WOC Mentors (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

I would like to just celebrate the women of color who have been an influence on my life. I have a huge advantage of working with InterVarsity, in Southern California that I get to be around many women of color who are passionate about justice, Jesus, ministry, family, relationships, boba, reading, and the like. Their influence both near and far has had a profound impact on how I do ministry and why I do ministry. You all have taught me important things like how to be a better leader, how to be a better friend, how to listen, how to hear the stories of women and men of color, how to be an advocate, and so much else. Without your leadership and partnership in my life, I am convinced I would not be the leader I am today.

Sol - I thank you for your stories. Thank you for being vulnerable with me and bringing me into your life, your emotions, your fears, your joys, and excitements. Thank you for being my best friend and being alongside me in some of the messiest things in our lives. You inspire me to be kind, to listen, to be generous with my time and myself.

Robyn - I thank you for your consistent presence in my life. You have been a steady friend for me in some very turbulent times. I am so grateful you constantly encouraged me and frequently challenged me to get outside of my own comfort zone. You were the first one to really teach me how to study scripture. I am grateful for everything you did for me as my staff worker and as my friend.

Brandi and Noemi - I thank you for your patience and your willingness to be alongside me in some really rough realizations about race and ethnicity. You taught me how to look past my own self and see others. You also taught me how to dive deep into the ethnic identity journey Jesus was calling me into. You have made a profound impact on my life in my ethnic development, in my understanding of race and ethnicity in this world, how to lament and weep, and how to be present in Jesus. Thank you for your patience with me as I have processed some difficult stuff (and said some stupid stuff) and for not giving up on me.

Tracey - I thank you for your supervision. You taught me how to both seek Jesus in my own life while I invite students to seek Jesus. Thank you for showing me how to be a leader who grows in my own spiritual life while encouraging students to do the same. You gave me the space in supervision meetings to reflect where Jesus was working in my own life and leadership and I am grateful.

Erna - I thank you for your boldness. You speak truth. You call for me to love people deeper and to hear the pain of the world around us. You teach me how to love a people that are not necessarily my own people. You invite me into worship and leading.

Kathy and Brenda - I thank you for your writing. Your books and blog posts have brought me into profound truths about Jesus, justice, and our world. You are also both pretty badass. Thank you for friending me on Facebook and allowing me to have a peak into your worlds - your thoughts, your frustrations, and your joys.

Larissa - I thank your vulnerability and willingness to see Jesus in everything. Thank you for teaching me how to bring my MPD to Jesus and allowing myself to see his presence in the midst of it. I love your stories of your family and how you've braved crazy transition. You teach me how to keep seeking Jesus in the midst of change and difficulty.

Alex, Michelle, and Laura - I thank you for your preserverance, your love, and your willingness to accept me into the Latina family. I am honored to be an honorary Latina. You have invited me into your family and taught me what family does look like. You love so deeply and so invested in relationships that you teach me how to be a better friend, a better sister, and a better daughter. I'm grateful for your modeling that you may not know you do.

This of course isn't the end all list. There are many other women of color who have had an impact on my life. This is just a small picture of the power and impact that women of color have - their unique stories, their gifts in leadership, and their general awesomeness. I am grateful for you.