While living in my car for six months (2009–2010), Jesus found me somewhere between the glove box and the rearview mirror. What seemed like the end was actually a divine beginning, as that old 1991 Toyota RAV4 became not only my best friend, but also a reminder that even the simplest provisions can become sacred companions when walking by faith, one night at a time. Little did I know, God was just getting started.
In 2012, I recused Catholicism and was baptized as a Born-Again Christian in 2017 and began my walk in Christ.
I am deeply fulfilled by my work in Christ because of that spiritual transformation I experienced in that old car—leading me to leave the jar and take the call, just like the woman at the well.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I have been led to write and publish my first book GLASS COLLAGE, launch my speaking career, and establish my YouTube channel. In all I do, I give God the glory and praise.
With a humble heart and deep love for the Lord, I share messages of hope and renewal in devastating dilemmas. By weaving hard-won wisdom and a blend of humor, my three-step method guides others into a closer, more fulfilling walk with Jesus Christ.
Once broken, now Born-Again, I walk boldly as a child of God.
Welcome to 12 Minute Converse with Jesus Believers.
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God chose first to have a conversation with us, his creation.
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Our prayer is that this listening space brings growth and transforms your life forever.
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Praise God for you Janice.
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It's a great pleasure to connect with you.
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What part of the world are you in today?
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I am in Evansville, Indiana in the Midwest.
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I would love to know, are you still living in your car?
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No, I'm not, praise the Lord.
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That only lasted about six months or to be exact 180 nights.
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But that's in the past.
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I'm sure that little car is probably buried in a dump somewhere.
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What got you there to having to do that?
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Well, I worked at a job for 30 years and my dream job opened up on the west coast of the states, California area.
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And two years later, after I moved 2,000 miles there, my job was eliminated and I was unemployed for 13 months.
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And at that point, unable to pay my bills, so I lost my home and my car and ended up in a different car, an old car that I bought and lived in that old car for six months until I could recover the funds to get back home to my family.
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Were you doing rest stops?
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No one has actually ever asked me that.
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So yes, what I did was I found three spots that I felt relatively safe in and I would rotate my car one night and one spot next night and so forth.
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Was it something that was scary?
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Absolutely.
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It was terrifying.
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I was living on the streets of the second largest city in the United States, so there was danger lurking all around.
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But yeah, Lord was with me.
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At that point, you were already saved?
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You were already a Christian or not?
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I was raised in the Catholic religion and that's where I worked for 30 years.
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And those six months in my car really brought me very close to Jesus.
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I finally really knew him and I felt that he was right there with me in the car.
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Something had shifted.
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I was no longer afraid.
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I was okay with what I was doing.
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I completed my mission and when I got back home, shortly after that, I became a born-again Christian.
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Was it challenging to share the story at first or coming out of the gates?
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It was, yeah, I need to share this with as many people as I can.
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It was challenging because people like to, I guess human tendency likes to place a label on a certain style of people or whatever and it was scary.
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But once I accepted that it was real, it was me and it was Jesus' mission to transform me, I was fine sharing it.
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What type of doors has the story in itself opened up for you?
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I was led to write and publish my first book.
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I was led to become a public speaker, a Christian speaker, and then I was led to launch my YouTube channel in which I share messages of hope and faith with listeners.
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Was that ever something you wanted to do?
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It was not anything I had on my radar.
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Do you see the evidence and the pain that you experienced in the past as being necessary for what you're doing now?
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Yes, I do.
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I needed that.
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I was broken and I think the Lord works through us when we're very empty, when we've hit the pit, we're at the bottom of the barrel.
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I think that's when he really finds us because we're open to him.
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Did you find yourself actually at some point feeling as though, wait a minute, this isn't as half bad as it may seem?
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Yes, I got used to it.
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A friend of mine had told me a story which is a lovely little chat and it goes like this.
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There was a girl that was in prison and this cockroach kept crawling across the floor about the same time every day.
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So she ended up befriending the cockroach and one day the cockroach didn't show up and she missed it terribly.
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Someone had killed it and she had a void in her life because that was her connection.
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The evidence of us and our humanity and the importance of presence or understanding that you're cared for is actually worth more than who you're interacting with.
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Correct.
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Were there people that you were interacting with at that point in time?
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Yes, there were.
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I had friends from the church where my job had been eliminated.
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They just wiped out my whole department.
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So I had friends there and two of them in particular and they were very supportive and positive and would listen and talk with me and that helped a great deal.
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What's on the horizon for you?
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Well, I continue to write.
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I continue to post on my YouTube channel and I love to share the word of God and what he has done for me and that's what I plan on doing and hopefully continue speaking.
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Five years from today you're listening to this conversation.
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What's a message you'd leave for you and for others to hear?
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Don't be afraid to submit to the Lord.
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Fully submit.
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Giving him everything.
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Living for him.
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Everything you do is for him.
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Whether you're a parent, a student, anyone, that is the best message that I could share with anybody.
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Would you do it again?
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To be where I am today, yes.
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For the person that's listening who may actually be in that same position, what would you say to them?
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Give it all to Christ.
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Give it to God.
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Keep praying.
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Get into the word.
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Read your scripture.
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Get into a Bible teaching church.
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Get involved.
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Meet like-minded people to help you and support you.
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Janice, this has been a great pleasure.
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Before we leave, is there anything else you'd like to share with our amazing audience?
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God is good.
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God does great things to those who love him, believe in him, and submit to him.
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Janice Rose, a pleasure, a treasure.
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Thank you for being what is inspired by Twelve and a Converse.
