Ep 002: Restoring the Soul—Lessons from Leadership Burnout to Sabbatical
Episode 002 Restoring the Soul: Lessons from Leadership Burnout to Sabbatical Interview with Alexandra Nunez
Have you ever felt weary and burned out? Many of us have gone into ministry or serving with a genuine desire to help others and serve the Lord. But in the process, we have to learn how to set boundaries to protect our own well-being. We also have to be honest about what’s driving us, and sometimes confront our motives!
In this episode, we sit down with the incredible Alexandra Nunez, former leader of a Christ-centered microfinance organization in the heart of the Dominican Republic. Alexandra shares her powerful story of dedication, purpose, and the transformative journey to restore her soul after experiencing leadership burnout.
As a passionate advocate for the materially poor and economically vulnerable, Alexandra poured her heart and soul into her demanding role. The work was undeniably fulfilling and purpose-driven, yet the toll it took on her well-being became evident through stress-related physical symptoms. In this candid conversation, Alexandra opens up about the red flags she encountered and the wake-up call that prompted her to reassess her priorities.
Discover how Alexandra navigated the challenging path of leadership and discovered the vital importance of spiritual disciplines for her overall health.
Join us as we delve into her remarkable journey of finding peace and balance in the midst of a demanding career.
But the story doesn't end there. Alexandra also sheds light on her current career transition and her intentional sabbatical. Her inspiring story discusses the importance of taking time to renew oneself and seek a new direction that’s aligned with God’s direction for our lives.
If you've ever felt the weight of burnout or questioned the balance between productivity and soulful living, this episode is a must-listen. Alexandra's story is a testament to the transformative power of spiritual disciplines and the courage it takes to prioritize well-being on the Wholly Well Journey. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that might just spark your own path to restoration and balance.
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Podcast Notes
Our purpose and calling are part of our well-being (and the Duke Wheel of Health, see below). How do we ensure our lives feel purposeful even if we aren’t directly employed in ministry, church, or non-profit work?
How does our drive for productivity get in the way of our greater purpose?
What are the signs of burnout - are you reading the signs your body is sending you?
How have spiritual disciplines played a protective role in keeping you safe from burnout?
Why are stillness and silence so challenging?
The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus came for us to have life abundantly - how do we practice the spiritual discipline of celebration?
Scripture
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. bYou are serving the Lord Christ.”
Links:
Daniel Fast Journey website - meal plan, resources, etc
Show Transcript
Please note, the following transcript is AI-generated and therefore may contain grammar, formatting, and spelling errors.
002 Wholly Well Journey Podcast Interview with Alex Nunez
If I hadn't had that learning and the opportunity to grow, in the spiritual disciplines in those years back, this sabbatical would've been a nightmare for me.
Because it would've stirred up things in me that I don't think I would know how to address or I would know how to confront. And so part of why being still is so uncomfortable is because it does bring things to the surface that sometimes we don't want to address. Right? It brings out, it could bring out the good, but it can also bring out he bad and the ugly
Intro
Welcome to the Wholly Well Journey podcast. I'm your host, Stephanie Hodges. Join us for weekly faith-based conversations on holistic health to uncover practical tips for how to thrive and apply biblical wisdom to our busy modern lives. From fitness to food to fasting. We're here to discover what it means to have a healthy spirit, soul, and body.
Be sure to subscribe. So you don't miss an episode.
Interview
Today, I'm having a conversation with my friend, Alexandra Nunez. I'm so excited to talk with her about the amazing experiences she had leading in ministry. And just personally, where she is now in a time of sabbatical and what she's learned through all these experiences. So, thank you so much for being here.
And can you start out by just telling us a little bit about yourself and how you and I got connected?
That sounds good. First of all, before I even get into that, Stephanie, I just wanna thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be here and to share with you what God is doing in our lives. So interesting enough, just about 12 weeks ago, I completed a stint of 11 and a half years in ministry overseas, and I was returning back to the United States. Along with that, I got married a year ago, but my husband and I were doing. A little bit of a extended honeymoon for the first year because he was in the States and I was overseas. And so as we realized that we were gonna be coming together, living in the same place, in the same roof for the first time, just 12 weeks ago.
my husband suggested in the summer that we kick off this, you know, our start of our true marriage together with a fast. Now. Interesting enough, my husband has never done a fast before and so I knew that maybe the best place to start would be with the Daniel Fast, just so it could be a way to introduce him to the spiritual discipline and fasting.
And so we, I, I mentioned that Daniel Fast, he was on board with it. We decided on 21 days, and I went on Google and looked for Daniel Fast recipes and came across your website Daniel Fast Journey. So that is how you and I got connected. I.
