October 12, 2025 • 33 mins
What happens when you've placed your hope in all the wrong things and they've left you empty? Yvonne Santiago's powerful testimony traces her journey from a fatherless childhood to divorce at 27, career upheavals, and finally discovering authentic hope in Christ.
Growing up Catholic in Nebraska after immigrating from Germany, Yvonne knew about God but lacked a personal relationship with Jesus. This distinction would prove crucial as she navigated single parenthood with three young children, feeling marked by what she called a "scarlet letter" of rejection. Like Solomon in Ecclesiastes, she chased fulfillment through career advancement in horse racing, eventually securing management positions with impressive salaries. Yet emotional emptiness persisted beneath her busy schedule of work, school, and parenting.
When job loss forced her to move back with her parents—a humbling experience for someone in her thirties—God began redirecting her path. A career change led her to Delaware, where meeting her current husband introduced her to the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus. Reading the Bible systematically for the first time, Yvonne discovered freedom from the constant worry and fear that had characterized much of her life.
Most remarkable is how this newfound hope transformed her approach to marriage and parenting. Having grown up without a father figure and experienced divorce, she had no biblical model for relationships. Through books, prayer, and Scripture, she learned principles that revolutionized her marriage and parenting style. Thirty years later, all her children love and serve the Lord, and her grandchildren are growing up without the brokenness that characterized her own childhood.
Whether you're struggling with relationships, career setbacks, or simply feeling that your life lacks purpose, Yvonne's testimony reminds us that authentic hope comes only through daily relationship with Christ. Her powerful statement, "I've regretted many decisions in my life, but I've never regretted obeying the Lord," stands as a challenge to all of us seeking lasting fulfillment.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
What's up, Life Talk family?
Welcome back to the Life TalkPodcast.
This is Nate coming to you todaywith a very special guest.
I have with me Yvonne Santiago.
Yvonne, how's it going today?
SPEAKER_01 (00:27):
Good.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me on.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
Yvonne is a very busy lady, so we are lucky to
have her here and appreciate youtaking the time for us.
And uh, so for the Life Talkfamily, if you know we are
working through the month ofOctober right now, our
faithfully different theme forthe month is we hope.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ.
Really changes our completeperspective when we have hope of
(00:49):
salvation, hope of uh just in aneternity of restoration, so much
that comes with great hope inthe gospel that we know the
world needs.
And I think Yvonne has just someamazing testimony.
I know lifestyle family, you'llbe blessed by it.
And so, Yvonne, maybe just leadin as we always do, just share a
little bit about yourselfgrowing up, your background, um,
(01:10):
you know, just kind of a littlebit about Yvonne and what we
need to know.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Okay.
Well, um I was um born inGermany and moved here at eight
weeks old.
And for some reason, my parents,my mom, decided to move to
Nebraska, and that's where welanded.
So um I had a nice Midwesternupbringing, raised in the
(01:36):
Catholic Church.
I went to Catholic school, butuh one thing I didn't realize in
growing up was that I didn'thave a relationship with Jesus.
I knew God, and God was talkedabout a lot in our house, and uh
we knew how to um live in a waythat pleased the God that we
(01:59):
knew.
And um so just going throughlife, I got married and had
three children, and I was 25 bythe time I was done having
children, and by the age of 27,I found myself getting divorced,
and it really, really rocked myworld.
(02:22):
I don't think I've had anythingthat difficult that I've gone
through in my life uh as thattime.
And um I relied, of course, onyou know, my upbringing, and I
would sought counsel with apriest, and I feel like the Lord
was really there for me, butonce again, I didn't have a
(02:43):
relationship with him.
SPEAKER_00 (02:45):
So you kind of shared too, you know, your mom
immigrated to the United Statesvery young, so have some German
background, and then I think youshared, you know, you grew up
kind of your dad abandoned yourfamily early on in life.
And so so, like you already kindof fast forward, so having gone
through divorce, you know, howhow do you feel, you know,
(03:05):
especially growing up without afather in Nebraska?
You know, did it feel odd beingfrom near Germany and you know,
any of those kind of things?
How do you feel that kind of inyour upbringing, you know,
really affected you?
SPEAKER_01 (03:19):
Well, I don't know if it's the protection of the
Lord, uh, but I didn't reallystruggle too much.
Um, I know that my sister did.
My sister said that people madecomments and made fun of her.
Uh, but I can tell you, I grewup in a community that I was the
(03:39):
only one that didn't have afather.
And but I really did not thinkit was a problem.
I never gave it much thoughtbecause um it wasn't talked
about in our home.
So I just never thought aboutit.
I didn't realize the effectsthat it would later have on me
and and my choices in life.
(04:01):
And so yeah, I didn't reallyhonestly think about it at all.
unknown (04:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:08):
It's definitely interesting dynamics.
And I was just curious, and Iknow you'll talk a little bit
more about that, I think, as youmove along.
So, so you're in yourmid-twenties, you know, you've
kind of been divorced and andobviously in in a really tough
spot.
So, kind of where did things gofrom there?
You know, for you, you've gotthis Catholic background, so you
kind of know about God, but youknow, so there's awareness
(04:30):
there, but how did that kind ofplay out for you from there?
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
So I feel like when I got divorced, um I started be
uh just seeking, I guess, whatthe world sought.
So how am I gonna be successfuland have children?
And I already felt like I wore ascarlet letter because um I just
already branded myself kind ofrejected, single.
(04:57):
And so I thought, well, I'llwork really hard because I had
really good work ethic from mymom.
My mom was a really uh hardworker, she had accomplished a
lot coming from Germany and notknowing the language.
Um, she really did well forherself and built her own little
business in custom draperies,and so I had really good work
(05:19):
ethic.
So I just, you know, put myfocus on being successful.
And so I worked in thoroughbredhorse racing from the time I was
18 until um at age 30, then Iwas going into management and I
had a really good paying job.
So I thought that would reallymake me feel happy and really
(05:44):
make my life set, but it didn'tbecause I still had the
emotional baggage and um itreally was starting to mount up.
Like I could, I could feel itthen, the discontent in my life,
like knowing there was somethingelse there, but I didn't really,
I was so busy.
I was going to school, I wasworking full-time, and I was
(06:06):
raising children.
So I just probably was more likea ticking time bomb than
anything.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Yeah, and I know before we kind of jumped on the
mics, you talk about like thewisdom of Solomon and you know
Ecclesiastes for our long time.
Listeners know that's one of myfavorite books of the Bible.
Sounds like kind of you werechasing a lot of those things,
chasing significance, career.
