10/07/2026
“THE BIBLE SAID JESUS CAME TO THE VILLAGE RIDING A DONKEY”
“The word of my testimony”
“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the c**t and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on....” (MATTHEW 21:1-11)
I was called to work in the village of Hempstead in Long Island on January 15th, 1998, by an organization called Long Island Youth Mentoring.
I was given the title of Coordinator of re-entry services for youthful offenders between the ages of sixteen through twenty four years old.
A friend of mine, a fellow servant of God, brought me a little old used small red car. The car reminded me of the donkey Jesus road on during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Our Savior entry into the village riding a donkey symbolizes meekness, humility and peacefulness rather than a conquering spirit of takeover.
“The moral lesson of the Triumphal Entry is that true leadership and greatness are found in humility and sacrifice rather than in worldly power and force.”
Here I am today, after going from re-entry ministry Coordinator, to Jail ministry director, to a Chaplain in the jail itself, to founding Executive Director of ABBA Leadership Center.
I remember meeting Bishop Dr. Phillip Elliott, Who later became Director of Minority Affairs for the County. He came unflinchingly up to me and said “that the Lord impressed upon him that I should start my own ministry.”
Now I will tell you that it’s hard to walk away from a job that was helping you pay your bills to start a ministry that you didn’t see any evidence would succeed.
I will tell you that, amazingly, my boss, who was a fellow Christian Brother, told me that he could see that the Lord was calling me to a new ministry.
However, it was impressed upon him to turn the jail ministry over to me and to pay my salary for one year to give me time to develop ABBA. (The Substance of things hoped for…!).
Two fellow Christian women came to me and said that the Lord had impressed them to make a sufficient financial contribution to help ABBA get started.
“The calling on my life” has led me on a tedious path, with lots of trauma and drama, twists and turns, but I can truly say, God has blessed me every step of the way.
When I moved to Long Island I was given the security blanket of a job with benefits, like free travels expenses, etc…(some five years later, another brother, along with his wife said that they prayed for three months, and the Lord impressed upon them to bless me with a brand new Pathfinder).
When I was impressed upon to start a new ministry, God impressed upon several churches, businesses and private organizations to support ABBA Leadership Center financially.
I am reminded that as the people spread the very clothes off their backs to welcome our Savior into Jerusalem, so the people of God on Long Island donated to help ABBA reach souls for the kingdom of God.
Some years later, God impressed upon Pastor Deans of Bethlehem of Judea Baptist Church to donate free office and operating space in the church so that ABBA could flourish. Of course, some years later, ABBA was able to bless the church and help the church with much needed renovations, and ultimately pay rent.
I stand here today to say “GOD IS FAITHFUL”
The writer of Hebrews 11:1 said:
“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The truth is I did not see how God was going to bless the ministry in the way that he did, but the “substance” of what God did is “evident in the success of the ministry.
The message I want to convey to you who have taken the paint-taking time to read this long and tedious message is:
BE FAITHFUL TO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO AND WATCH HIM BRING IT TO PASS.”
