JAW LAUNCH EXCLUSIVE SCRIPT FROM ESE WALTER ARK AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO

On 1 Augast 2013, a few days after I had reported registered sex offender Walter Masocha to the police, I sat on the bathroom floor, in tears, confused and going through a roller-coaster of emotions. I wasnt sure if I had done the right thing. Part of me was thinking of going back to the police and withdrawing the charges. I was scared of the backlash that would come from Agape Church members. Something in me was saying "Jean what are you doing, Walter Masocha is a powerful man of God, and you are after all JUST A WOMAN". But then as I sat on the floor, I was browsing through my phone, and lo and behold I saw a link to a blog that had gone viral. It was Ese Walter's blog. I couldnt believe what I was reading, I couldnt believe Ese Walter's boldness. Her courage. Her transparency. Her resilience. As I kept reading her story, I felt a sense of empowerment. I felt reassured that I had done the right thing. Ese Walter didnt know, but by sharing her story, she had encouraged a broken woman who was contemplating withdrawing an important case  from the police. 

A woman called Maya Angelou once said, "Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women"

For me that is exactly what Ese Walter did. After reading her story, I was determined to fight offender Walter Masocha till the very end. Today I am honoured to call Ese my dear friend. As iron sharpens iron, she encourages me. I have watched her life being transformed from the time she shared her story to the power woman she is today, a wife, a mother, a writer and entrepreneur. Here is the script she wrote for the launch of JAW Charity, be encouraged. 

FROM ESE WALTER 

I’d like to say congratulations to Jean on the launch of JAW. I’d also like to apologize for not being able to show up in person. I look forward to being physically present in future events.

When Jean asked me to be part of the speakers for her launch, I was really excited. There is nothing that pleases more than seeing men and women living empowered lives.

Today we are saying VICTIM NO MORE

Yesterday remains in the past and today, going forward, we are survivors and are here on earth to show others how to stop being victims.

In line with the #VICTIM NO MORE theme, I will talk about two lessons I learnt on my journey from victim to overcomer..

The first story is about FEAR.

Until very recently, I had lived most of my life in fear. It was mainly fear of the unknown. From being afraid to raise my hands in class to ask questions to fear of saying no to my best friend.

As I developed, this fear showed up in my business. I was afraid of failure: what if nothing worked out and I got broke. I was also afraid of success: what if things worked out and I couldn't handle it.

About two years ago, I felt a different kind of fear. It was the fear of speaking up. I had been silent about an experience I had which left me bound and the only option I had to set myself free, was to speak up. Fear paralysed me and kept me silent. Until one day the silence became too loud, it kept me up at night.

We are willfully blind to spiritual abuse because we cannot or do not want to handle the conflict it provokes. Spiritual abuse ranges from financial extortion to sexual misconduct and it is on an all time high in our culture today because we continue to sweep it under the rug.

Hopefully people can begin to speak up about spiritual abuse in spite the fear of being ostracised or bullied by church members.

My second story is about SHAME.

A dictionary defines shame as ‘a state of dishonour.’

At some point I damned the fear and spoke up about my experience with spiritual abuse. In a culture where such things are not spoken about, the first reaction I got was SHAME.

Everyone has experienced shame on some level and what we try to do is avoid it. In my case there was no avoiding it. About 90% of people with fingers and smart phones were in on the shaming game.

My intention for speaking up was completely lost and my voice was almost silenced again.

Instead of hiding from the fear and shame I embraced them. I knew speaking up had freed me on some level and I was never going to allow myself go back to fear and silence.

When experiencing shame, the best antidote is empathy. I had to practice self-compassion when everything in me wanted to fall into self-pity. In a short time,  I was able to move from the victim mindset to that of an overcomer and today I can boldly declare, VICTIM NO MORE.

On Facebook we can find countless examples of spiritual abuse. From pastors telling members to eat grass to pastors physically abusing members. These things continue to happen because there aren’t enough voices speaking up against it.

Speaking up against spiritual abuse is not easy but it has become necessary especially in this time when more and more people are falling victim. It is not just our jobs to be victims no more, it is also our jobs to help those who are still victims to rise and be able to say VICTIM NO MORE.

If you are a victim of spiritual or any other form of abuse, you ought to seek help and you can start by speaking up against it.

Speaking up can be scary but it is becoming necessary.

Speaking up is the only way you can move from victim to overcomer. It is the only way you can move from victim to survivor.

And when you speak up, know that there will be those who will attempt to shame you back into silence. Or even bully you by playing the “touch not my anointed” card. When that happens, tell them that ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE YOU.

J.F. Kennedy once said, ‘few of us will have the greatness to bend history itself but each of us can work to change a small portion of events and its in the total of all those acts that the history of our generation will be written.”

This is what that says to me…

“Few of us will have the ability to challenge spiritual abuse but each of us can build the courage to speak up against it, and one day, maybe not in our lifetime, but one day, we can pave the path for the next generation to re-write the history of the church.

Speaking up is not the end it’s the beginning.

Thank you.

ESE WALTER ARK.

In Other News...

Please be encouraged by International Business Entrepreneur Nicholas Reynold's motivational talk at JAW Launch titled breakthrough into your promised land. 

In Other Other News...

" Jean this is so sweet of you, you are a talented artist, the likeness is incredible. Thank you I am so flattered. " Peter Lamas, June 2015

I always had a fascination with famous faces since I was a child and I started drawing celebrities who impacted me when I was 16. I told myself that I would meet every star I drew, and I am humbled today that Peter Lamas absolutely love this gift I drew of him for appreciating the support he has given me on my Vision of JAW Charity! A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men!