You know, you I think youshared, you know, you were
searching in marriage, maybethat'll fix so we're looking for
(06:34):
a lot of things that'll fix someemptiness.
Is that a fair way to say?
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Or yes.
Yeah, I I would definitely saythat I was looking for things to
make me feel good.
So it was very circumstantial.
SPEAKER_00 (06:49):
Yeah.
Seeking hope, like hoping thatif I get married or I find a
job, like that's where we placehope a lot of times, and it is
very misplaced when we'rehoping, and then it ultimately
leaves us empty.
You know, we end up finding alot of emptiness as that kind of
characterizes.
So, yeah, how did, you know, asyou're kind of working through
all of that, you know, where youlike you said, we we always look
(07:10):
back, we see where God'sworking.
I know in my testimony before Iknew the Lord, I see what God
was doing to put me in thatposition.
So maybe and kind of share howGod was working in your life and
and moving you towards faiththere.
SPEAKER_01 (07:24):
So I guess in my early 30s, maybe around 31, I
came upon probably the secondbiggest obstacle in my life that
was life-changing next to mydivorce.
And I was working and I had areally great job.
I was making really great money,living in a nice house.
(07:45):
I was in Wisconsin, and I lostmy job.
And so I packed up my childrenand I moved back to my parents'
house, which was really humblingat that age, and started
researching and thought, well, Ineed to find a new job.
I can't just keep doing uh whatI'm doing and lose a job again.
(08:08):
I just didn't know how securethat was going to be for me.
So I went to the library, Iresearched and I found the
occupation of court reporting.
It was what I could go to schoolfor, took the least amount of
time for the most amount ofmoney, which was what I was
going for.
And so I decided I'm going tocourt reporting school.
(08:28):
I'm changing my career.
And I started researching how Icould stay working in horse
racing and go to school.
And Delaware is one place thatreally worked out because my
boss knew the general managerout here, and there was court
reporting schools inPhiladelphia.
So I packed up my kids and Imoved to the East Coast and just
(08:53):
knew that I had to get a newcareer, I could make more money
and you know, afford my childrento have everything they needed.
So I packed up the kids.
They were five, six, and eight,and we moved to the east coast
and uh with the intention ofleaving Delaware in three years
(09:16):
and moving back probably toColorado, which is my dream
place.
So that's where I was gonnamove, and that didn't happen.
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
So viewing it as a temporary stop, ironically.
My wife and I viewed that sameway in Delaware, and God has
crazy plans.
So clearly he did, and bringingyou here to Delaware.
SPEAKER_01 (09:35):
Yep, yep.
And so from there I went, Istarted going to school and I
was working and trying to raisemy children.
I'm sure I didn't do any of ittoo well because I was really
busy.
But um I met uh my currenthusband at at one point.
(09:56):
I did graduate from courtreporting school.
It was very, very hard andmiserable time because a lot of
tears shed.
It's very difficult.
And I made it through school,and three years later I met what
would be my husband, and hestarted talking to me about you
know, the Bible and listening toChristian music and and a
(10:20):
relationship with Jesus.
And I liked him and he was veryuh kind.
And so I would entertain histalking about God and the Bible
and and a relationship, eventhough I had no idea what he
meant.
So um I started uh he startedsearching for churches because I
(10:45):
was going to a Catholic churchhere and I just was not happy.
I told him I I know there'ssomething more, I just don't
know what that is.
And so he started looking for achurch, and he would go every
week and tell me, no, that's notit.
And so I started looking for achurch.
I thought, well, I can look.
And so I started looking atnon-denominational churches.
(11:08):
I was really felt very guiltybecause once you're Catholic,
you know, you don't look outsideof a Catholic church.
And so um I found a church andwe went for the first Sunday,
and I just really was moved byit.
I went back the following weekand I gave my life to the Lord,
(11:29):
and that's when I realizedreally how hopeless my life was.
SPEAKER_00 (11:35):
So maybe talk a little bit more.
You'd been hearing, you know,and again, I know we talk about
denominations and and we couldget way into that, but we want
to talk more about hope.
But yeah, again, you've beenhearing a lot of like you gotta
do these things, or you know,it's all this how did that
really you God open your eyes tohope and that message of coming
to salvation?
SPEAKER_01 (11:56):
Well, I think just sitting under the word and
hearing the word, which I'dnever heard the Bible explained,
I didn't understand it, but alsowas challenged to read the
Bible.
Uh, our pastor would do the yearin the Bible, and so you know,
being a little legalistic, I waslike, okay, well, I can do that,
(12:19):
I can do tasks.
So I started reading the Bibleand um just really started
noticing a change in my life.
I mean, I remember desiring whatGod had for me, but had no clue
what that was.
So I spent a lot of time, youknow, just begging God to change
(12:40):
me, even though I really didn'tknow what I needed, but he did.
And he just was, I felt likethat was a period of my life.
He was just wooing me, likeshowing me that you know, he
could speak to my heart in waysI'd never experienced before.
Speaking to me, I felt like Iwould go to church and the
(13:01):
sermons would be tailor-writtenfor me, just just really started
opening my eyes to what the kindof love that I had always longed
for.
He he just came in and justreally turned my life upside
down.
SPEAKER_00 (13:20):
Yeah, I know we were talking, it's just when we see
God's word and the love he hasfor us, and like you say, it's
not task-oriented, it's notworks-based.
So when we just learn the levelof that love, it completely
changes and and gives us hope.
So I think it sounds like, yeah,and I know you shared, God
really turned things upsidedown.
So maybe you can kind of howthat hope changed your life, how
(13:42):
it kind of started to reallychange you.
Like you said, you're startingto seek, uh, you've already got
kids who are getting older, youknow, on a second relationship,
but how did God's hope reallywork in your life from from that
point?
SPEAKER_01 (13:55):
Well, the things that I didn't know that I
worried about, like I didn't,I'd never heard, you know, not
to worry to cast my cares to theLord.
And so I started realizing likehow many worries I had.
I started hearing things aboutum taking captive my thoughts
(14:17):
and just things that I should bethinking on versus what I really
was thinking on.
So I started kind of likejournaling in my head um the di
my different thoughts in a day.
And it started to feel like Iwas a little crazy because my
thoughts were continual, theywere worrisome, they were um
(14:40):
just wrought with fear.
And um, I started realizing, youknow, most of my life I probably
lived in fear um because I justdidn't have you know the
parental care that I needed froma father.
My mother was, you know, awonderful mother, but she had to
(15:01):
work.
And uh so I hope for mychildren.
Um I realized once I got savedthat they didn't know the Lord.
And so of course I was veryburdened by that and felt a
little hopeless.
