October 8, 2025 • 25 mins
In this deeply moving episode, Theresa sits down again with entrepreneur and advocate Terri Matthews Woodall for a powerful conversation about calling, surrender, and the miracles that unfold when we say yes to God.
Terri shares the story of her son Jaden’s autism diagnosis—and how what first felt like loss became a divine assignment that transformed her heart, her family, and her purpose. From building Jaden’s Voice, a foundation now impacting families around the world, to watching her son defy every prognosis, Terri’s journey is a testament to faith in action.
She reminds us that God uses ordinary people with willing hearts, that our past does not disqualify us, and that the greatest breakthroughs often begin in surrender.
“You are not your story. Your story is the preparation for your purpose.” — Terri Matthews Woodall
Subscribe, so you never miss an episode
Connect with Terri:
Website: https://terrimatthews.co/
Instagram: @terri
Connect with Theresa:
Website: https://theresabruno.net/
Instagram: @theresa.harper.bruno
Facebook: http://bit.ly/423kFJy
Get your copy of "He's Not Coming Back": https://bit.ly/40qGX6Y
Terri shares the story of her son Jaden’s autism diagnosis—and how what first felt like loss became a divine assignment that transformed her heart, her family, and her purpose. From building Jaden’s Voice, a foundation now impacting families around the world, to watching her son defy every prognosis, Terri’s journey is a testament to faith in action.
She reminds us that God uses ordinary people with willing hearts, that our past does not disqualify us, and that the greatest breakthroughs often begin in surrender.
“You are not your story. Your story is the preparation for your purpose.” — Terri Matthews Woodall
Subscribe, so you never miss an episode
Connect with Terri:
Website: https://terrimatthews.co/
Instagram: @terri
Connect with Theresa:
Website: https://theresabruno.net/
Instagram: @theresa.harper.bruno
Facebook: http://bit.ly/423kFJy
Get your copy of "He's Not Coming Back": https://bit.ly/40qGX6Y
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
And when people were ready to ball me up and
throw me away, that I would be no good. I
would be, you know, like my mom, which by the way,
is an amazing person today, saved, loving kind.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Walks people through death.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I mean, she couldn't have done what she does today
without her own experience. But when I tell you that,
to me was even more of a reason that I
knew that. I know that I know what I am
called in a sense to do and the authority and power.
Not that I am so great, but God entrusts me
to be obedient with the souls that he's called to
(00:41):
earth for whatever reason he has for them. It's not
for me to question. I don't know what this man
was doing before or after.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
In his life.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
But what I do know is that not only my daughter,
police officers, emt people, the coroner, all of the witnesses
that were up on the bridge all got to see
the hand of God work. And I don't know how
in that day administered to their heart. I don't know
in that day how maybe that they walked away from
(01:09):
that fence now feeling worthy, now feeling like there's an
opportunity for me when the world is said that all
of these things that are against me, God is for me,
and that's all I need. Because the world said it
was over, but God said it is not over. So
the thing about it is is that that's how we
have to look in a sense of our life. So
for me, these are huge, massive pivotal moments in my
(01:32):
life that I know that, I know that, I know
that I know.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
I got my own death stories. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
But in a sense, for God to take someone who
came from my background, who experienced the things that I
had experienced, who had even done some of the things
that I had done, for God to say that I
can use you if you let me. I could use
you in the areas of the earth. I could use
you for a greater victory. I can use you for
(01:59):
a plan of purpose. You know nothing about. You just
have to be available and say yes. You have to
be able to walk in obedience. You can't worry about
what the world thinks of you, what they because let's
be honest, when you have gone through some of the
things we've gone through, we're embarrassed. They're shame. That's on us.
We gotta wash that dirty stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
All of us.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Teresa again, so that we can be available. Because had
I been worried, had you caught me five six years ago,
priud of that, I have been a little bit more hesitant.
I might have been trying to look at myself. It
was never about me. It was what God could use
through me, somebody who was willing to say yes, somebody
(02:37):
who was willing to not care about their own health. Right. Like, again,
we don't know what this man had, but it didn't matter,
and nothing's happened to me. God has kept me. And
my hope and prayer is that even for your viewers,
that they will understand that that when it is a
time and a sense that God is gonna use you
in particular things if you're available, but the enemy is
(03:00):
gonna do everything.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
To tell you why you can't. You're not a minister.
You didn't go to seminary school. You're not. I'm thinking
of myself, Well, Dad, who did?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Paul didn't, Joseph didn't, David wasn't even from a game lineage.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
You know what I'm saying, Like, when you think.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
That's who God is calling ordinary people who are willing
to say yes, He is calling people that He's built
tenacity and resilience and truth of His word in their
heart because of their own experiences.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
That's what he's calling.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
He's not calling just these people who come, you know,
not knocking the PK kids and all of the things.
But we have a sense of thinking that this is
who God's using.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
But he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
He is using every ordinary, every day ordinary people who
have gone through experiences that we are bridging the gap.
We're bridging the pain. The Holy Spirit is using our
stuff to help people bridge that, but also to clean
up to help you understand that you are not your story.
