When I came to Christian Women’s Job Corps, I was broken, confused, and needing to find my way. I am so grateful for this program because I have made so many changes in my life. Before I started, I wanted to give up on life, but since I have attended CWJC, I choose to live life more abundantly. I now have a closer relationship with God. I have gained more confidence, knowledge, and wisdom. I have learned to manage my life better now. I can manage my money better and have paid my bills on time so that I can become financially independent again. The things that I was taught in class have not only helped me to move forward in the positive directions in my life, but I was also able to pass my new knowledge on to my family as well.
When I started the program, I didn’t have a job anymore. I have a bachelor’s degree, but I hadn’t found a job in my career after 7 years. Every bill I had was behind.
Now I have two jobs and all my bills are being paid on time, because I learned how to manage my money. I have started teaching my family how important it is to have a budget and sticking to it will help them begin to save more.
Being in CWJC has taught me how the old ways I was thinking were wrong. Now I realize times have changed so much but my thinking was still in the past. I am now a better thinker and on a positive path. I am truly proud to be a graduate of CWJC and for the friendships I formed along the way. I am so thankful for all the teachers who took out time to teach us, and everyone who made it possible for me to get through this program. I know that this was a wonderful opportunity for me and a blessing. I realized so many other women could have had my spot, but by God’s grace I was chosen.
When God placed me on this journey I knew I had to do my best. This program has given me so much to look forward to. I know that I will always have people I can call on whenever life seems to get overwhelming. I don’t want to ever go backwards to my negative past. My joy is right here now. I can touch it, unlike in my past it felt so far away.
With the knowledge I have gained I would like to keep encouraging people never to give up on life or their dreams. I have been telling women about the program and encouraging them to sign up. Without CWJC I do not know where my life would have ended. CWJC has helped me tremendously in a number of ways. I lost weight, eat healthier, work harder, pray more often, want to learn as much as I can, and I laugh more often.
When I talk to other women who seem to be right where I was before starting the program, I can show them how CWJC has worked for me. One of the best things I received from CWJC is that I can always network with other people and find answers to any questions that I have. Before coming to CWJC, I didn’t know who to ask when I needed help with difficult situations. It feels good to have people care about my success in life, who genuinely want the best for me.
One of the things I enjoyed about CWJC was the mentorship. When I went to see my mentor each time we had some of the best conversations, and we worked really well together. My mentor helped me with some of my stressful situations I was going through. She brought me information that was really helpful for me to make some better decisions. I enjoyed Bible study so much during CWJC classes. So my mentor and I also talked a lot about God. I have always been such a private person but forming the friendship I did with my mentor allowed me to open up about my problems. She made me feel so comfortable knowing she was not there to judge me.
Before I came to CWJC I didn’t trust anyone – not even family at times. Now I am in such a better place in my life. I realize everyone is not out to hurt, lie, steal, abuse, cheat, or misuse me. With the help of CWJC and my mentor I am better at judging people for who they really are now. I learned that my expectation of others was too high. Now I focus on myself more. For me to help other people I need to be who God has called me to be. Every day I will continue to work on being the best me I can be.