But every time those thoughts ofhopelessness would come up, I
(15:23):
would feel this encouragementand peace from the Lord as I
would talk to him about it,which was amazing to me.
I'd never felt that before.
I'd never been able to just castmy cares and then feel like, oh,
this is gonna be okay.
And just really have the Lordspeaking to me about, you know,
(15:46):
through the word, just what myhope was.
And as far as being havingwisdom, as far as making
decisions, as far as tithing andgiving, giving of myself, giving
of my time, uh, what my walkshould look like, um, walking in
the spirit versus the flesh.
And I walked in the flesh.
(16:08):
So I was noticing so manythings, and everything just gave
me hope.
I felt just free and loved forthe first time in my life.
SPEAKER_00 (16:18):
Amen.
Yeah, it's an awesome feeling,like you say.
And I know we've journeyed thisyear, you hit on a lot of stuff,
you know, the the prayer, God'sword, believing the Bible, like
you said, the giving andinvesting.
Like when we live that out, youknow, we're not expecting
anything, but we just have hopethat God's gonna work in great
ways, a lot of times even morethan we can imagine.
(16:40):
So, so again, how did hope kindof like your expectations versus
I know you kind of sure beingburdened for your children and
the importance of praying forthem?
So kind of being hopeful inthose, how did you kind of see
that work out and and God movingyou forward to through that time
in your life and and justworking out in those times?
SPEAKER_01 (17:00):
Well, I I really felt like it was such a gift
then to start to train up mychildren in his ways.
And um I I remember a time whenI was worshiping in church and
my children were in the frontrow, and they were used to just
(17:24):
being in church and standingthere, stand, sit, kneel, and no
participation really.
And I remember a woman lookingat me because I was singing in
the choir now.
Like I did everything I could toengage myself in in anything in
the church.
And um, I remember a womanlooking at me that was standing
(17:46):
next to me, and she didn'trealize they were my children,
and they were right in the frontrow, and she looked at me and
she said, Boy, you can tellthose kids aren't saved.
And my heart just immediatelysunk and I felt so sad.
But it was just like in thatinstant, I just felt God just
(18:09):
giving me a comfort that He'sgot them.
It wasn't up to me.
My job was to train them up, andso I really just partnered with
the Lord in prayer to be afather to my children, to be a
husband to me and to teach mehow to parent them.
Like I looked to him and I don'tknow how it happened, quite
(18:33):
honestly.
I I just feel like everywhere Iturned, he was making my path
straight.
Now, I'm not gonna say it waseasy because I struggled
emotionally overcoming a lot ofpatterns and um of behavior, of
conflict resolution, of evenjust being loving instead of
(18:54):
being angry in disciplining mychildren.
I I just was so used to like ifI just got to be angry at them
and then they'll obey.
And God was teaching me, no, youneed to learn to speak from your
heart and love like I love you.
And his grace and hisforgiveness in my life, I
carried a lot of burdens when Igot saved.
(19:17):
And just the fact that I couldgive them all to him and be
forgiven really changed myperspective on how to parent,
how to be in a relationship.
And I just watched the Lord likework in their lives, he turned
our whole world upside down.
(19:38):
And in that, he started, I sawmy children being just signs of
hope in them that I'd never seenbefore.
Like he was just literallytransforming our family in front
of our eye in front of my eyes.
And I just I couldn't help butjust feel so deeply grateful and
(19:59):
in love.
And like I just wanted to pleasehim, and I just feel like that's
been my hope that I know thateverything that I do that
pleases the Lord is just such ablessing to me because he just
pours out his goodness in all ofit.
(20:20):
And so he taught me so manythings about marriage.
I didn't know what marriagelooked like.
I knew what it looked like froma worldly perspective, but I
didn't know what it looked likefrom God's eyes.
And so teaching me that becausemy husband and I got married and
I had a lot to learn, and umjust the hope that I had that I
(20:45):
could actually have functional,peaceful, God-glorifying
relationships, um, my work, youknow, it just really changed
everything in our lives.
And I I know I shared with youthat I really was burdened for
my children, and I um justwanted to see the Lord save my
(21:05):
children.
So I would just ask him, justsave them.
Like I know they're not gonna beanything great, you know.
They're they're just they're notgonna be well, and when I say
great, I don't mean like superChristian, super Christian
evangelists, pastors, preachers,leaders in the church.
I I just wanted them saved.
And when I look back now, it'sbeen almost 30 years.
(21:30):
Um, and my children are allloving and serving the Lord, and
my grandchildren have a totallydifferent life.
They don't know the brokennessthat I came from, the divorce,
the just the brokenness that umplagued, you know, my family.
And and so I just yeah, it'sjust been the most amazing,
(21:55):
beautiful life since I've cometo know the Lord.
SPEAKER_00 (21:58):
But I think something you said too that
reminds me when we hope yourhope for your children was in
the Lord.
And too often parents' hope is,well, I hope they get a great
job, or I hope they get into agreat college, or I hope they're
happy in marriage.
And it misses the point that iftheir hope is not in the Lord,
you can hope for all these otherthings, but they'll never make
(22:21):
you happy.
And I think circling back tolike you said, you chased all
those things, so you kind ofalready knew those were empty.
So your hope for your childrenwas in the Lord.
And when that's our hope, seekfirst the kingdom of God.
All the other things get addedto us, so you're just seeing
that outworking of the hope whenit's starts in the right place,
you know.
So, like you said, you're seeingall of that in your kids, your
(22:45):
grandkids, like such a beautifulstory.
And then those blessings justfollow rather than they being
the priority, I think.
SPEAKER_01 (22:52):
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:55):
So maybe you can even talk, you know, I know you
shared like a real heart formarriage and growing up without
a father, so not seeing that inthe home and and having dealt
with divorce, you know, how wasthat a challenge?
And you know, I know you have apassion for marriage ministry
and things like that.
How is maybe briefly speak tohusbands and wives, you know,
how we kind of view uh so Ithink you hit on for parents,
(23:15):
maybe how in relationships wesee hope as well.
SPEAKER_01 (23:19):
Well, when I realized after I got saved that
I had no idea in any role that Iwas in, how to live that way for
the Lord, one of them wasmarriage for sure.
And I just remember going to theLord and saying, I first of all,
I need you to teach me to loveyou.
(23:41):
Because if I can't love you, howcould I possibly love anyone
else in my life properly?
And so I just started readingbooks.
And of course, um, I laugh aboutit now, but I remember thinking
when I got saved, it was so mucheasier when I didn't think I was
the problem and that everyoneelse was the problem.
