April 21, 2025 • 18 mins
Jessica's voice carries the quiet power of someone who has walked through darkness and emerged with purpose. As our first house manager at The Lighthouse, she helped create a community for asylum seekers when her own journey was still unfolding. Nine years after we first met, Jessica now shares how a leap of faith brought her from Burkina Faso to an unexpected six months in U.S. immigration detention.
"I was the only French-speaking person there," Jessica recalls of her detention experience. Far from being defeated by isolation, she formed bonds with Spanish-speaking detainees as they learned English together by watching television and attending weekly religious services. This resilience foreshadowed her future role at The Lighthouse, where she would befriend those from Syria, Honduras, Ecuador, and Mexico, building lasting bonds despite language barriers.
Jessica's story illuminates the hidden workforce behind our everyday conveniences. Now a U.S. citizen balancing warehouse work with pursuit of a social work degree, she describes picking and packing online orders alongside fellow immigrants from Africa, Haiti, and Latin America. "It's only my boss who is white," she notes about the warehouse staff, offering a glimpse into the essential labor performed by those who've come seeking better lives. Despite the physical demands of this work, Jessica persists in her education, determined to serve refugees and immigrants once she completes her degree.
Faith remains Jessica's cornerstone. From her grandfather who served as a pastor to her unwavering commitment to attend church even when offered holiday overtime pay, Jessica's spiritual foundation guides her journey. "When you are a believer you have to have faith, because faith can do everything," she shares, her words a testament to finding meaning beyond hardship. Her story challenges us to recognize our shared humanity and responsibility toward those seeking refuge. How might our communities change if we all approached newcomers with Jessica's blend of compassion and clarity?
Please consider supporting The Lighthouse, a haven to those navigating our broken immigration system. We strive to ensure that those seeking safety never have to navigate their darkest moments alone.
For more information, please visit lighthousenj.org.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jill (00:01):
Welcome back to the Crossing Voices from the
Lighthouse, where we share thepowerful stories of asylum
seekers who have journeyed farin search of safety, dignity and
hope.
In today's episode, I speakwith someone very dear to the
lighthouse Jessica, our veryfirst house manager.
Originally from Burkina Faso,jessica came to the US seeking
(00:22):
asylum in a new beginning.
In our conversation, shereflects on her experience in
immigration, detention, herunexpected role in shaping the
early days of the lighthouse andher ongoing journey toward
building a life of purpose andservice.
Jessica's story is rooted infaith, shaped by resilience and
(00:42):
filled with a deep desire touplift others.
Here's our conversation.
Hi, Jessica, how are you?
It's so good to be able to havea chance to chat with you.
How have you been?
Hi, mommy, I'm doing good andyou?
I'm doing really well.
Thank God, it's so good to hearyour voice.
(01:04):
Yes, it's been a long time.
It's been a long time and we goway back.
How long ago is it that we met?
Now?
It's nine years now.
Nine years, that's reallyincredible.
I know when I met you, you hadactually been in this country
for a little while, so you're alittle bit different than the
(01:25):
other asylum seekers who havebeen at the lighthouse because
you came on board as our housemanager, lived here for a little
while and you, in fact, wereour very first original house
manager when the lighthousefirst opened.
Jessica (01:39):
Yes, because when you met me I was already two years
in this country.
Because when you met me I wasalready two years in this
country and I was living inSycocuse with the First Reformed
Church and you opened thelighthouse and you gave me the
chance to come stay there withyou guys.
(02:00):
So I stayed here one year, sixmonths before the old lighthouse
closed years, six months beforethe old lighthouse closed.
Jill (02:09):
What was that like for you the experience to come there
and to be the house manager inthis project.
That was really new.
We didn't know what we weregetting into or really what we
were doing.
Remember, we were reallystepping out on faith.
What was that like for you tohave that responsibility and to
be the house manager to peoplefrom all different parts of the
world?
Jessica (02:30):
It was a good opportunity and honor for me
because when I got released fromthe detention center, our first
friend gave me the temporaryhousing that was in Secaucus and
when I stayed there they gaveme permission to stay longer
(02:51):
than the other people.