Your story is a part of your building and preparation
(04:06):
for your purpose.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's what it is.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And the quicker we can get to that the faster
we're willing to understand that and not look through the
lens of shame, blame, unworthiness, right not trying to look
for significance and success the way the world does. The
quicker we can be used, and the quicker will catapult
to a level of peace and understanding and grace and
the presence of God that we have never experienced in
(04:31):
our life. So that for me, these many many stories
that are sprinkled throughout my whole forty eight years are
things that are clear indications that God's hand is on me.
But it also means that I have a high level
of responsibility. And it can be very lonely. It could
be very lonely, and it can be very challenging because
(04:52):
sometimes not everybody understands it. And when God pulls you
or sets you apart for certain things where you have
to be consecrated, you know or do, it doesn't make
you better. I'm not better than anyone, but I know
that I can't be distracted by the world because I
have to hear from the voice of the Lord to
fulfill what He's called me to do.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It's not an easy.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Job, ever, And you know, I don't know how it
evolved with you as it evolves with all of us,
a calling our understanding of what our purpose is, or
if we ever really fully understand it. But just you know,
it's baby steps into Okay, this is this is purposeful?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
What's the next step? And what's the next step?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
But you know, I just look at the trajectory of
your life and what you so humbly leave out of
your story is, yes, you've had all these experiences, You've
learned to teach and preach and lay hands on people,
and you've built this amazing family. But at the same time,
I think it's important for our listeners to know that
(05:54):
that little girl who was, you know, in the inner
city streets hustling people to go to vacation Bible school
so she could get a barbie, use that same hustle
to start so many businesses and to start, you know,
this huge company that you have today investing growing businesses.
(06:16):
And then you know you have a son, Jaden mh
And at three years old. Take me from there.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So Jaden was diagnosed with autism at the age of
two and a half. Interesting enough, just like the many
things in my life, God has used them as training ground,
and autism would have never been a space that I
believe that I would have supported or been involved in.
(06:50):
And when I say support, let me say it this way.
There was someone actually in church who attempted to approach
me to talk to me about their kiddo that was
on the spectrum. And it was a point in time
in my life where I will say professionally, I felt
like it was about me. It's never been about me,
But you know, if I'm being honest, in that time,
(07:11):
I got a little wind underneath my wings.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Life is a little graded and grand right now.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Right like, so, you know, the thing was, I finally
felt like I was moving in a space where I
was reactive or proactive and not reactive right and there
wasn't all of these up and down. I finally found
my rhythm, okay. And so this lady attempted to come
to me. She knew that I was in the business space.
She knew that I had a variety of relationships and
(07:36):
a lot of spaces and entertainment and all of that,
and so she was trying to bring awareness to autism.
And she approached me at church and I found the
time to meet with her, but my heart wasn't in it.
It was like, let me do this, it's the right
thing to do. Let me listen to her. I always
think about if somebody hadn't listened to me in the
(07:56):
business space, you know, where would I be? Because I
I had different entrepreneurs that God had placed along my
path that had given me what an entrepreneur looks like. Right,
And so I wanted to do these things. And my
thought was, let me just write this lady a check.
That's really what it's about. She needs some money, and
I remember clearly saying, like, the money is good, but
(08:17):
I really need somebody to help me get this off
the ground. Well, years would pass, I'd get pregnant with Jaden,
same church. Her son's now a little bit older. I
get pregnant. Of course, I'd give birth to Jada. I'd
have Jayden, and he would be diagnosed with autism. And
that was the first or second time in my life
that had really heard the word. And I'm like, what
(08:39):
do I do with this? You know what I mean?
I was upset, I was concerned. I felt, if I'm
being honest, that's that scarcity. Seat right on the edge again,
here's something major in my life happening. I finally feel
like I'm at a particular place and here's another problem, Lord,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And I looked at it very differently. I had to
renew my strength, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Renew my strength, Lord, you know that was what that
was about, right, And so there were crying moments. I
didn't know what my life looked like. My son was nonverbal.
There was a lot of things that I knew, with
the doctor's appointments and all of that that would happen.
It took actually to get an official diagnosis eight months.
So I was living with the kid who was nonverbal,
who was in a diaper, and at that time had
(09:25):
a lot of behavioral problems because of his not being verbal,
so he couldn't communicate I want you, so I'm thirsty,
something hurts me. So it was constant crying or we'd
call him swiper, no swiping. He'd swipe things off of
just stuff to try to get our attention. And what
I recognized then, which was very hard. Okay, lord, I'm
built for this. Why I have seven siblings, I'm the
(09:47):
oldest of seven. I've had to help. None of them
were on the spectrum. But it was difficult managing the
things that I had to manage in life at different
times in life. It wasn't all at the same time.
But I knew that I was built for this.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I would.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I remember, though, being in tears and having levels of sadness.
I don't think I was quote unquote depressed, if you will,
but I was probably right on the edge, right and
so I would go through all of this season. Once
Jaden got diagnosed and then it took those eight months.
