Tragedy to Triumph!

Yvonne stared into the casket of her 14-year-old daughter Gloria and vowed to find her killer – never imagining the long road ahead. At first, Yvonne simply cried out to God for someone to protect and help innocent children like her daughter. She eventually realized God was helping her to become the answer to her own prayers.

In pursuit of justice for Gloria, Yvonne became a voice for other children silenced by murder. She fought tirelessly for safer communities. Pouring herself out for others gave meaning to Yvonne’s life and earned the support of celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Queen Latifah, which kept Yvonne encouraged.

God used her efforts in miraculous ways – across the world in Ghana, West Africa. There, a hungry and hopeless teen named Anthony trudged along a dusty road wondering if there was a God. A scrap of paper on the roadside caught his eye, so he picked it up and began reading. It was an old account of Gloria’s story and Yvonne’s fight for justice. Moved, Anthony took a leap of faith and wrote Yvonne asking her to be his champion and help him.

She recognized God’s handiwork in the contact, saying, “God heard Anthony’s cries, and said, ‘Who will help him?’ I like to think Gloria spoke up and said what she always told her teachers: ‘My mom will do it.’ God agreed and sent a page from an old magazine to Anthony to connect us.”

Yvonne began sending gifts to Ghana, and taught Anthony some basic safety lessons to share with children. God led Anthony to call the work the “Gloria Pointer Teen Movement.” And shortly after that, he invited Yvonne to come see the work done in her daughter’s name.

“I didn’t know how I could do that, but I’ve learned that when something greater than us is going on….and we align with it, great things come to be.” Yvonne stayed faithful to the work God gave her and received an award that provided the funds to go to Ghana.

The need in Ghana touched Yvonne deeply. “I asked God what He wanted me to do for these children, and I heard, ‘Build a school.’ I didn’t know how to do that either …but God just asks you to be willing. Little is much when you put it in His hands. Step by step, God made a way.” Today, Ghana has four new schools because of Yvonne’s step of faith.

Despite such miracles in the three decades following her murder, Gloria’s case remained unsolved, and Yvonne often felt her efforts had little impact. One night the weariness overwhelmed her as she listened to yet another news report of missing teens. Discouraged, she flipped the TV channel and found Inspiration Ministries’ Campmeeting. The message stirred her so much that she sowed a seed asking for justice for Gloria and safety for the missing girls.

A short time later, Yvonne received news she had longed for. Gloria’s murderer was arrested, and the missing teens were reunited with their families.

Seeing justice administered was just another step in Yvonne’s journey. She continues asking God what to do…determined to be part of the change she longs to see in the world. Whether writing books, speaking on behalf of the silenced, or just enjoying life, Yvonne confidently proclaims: “Healing is possible! It is doable, but it is a process.”

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