So I stayed over there almosttwo years.
They didn't tell me to move,but I was supposed to move
because they are a newcomer, anew lady is getting released
from detention center and theydon't have a place to put them.
So I said it's time for me togive my bedroom and this chance
(03:13):
to another person.
So I was ready to look for abedroom and when I was chatting
with my friend and asking themif they know anyone who wants to
share a bedroom with me or rentme a bedroom, at that time it
was like $500, $600.
And that time I was working atH&M picking and packing the
(03:36):
product.
I was only getting minimum wage.
That time it was $875.
And for $875, I was gettingbarely 400 a week and with 400,
I want to eat, I want to payrent.
I see that it was difficult forme and God made his way and
(03:59):
spoke to you and you wanted toopen the lighthouse and I came
here.
So I was very happy to stayhere.
So I got to save money to goback to school and the place was
really safe, secure and for methat is a lady who likes to go
to church and we live in thechurch at the same time it was a
(04:23):
good opportunity for me and tosee those females coming out
from detention too.
I was so happy to be there.
Jill (04:32):
I remember when I met you for the first time and this
opportunity, you know, was thereand you were interested I said
this is really the Holy Spiritin action, right?
Yes, yes.
Jessica (04:44):
So God works in different ways, because I would
have like gone to somewhere thatI would not like and paying all
this money, and this was ablessing.
For all of us who were therefrom Burkina Faso, syria,
honduras, those Ecuadorians,coming Mexicans it was a really
(05:08):
blessing to share the same house, the same food and talk in our
different language andunderstand each other.
It was so great because none ofus was speaking English.
I was the only one who can saya few words in English.
All of them were blank, but wecommunicate.
Jill (05:32):
So listen.
So let's back up a minute,jessica, so that our listeners
can just understand.
Tell us you know what countryyou're from and really how you
got here, because there's veryfew cases like yours, Jessica,
where a woman came by herselfthat I have worked with at the
lighthouse.
(05:52):
Very often it was single men orfamilies, but very rarely did I
see women come through bythemselves.
To make that trip solo is noteasy.
Can you tell us a little bitabout how Opak came about?
Jessica (06:08):
I'm from Burkina Faso.
I decided to come to ask forasylum and at the airport, they
asked me why you want to stayhere.
I said I want to stay herebecause I'm Christian and I know
that this country is a lot ofChristian, and I'm coming here
(06:29):
for opportunities.
I stay a week after a weekbecause then, in 2014, elizabeth
Detention Center couldn'tdetain ladies, so it was only
men, ladies, so it was only men.
So they brought me to DelaneyHall.
That was the ladies was therein Delaney Hall.
(06:49):
When I arrived, I was the onlyFrench-speaking person there.
It was too much trouble.
And when I asked for atranslator, they bring me Asian
translator that he wasn't eventhe same French that we speak,
so it was too much.
Jill (07:09):
Okay, and how long did you stay in the Elizabeth Detention
Center?
Jessica (07:14):
I spent six months.
Jill (07:15):
Wow, and what was that experience like day to day?
Jessica (07:19):
Day to day.
We were like chit-chatting,learning English, because most
of us I was the only Frenchspeaking and the others were
from the Central AmericanSpanish speaking people, so none
of us were speaking English.
(07:40):
So we were learning English bywatching the television.
We were knitting some like bagsand doing different kind of
games.
We became like family too, andwe had our services.
There was one pastor who wascoming every Tuesday and
(08:00):
Saturday for our service.
What is your status now?
Now I'm a citizen.
When I came after the detention, I got my green card and after
five years I got my citizenship.
Now I'm a citizen, I'm workingand I'm able to finish my
(08:23):
bachelor degree.
Jill (08:25):
And tell us a little bit about what you're studying.
I'm studying social work, andwhat are your goals when you
finish?
What would you like to do withyour social worker degree?
Jessica (08:34):
When I finish, I want to work with local agencies and
my population.