I remember walking to the mailbox, it was like the
(10:21):
green mile. I got the paperwork, and I was walking
from the mailbox back to my front door. I was
reading forty eight pages of medical jargon. On the forty
eighth page it said diagnosis. Halfway down the page, diagnosis
and my color autism. There was no direction, no next steps,
no what to do. I was in a different position
(10:43):
than most because of where I lived and my access
to resources. And I was actually even told that the
area that used to support autism was actually called mental
health and mental retardation. So imagine being a mom and
I'm now this Jaden's my third So imagine being a
(11:04):
mom and having to call a place called mental health
and mental retardation.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's not very kind, right.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
And so, and then all of the thoughts in a
sense that come with that, by the way, instrumental in
getting the name change. It is no longer mental, it's
no longer called mental retardation. It's Office of Development Disability.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Thank god, thank you. Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
So the thing is is that in all of that,
that journey would lead me to not only Jaden's diagnosis,
but to be a resource for a lot of families
that lacked resources in general. So I would come across
people that had similar resources as I did, but were
(11:47):
honestly quite challenged by saying that I had a kid.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
On the spectrum.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
There were a lot of marriage difficulties and divorce that
came out of that. There are other people who lacked resources,
did not have the language or access, did not know
how to navigate school systems or get therapies. So I
would build the foundation out of that. In that process,
I had challenged God one time, first last and only
time I did and told God I.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Wasn't doing this anymore that because it was.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
A time and season I was building the nonprofit. I
was focused putting every dollar there, and I was like, Yeah,
this isn't for me, God, this is hard. People don't
really want the help, you know. I had this kind
of different attitude in reference to, you know, when somebody's
helping you, you got to do your part two not
realizing that they're going through emotional distress and all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I knew it, but I felt like they should feel
like me.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Get up, do something, you know what I mean, Like
don't just crack blink, don't be a bitch, get up,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So I wasn't that harsh, but inside I probably was.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
But the thing is is that in the end, I
challenged God and I remember my son and begin to speak,
and that day he lost everything. Was like he reverted backwards.
And I remember falling to my knees and asking the
Lord to forgive me and repenting, you know, because I
was like, oh my gosh, God, I'm so sorry. I
(13:06):
can't believe. Like the moment my son tried to talk
to me, he lost all verbal ability in that one day,
and God restored him before the night was over. After
I repented. So I was very clear that God was
very clear with me, Oh no, no, no, no, you're gonna
do because he had told me early on take care
of my children. I'm gonna take care of yours. So
like anything else, just like I was as a kid, I.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Was gung ho.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I'm gonna hustle everybody up, everybody's gonna learn, I'm gonna
bring y'all in. We're gonna figure it all out right
like this time. You know, He's the third. So I'm
a lot more successful in life. I had a lot
more experiences under my belt. I had a lot more
experience in business. I could build an organizational infrastructure with
my eyes closed. That was came out of my adversity
(13:50):
in life. And so when I built this foundation, that
was the intention. And initially I thought it was just
going to help the local community. We end up helping globally.
I wrote an Emmy nominated TV show behind it. I've
worked with forty three countries on autism. I've talked through laws.
I have a very famous show that's out there today
that everybody loves that's around autism. They called me in
(14:13):
the very beginning to help navigate them through that particular
space and capture the details that they needed, to consult
them on what the show should look like. And I
didn't even have an adult son at that time. I
mean I still had a kid that was walking through
his own stuff. Now, Jaden was three when I started
this nonprofit. I built an NGO in Africa that's been
in existence for twelve years. Our foundation has been around
(14:35):
for fifteen years, and it's called Jaden's Voice, and interesting enough, Jaden.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I named Jaden his name without knowing the meeting.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I picked J because his sisters had J. When he
was diagnosed, the Holy Spirit said, what is.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Your son's name?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Mean? He's my only kid that I didn't pick like
a certain reason. I just picked for j went back
and looked at it and hebrew at me, God has heard?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
How about that? So interesting enough? Jaden now speaks not only.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
English, she knows basic Spanish. He's graduated from high school.
He's headed to college. He's had at least twenty two offers.
He could have gone to a lot of colleges. He
graduated with a three point I want to say three
point nine to five or higher. He ended with all
straight a's. He has played basketball, He's taken every record
(15:28):
in track and field. He's beat school records, state records.
He had never played an organized sport until he got
the high school. He's played soccer, golf, flag football, basketball,
east sports. If it's been available, he's done it and
he's dominated. It's not like he just did it and
(15:48):
oh he participated. He did it and dominated or at
least highly contributed to all of those areas. And now
he's headed to college. And this is all something that
even entering the ninth grade, Jaden was denied. Again, here's
another denial. They denied that man life. He was denied
(16:08):
every special need school because they said his deficits were
so great that they weren't sure that they could meet them.
The one school that accepted him took him in the
ninth grade and took him into a certificate program, not
a high school program. They were afraid that they could
not meet his needs, so they took him into a
certificate program just to teach him how to advocate for himself,
how to navigate around the kitchen, all of the things.
(16:31):
By that we had prayed. My husband was led to
pray for him for forty days. I was in prayer
and I said to the school, I feel like my
son can do more now that you've had a chance
to see him and deal with him and work with him.
I'd like for his tenth grade him to go into
neurotypical classes. So he had to catch up on a
couple of things. He took online classes in addition to
(16:53):
all the sports he killed it.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I mean, he's done.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You can see the hand and work and favor of God.
Not speaking till he was seven IQ at the time
of seventy six, it is no longer.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Now, how does that change.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
He's never had brain surgery, you know what I mean,
Like he doesn't have anything in his body. It's it
has definitely been the hand in favor of God. And
I do believe that God answered our prayer out of
our obedience to serve others. And so I will say
that again, I don't think anything accidentally happens. Everything is intentional.