Yeah. That is so awesome to hear. And this wasn't the first time that you had ever fasted before, right? Like can you tell us a little bit about some of your other experiences with fasting?
Well, I had the privilege of growing up in a family that was involved in ministry, and so as part of a ministry family, fasting was something that we did not only as a family. But we also did it corporately as a church. And so we were very, as a family, we were very involved in doing the fast in the beginning of the year in January.
And we would do, there'd be a Daniel fast, but also weekly Sunday morning. Before like church, it was something that, you know, from the morning we woke up until after church, our family would fast, you know, a normal. No food fast. And so fasting was part of my life growing up. Then of course, as I became an adult and started going on my own, I've done fast.
I've done three day fast. I've done one or two seven-day fasts, and then I've done a few extended Daniel, Daniel Fast. So, I was familiar with fasting in that aspect.
That's a really neat story and experience. And I don't think so many people have a lot of experience with fasting, even among believers. And so, are people ever surprised when you tell them about that and share that part of your story?
Well, interesting enough, normally, We don't dig it too much childhood regarding fasting, and I do think that someone from the outside would find that very awkward. Like, oh, you made your kid star. But for us it was, it was normal, you know? I don't know if it was because you're a ministry family, it was something we didn't question.
I will tell you, we were very happy to have lunch on Sunday, but then as we got older, we started, you know, understanding the discipline a little bit more. we were very familiar where we saw it in the Bible practice, but I, I do think, as you know, I in interact with people who've never done fasting.
the point for them is understanding what the fast is about. Understanding, it's not about gaining brownie points with God, but it's about taking baby steps. So maybe you don't start with the whole day, maybe you start with one meal, maybe then you go to half a day instead of trying to go full-on crazy because one has to train for it just as much, you know, trained your spirit, your mind, as well as your body in order for you to get all the benefits from it.
That's really so true. You just need to give yourself a little bit of grace and a learning curve to understand what you're doing and why you're doing it and how to do it best when it comes to fasting. So let's switch gears here and talk more about the ministry work that you did down in the Dominican Republic.
Can you tell us more about what you did there?
I was down in Dominican Republic serving in a Christ-centered microfinance organization where we served the materially poor or those who were vulnerable economically. And so what we would do is that we would be able to provide them with access to capital or financing for them to start a business to be able to provide for their families.
And we're talking about individuals that live on three, $4 a day. Individuals that maybe did not have access to a great education or access to opportunities outside the home, especially single moms, grandmothers. Widows individuals that maybe are exempt from having access to formal banking opportunities.
And so we would provide them with some opportunity to start a business, but we would share the gospel. We would provide education and training in regard to. To nutrition in regarding to health. And we would provide access to cervical cancer screenings, which, uh, cervical cancer was the number two cancer for women in Dominican Republic after breast cancer.
And then in addition to that, we would provide access to dental health services. One of the things that was very interesting about us is that even though we were in Dominican Republic. Half the families that we serve were Haitian, so we got the privilege of serving both Haitians and Dominicans in Dominican Republic.
And so it was an amazing, wonderful opportunity. Uh, I was down there for 11 and a half years, and also due to me getting married and needing to be, you know, closer with my husband being on the same continent, it was time for me to transition back to the States.
Yeah, that's a time of big transition for sure. I just have to say thank you so much for the work that you did and what you poured in. And truly we know it's the true work to be serving the widows and orphans and not only meeting material needs, but also delivering the message of the gospel.
So thank you so much for what you've done.
Thank you. It was, uh, for me it was . It is a privilege, and it was a dream since I was a university where I learned about economic development. But one of the things that really captured my heart with the model that we were utilizing is, you know, you can give people money or you can provide, um, resources to start businesses or provide charity in a different way.
However, if you don't do it with. The gospel is at the center of it. You've left individuals with resources to provide with their families, but you didn't leave them the true wealth, which is Jesus Christ himself. And so having the model that was Christ-centered, that when we, when we provided the financing, there was training based on biblical principles, and when we provided, the health training is based on biblical principles and every interaction.
It was about relationship building. It wasn't about transaction. It was about looking at the person on the other side and knowing this person was created in the image of God. Jesus loves them and we have the opportunity to serve them, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. And like you said, it's not just about, you know, the service, but it's also about sharing the good news.
It captured my heart in a way that was beautiful, and it was amazing. It was difficult because, you know, there's aspects of working not only with money, with people, but in ministry that brings its own spiritual battles and spiritual challenge. These are souls that we are trying to share the gospel with, and so it also had significant challenges along the way.
But just so grateful to God in his grace and his mercy and his strength, throughout those years. But I can't tell you, Stephanie, that I didn't come out of ministry with a lot of things that I needed to, you know, address and, and look at and be very intentional, which is why I am now in a season of sabbatical.