(24:02):
And God was showing me like itwasn't about that, it was about
my love for him.
And if I love him, I'll obeyhim.
And his ways are good and rightand just and perfect.
And so I started seeking out,thinking I was doing, you know,
this for my marriage, but Ilooked for every book that I
(24:26):
felt would validate how I felt.
Is there a moose in yourmarriage?
How to act right when yourspouse acts wrong, help me, I'm
married.
Those were all the titles of thebooks that I read.
But every time I'd go to thosebooks, it was more the Lord
speaking to me as a wife andwhat that looked like to honor
him, which was totally differentthan I looked for my husband to
(24:49):
meet my needs.
And God wanted me to be incovenant with him in my marriage
and to respect my husband and dothings that were Slavic,
foreign, nothing that I reallyunderstood.
Um I grew up in the world ofhey, if you want me to respect
(25:11):
you, then you gotta earn itbecause I'm not just gonna
respect you if you don't deserveit.
And God showed me somethingdifferent.
He really opened my eyes to thefact that that is a need that my
husband has, and slowly startedto break down those uh walls
that I had built up.
Um I felt that if I respectedhim, that I would be a doormat
(25:35):
and that he would just it wouldalways be his way and I'd never
get my way.
And I was really afraid of someof the things that the Lord was
asking me to do.
But because I had tasted andseen of his goodness, I trusted
him.
So just applying thoseprinciples really helped me see
(25:57):
marriage in a whole differentway.
And I've been passionate aboutit ever since.
I love uh one of my favoriteteachings is love and respect.
And I've led a lot of womenthrough that.
And I love to see God reveallike his word and his truth to
women who've never heard whatI'd never heard, that a man
(26:18):
needs respect, just like I needlove.
And so um, that's been such ablessing, and it's given me hope
in my marriage because when myhusband and I went through
problems and trials andtribulation, which we did
because we both were divorcedand we both had children and we
came together as a blendedfamily, and it was hard.
(26:39):
Um, I now had hope because Iwasn't being led by me, my
feelings.
I was being led by the Lord,which I knew was good.
I've regretted a lot of things,a lot of decisions I've made in
my life.
I've never regretted obeying theLord because his ways are good
and right, and they just are ablessing.
SPEAKER_00 (26:59):
Amen.
Well, and you used a good wordthere, trust, and our hope flows
to a trust.
You know, we're we're trustingthe Lord that he's good, and
that gives us hope.
And I think just talking throughmarriage, we know we could do a
whole other episode on marriage,right?
Like uh use some great thingsthere, but I think divorce
happens when you have no hope,right?
Like you've lost, like I'm nevergonna be happy.
(27:20):
There's no hope in thismarriage, so I gotta leave it.
There's always hope when we obeythe Lord.
So whether it's parenting, likeyou shared, or in marriage, we
can find hope in Christ.
And when we're obedient and letGod work, you know, because we,
you know, we we want to take thereins and do it ourselves, but
that's really a hopelessendeavor.
(27:40):
But trusting Him, obeying Him,finding those ways, I think it's
a really beautiful way to goabout that.
So as we kind of come to aclose, any, you know, just
seeing God's hope in your life,any encouragement for our
listeners and um just sharingthem how to keep that hope, you
know.
And I know you're a businessowner, we didn't even delve a
whole lot into that, but uh, howcan people really live out that
(28:03):
hope and expressing it to othersand their families and and
living in light of that?
SPEAKER_01 (28:08):
Well, I go back to uh when I first got saved and
the concept of having arelationship with Jesus.
Um I think that is that's thekey to walking with the Lord
because He just changes yourdesires.
(28:31):
So when you give your life tothe Lord and you start walking a
relationship, what does thatmean?
It means reading the word everyday, it means praying, it means
casting your cares, it meansjust meditating on his goodness
day and night.
And it just means thinking aboutthe scriptures that that you do
(28:56):
know and just startingsomewhere.
I used to I I started with trustin the Lord with all your heart,
not on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledgehim, and he'll make straight
your path.
And I used to say that to myselfevery day.
So hope is found in Jesus.
And so walking with him day inand day out and developing a
(29:18):
relationship with him is time,and it's just spending time with
the Lord every minute that youpossibly can.
Like that's my favorite.
I get up in the morning and it'sJesus and coffee.
That's what I want.
And so I it it's it'ssanctification, it's walking
(29:39):
with the Lord and drawing nearto him and he draws near to you.
And I say it's the onerelationship in my life that
sometimes I've prayed and I'veasked the Lord, like, oh, I just
desire, you know, for this myhusband to want to spend time
with me, or I desire, you know,things.
(30:00):
And the Lord is always so quickto show me that's what He
desires.
He desires me.
And we desire things.
He desires us.
And so that desire.
So the Lord desires us.
And I think just like meditatingon that and actually allowing
(30:27):
God to love you is just a partof the process of coming to know
Him, being in relationship withHim and just walking with Him
daily.
So if if I were to encourageanyone, I would say you have to
be doing those things.
(30:48):
You have to you have to be inthe Word.
You can't know someone withoutyou can't know God without
knowing His Word because He isthe Word and praying and just
casting your cares.
He does the work.
It's really not we just have tobe obedient.
Like He does the work in us.
(31:08):
And um it's also such a reliefto know like I didn't have to
fix my kids.
I just had to be obedient.
I didn't have to fix mymarriage.
I just had to be obedient.
Um I didn't have to, you know,fix my finances.
I just had to be obedient towhat the Word uh told me to do.
He has all of the answers.
(31:30):
So that I'd say that's how wewalk with the Lord and that's
how we have hope.
Like there is no hope outside ofJesus.
SPEAKER_00 (31:39):
It's living in that hope daily.
You know, like you say, it'swhen we drift away, is when it's
easy to lose hope because we'vefallen away.
But if we're in the word, youcan't read God's word without
having hope for the future.
You can't read the word withouthaving hope for your
relationships and what God isdoing.
And really the the hopefulnessis in God's promises, you know,
(32:02):
like, and that's where I think,like you said, we're praying and
we know He's promised to dothese things, and that's where
our hope is, because you know,and we could get into the
apologetic, you know, if this isall just big accident and
there's no God, there is nohope.
There absolutely is not.
So for those who believe that,you know, we hope if you're
listening to this and you don'thave that relationship we've
(32:23):
we've talked about, you know,we'd love to talk to you.
Come to Lifehouse.
But uh, Yvonne, just thank youfor terrible sharing your
testimony.
I know we could go on for a longtime, and and for those who
don't know, uh Yvonne startedvery thriving business.
God's worked in an amazing way.