(17:30):
My story is not going to be everybody's story. Some
kids will never speak. But what was pivotal for me
was there was a time in Africa I was serving
and I was leading these women, you know, and in
Africa and China and Russia and all these variety of
countries that I've had an opportunity to work with, I
will tell you that the challenge with these children are
(17:53):
oftentimes the mothers are killed, they're ostracized out of their communities.
The children are killed and they're buried in the back, right,
and people also think that they're demonic. Right because kids
that don't speak, or they make sounds, or they flap
their hands or things like that. In these countries where
they don't have as many resources or understanding, there's a
(18:15):
thought that maybe they're demonic or they're possessed children, and
so they kill them. God had an intention and plan
for that to stop. He sent me to these places
to help educate and build infrastructure where people could have
access to get help that they needed for their kids
and help them understand that He makes no mistakes, that
(18:36):
these are his children. And I said, the pivotal moment
for me was, I remember going to all of these
places to change Jaden. I remember going to speech therapy
and occupational therapy and behavioral therapy, or having all these
people in my home. And the whole idea was to
help Jaden change. But what God was trying to get
(18:57):
me to do was to change, to accept and expect
from God. It was to love unconditionally, because it's easy
to say you love something unconditionally or love someone unconditionally,
right until there's all these different challenges. When I let
go of my own expectations and surrendered my son to
(19:17):
the Lord and said he's your son. You love him
more than you do. And instead of trying to pray
for him.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
To speak or this or this or this and this.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I prayed that my heart would change, that I would
come in agreement and acceptance with the things that maybe
won't change, and understand that God Your will is sovereign. Anyway,
if he never speaks again, I'll serve you if I
have to deal with these behaviors of the rest of
his life. You are going to equip me as a
mom to manage this and my other children and business
(19:47):
and husband, and and I'm going to do it with
both strength and resilience, trusting fully in you. My attitude
towards the situation. And this goes for anybody listening. I
don't care what the situation is. We have to align
ourselves that our heart aligns with the will and purpose
of God. Because there are gonna be some things we're
(20:08):
gonna pray about. It is not gonna change. We're gonna
pray for a marriage is still gonna go through a divorce.
We're gonna pray for a wayward child that just isn't
ready to surrender and give their life to God. We're
gonna pray for some financial breakthroughs that just might not happen.
We're gonna pray for a business that we want to
grow that might end up closing. There are gonna be
things in our lives that we are going to pray for,
and quite honestly.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
It may not end the way that we expect. And
does that make.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
God less sovereign? Does that mean His will wasn't done?
Does that mean that he's still not God, and that
he's not on the throne, and that we're still not victorious.
Know what that means.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
The enemy wants us to see it that way.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
So our hearts prayer, We're gonna pray for people. Please
don't let them die, God, But in the end, God's
gonna call them home. We have to align our hearts.
My prayer was Father, my heart aligned with what your
will is.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Your will be done on earth. Jesus taught us how
to pray on earth as it is in heaven.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Hollow would be thy name, thy Kingdom, Come, Thy will
be done.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Thy will is not our expectations. Thy will is not
our agenda.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Thy will is not.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
What we desire and what we want.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Because there's a God who knows more than what we know,
who has done, and his thoughts are above our thoughts.
His ways are above our ways. We don't understand it.
So I had to let go. My expectation was, Oh,
when I found out I was having a boy, already
said he's gonna play football, he's gonna be handsome.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I named all the different things, and when.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Nothing was like that, Dear Teresa, I'm like girl, I'm surprised.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I have edges. Do you see me like I?
Speaker 1 (21:39):
I would have been plucking out every inch of hair
and every eyebrow, okay, because it was so much. But
the moment I said, God, you waste nothing, you said
that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. This feels
like a weapon, and it feels like it's prospering. It
feels like it is meant to kill still and destroy
(22:00):
my hope, my journey, your intention over my life, my family.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It hurt.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
There were some things that we just don't even have
time on this podcast series to go through, but I
will tell you for parents who are walking through this
area of their life, this diagnosis of batism, it is
not always easy. But what God had to do was
realign my heart. And going back to how I started
this story, you got to remember that there was a
(22:30):
woman who approached me in church, and I remember the
Holy Spirit saying, I tried to give you this to fix.
You denied it, and now I've given it to you
to handle right, And now that it's in your hand,
you have no other choice. You can't run from it.
See I was running from what he called me to do,
and now it became an issue, in my hand to
(22:52):
handle and in the end it would be the thing
that would take me around the world to serve people
in capacitators in a way.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
And even here in the United.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
States, churches that did not have spaces and places areas
for autistic kids while a mom and dad want to
sit in service, you know now that the children's care
could offer services for autism. The stadiums offer places for autism.
I mean there's a sensory friendly and all the language
and stuff. We're way ahead of where we are, but
(23:24):
it doesn't make this life a little bit easier. So
if any of your viewers are out there and they're listening, specifically,
if you have a kiddo that's on the spectrum, you
are not alone, and ask God, what is it you've
given me this child? He has blessed you because let
me explain.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Something to you. You will learn unconditional love. You will
understand patience.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
You will learn to not judge right like, look at
people and you're Russian people. What's taken you so long?