That's really interesting. And your job was obviously very meaningful. Very purpose-driven. And I think so many people feel like if I just had the right job and the right career, and if I was doing something that was truly for God and I had this great purpose in life that would take care of 90% of my problems. 'cause a lot of people are unhappy at work.
And I think there's this perception that if I were to work for a nonprofit or a church or a ministry, Uh, that that would overshadow all the other things that I'm experiencing in life. And then my life would be truly meaningful if I was doing that kind of work. What do you think about that?
That's a conversation actually, Stephanie, I have very often and I, I think I have it often because I think it's a huge misunderstanding. In the Christian world and in circles that, you know, if you're a minister, if you're in a church, if you are in full-time ministry, you're doing something meaningful. And if I am, you know, a nurse, or I'm a plumber or a mint banker, or I'm working sales, or I'm working at, you know, in fast food, then my, my job is not as meaningful and.
I absolutely do not believe that with any fiber of my being, and I think the reason why is because I believe that any child of God, any believer, is called to bring light in the darkness and is called to influence and transform. that they touch in everyday life. And I look at the Bible, and I look through the different careers and vocations that different people in the Bible had.
you can think about Joseph, right? Joseph was in government. And you can look at Daniel, who was also in government. You look at Abraham, who is a businessman. You look at Moses, he was a shepherd. And then he was called to lead. You know God's people out of Egypt. You look at David who had multiple careers from a musician to a shepherd and then also in government.
And you see Esther, you see all these individuals, and not everybody was called to be a priest. Not everybody was called, some were called to be judges, some were called to be business people. And even when you jump into the New Testament, most of the disciples were. Were in other careers before they e became disciples.
But you find, you know, there's tent makers and you find that there's women who sold fabric and individuals that had different businesses that they supported. And so I, I do think that. Wherever God has called us, the gifts and talents that God has put in us has deposited us. If you're called to the service industry, if you're called to be a nurse,
The biggest churches can be found in our job environment and, and they are not inside the four walls. What I mean by that is, you know how many people a nurse touches a dentist, touch a doctor, touches a banker. A person who's doing podcasts, a person who is a graphic designer, they're touching so many people.
And sometimes I think we miss it and we think there's this, well ministry's one thing and my job's another thing, but when you come to the faith, they come together. There's no dualism.
Your, life is ministry, your interactions. I mean, it's to the point that I think you can't even go on vacation without, at some point probably saying God bless you to someone, or, you know, seeing someone in, your path that you know you just need to stop with. And so it's now vacation with a purpose.
It's your job. Job is a ministry all the time. And so I do wanna encourage anyone who's listening who maybe is, coding or someone who's doing, search engine optimization anywhere that God has called you anywhere, you feel like your gifts and talents, you can be a light anywhere you're at.
I love that that's so true. And it really is such a huge encouragement to everybody. And it's so easy to get caught up in our productivity and our projects and the busyness of what we're doing. And it's easy to just look over people when really people are the most important thing.
Oh yeah.
Hundred percent. I think one of the things that was a huge learning experience and definitely impacted my worldview and impacted how I interacted is. I went to the DR and I went to serve and I went to make changes and I went to, you know, help everyone. And I realized that I could go down with the best business ideas.
I can go down with the new ideas for products and services, but if I didn't know those who we were serving and I didn't interact with those who I was serving with. All those ideas didn't mean anything , like it didn't, it didn't really reach them and it, it wasn't, the Dominicans helped me so much and interesting enough, I am, you know, first generation American, but my parents are from Dominican Republic, but I think I lost it somewhere in, you know, working in corporate America.
I, I focus so much on. Productivity and performance and results that I lost. The importance of focusing on people and relationships, and I think one has to have a balance, you know, in, in interacting with others in a way of saying, you know, this person's just not a, a client number. This person is just not a means to an end.
There's, there's life here and there's purpose with this person, and God clearly brought this person with my life. For a reason. How can I leave them one step closer to Christ with my interaction?
Yeah, I think it's definitely part of the American way to be focused on productivity, to be focused on how much you can do and how little time. And we definitely all need that reminder to be looking at people. Or who they are, not just as a number.
Yeah, I, I'll confess that when I entered in ministry, I was a hundred percent about productivity and a hundred percent about the results, and a hundred percent about doing, doing, doing. And the interesting thing about all that, you know. Productivity is not bad. Results are not bad. But if it's what determines your identity, and if it determines your motivation, then it does become a bad thing because your motivation, your, your, your happiness or your joy is based on a number or achievement versus the joy of the Lord is my strength and identity falls into.