I choose the refugees andimmigrants.
I want to give back to thecommunities, to help the
French-speaking refugees andimmigrants to know my story, to
know that they are not the onlyone looking for freedom and
peace, because you have to getthe courage to walk out from
(09:01):
violence, because some peoplewant to stay and fight back and
it has more consequences.
So I want to tell them thatthey are not alone.
We are standing with them andwe will help them.
And in this country it's notonly us, even people who came
here 200 years ago, 300 yearsago, from Europe.
(09:24):
They were looking for freedom,for peace, for a place to
worship.
So we have to welcome them, togive them the chance Some are
very educated To give them thoseopportunities.
So, yes, when I finish, I willfind a local organization to
(09:44):
work with this population, thenewcomers.
Jill (09:47):
That's really powerful.
Jessica, I know you have beenworking really hard to make this
schooling possible for yourself.
You've been working while goingto school, part-time.
Tell us a little bit about thework that you do to pay the
bills each month, okay.
Jessica (10:04):
Since I came, I was working in the warehouse.
Now I got another company inSeco, because that's where I'm
working.
I work five days a week and I'ma full-time student too.
My Sunday, saturday, is for meto do my assignments and time to
go to church.
(10:24):
I noticed that in this countryif you don't go to school, you
cannot do nothing.
You are stuck with this kind ofwork and for me, being like a
bureaucrat, back in my countryand come back like my first time
when I came here, I went to H&Mand I have to fold clothes, I
have to unbox boxes.
(10:46):
It was very hard for me becauseback home I was just working in
my office.
So it was really hard for me atthe beginning.
But I see too that I have towork because I don't have nobody
to help me.
In the beginning I have alighthouse that I have to sleep
free and was not paying rent.
It was only my kitchen and someclothes.
(11:10):
But now I have to pay my rent,I have to pay my t-shirt, so I
have to work hard, and what doesthe work do in the warehouse?
Some people order online.
So when we go in the morningyou pick your card and you pick
the paperwork, you go to thewarehouse, you pick all the
(11:32):
stuff that the clients order andyou pack them in the box and
you ship them to you guys.
So when you guys got your boxfrom every company that you
order, it's some people, ladiesand men, who are picking and
packing.
Sometimes they even don't speakEnglish.
They speak French, Creole,Spanish.
(11:54):
They go to the warehouse, theypick your product, they box it
nicely, lovely, and the UPS orthe post office come and pick
them, or DHL, FedEx come andpick them to drop it in front of
your gates.
Jill (12:10):
There's a lot of immigrants working in this
industry and in these pickingpacking warehouses yes, yeah,
you're right.
Jessica (12:18):
You don't know about this job because, like in my
company, it's only my boss whois white.
All of us are Blacks fromAfrica, haiti, jamaica, guyana
and Spanish people.
So, yeah, we are the oneworking there.
Jill (12:36):
Wow.
Jessica (12:37):
Thank you for doing that work.
Yes, on Christmas time.
It's really busy the holidaysbecause people order a lot so we
have to work.
Sometimes they want us to comeand work Christmas day,
christmas Eve, but me, you know,I always put my religion first.
So on Christmas day I nevertake the overtime.
(12:58):
But you know.
Jill (13:06):
I like it.
Yeah Well, you've been doing itso long and so well and it's
been able.
You know you've been able tosupport yourself and pay your
tuition, so that's admirable.
Yes, thank you.
So I was wondering just if youcould tell us, jessica, you know
, over this 9, 10, 11 yearperiod, I guess that you have
what have been some of thehardest things about the
experience and what have beensome of the unexpected joys and
(13:29):
things that you've discoveredalong the way that maybe you
wouldn't have otherwiseexperienced.
Jessica (13:35):
Mostly it's the detention center, because I
didn't know that you can justcome from your country and go
straight to detention center.
Because for me I was thinking,when I tell them like this, they
will say, okay, they will giveme some paperwork to show up in
the church place and give me aplace to stay.
I was not expecting that.