They process different? You know, there are things in a
sense that God will reveal issue in your heart that
you didn't even know that you had. And in addition
to that, they will teach you. I didn't teach Jaden anything.
Jaden led my heart closer to Christ. I had full dependence,
(24:08):
had to because if not, there was a time that
I probably would have drove Jadaen and I off a bridge.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Okay, I'm being honest because you don't.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Realize how this child who's constantly crying and has no
verbal right, spitting, kicking, hitting, all of these things, he
is not that child in a sense today when I
see how God he is. There's a song by Naomi
Rain that talks about the evidence of God. Every day
I see Jada, it's the evidence of God. I know
(24:39):
what the doctor's report said, I know what the diagnosis said,
but I know who he is and what he's doing.
So I want to encourage anybody listening that's not just
about rautism, that's really about anything in a sense, that
God is placed in our lives. Pray that your heart's
desire aligns with the will of God.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Next week, Terry's advocacy goes global with Jaden's voice
And when people were ready to ball me up and
throw me away, that I would be no good. I
would be, you know, like my mom, which by the way,
is an amazing person today, saved, loving kind.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Walks people through death.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I mean, she couldn't have done what she does today
without her own experience. But when I tell you that,
to me was even more of a reason that I
knew that. I know that I know what I am
called in a sense to do and the authority and power.
Not that I am so great, but God entrusts me
to be obedient with the souls that he's called to
(00:41):
earth for whatever reason he has for them. It's not
for me to question. I don't know what this man
was doing before or after.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
In his life.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
But what I do know is that not only my daughter,
police officers, emt people, the coroner, all of the witnesses
that were up on the bridge all got to see
the hand of God work. And I don't know how
in that day administered to their heart. I don't know
in that day how maybe that they walked away from
(01:09):
that fence now feeling worthy, now feeling like there's an
opportunity for me when the world is said that all
of these things that are against me, God is for me,
and that's all I need. Because the world said it
was over, but God said it is not over. So
the thing about it is is that that's how we
have to look in a sense of our life. So
for me, these are huge, massive pivotal moments in my
(01:32):
life that I know that, I know that, I know
that I know.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
I got my own death stories. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
But in a sense, for God to take someone who
came from my background, who experienced the things that I
had experienced, who had even done some of the things
that I had done, for God to say that I
can use you if you let me. I could use
you in the areas of the earth. I could use
you for a greater victory. I can use you for
(01:59):
a plan of purpose. You know nothing about. You just
have to be available and say yes. You have to
be able to walk in obedience. You can't worry about
what the world thinks of you, what they because let's
be honest, when you have gone through some of the
things we've gone through, we're embarrassed. They're shame. That's on us.
We gotta wash that dirty stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
All of us.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Teresa again, so that we can be available. Because had
I been worried, had you caught me five six years ago,
priud of that, I have been a little bit more hesitant.
I might have been trying to look at myself. It
was never about me. It was what God could use
through me, somebody who was willing to say yes, somebody
(02:37):
who was willing to not care about their own health. Right. Like, again,
we don't know what this man had, but it didn't matter,
and nothing's happened to me. God has kept me. And
my hope and prayer is that even for your viewers,
that they will understand that that when it is a
time and a sense that God is gonna use you
in particular things if you're available, but the enemy is
(03:00):
gonna do everything.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
To tell you why you can't. You're not a minister.
You didn't go to seminary school. You're not. I'm thinking
of myself, Well, Dad, who did?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Paul didn't, Joseph didn't, David wasn't even from a game lineage.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
You know what I'm saying, Like, when you think.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
That's who God is calling ordinary people who are willing
to say yes, He is calling people that He's built
tenacity and resilience and truth of His word in their
heart because of their own experiences.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
That's what he's calling.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
He's not calling just these people who come, you know,
not knocking the PK kids and all of the things.
But we have a sense of thinking that this is
who God's using.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
But he's not.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
He is using every ordinary, every day ordinary people who
have gone through experiences that we are bridging the gap.
We're bridging the pain. The Holy Spirit is using our
stuff to help people bridge that, but also to clean
up to help you understand that you are not your story.
Your story is a part of your building and preparation
(04:06):
for your purpose.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's what it is.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And the quicker we can get to that the faster
we're willing to understand that and not look through the
lens of shame, blame, unworthiness, right not trying to look
for significance and success the way the world does. The
quicker we can be used, and the quicker will catapult
to a level of peace and understanding and grace and
the presence of God that we have never experienced in
(04:31):
our life. So that for me, these many many stories
that are sprinkled throughout my whole forty eight years are
things that are clear indications that God's hand is on me.
But it also means that I have a high level
of responsibility. And it can be very lonely. It could
be very lonely, and it can be very challenging because
(04:52):
sometimes not everybody understands it. And when God pulls you
or sets you apart for certain things where you have
to be consecrated, you know or do, it doesn't make
you better. I'm not better than anyone, but I know
that I can't be distracted by the world because I
have to hear from the voice of the Lord to
fulfill what He's called me to do.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
It's not an easy.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Job, ever, And you know, I don't know how it
evolved with you as it evolves with all of us,
a calling our understanding of what our purpose is, or
if we ever really fully understand it. But just you know,
it's baby steps into Okay, this is this is purposeful?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
What's the next step? And what's the next step?
