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Gilda's Testimony
In my life before Christ, I practiced passionate disobedience without hesitation. At 47 years of age, I had five beautiful children, three miserable marriages, and 10 years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse. In addition, my children experienced stress and trauma because of my life choices. At the end of it all, I was empty, disillusioned, and sick of myself. I needed something or someone to fill the hole in my gut. I even thought going back to church might help.
Then my youngest daughter invited me to go to church with her. There I found the key to living a satisfied life is total surrender to Jesus Christ! He raised my head from the pit of shame and blame that overwhelmed me. He forgave me my sins! He loved me! I came without hesitation into His arms, passionately obedient to His call for salvation. Three weeks later, I plunged passionately and without hesitation into another marriage to an unbeliever. After two weeks I saw how miserably I had failed God. I also heard Christ saying that I'd have to live with this mistake. Yet in His love, He did not desert me. He has helped me through every moment, through all the good and the difficult days. At times He comforts. Other times He changes my husband's heart and actions. He keeps me going.
God even gave me the gift of a passion for teaching His Word. Yet I didn't know exactly what to do with this passion. And what about the weight I had gained and my credit overload? My life was out of control in many ways. "Help me!" was my frequent prayer. Then another daughter invited me to attend the Inspire! Women conference with her. I agreed because I would get to hear my favorite artist, Damaris Carbaugh, sing in person! I came, not looking for specific answers but open to God's leading. In the conference folder was an application for Gideon 300. I felt a nudge. "Is that You, Lord?" I wondered. Without hesitation, yet not knowing exactly why, I filled it out. "OK Lord, if You want something to come of this, so be it." That application meant I had to attend the Developing the Whole Woman course taught by Anita Carman. In one of my homework assignments, I spoke of my dissatisfaction with my weight. Inspire! Women made it possible for me to attend First Place, a weight management program at First Baptist Church. Since April 2004 I have lost 30 pounds and two dress sizes!! I also explored my educational options through the College of Biblical Studies Teaching Track. But I never even thought about doing anything immediately because I didn't want my husband to resent the time it would take away from our time together. Then I received a CBS scholarship to attend Bible Study Methods, one of the courses in the teaching track! My heart jumped! Was God saying to do this now? Would my husband get mad if I started classes now? I accepted the scholarship and waited for God to move. He did - my husband supported me! In April 2005 I completed the Teaching Track thanks to scholarship assistance from Inspire! Women.
Today my life is completely changed! My outlook is positive. God's vision for me is still not perfectly clear. And tha's OK. For today I can pray wholeheartedly as did Mary, the mother of Jesus: "Behold, O Lord, Your maidservant. May it be unto me as You have said."
Passionate obedience? Living life without hesitation? YES! I can now move forward with the Lord passionately and without hesitation! God has rekindled my passion for Him. He has shown me that He will provide what I need if I will just continue to trust Him and move when He says move - without hesitation!
I call each of you to answer the call of the Lord on your lives! Love Him passionately enough to do what He births in your heart without hesitation!
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YANA Ministries' Beginning
On November 7, 2004 God watered a seed He had planted not long before. That is the day that God whispered in my ear to go forward with the request I had been given to continue an encouragement and prayer ministry via e-mail.
Not long before this I had been thinking about a full-time ministry, an e-mail ministry to people who are feeling all alone in their situation, like I did when I was abused and during my four marriages. God even gave me a name for this ministry - You Are Not Alone. But at that time I had no audience base and no idea about how to proceed.
On November 7, 2004 God delivered the audience base and the idea of how to proceed! During the prelude to the 2004 Inspire Women Conference, I was a Quadrant Leader for the Southwest Houston Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are women who spread the word about the conference to other women throughout Houston. The Quadrant Leaders are women who spread encouragement and prayer to the Ambassadors through weekly messages, and act as liaisons with Inspire's staff and the Ambassadors. So each week I sent out an encouragement and prayer e-mail designed to target specific aspects of the conference preparation and to encourage the women to believe in the power of God to make the 2004 Conference a success for the kingdom!
When the conference opened, I saw many of the ladies I had been e-mailing and several asked me not to stop my e-mails. They said they truly enjoyed reading them, and were uplifted by the messages.
The seed God had planted stirred in my mind and I began to envision the ministry I had only hoped would be realized! To be sure this was God's plan for me, I asked all the Ambassadors to let me know if they were interested in receiving weekly e-mails from me. If they weren't interested, I offered to remove their name from the mailing list. Not all replied but those that did reply gave me a resounding "YES!" Only two or three asked to be removed from the list.
And so began You Are Not Alone Ministries (YANA)!
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Background Information
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Teacher and Speaker
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Gilda Marie Taylor surrendered her heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ in May 1995. She served faithfully in Houston Church under Pastor Phil Arms and First Lady Suzanne Arms from that time to 2004 in various capacities: coordination of an adult Sunday School support ministry; coordination of the Children's Nursery for 3 year olds; substitute Sunday School teacher for one year; Sunday School women's Bible Study Teacher for 1 year; coordinate a Hospital/Special Needs Ministry. In April 2004 Mrs. Taylor joined West Oaks Fellowship under Pastor Frank Estes and First Lady Brenda Estes. Since that time she has led several ladies' retreats and taught ladies' bible studies. On Sunday, April 29, 2007 Mrs. Taylor was licensed as a minister through West Oaks Fellowship, sanctioned by Pastor Frank Estes and the Church Elders.
She wrote and taught a quarterly workshop on Communication Skills for Family Outreach from 1995-2002 and then taught this workshop at Star of Hope to all staff in February 2003. She has been a retreat leader and conference speaker at several local churches, and has led a First Place Christian weight management class as part of YANA Ministries.
Mrs. Taylor graduated from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. In December 1986 she received a Master of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling. She completed the Teacher Training Track at College of Biblical Studies in April 2005.
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Mentor
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Mrs. Taylor is available to mentor anyone in need. She has also been an online mentor for Christian Women Today since 2003.
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Prayer
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Mrs. Taylor is available to receive prayer requests, pray with you, or pray for others.
If you would like your prayer request listed on the YANA Ministries website so others may also pray for you, please go to our Prayer Garden.
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