Jill (13:58):
And how about some of the maybe more joyful or happy
moments that you're just sograteful that you were able to
experience?
Jessica (14:07):
Thanksgiving's time when we were gathering at the
lighthouse together.
We are thankful because somepeople to get deported from the
airport, from the detentioncenter.
So we are thankful and I'mreally thankful to my church
community.
Jill (14:25):
Yeah, yeah.
And I think my last question,Jessica, is really I know that
faith is very important to you.
Can you just tell us a littlebit about what role faith has
played in your journey and inhelping you to maintain your
strength and perspective,Because I'm sure there were
(14:45):
times when maybe you wanted togive up or said I can't do this.
Jessica (14:54):
You know.
Tell us a little bit about howyou leaned on your faith in
those moments.
I was born in the Christianity,in a Protestant household.
My grandpa was a pastor, so weknow that every time that you
have something in your heart andyou really need it, you have to
pray.
You have to believe and prayand ask God to guide you and
(15:20):
help you.
And when you are a believer youhave to have faith, because
faith can do everything.
So you have to be faithful andpatient, because some things,
some good, good things, take along time well, jessica, I
really thank you for your time.
Jill (15:38):
Your story is such a powerful one.
How you have been able totransform something tragic that
happened to you into what canreally be a blessing for other
people.
That's really God at work, andit's something that I truly,
truly admire.
You are going to be in aposition to really help women
(15:59):
find their strength and theirpower, and that's a blessing.
Jessica (16:03):
Thank you.
I didn't want to miss thisopportunity to share my story
and to strengthen those peoplewho are playing oppression,
those kind of bad things, andI'm asking God to touch the
heart of our residents and thegovernment, because it's not
(16:24):
easy.
They are lucky to be here.
Here is more peaceful.
There are a lot of countriesgoing bad right now.
So to touch their heart, todon't be really harsh on us,
because we are human beings too.
We need freedom and help.
They don't know the chance, theopportunity to be an American,
(16:47):
because a lot of people don'thave freedom right now in their
countries, like my country,burkina Faso.
Every day, a lot of millions ofpeople are killed, every time
in Haiti, palestine, israel.
I'm asking God to touch theirheart to accept them.
Jill (17:07):
Please continue to pray for that.
Pray for a way for us to bereminded that we are all
brothers and sisters.
We must care for each other,and let us continue to pray on
that.
Jessica's courage and clarityof purpose are deeply inspiring.
Her story reminds us that faithcan carry us through even the
(17:30):
hardest of seasons and that ourcalling is often shaped by the
challenges we've overcome.
As Jessica said, we are allhuman beings seeking peace and
opportunity, and it is ourshared responsibility to welcome
, support and pray for oneanother.
If Jessica's story moved you,please share this episode and
keep praying with us forcompassion, for justice and for
(17:53):
a world where everyone istreated with dignity.
For more information about theLighthouse, please visit us at
lighthousenjorg.
Until next time, may peace bewith you.
Welcome back to the Crossing Voices from the
Lighthouse, where we share thepowerful stories of asylum
seekers who have journeyed farin search of safety, dignity and
hope.
In today's episode, I speakwith someone very dear to the
lighthouse Jessica, our veryfirst house manager.
Originally from Burkina Faso,jessica came to the US seeking
(00:22):
asylum in a new beginning.
In our conversation, shereflects on her experience in
immigration, detention, herunexpected role in shaping the
early days of the lighthouse andher ongoing journey toward
building a life of purpose andservice.
Jessica's story is rooted infaith, shaped by resilience and
(00:42):
filled with a deep desire touplift others.
Here's our conversation.
Hi, Jessica, how are you?
It's so good to be able to havea chance to chat with you.
How have you been?
Hi, mommy, I'm doing good andyou?
I'm doing really well.
Thank God, it's so good to hearyour voice.
(01:04):
Yes, it's been a long time.
It's been a long time and we goway back.
How long ago is it that we met?
Now?
It's nine years now.
Nine years, that's reallyincredible.