Speaker 4 (05:34):
But you know, I just look at the trajectory of
your life and what you so humbly leave out of
your story is, yes, you've had all these experiences, You've
learned to teach and preach and lay hands on people,
and you've built this amazing family. But at the same time,
I think it's important for our listeners to know that
(05:54):
that little girl who was, you know, in the inner
city streets hustling people to go to vacation Bible school
so she could get a barbie, use that same hustle
to start so many businesses and to start, you know,
this huge company that you have today investing growing businesses.
(06:16):
And then you know you have a son, Jaden mh
And at three years old. Take me from there.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So Jaden was diagnosed with autism at the age of
two and a half. Interesting enough, just like the many
things in my life, God has used them as training ground,
and autism would have never been a space that I
believe that I would have supported or been involved in.
(06:50):
And when I say support, let me say it this way.
There was someone actually in church who attempted to approach
me to talk to me about their kiddo that was
on the spectrum. And it was a point in time
in my life where I will say professionally, I felt
like it was about me. It's never been about me,
But you know, if I'm being honest, in that time,
(07:11):
I got a little wind underneath my wings.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Life is a little graded and grand right now.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Right like, so, you know, the thing was, I finally
felt like I was moving in a space where I
was reactive or proactive and not reactive right and there
wasn't all of these up and down. I finally found
my rhythm, okay. And so this lady attempted to come
to me. She knew that I was in the business space.
She knew that I had a variety of relationships and
(07:36):
a lot of spaces and entertainment and all of that,
and so she was trying to bring awareness to autism.
And she approached me at church and I found the
time to meet with her, but my heart wasn't in it.
It was like, let me do this, it's the right
thing to do. Let me listen to her. I always
think about if somebody hadn't listened to me in the
(07:56):
business space, you know, where would I be? Because I
I had different entrepreneurs that God had placed along my
path that had given me what an entrepreneur looks like. Right,
And so I wanted to do these things. And my
thought was, let me just write this lady a check.
That's really what it's about. She needs some money, and
I remember clearly saying, like, the money is good, but
(08:17):
I really need somebody to help me get this off
the ground. Well, years would pass, I'd get pregnant with Jaden,
same church. Her son's now a little bit older. I
get pregnant. Of course, I'd give birth to Jada. I'd
have Jayden, and he would be diagnosed with autism. And
that was the first or second time in my life
that had really heard the word. And I'm like, what
(08:39):
do I do with this? You know what I mean?
I was upset, I was concerned. I felt, if I'm
being honest, that's that scarcity. Seat right on the edge again,
here's something major in my life happening. I finally feel
like I'm at a particular place and here's another problem, Lord,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And I looked at it very differently. I had to
renew my strength, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Renew my strength, Lord, you know that was what that
was about, right, And so there were crying moments. I
didn't know what my life looked like. My son was nonverbal.
There was a lot of things that I knew, with
the doctor's appointments and all of that that would happen.
It took actually to get an official diagnosis eight months.
So I was living with the kid who was nonverbal,
who was in a diaper, and at that time had
(09:25):
a lot of behavioral problems because of his not being verbal,
so he couldn't communicate I want you, so I'm thirsty,
something hurts me. So it was constant crying or we'd
call him swiper, no swiping. He'd swipe things off of
just stuff to try to get our attention. And what
I recognized then, which was very hard. Okay, lord, I'm
built for this. Why I have seven siblings, I'm the
(09:47):
oldest of seven. I've had to help. None of them
were on the spectrum. But it was difficult managing the
things that I had to manage in life at different
times in life. It wasn't all at the same time.
But I knew that I was built for this.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I would.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I remember, though, being in tears and having levels of sadness.
I don't think I was quote unquote depressed, if you will,
but I was probably right on the edge, right and
so I would go through all of this season. Once
Jaden got diagnosed and then it took those eight months.
I remember walking to the mailbox, it was like the
(10:21):
green mile. I got the paperwork, and I was walking
from the mailbox back to my front door. I was
reading forty eight pages of medical jargon. On the forty
eighth page it said diagnosis. Halfway down the page, diagnosis
and my color autism. There was no direction, no next steps,
no what to do. I was in a different position
(10:43):
than most because of where I lived and my access
to resources. And I was actually even told that the
area that used to support autism was actually called mental
health and mental retardation. So imagine being a mom and
I'm now this Jaden's my third So imagine being a
(11:04):
mom and having to call a place called mental health
and mental retardation.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's not very kind, right.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
And so, and then all of the thoughts in a
sense that come with that, by the way, instrumental in
getting the name change. It is no longer mental, it's
no longer called mental retardation. It's Office of Development Disability.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Thank god, thank you. Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
So the thing is is that in all of that,
that journey would lead me to not only Jaden's diagnosis,
but to be a resource for a lot of families
that lacked resources in general. So I would come across
people that had similar resources as I did, but were
(11:47):
honestly quite challenged by saying that I had a kid.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
On the spectrum.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
There were a lot of marriage difficulties and divorce that
came out of that. There are other people who lacked resources,
did not have the language or access, did not know
how to navigate school systems or get therapies. So I
would build the foundation out of that. In that process,
I had challenged God one time, first last and only
time I did and told God I.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Wasn't doing this anymore that because it was.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
A time and season I was building the nonprofit. I
was focused putting every dollar there, and I was like, Yeah,
this isn't for me, God, this is hard. People don't
really want the help, you know. I had this kind
of different attitude in reference to, you know, when somebody's
helping you, you got to do your part two not
realizing that they're going through emotional distress and all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I knew it, but I felt like they should feel
like me.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Get up, do something, you know what I mean, Like
don't just crack blink, don't be a bitch, get up,
you know.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So I wasn't that harsh, but inside I probably was.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
But the thing is is that in the end, I
challenged God and I remember my son and begin to speak,
and that day he lost everything. Was like he reverted backwards.
