Ms. Chocolate

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I am from Alexandra, Louisiana. That’s where I grew up with my mom, dad, and my brother. We grew up on a small, small chicken farm. So, I learned a lot of my core values in life from that experience. I grew up in a community that was something like Mayberry where people trust people. You didn’t have to worry about people breaking into your house or stealing. No drugs, no violence and stuff like that. Growing up in our neighborhood all we had was church so I’d been involved with church since I was four months old. By the time I got into high school I began to understand that there had to be something more to this religious thing that I had been involved in since I was a child. I began to understand that I needed to know God for myself. I was riding on my parents’ religion or the church. I had to know for myself that this God really sent Jesus Christ, not only to die for me - I’ve always known that - but that I needed to know him in a personal way, to know that he walks with me. And that he talks with me. And that he will guide my life if I will just trust him. After college, I worked in many inner city situations all over the country. And then I came to New Orleans. I got involved with the homeless, with prisons, with inner city children, their families, the food bank - ministering to people with special needs and things like that. I understand what it’s like. I lived at the homeless shelter with those people. I know what it’s like to get up at five o’clock in the morning and hit the streets. I understand how they feel walking in those shoes all day. Being with the ladies - that was such an experience. I have never, ever forgotten it. Never. But I wanted some way to get into the schools. So I said, “God, how can I reach children?” That’s always been my goal because I believe if you can reach children you can really change things. Working with kids, I would often pass out Hershey kisses and Tootsie Rolls and it turned out that eventually I was brought into schools as Ms. Chocolate the storyteller. I would sit down and tell them stories about my life with my dad on the chicken farm and little things my dad taught me, that I learned in first grade and from the old black people that I hung out with at church. And I was able to work with those young people and change their lives. Literally, change their lives. Life was good. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I was moving into my first house just a mile from my church. Everything was going great…until August 28th 2005. I was going back to my house later in the day and clear as anything, God said, “Don’t go back home. Just keep driving.” So I left New Orleans with the clothes on my back and I drove to my Mother’s home in Alexandra, Louisiana. I was there the weekend Katrina hit and by Sunday morning it looked like it was really going to be bad. Monday, the hurricane turned and I said, “Oh, it missed New Orleans.” And I announced, “Mom, I’m going home Tuesday morning.” Within the hour the levees broke and it was all over with. That was it. It was gone. It was flooded. I mean, I had about five feet of water in my house. On the TV I watched as they panned the Catholic church that was around the corner from my house. I saw the water halfway through the door. And then they panned down my street and I said, “Ms. Chocolate you can forget it.” So while I was away, I decided to work with disaster relief. I was able to feel the outpouring of so many people who wanted to do things. And that’s when God gave me a profound thought. I was sitting there at the computer, with incoming calls, telling people where to get help, and God says, “I got it all under control.” And I replied, “Nothing left, but God. I have nothing left but God.” And God says, “That’s all you need, is me.” Now if you didn’t know Jesus Christ and somebody said, “Child, there’s nothing left but God,” you’d probably say, “Child, we’s in bad shape.” But as a believer, if you tell me, all I have left is God, child that’s shouting music. ‘Cause you see God is all you need. He owns everything. And he promises his children he would always take care of us and provide for us. So I could go with that. I believe that there’s a power available to us that comes from a believing faith in Jesus Christ. He gives you the power, to grow, to choose, to do whatever you need to do. It’s His power, not yours. And the situation physically may not change, but He will change you. And that’s what he did for me. Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate? Living with hope If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised. Is this the life for you? If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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