I know when I met you, you hadactually been in this country
for a little while, so you're alittle bit different than the
(01:25):
other asylum seekers who havebeen at the lighthouse because
you came on board as our housemanager, lived here for a little
while and you, in fact, wereour very first original house
manager when the lighthousefirst opened.
Jessica (01:39):
Yes, because when you met me I was already two years
in this country.
Because when you met me I wasalready two years in this
country and I was living inSycocuse with the First Reformed
Church and you opened thelighthouse and you gave me the
chance to come stay there withyou guys.
(02:00):
So I stayed here one year, sixmonths before the old lighthouse
closed years, six months beforethe old lighthouse closed.
Jill (02:09):
What was that like for you the experience to come there
and to be the house manager inthis project.
That was really new.
We didn't know what we weregetting into or really what we
were doing.
Remember, we were reallystepping out on faith.
What was that like for you tohave that responsibility and to
be the house manager to peoplefrom all different parts of the
world?
Jessica (02:30):
It was a good opportunity and honor for me
because when I got released fromthe detention center, our first
friend gave me the temporaryhousing that was in Secaucus and
when I stayed there they gaveme permission to stay longer
(02:51):
than the other people.
So I stayed over there almosttwo years.
They didn't tell me to move,but I was supposed to move
because they are a newcomer, anew lady is getting released
from detention center and theydon't have a place to put them.
So I said it's time for me togive my bedroom and this chance
(03:13):
to another person.
So I was ready to look for abedroom and when I was chatting
with my friend and asking themif they know anyone who wants to
share a bedroom with me or rentme a bedroom, at that time it
was like $500, $600.
And that time I was working atH&M picking and packing the
(03:36):
product.
I was only getting minimum wage.
That time it was $875.
And for $875, I was gettingbarely 400 a week and with 400,
I want to eat, I want to payrent.
I see that it was difficult forme and God made his way and
(03:59):
spoke to you and you wanted toopen the lighthouse and I came
here.
So I was very happy to stayhere.
So I got to save money to goback to school and the place was
really safe, secure and for methat is a lady who likes to go
to church and we live in thechurch at the same time it was a
(04:23):
good opportunity for me and tosee those females coming out
from detention too.
I was so happy to be there.
Jill (04:32):
I remember when I met you for the first time and this
opportunity, you know, was thereand you were interested I said
this is really the Holy Spiritin action, right?
Yes, yes.
Jessica (04:44):
So God works in different ways, because I would
have like gone to somewhere thatI would not like and paying all
this money, and this was ablessing.
For all of us who were therefrom Burkina Faso, syria,
honduras, those Ecuadorians,coming Mexicans it was a really
(05:08):
blessing to share the same house, the same food and talk in our
different language andunderstand each other.
It was so great because none ofus was speaking English.
I was the only one who can saya few words in English.
All of them were blank, but wecommunicate.
Jill (05:32):
So listen.
So let's back up a minute,jessica, so that our listeners
can just understand.
Tell us you know what countryyou're from and really how you
got here, because there's veryfew cases like yours, Jessica,
where a woman came by herselfthat I have worked with at the
lighthouse.
(05:52):
Very often it was single men orfamilies, but very rarely did I
see women come through bythemselves.
To make that trip solo is noteasy.
Can you tell us a little bitabout how Opak came about?
Jessica (06:08):
I'm from Burkina Faso.
I decided to come to ask forasylum and at the airport, they
asked me why you want to stayhere.
I said I want to stay herebecause I'm Christian and I know
that this country is a lot ofChristian, and I'm coming here
(06:29):
for opportunities.
I stay a week after a weekbecause then, in 2014, elizabeth
Detention Center couldn'tdetain ladies, so it was only
men, ladies, so it was only men.
So they brought me to DelaneyHall.
That was the ladies was therein Delaney Hall.
(06:49):
When I arrived, I was the onlyFrench-speaking person there.
It was too much trouble.
And when I asked for atranslator, they bring me Asian
translator that he wasn't eventhe same French that we speak,
so it was too much.