She does a lot of things here atLifehouse.
So just a brief sniffet, buthopefully uh you're encouraged,
even despite wherever you are.
(32:44):
Like Yvonne shared divorce,fatherlessness, uh moving all
around, losing jobs, whatever itis, like the hope is in Christ.
So there is hope for you at thecross if you haven't found
Christ.
And if you do know Christ, livein that hope.
Like we're told not to grievelike others who have no hope.
We have hope.
So uh, Yvonne, thanks so muchfor spending some time with us
(33:06):
today.
We appreciate you coming on, andwe'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_01 (33:10):
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00 (33:13):
Thanks for tuning in to the Life Talk Podcast.
If this episode encouraged you,please be sure to like, comment,
subscribe, and leave a review soothers can find this content as
well.
And we'll look forward to seeingyou next Monday for another
great episode.
What's up, Life Talk family?
Welcome back to the Life TalkPodcast.
This is Nate coming to you todaywith a very special guest.
I have with me Yvonne Santiago.
Yvonne, how's it going today?
SPEAKER_01 (00:27):
Good.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me on.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
Yvonne is a very busy lady, so we are lucky to
have her here and appreciate youtaking the time for us.
And uh, so for the Life Talkfamily, if you know we are
working through the month ofOctober right now, our
faithfully different theme forthe month is we hope.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ.
Really changes our completeperspective when we have hope of
(00:49):
salvation, hope of uh just in aneternity of restoration, so much
that comes with great hope inthe gospel that we know the
world needs.
And I think Yvonne has just someamazing testimony.
I know lifestyle family, you'llbe blessed by it.
And so, Yvonne, maybe just leadin as we always do, just share a
little bit about yourselfgrowing up, your background, um,
(01:10):
you know, just kind of a littlebit about Yvonne and what we
need to know.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Okay.
Well, um I was um born inGermany and moved here at eight
weeks old.
And for some reason, my parents,my mom, decided to move to
Nebraska, and that's where welanded.
So um I had a nice Midwesternupbringing, raised in the
(01:36):
Catholic Church.
I went to Catholic school, butuh one thing I didn't realize in
growing up was that I didn'thave a relationship with Jesus.
I knew God, and God was talkedabout a lot in our house, and uh
we knew how to um live in a waythat pleased the God that we
(01:59):
knew.
And um so just going throughlife, I got married and had
three children, and I was 25 bythe time I was done having
children, and by the age of 27,I found myself getting divorced,
and it really, really rocked myworld.
(02:22):
I don't think I've had anythingthat difficult that I've gone
through in my life uh as thattime.
And um I relied, of course, onyou know, my upbringing, and I
would sought counsel with apriest, and I feel like the Lord
was really there for me, butonce again, I didn't have a
(02:43):
relationship with him.
SPEAKER_00 (02:45):
So you kind of shared too, you know, your mom
immigrated to the United Statesvery young, so have some German
background, and then I think youshared, you know, you grew up
kind of your dad abandoned yourfamily early on in life.
And so so, like you already kindof fast forward, so having gone
through divorce, you know, howhow do you feel, you know,
(03:05):
especially growing up without afather in Nebraska?
You know, did it feel odd beingfrom near Germany and you know,
any of those kind of things?
How do you feel that kind of inyour upbringing, you know,
really affected you?
SPEAKER_01 (03:19):
Well, I don't know if it's the protection of the
Lord, uh, but I didn't reallystruggle too much.
Um, I know that my sister did.
My sister said that people madecomments and made fun of her.
Uh, but I can tell you, I grewup in a community that I was the
(03:39):
only one that didn't have afather.
And but I really did not thinkit was a problem.
I never gave it much thoughtbecause um it wasn't talked
about in our home.
So I just never thought aboutit.
I didn't realize the effectsthat it would later have on me
and and my choices in life.
(04:01):
And so yeah, I didn't reallyhonestly think about it at all.
unknown (04:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:08):
It's definitely interesting dynamics.
And I was just curious, and Iknow you'll talk a little bit
more about that, I think, as youmove along.
So, so you're in yourmid-twenties, you know, you've
kind of been divorced and andobviously in in a really tough
spot.
So, kind of where did things gofrom there?
You know, for you, you've gotthis Catholic background, so you
kind of know about God, but youknow, so there's awareness
(04:30):
there, but how did that kind ofplay out for you from there?
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
So I feel like when I got divorced, um I started be
uh just seeking, I guess, whatthe world sought.
So how am I gonna be successfuland have children?
And I already felt like I wore ascarlet letter because um I just
already branded myself kind ofrejected, single.
(04:57):
And so I thought, well, I'llwork really hard because I had
really good work ethic from mymom.
My mom was a really uh hardworker, she had accomplished a
lot coming from Germany and notknowing the language.
Um, she really did well forherself and built her own little
business in custom draperies,and so I had really good work
(05:19):
ethic.
So I just, you know, put myfocus on being successful.
And so I worked in thoroughbredhorse racing from the time I was
18 until um at age 30, then Iwas going into management and I
had a really good paying job.
So I thought that would reallymake me feel happy and really
(05:44):
make my life set, but it didn'tbecause I still had the
emotional baggage and um itreally was starting to mount up.
Like I could, I could feel itthen, the discontent in my life,
like knowing there was somethingelse there, but I didn't really,
I was so busy.
I was going to school, I wasworking full-time, and I was
(06:06):
raising children.
So I just probably was more likea ticking time bomb than
anything.
SPEAKER_00 (06:13):
Yeah, and I know before we kind of jumped on the
mics, you talk about like thewisdom of Solomon and you know
Ecclesiastes for our long time.
Listeners know that's one of myfavorite books of the Bible.
Sounds like kind of you werechasing a lot of those things,
chasing significance, career.
You know, you I think youshared, you know, you were
searching in marriage, maybethat'll fix so we're looking for
(06:34):
a lot of things that'll fix someemptiness.
Is that a fair way to say?
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Or yes.
Yeah, I I would definitely saythat I was looking for things to
make me feel good.
So it was very circumstantial.
SPEAKER_00 (06:49):
Yeah.
Seeking hope, like hoping thatif I get married or I find a
job, like that's where we placehope a lot of times, and it is
very misplaced when we'rehoping, and then it ultimately
leaves us empty.
You know, we end up finding alot of emptiness as that kind of
characterizes.
So, yeah, how did, you know, asyou're kind of working through
all of that, you know, where youlike you said, we we always look
(07:10):
back, we see where God'sworking.
I know in my testimony before Iknew the Lord, I see what God
was doing to put me in thatposition.
So maybe and kind of share howGod was working in your life and
and moving you towards faiththere.