And I remember falling to my knees and asking the
Lord to forgive me and repenting, you know, because I
was like, oh my gosh, God, I'm so sorry. I
(13:06):
can't believe. Like the moment my son tried to talk
to me, he lost all verbal ability in that one day,
and God restored him before the night was over. After
I repented. So I was very clear that God was
very clear with me, Oh no, no, no, no, you're gonna
do because he had told me early on take care
of my children. I'm gonna take care of yours. So
like anything else, just like I was as a kid, I.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Was gung ho.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I'm gonna hustle everybody up, everybody's gonna learn, I'm gonna
bring y'all in. We're gonna figure it all out right
like this time. You know, He's the third. So I'm
a lot more successful in life. I had a lot
more experiences under my belt. I had a lot more
experience in business. I could build an organizational infrastructure with
my eyes closed. That was came out of my adversity
(13:50):
in life. And so when I built this foundation, that
was the intention. And initially I thought it was just
going to help the local community. We end up helping globally.
I wrote an Emmy nominated TV show behind it. I've
worked with forty three countries on autism. I've talked through laws.
I have a very famous show that's out there today
that everybody loves that's around autism. They called me in
(14:13):
the very beginning to help navigate them through that particular
space and capture the details that they needed, to consult
them on what the show should look like. And I
didn't even have an adult son at that time. I
mean I still had a kid that was walking through
his own stuff. Now, Jaden was three when I started
this nonprofit. I built an NGO in Africa that's been
in existence for twelve years. Our foundation has been around
(14:35):
for fifteen years, and it's called Jaden's Voice, and interesting enough, Jaden.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I named Jaden his name without knowing the meeting.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I picked J because his sisters had J. When he
was diagnosed, the Holy Spirit said, what is.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Your son's name?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Mean? He's my only kid that I didn't pick like
a certain reason. I just picked for j went back
and looked at it and hebrew at me, God has heard?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
How about that? So interesting enough? Jaden now speaks not only.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
English, she knows basic Spanish. He's graduated from high school.
He's headed to college. He's had at least twenty two offers.
He could have gone to a lot of colleges. He
graduated with a three point I want to say three
point nine to five or higher. He ended with all
straight a's. He has played basketball, He's taken every record
(15:28):
in track and field. He's beat school records, state records.
He had never played an organized sport until he got
the high school. He's played soccer, golf, flag football, basketball,
east sports. If it's been available, he's done it and
he's dominated. It's not like he just did it and
(15:48):
oh he participated. He did it and dominated or at
least highly contributed to all of those areas. And now
he's headed to college. And this is all something that
even entering the ninth grade, Jaden was denied. Again, here's
another denial. They denied that man life. He was denied
(16:08):
every special need school because they said his deficits were
so great that they weren't sure that they could meet them.
The one school that accepted him took him in the
ninth grade and took him into a certificate program, not
a high school program. They were afraid that they could
not meet his needs, so they took him into a
certificate program just to teach him how to advocate for himself,
how to navigate around the kitchen, all of the things.
(16:31):
By that we had prayed. My husband was led to
pray for him for forty days. I was in prayer
and I said to the school, I feel like my
son can do more now that you've had a chance
to see him and deal with him and work with him.
I'd like for his tenth grade him to go into
neurotypical classes. So he had to catch up on a
couple of things. He took online classes in addition to
(16:53):
all the sports he killed it.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I mean, he's done.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You can see the hand and work and favor of God.
Not speaking till he was seven IQ at the time
of seventy six, it is no longer.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Now, how does that change.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
He's never had brain surgery, you know what I mean,
Like he doesn't have anything in his body. It's it
has definitely been the hand in favor of God. And
I do believe that God answered our prayer out of
our obedience to serve others. And so I will say
that again, I don't think anything accidentally happens. Everything is intentional.
(17:30):
My story is not going to be everybody's story. Some
kids will never speak. But what was pivotal for me
was there was a time in Africa I was serving
and I was leading these women, you know, and in
Africa and China and Russia and all these variety of
countries that I've had an opportunity to work with, I
will tell you that the challenge with these children are
(17:53):
oftentimes the mothers are killed, they're ostracized out of their communities.