Jill (07:09):
Okay, and how long did you stay in the Elizabeth Detention
Center?
Jessica (07:14):
I spent six months.
Jill (07:15):
Wow, and what was that experience like day to day?
Jessica (07:19):
Day to day.
We were like chit-chatting,learning English, because most
of us I was the only Frenchspeaking and the others were
from the Central AmericanSpanish speaking people, so none
of us were speaking English.
(07:40):
So we were learning English bywatching the television.
We were knitting some like bagsand doing different kind of
games.
We became like family too, andwe had our services.
There was one pastor who wascoming every Tuesday and
(08:00):
Saturday for our service.
What is your status now?
Now I'm a citizen.
When I came after the detention, I got my green card and after
five years I got my citizenship.
Now I'm a citizen, I'm workingand I'm able to finish my
(08:23):
bachelor degree.
Jill (08:25):
And tell us a little bit about what you're studying.
I'm studying social work, andwhat are your goals when you
finish?
What would you like to do withyour social worker degree?
Jessica (08:34):
When I finish, I want to work with local agencies and
my population.
I choose the refugees andimmigrants.
I want to give back to thecommunities, to help the
French-speaking refugees andimmigrants to know my story, to
know that they are not the onlyone looking for freedom and
peace, because you have to getthe courage to walk out from
(09:01):
violence, because some peoplewant to stay and fight back and
it has more consequences.
So I want to tell them thatthey are not alone.
We are standing with them andwe will help them.
And in this country it's notonly us, even people who came
here 200 years ago, 300 yearsago, from Europe.
(09:24):
They were looking for freedom,for peace, for a place to
worship.
So we have to welcome them, togive them the chance Some are
very educated To give them thoseopportunities.
So, yes, when I finish, I willfind a local organization to
(09:44):
work with this population, thenewcomers.
Jill (09:47):
That's really powerful.
Jessica, I know you have beenworking really hard to make this
schooling possible for yourself.
You've been working while goingto school, part-time.
Tell us a little bit about thework that you do to pay the
bills each month, okay.
Jessica (10:04):
Since I came, I was working in the warehouse.
Now I got another company inSeco, because that's where I'm
working.
I work five days a week and I'ma full-time student too.
My Sunday, saturday, is for meto do my assignments and time to
go to church.
(10:24):
I noticed that in this countryif you don't go to school, you
cannot do nothing.
You are stuck with this kind ofwork and for me, being like a
bureaucrat, back in my countryand come back like my first time
when I came here, I went to H&Mand I have to fold clothes, I
have to unbox boxes.
(10:46):
It was very hard for me becauseback home I was just working in
my office.
So it was really hard for me atthe beginning.
But I see too that I have towork because I don't have nobody
to help me.
In the beginning I have alighthouse that I have to sleep
free and was not paying rent.
It was only my kitchen and someclothes.
(11:10):
But now I have to pay my rent,I have to pay my t-shirt, so I
have to work hard, and what doesthe work do in the warehouse?
Some people order online.
So when we go in the morningyou pick your card and you pick
the paperwork, you go to thewarehouse, you pick all the
(11:32):
stuff that the clients order andyou pack them in the box and
you ship them to you guys.
So when you guys got your boxfrom every company that you
order, it's some people, ladiesand men, who are picking and
packing.
Sometimes they even don't speakEnglish.
They speak French, Creole,Spanish.
(11:54):
They go to the warehouse, theypick your product, they box it
nicely, lovely, and the UPS orthe post office come and pick
them, or DHL, FedEx come andpick them to drop it in front of
your gates.
Jill (12:10):
There's a lot of immigrants working in this
industry and in these pickingpacking warehouses yes, yeah,
you're right.
Jessica (12:18):
You don't know about this job because, like in my
company, it's only my boss whois white.
All of us are Blacks fromAfrica, haiti, jamaica, guyana
and Spanish people.
So, yeah, we are the oneworking there.
Jill (12:36):
Wow.
Jessica (12:37):
Thank you for doing that work.