SPEAKER_01 (07:24):
So I guess in my early 30s, maybe around 31, I
came upon probably the secondbiggest obstacle in my life that
was life-changing next to mydivorce.
And I was working and I had areally great job.
I was making really great money,living in a nice house.
(07:45):
I was in Wisconsin, and I lostmy job.
And so I packed up my childrenand I moved back to my parents'
house, which was really humblingat that age, and started
researching and thought, well, Ineed to find a new job.
I can't just keep doing uh whatI'm doing and lose a job again.
(08:08):
I just didn't know how securethat was going to be for me.
So I went to the library, Iresearched and I found the
occupation of court reporting.
It was what I could go to schoolfor, took the least amount of
time for the most amount ofmoney, which was what I was
going for.
And so I decided I'm going tocourt reporting school.
(08:28):
I'm changing my career.
And I started researching how Icould stay working in horse
racing and go to school.
And Delaware is one place thatreally worked out because my
boss knew the general managerout here, and there was court
reporting schools inPhiladelphia.
So I packed up my kids and Imoved to the East Coast and just
(08:53):
knew that I had to get a newcareer, I could make more money
and you know, afford my childrento have everything they needed.
So I packed up the kids.
They were five, six, and eight,and we moved to the east coast
and uh with the intention ofleaving Delaware in three years
(09:16):
and moving back probably toColorado, which is my dream
place.
So that's where I was gonnamove, and that didn't happen.
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
So viewing it as a temporary stop, ironically.
My wife and I viewed that sameway in Delaware, and God has
crazy plans.
So clearly he did, and bringingyou here to Delaware.
SPEAKER_01 (09:35):
Yep, yep.
And so from there I went, Istarted going to school and I
was working and trying to raisemy children.
I'm sure I didn't do any of ittoo well because I was really
busy.
But um I met uh my currenthusband at at one point.
(09:56):
I did graduate from courtreporting school.
It was very, very hard andmiserable time because a lot of
tears shed.
It's very difficult.
And I made it through school,and three years later I met what
would be my husband, and hestarted talking to me about you
know, the Bible and listening toChristian music and and a
(10:20):
relationship with Jesus.
And I liked him and he was veryuh kind.
And so I would entertain histalking about God and the Bible
and and a relationship, eventhough I had no idea what he
meant.
So um I started uh he startedsearching for churches because I
(10:45):
was going to a Catholic churchhere and I just was not happy.
I told him I I know there'ssomething more, I just don't
know what that is.
And so he started looking for achurch, and he would go every
week and tell me, no, that's notit.
And so I started looking for achurch.
I thought, well, I can look.
And so I started looking atnon-denominational churches.
(11:08):
I was really felt very guiltybecause once you're Catholic,
you know, you don't look outsideof a Catholic church.
And so um I found a church andwe went for the first Sunday,
and I just really was moved byit.
I went back the following weekand I gave my life to the Lord,
(11:29):
and that's when I realizedreally how hopeless my life was.
SPEAKER_00 (11:35):
So maybe talk a little bit more.
You'd been hearing, you know,and again, I know we talk about
denominations and and we couldget way into that, but we want
to talk more about hope.
But yeah, again, you've beenhearing a lot of like you gotta
do these things, or you know,it's all this how did that
really you God open your eyes tohope and that message of coming
to salvation?
SPEAKER_01 (11:56):
Well, I think just sitting under the word and
hearing the word, which I'dnever heard the Bible explained,
I didn't understand it, but alsowas challenged to read the
Bible.
Uh, our pastor would do the yearin the Bible, and so you know,
being a little legalistic, I waslike, okay, well, I can do that,
(12:19):
I can do tasks.
So I started reading the Bibleand um just really started
noticing a change in my life.
I mean, I remember desiring whatGod had for me, but had no clue
what that was.
So I spent a lot of time, youknow, just begging God to change
(12:40):
me, even though I really didn'tknow what I needed, but he did.
And he just was, I felt likethat was a period of my life.
He was just wooing me, likeshowing me that you know, he
could speak to my heart in waysI'd never experienced before.
Speaking to me, I felt like Iwould go to church and the
(13:01):
sermons would be tailor-writtenfor me, just just really started
opening my eyes to what the kindof love that I had always longed
for.
He he just came in and justreally turned my life upside
down.
SPEAKER_00 (13:20):
Yeah, I know we were talking, it's just when we see
God's word and the love he hasfor us, and like you say, it's
not task-oriented, it's notworks-based.
So when we just learn the levelof that love, it completely
changes and and gives us hope.
So I think it sounds like, yeah,and I know you shared, God
really turned things upsidedown.
So maybe you can kind of howthat hope changed your life, how
(13:42):
it kind of started to reallychange you.
Like you said, you're startingto seek, uh, you've already got
kids who are getting older, youknow, on a second relationship,
but how did God's hope reallywork in your life from from that
point?
SPEAKER_01 (13:55):
Well, the things that I didn't know that I
worried about, like I didn't,I'd never heard, you know, not
to worry to cast my cares to theLord.
And so I started realizing likehow many worries I had.
I started hearing things aboutum taking captive my thoughts
(14:17):
and just things that I should bethinking on versus what I really
was thinking on.
So I started kind of likejournaling in my head um the di
my different thoughts in a day.
And it started to feel like Iwas a little crazy because my
thoughts were continual, theywere worrisome, they were um
(14:40):
just wrought with fear.
And um, I started realizing, youknow, most of my life I probably
lived in fear um because I justdidn't have you know the
parental care that I needed froma father.
My mother was, you know, awonderful mother, but she had to
(15:01):
work.
And uh so I hope for mychildren.
Um I realized once I got savedthat they didn't know the Lord.
And so of course I was veryburdened by that and felt a
little hopeless.
But every time those thoughts ofhopelessness would come up, I
(15:23):
would feel this encouragementand peace from the Lord as I
would talk to him about it,which was amazing to me.
I'd never felt that before.
I'd never been able to just castmy cares and then feel like, oh,
this is gonna be okay.
And just really have the Lordspeaking to me about, you know,
(15:46):
through the word, just what myhope was.
And as far as being havingwisdom, as far as making
decisions, as far as tithing andgiving, giving of myself, giving
of my time, uh, what my walkshould look like, um, walking in
the spirit versus the flesh.
And I walked in the flesh.
(16:08):
So I was noticing so manythings, and everything just gave
me hope.
I felt just free and loved forthe first time in my life.
SPEAKER_00 (16:18):
Amen.
Yeah, it's an awesome feeling,like you say.
