is shared online. The false message sounds so common that I have seen people who are Christians or people who believe in God use his name and the universe as if they are synonymous to each other. Romans 16:17-18 Says "I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them”. I am here to tell you that God is NOT synonymous to the universe. Reading the Bible in a translations that fits to your understanding will clarify that for you.

I use to burn sage in my apartment and one day I asked myself where did I get this practice from? Is it Biblical? Who told me to do it? And a bunch of other questions. Then I realized that I was just doing what I’ve seen other people do online. That is how easy it is to start doing things that God does not approve on. Sage or smudging does not get rid of negativity or bad energy. To be honest all it did was make my apartment stink. (No offense but burning sage smells bad based on the ones that I’ve burned) Also after burning sage I would just open my windows. So whatever bad energy I was trying to get rid of would have just come back in??

I write all of this to say be aware of the practices and beliefs that you start to practice and believe. If you want to serve a true living and never changing God follow Jesus. He will lead you to the right path.

My experience at Woman Evolve 2019

A few weeks ago, I went to Denver Colorado for the Woman Evolve conference created by my big sister and leader in Christ, Sarah Jake Roberts. Originally, I was supposed to arrive at my Airbnb in Denver on Thursday around 5pm mountain daylight time. But life happened and my plans where derailed. Long story short, I had to rebook my flight for another day and because of the combination of a connecting flight and bad weather, I missed the entire first day. When I finally arrived to my Airbnb late Friday night, I was exhausted from traveling all day My host, Sarah, made my stay comfortable, clean, and safe. She even left me a bottle of white wine which was much needed after spending most of my day traveling.

When I arrived to the church Saturday morning, I tried not to let missing the first day of the conference make me feel like I missed out on everything. I still had a full day ahead of me and so, that was all that mattered. As I looked around the sanctuary I couldn’t help but notice the number of women that came to attend. It was a full house! We praised and worshipped with each other; we all did not want it to stop. Pastor Touré took the stage next, he was going to preach. Now to add some context to what I am about to say…

I participated in the Woman Evolve WE Drive Dreams community grant contest. In the video, I said that my dream is to become an Executive Producer, which I know is a long and hard journey but I know that it is tied to my purpose. For me, it is more than just a job title, it is what I want to impact the world . Winning the grant would’ve helped me drive my dreams by helping me relocate to a bigger city where there are more opportunities in my desired field. Unfortunately, I did not win the contest. However, what happened instead, was nothing short of God confirming His purpose for my life.

As Pastor Touré took the stage, he welcomed us and started his message titled “Becoming a Produc(HER)”. Becoming. A. PRODUC(HER)! I would be in denial if I did not take that as a sign from God! I immediately took out my notebook and I started writing notes. The message was just what I needed and from the energy of the crowd, I could tell it was a message that everyone else needed as well. Pastor Touré’s message had a lot of layers, but the main takeaways were things that I have been praying about, such as relocating, claiming and owning what is inside of me, killing procrastination because it not only hinders your growth, but it also insults God because you assume that life is on your own schedule. Another key takeaway was that we need to get out of our default setting. Too many of us go about life like it is no big deal or the regular same old same old. Humans are not made to be average and  live without a purpose. We are called by God to do amazing things on this Earth. Our purpose is tied to each other, imagine if everyone pursued their God given purpose! 

Overall,I had an amazing experience at Woman Evolve, I met and exchanged numbers with some great women, reunited with some old faces and met many new faces, learned some new things about side hustling, and I got to see J. Bolin and Sarah Jake Roberts again. Despite the hectic traveling and plans not going my way, I enjoyed myself and my heart is so full! I got just what I needed and more.

Also sorry about the lack of photos. It was a really long day and I wanted to enjoy the moment. I do have some videos on my IG that I shared @fanneoflife.

Visiting Haiti, 20+ Years Later.

The memories I have growing up in Haiti are really faint. What I can remember is my family, my parents friends and school.I remember my auntie taking me to school every morning. When it rained  she would carry me on her back or on the top of her shoulders to keep my school shoes from getting muddy. When I think about it, most of my memories are from school. I remember the mean teachers who would grip my hands tightly to teach me how to write, my uniform, and the lack of friends. When I was five ,my dad decided to move us (me, my mom and brothers to the US) to live in Florida. I remember that day very well . Probably because we took pictures before we left. I was sad to leave my auntie, she always took care of me when  my mom was busy, she was my second mother. Now twenty years later I returned to Port Au Prince, Haiti. While in the car going to my aunt's house I asked myself “Has the country always been like this?” I left the country at a young age so there are plenty of things that I did not notice while growing up in Haiti. The country seemed so foreign to me but once I heard the Creole roll from my fellow natives’ tongues, I knew I was home.

Twenty years is a long time to leave home without visiting. I put off this trip so many times. But finally I went and I am so glad that I did. It has been so long since I embraced my auntie a.k.a second mother. She did not recognize me at first, her little niece is now a grown woman. I met so many other cousins that I never knew existed. My family is big but we live so far from each other. During our stay, my aunt would cook us breakfast and dinner, and accommodate our needs to make us feel at  home. Our whole family in Haiti made sure we were comfortable and happy despite not having consistent electricity. While in Haiti, I visited Leogane, the town in Haiti  where my dad grew up. It was quite a drive, we went all the way up to the mountains,  the view was beautiful. When we arrived, there was not much to see besides small shacks, people who lived in the mountains, old churches, cows, horses,  and other livestock. We did not get to visit Jacmel, the town where my mom was born. Both of my parents did not come from much. I could tell life for them was hard. I now see why their faith is so strong and they encourage us to do well. Their life is a living testimony that situations are temporary, God has a purpose for us all and your faith needs to be strong to understand what God has in store for you. During the trip, my parents had conversations that we never had with them before. Real adult conversations.  We talked about the past, present and future. I do not know why some Haitian parents wait so long to have conversations like this with their children but I am glad that they finally sat down and talked to us. This was our first family trip since leaving to go to the United States.

This year I have been blessed to visit so many places. It is a true blessing because I have always wanted to travel and visit some places. Out of all of my trips this year only 2 were planned, the rest were opportunities that I jumped at and God provided. Going to Haiti put a lot in perspective, it reminded me of where I  came from and everything that God has done for me and what he is going to do for me. Going down the streets of Port-Au-Prince was sad because the conditions of the country is horrible. Yes the country is beautiful but the living conditions are terrible. Some people do not have roofs on their homes, a car, decent shoes, healthcare and the list goes on. God made a way for me and my family because I could have easily been in that situation. Haiti has such a rich history that is unknown by many people, including myself.  I want to visit next year and every year after that. I want to see different parts of my country and learn the history, brush up on my Creole, and learn about my peoples’ struggles and needs. I have a few ideas on what I can do for my country and for my people, I know God has already planned for that in my purpose. To all of my fellow Haitians and immigrants out there, take a trip to your country and reconnect with your roots. Talk to your family and fellow brothers and sister in Haiti and in the states, connect with them and ask about their Haitian experience and where they came from. Living in America is a true luxury but we must not forget where we came from and who we truly are.