Yes, on Christmas time.
It's really busy the holidaysbecause people order a lot so we
have to work.
Sometimes they want us to comeand work Christmas day,
christmas Eve, but me, you know,I always put my religion first.
So on Christmas day I nevertake the overtime.
(12:58):
But you know.
Jill (13:06):
I like it.
Yeah Well, you've been doing itso long and so well and it's
been able.
You know you've been able tosupport yourself and pay your
tuition, so that's admirable.
Yes, thank you.
So I was wondering just if youcould tell us, jessica, you know
, over this 9, 10, 11 yearperiod, I guess that you have
what have been some of thehardest things about the
experience and what have beensome of the unexpected joys and
(13:29):
things that you've discoveredalong the way that maybe you
wouldn't have otherwiseexperienced.
Jessica (13:35):
Mostly it's the detention center, because I
didn't know that you can justcome from your country and go
straight to detention center.
Because for me I was thinking,when I tell them like this, they
will say, okay, they will giveme some paperwork to show up in
the church place and give me aplace to stay.
I was not expecting that.
Jill (13:58):
And how about some of the maybe more joyful or happy
moments that you're just sograteful that you were able to
experience?
Jessica (14:07):
Thanksgiving's time when we were gathering at the
lighthouse together.
We are thankful because somepeople to get deported from the
airport, from the detentioncenter.
So we are thankful and I'mreally thankful to my church
community.
Jill (14:25):
Yeah, yeah.
And I think my last question,Jessica, is really I know that
faith is very important to you.
Can you just tell us a littlebit about what role faith has
played in your journey and inhelping you to maintain your
strength and perspective,Because I'm sure there were
(14:45):
times when maybe you wanted togive up or said I can't do this.
Jessica (14:54):
You know.
Tell us a little bit about howyou leaned on your faith in
those moments.
I was born in the Christianity,in a Protestant household.
My grandpa was a pastor, so weknow that every time that you
have something in your heart andyou really need it, you have to
pray.
You have to believe and prayand ask God to guide you and
(15:20):
help you.
And when you are a believer youhave to have faith, because
faith can do everything.
So you have to be faithful andpatient, because some things,
some good, good things, take along time well, jessica, I
really thank you for your time.
Jill (15:38):
Your story is such a powerful one.
How you have been able totransform something tragic that
happened to you into what canreally be a blessing for other
people.
That's really God at work, andit's something that I truly,
truly admire.
You are going to be in aposition to really help women
(15:59):
find their strength and theirpower, and that's a blessing.
Jessica (16:03):
Thank you.
I didn't want to miss thisopportunity to share my story
and to strengthen those peoplewho are playing oppression,
those kind of bad things, andI'm asking God to touch the
heart of our residents and thegovernment, because it's not
(16:24):
easy.
They are lucky to be here.
Here is more peaceful.
There are a lot of countriesgoing bad right now.
So to touch their heart, todon't be really harsh on us,
because we are human beings too.
We need freedom and help.
They don't know the chance, theopportunity to be an American,
(16:47):
because a lot of people don'thave freedom right now in their
countries, like my country,burkina Faso.
Every day, a lot of millions ofpeople are killed, every time
in Haiti, palestine, israel.
I'm asking God to touch theirheart to accept them.
Jill (17:07):
Please continue to pray for that.
Pray for a way for us to bereminded that we are all
brothers and sisters.
We must care for each other,and let us continue to pray on
that.
Jessica's courage and clarityof purpose are deeply inspiring.
Her story reminds us that faithcan carry us through even the
(17:30):
hardest of seasons and that ourcalling is often shaped by the
challenges we've overcome.
As Jessica said, we are allhuman beings seeking peace and
opportunity, and it is ourshared responsibility to welcome
, support and pray for oneanother.
If Jessica's story moved you,please share this episode and
keep praying with us forcompassion, for justice and for
(17:53):
a world where everyone istreated with dignity.
For more information about theLighthouse, please visit us at
lighthousenjorg.
Until next time, may peace bewith you.
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