And I know we've journeyed thisyear, you hit on a lot of stuff,
you know, the the prayer, God'sword, believing the Bible, like
you said, the giving andinvesting.
Like when we live that out, youknow, we're not expecting
anything, but we just have hopethat God's gonna work in great
ways, a lot of times even morethan we can imagine.
(16:40):
So, so again, how did hope kindof like your expectations versus
I know you kind of sure beingburdened for your children and
the importance of praying forthem?
So kind of being hopeful inthose, how did you kind of see
that work out and and God movingyou forward to through that time
in your life and and justworking out in those times?
SPEAKER_01 (17:00):
Well, I I really felt like it was such a gift
then to start to train up mychildren in his ways.
And um I I remember a time whenI was worshiping in church and
my children were in the frontrow, and they were used to just
(17:24):
being in church and standingthere, stand, sit, kneel, and no
participation really.
And I remember a woman lookingat me because I was singing in
the choir now.
Like I did everything I could toengage myself in in anything in
the church.
And um, I remember a womanlooking at me that was standing
(17:46):
next to me, and she didn'trealize they were my children,
and they were right in the frontrow, and she looked at me and
she said, Boy, you can tellthose kids aren't saved.
And my heart just immediatelysunk and I felt so sad.
But it was just like in thatinstant, I just felt God just
(18:09):
giving me a comfort that He'sgot them.
It wasn't up to me.
My job was to train them up, andso I really just partnered with
the Lord in prayer to be afather to my children, to be a
husband to me and to teach mehow to parent them.
Like I looked to him and I don'tknow how it happened, quite
(18:33):
honestly.
I I just feel like everywhere Iturned, he was making my path
straight.
Now, I'm not gonna say it waseasy because I struggled
emotionally overcoming a lot ofpatterns and um of behavior, of
conflict resolution, of evenjust being loving instead of
(18:54):
being angry in disciplining mychildren.
I I just was so used to like ifI just got to be angry at them
and then they'll obey.
And God was teaching me, no, youneed to learn to speak from your
heart and love like I love you.
And his grace and hisforgiveness in my life, I
carried a lot of burdens when Igot saved.
(19:17):
And just the fact that I couldgive them all to him and be
forgiven really changed myperspective on how to parent,
how to be in a relationship.
And I just watched the Lord likework in their lives, he turned
our whole world upside down.
(19:38):
And in that, he started, I sawmy children being just signs of
hope in them that I'd never seenbefore.
Like he was just literallytransforming our family in front
of our eye in front of my eyes.
And I just I couldn't help butjust feel so deeply grateful and
(19:59):
in love.
And like I just wanted to pleasehim, and I just feel like that's
been my hope that I know thateverything that I do that
pleases the Lord is just such ablessing to me because he just
pours out his goodness in all ofit.
(20:20):
And so he taught me so manythings about marriage.
I didn't know what marriagelooked like.
I knew what it looked like froma worldly perspective, but I
didn't know what it looked likefrom God's eyes.
And so teaching me that becausemy husband and I got married and
I had a lot to learn, and umjust the hope that I had that I
(20:45):
could actually have functional,peaceful, God-glorifying
relationships, um, my work, youknow, it just really changed
everything in our lives.
And I I know I shared with youthat I really was burdened for
my children, and I um justwanted to see the Lord save my
(21:05):
children.
So I would just ask him, justsave them.
Like I know they're not gonna beanything great, you know.
They're they're just they're notgonna be well, and when I say
great, I don't mean like superChristian, super Christian
evangelists, pastors, preachers,leaders in the church.
I I just wanted them saved.
And when I look back now, it'sbeen almost 30 years.
(21:30):
Um, and my children are allloving and serving the Lord, and
my grandchildren have a totallydifferent life.
They don't know the brokennessthat I came from, the divorce,
the just the brokenness that umplagued, you know, my family.
And and so I just yeah, it'sjust been the most amazing,
(21:55):
beautiful life since I've cometo know the Lord.
SPEAKER_00 (21:58):
But I think something you said too that
reminds me when we hope yourhope for your children was in
the Lord.
And too often parents' hope is,well, I hope they get a great
job, or I hope they get into agreat college, or I hope they're
happy in marriage.
And it misses the point that iftheir hope is not in the Lord,
you can hope for all these otherthings, but they'll never make
(22:21):
you happy.
And I think circling back tolike you said, you chased all
those things, so you kind ofalready knew those were empty.
So your hope for your childrenwas in the Lord.
And when that's our hope, seekfirst the kingdom of God.
All the other things get addedto us, so you're just seeing
that outworking of the hope whenit's starts in the right place,
you know.
So, like you said, you're seeingall of that in your kids, your
(22:45):
grandkids, like such a beautifulstory.
And then those blessings justfollow rather than they being
the priority, I think.
SPEAKER_01 (22:52):
Yes, absolutely.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:55):
So maybe you can even talk, you know, I know you
shared like a real heart formarriage and growing up without
a father, so not seeing that inthe home and and having dealt
with divorce, you know, how wasthat a challenge?
And you know, I know you have apassion for marriage ministry
and things like that.
How is maybe briefly speak tohusbands and wives, you know,
how we kind of view uh so Ithink you hit on for parents,
(23:15):
maybe how in relationships wesee hope as well.
SPEAKER_01 (23:19):
Well, when I realized after I got saved that
I had no idea in any role that Iwas in, how to live that way for
the Lord, one of them wasmarriage for sure.
And I just remember going to theLord and saying, I first of all,
I need you to teach me to loveyou.
(23:41):
Because if I can't love you, howcould I possibly love anyone
else in my life properly?
And so I just started readingbooks.
And of course, um, I laugh aboutit now, but I remember thinking
when I got saved, it was so mucheasier when I didn't think I was
the problem and that everyoneelse was the problem.
(24:02):
And God was showing me like itwasn't about that, it was about
my love for him.
And if I love him, I'll obeyhim.
And his ways are good and rightand just and perfect.
And so I started seeking out,thinking I was doing, you know,
this for my marriage, but Ilooked for every book that I
(24:26):
felt would validate how I felt.
Is there a moose in yourmarriage?
How to act right when yourspouse acts wrong, help me, I'm
married.
Those were all the titles of thebooks that I read.
But every time I'd go to thosebooks, it was more the Lord
speaking to me as a wife andwhat that looked like to honor
him, which was totally differentthan I looked for my husband to
(24:49):
meet my needs.
And God wanted me to be incovenant with him in my marriage
and to respect my husband and dothings that were Slavic,
foreign, nothing that I reallyunderstood.