The children are killed and they're buried in the back, right,
and people also think that they're demonic. Right because kids
that don't speak, or they make sounds, or they flap
their hands or things like that. In these countries where
they don't have as many resources or understanding, there's a
(18:15):
thought that maybe they're demonic or they're possessed children, and
so they kill them. God had an intention and plan
for that to stop. He sent me to these places
to help educate and build infrastructure where people could have
access to get help that they needed for their kids
and help them understand that He makes no mistakes, that
(18:36):
these are his children. And I said, the pivotal moment
for me was, I remember going to all of these
places to change Jaden. I remember going to speech therapy
and occupational therapy and behavioral therapy, or having all these
people in my home. And the whole idea was to
help Jaden change. But what God was trying to get
(18:57):
me to do was to change, to accept and expect
from God. It was to love unconditionally, because it's easy
to say you love something unconditionally or love someone unconditionally,
right until there's all these different challenges. When I let
go of my own expectations and surrendered my son to
(19:17):
the Lord and said he's your son. You love him
more than you do. And instead of trying to pray
for him.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
To speak or this or this or this and this.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
I prayed that my heart would change, that I would
come in agreement and acceptance with the things that maybe
won't change, and understand that God Your will is sovereign. Anyway,
if he never speaks again, I'll serve you if I
have to deal with these behaviors of the rest of
his life. You are going to equip me as a
mom to manage this and my other children and business
(19:47):
and husband, and and I'm going to do it with
both strength and resilience, trusting fully in you. My attitude
towards the situation. And this goes for anybody listening. I
don't care what the situation is. We have to align
ourselves that our heart aligns with the will and purpose
of God. Because there are gonna be some things we're
(20:08):
gonna pray about. It is not gonna change. We're gonna
pray for a marriage is still gonna go through a divorce.
We're gonna pray for a wayward child that just isn't
ready to surrender and give their life to God. We're
gonna pray for some financial breakthroughs that just might not happen.
We're gonna pray for a business that we want to
grow that might end up closing. There are gonna be
things in our lives that we are going to pray for,
and quite honestly.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
It may not end the way that we expect. And
does that make.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
God less sovereign? Does that mean His will wasn't done?
Does that mean that he's still not God, and that
he's not on the throne, and that we're still not victorious.
Know what that means.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
The enemy wants us to see it that way.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
So our hearts prayer, We're gonna pray for people. Please
don't let them die, God, But in the end, God's
gonna call them home. We have to align our hearts.
My prayer was Father, my heart aligned with what your
will is.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Your will be done on earth. Jesus taught us how
to pray on earth as it is in heaven.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Hollow would be thy name, thy Kingdom, Come, Thy will
be done.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Thy will is not our expectations. Thy will is not
our agenda.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Thy will is not.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
What we desire and what we want.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Because there's a God who knows more than what we know,
who has done, and his thoughts are above our thoughts.
His ways are above our ways. We don't understand it.
So I had to let go. My expectation was, Oh,
when I found out I was having a boy, already
said he's gonna play football, he's gonna be handsome.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
I named all the different things, and when.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Nothing was like that, Dear Teresa, I'm like girl, I'm surprised.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I have edges. Do you see me like I?
Speaker 1 (21:39):
I would have been plucking out every inch of hair
and every eyebrow, okay, because it was so much. But
the moment I said, God, you waste nothing, you said
that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. This feels
like a weapon, and it feels like it's prospering. It
feels like it is meant to kill still and destroy
(22:00):
my hope, my journey, your intention over my life, my family.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It hurt.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
There were some things that we just don't even have
time on this podcast series to go through, but I
will tell you for parents who are walking through this
area of their life, this diagnosis of batism, it is
not always easy. But what God had to do was
realign my heart. And going back to how I started
this story, you got to remember that there was a
(22:30):
woman who approached me in church, and I remember the
Holy Spirit saying, I tried to give you this to fix.
You denied it, and now I've given it to you
to handle right, And now that it's in your hand,
you have no other choice. You can't run from it.
See I was running from what he called me to do,
and now it became an issue, in my hand to
(22:52):
handle and in the end it would be the thing
that would take me around the world to serve people
in capacitators in a way.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
And even here in the United.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
States, churches that did not have spaces and places areas
for autistic kids while a mom and dad want to
sit in service, you know now that the children's care
could offer services for autism. The stadiums offer places for autism.
I mean there's a sensory friendly and all the language
and stuff. We're way ahead of where we are, but
(23:24):
it doesn't make this life a little bit easier. So
if any of your viewers are out there and they're listening, specifically,
if you have a kiddo that's on the spectrum, you
are not alone, and ask God, what is it you've
given me this child? He has blessed you because let
me explain.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Something to you. You will learn unconditional love. You will
understand patience.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
You will learn to not judge right like, look at
people and you're Russian people. What's taken you so long?
They process different? You know, there are things in a
sense that God will reveal issue in your heart that
you didn't even know that you had. And in addition
to that, they will teach you. I didn't teach Jaden anything.
Jaden led my heart closer to Christ. I had full dependence,
(24:08):
had to because if not, there was a time that
I probably would have drove Jadaen and I off a bridge.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Okay, I'm being honest because you don't.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Realize how this child who's constantly crying and has no
verbal right, spitting, kicking, hitting, all of these things, he
is not that child in a sense today when I
see how God he is. There's a song by Naomi
Rain that talks about the evidence of God. Every day
I see Jada, it's the evidence of God. I know
(24:39):
what the doctor's report said, I know what the diagnosis said,
but I know who he is and what he's doing.
So I want to encourage anybody listening that's not just
about rautism, that's really about anything in a sense, that
God is placed in our lives. Pray that your heart's
desire aligns with the will of God.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Next week, Terry's advocacy goes global with Jaden's voice
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