Um I grew up in the world ofhey, if you want me to respect
(25:11):
you, then you gotta earn itbecause I'm not just gonna
respect you if you don't deserveit.
And God showed me somethingdifferent.
He really opened my eyes to thefact that that is a need that my
husband has, and slowly startedto break down those uh walls
that I had built up.
Um I felt that if I respectedhim, that I would be a doormat
(25:35):
and that he would just it wouldalways be his way and I'd never
get my way.
And I was really afraid of someof the things that the Lord was
asking me to do.
But because I had tasted andseen of his goodness, I trusted
him.
So just applying thoseprinciples really helped me see
(25:57):
marriage in a whole differentway.
And I've been passionate aboutit ever since.
I love uh one of my favoriteteachings is love and respect.
And I've led a lot of womenthrough that.
And I love to see God reveallike his word and his truth to
women who've never heard whatI'd never heard, that a man
(26:18):
needs respect, just like I needlove.
And so um, that's been such ablessing, and it's given me hope
in my marriage because when myhusband and I went through
problems and trials andtribulation, which we did
because we both were divorcedand we both had children and we
came together as a blendedfamily, and it was hard.
(26:39):
Um, I now had hope because Iwasn't being led by me, my
feelings.
I was being led by the Lord,which I knew was good.
I've regretted a lot of things,a lot of decisions I've made in
my life.
I've never regretted obeying theLord because his ways are good
and right, and they just are ablessing.
SPEAKER_00 (26:59):
Amen.
Well, and you used a good wordthere, trust, and our hope flows
to a trust.
You know, we're we're trustingthe Lord that he's good, and
that gives us hope.
And I think just talking throughmarriage, we know we could do a
whole other episode on marriage,right?
Like uh use some great thingsthere, but I think divorce
happens when you have no hope,right?
Like you've lost, like I'm nevergonna be happy.
(27:20):
There's no hope in thismarriage, so I gotta leave it.
There's always hope when we obeythe Lord.
So whether it's parenting, likeyou shared, or in marriage, we
can find hope in Christ.
And when we're obedient and letGod work, you know, because we,
you know, we we want to take thereins and do it ourselves, but
that's really a hopelessendeavor.
(27:40):
But trusting Him, obeying Him,finding those ways, I think it's
a really beautiful way to goabout that.
So as we kind of come to aclose, any, you know, just
seeing God's hope in your life,any encouragement for our
listeners and um just sharingthem how to keep that hope, you
know.
And I know you're a businessowner, we didn't even delve a
whole lot into that, but uh, howcan people really live out that
(28:03):
hope and expressing it to othersand their families and and
living in light of that?
SPEAKER_01 (28:08):
Well, I go back to uh when I first got saved and
the concept of having arelationship with Jesus.
Um I think that is that's thekey to walking with the Lord
because He just changes yourdesires.
(28:31):
So when you give your life tothe Lord and you start walking a
relationship, what does thatmean?
It means reading the word everyday, it means praying, it means
casting your cares, it meansjust meditating on his goodness
day and night.
And it just means thinking aboutthe scriptures that that you do
(28:56):
know and just startingsomewhere.
I used to I I started with trustin the Lord with all your heart,
not on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledgehim, and he'll make straight
your path.
And I used to say that to myselfevery day.
So hope is found in Jesus.
And so walking with him day inand day out and developing a
(29:18):
relationship with him is time,and it's just spending time with
the Lord every minute that youpossibly can.
Like that's my favorite.
I get up in the morning and it'sJesus and coffee.
That's what I want.
And so I it it's it'ssanctification, it's walking
(29:39):
with the Lord and drawing nearto him and he draws near to you.
And I say it's the onerelationship in my life that
sometimes I've prayed and I'veasked the Lord, like, oh, I just
desire, you know, for this myhusband to want to spend time
with me, or I desire, you know,things.
(30:00):
And the Lord is always so quickto show me that's what He
desires.
He desires me.
And we desire things.
He desires us.
And so that desire.
So the Lord desires us.
And I think just like meditatingon that and actually allowing
(30:27):
God to love you is just a partof the process of coming to know
Him, being in relationship withHim and just walking with Him
daily.
So if if I were to encourageanyone, I would say you have to
be doing those things.
(30:48):
You have to you have to be inthe Word.
You can't know someone withoutyou can't know God without
knowing His Word because He isthe Word and praying and just
casting your cares.
He does the work.
It's really not we just have tobe obedient.
Like He does the work in us.
(31:08):
And um it's also such a reliefto know like I didn't have to
fix my kids.
I just had to be obedient.
I didn't have to fix mymarriage.
I just had to be obedient.
Um I didn't have to, you know,fix my finances.
I just had to be obedient towhat the Word uh told me to do.
He has all of the answers.
(31:30):
So that I'd say that's how wewalk with the Lord and that's
how we have hope.
Like there is no hope outside ofJesus.
SPEAKER_00 (31:39):
It's living in that hope daily.
You know, like you say, it'swhen we drift away, is when it's
easy to lose hope because we'vefallen away.
But if we're in the word, youcan't read God's word without
having hope for the future.
You can't read the word withouthaving hope for your
relationships and what God isdoing.
And really the the hopefulnessis in God's promises, you know,
(32:02):
like, and that's where I think,like you said, we're praying and
we know He's promised to dothese things, and that's where
our hope is, because you know,and we could get into the
apologetic, you know, if this isall just big accident and
there's no God, there is nohope.
There absolutely is not.
So for those who believe that,you know, we hope if you're
listening to this and you don'thave that relationship we've
(32:23):
we've talked about, you know,we'd love to talk to you.
Come to Lifehouse.
But uh, Yvonne, just thank youfor terrible sharing your
testimony.
I know we could go on for a longtime, and and for those who
don't know, uh Yvonne startedvery thriving business.
God's worked in an amazing way.
She does a lot of things here atLifehouse.
So just a brief sniffet, buthopefully uh you're encouraged,
even despite wherever you are.
(32:44):
Like Yvonne shared divorce,fatherlessness, uh moving all
around, losing jobs, whatever itis, like the hope is in Christ.
So there is hope for you at thecross if you haven't found
Christ.
And if you do know Christ, livein that hope.
Like we're told not to grievelike others who have no hope.
We have hope.
So uh, Yvonne, thanks so muchfor spending some time with us
(33:06):
today.
We appreciate you coming on, andwe'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_01 (33:10):
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00 (33:13):
Thanks for tuning in to the Life Talk Podcast.
If this episode encouraged you,please be sure to like, comment,
subscribe, and leave a review soothers can find this content as
well.
And we'll look forward to seeingyou next Monday for another
great episode.
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