Something outside of God. And we know as we read the Bible, that's called idolatry. And so I definitely as a, a personality and as an achiever, it's something, it's been something I naturally just inclined to. I had to go through that during ministry, but I thank the Lord that through my 11 and a half years.
I did reach points where I was gonna hit a wall and I was going to burn out. And the Lord and his grace and mercy offered me resources and opportunities and individuals that just surrounded me and helped me address that, that point about identity. And so one of the things that I understood coming out of ministry in 11 and a half years and on the other end saying, I need a pause.
I need before I jump into the next job, before I jump into a next ministry opportunity, before I just ignore the fact that I'm establishing a family with my husband. I need a pause. I need a pause to almost take in everything that just.
Reflect, a pause to discern, a pause to even heal my body from all the things, the abuses I did to it over all these years and the time to praise God. And I will tell you as an achievements person, as a person that's focused on productivity, pausing is not my default. Like taking some time to, to just stop.
It is really hard for me. But one of the things that I learned while I almost hit, and I, I almost hit burnout, and I would say between, you know, seven, eight years ago, I almost hit burnout. And again, got amazing people, amazing resources, and I learned during a two year training program that I needed to create more silence, more solitude, and more pausing.
In order to make it in the long run, not only physically but spiritually as well.
Burnout is a really big issue, not just in ministry, but everywhere. And it's more than being just a little tired.
Can you tell us about some of the warning signs and symptoms that you were experiencing was you are going into burnout.
I don't think we even have enough time to cover everything that was happening in my body, but I, I will, I don't know, you know, different people have different flags, but for me, the first flag started in my body and I wasn't so connected with my body because I was so used to, you know, pushing through. You know, those who are faithful, you just push through to the end, but also there's.
There is a lot of, lack of wisdom on my part, just ignoring First it started with sinus infections. I started, you know, getting them very periodically and then I started getting, stomach problems and then I started getting, you know, adrenaline fatigue, which impacted, my adrenal glands. And then I started having problems with my thyroid.
And I was working so many hours for the kingdom, for the glory of God, and I really thought I was doing the right thing, but I was working like a beast. Like there was not an email. They didn't respond too quickly. There wasn't a day of the week that was considered sacred, and I felt like I was doing this for God's glory, but it was at the price of.
My physical health, it was a price of my mental health. It was a price of my emotional health and my spiritual health. And I realized that I wasn't doing it for God's glory. I was doing it for mine, . And that was a huge awakening for me because I somehow working for the Messiah, Jesus made myself the Messiah.
And so some of the, the, the flags were, I was. Disconnected to even my family in the States. 'cause I was working so much, I was losing sleep at night. 'cause I was constantly thinking about, you know, how to solve this and how do we relate to this and how do we do this. And so Stephanie, there were flags all over the place.
I think somewhere along the way, you know, I took on the responsibility of thinking that I was going to make it happen and like, I am going to do this and I am going to, and I really felt it came from a like innocent, naive, but also destructive place in me. And I also recognize that you know. Especially if one is in leadership, you never wanna appear weak or you don't wanna appear like you don't have it together or appeal that you can't make it through.
And all of that, emotional, facade, right? Reputational facade drives you to a darker place of, to you pushing yourself. And, and it's, it breaks us at the end of the day. I think especially if. You do hit a wall, or especially you burnt out, and we haven't addressed those motivations in us to drive us to achievement or drive us to power or drive us to control.
We end up not only hurting ourselves but also hurting others in the process. And I think that is so completely the opposite of what we're trying to achieve in ministry. And so that is very dangerous territory because we're so. Tired and we're so exhausted and we're also blinded maybe to even the dysfunctions in us that we, we again, for not only ourselves, but others that we are trying to surf.
Well, you know, It's so common for us to have such an idealistic idea of what we're going to do. And it's so often it really is coming from a good place, but then things get a little bit twisted along the way. When we try to take on this responsibility. Uh, that maybe we're not meant to carry and we're not able to carry.
And it's really interesting how the body does give us these signals about what's going on internally and what kind of stress we're under. And sometimes we really need to listen and lean in when our body is trying to tell us that something is out of balance, but the first step, and I really applaud you for just being so vulnerable and being honest, because the first step it's really to confess it it's to be. Aware of what's going on.
and then to be willing to say, you know what, this isn't right, and this isn't good for me or anybody else, and I need to change. So it's amazing that you were able to do that.
Yeah, that's very important. You can address what you are not willing to. Interesting. As I mentioned before, I think my body had more awareness than my mind. And when I did finally, and I, I think it was, it was the summer of 2016 for me specifically, that everything hit the head. And it was interesting enough because I went on the Bible app called Diversion to find a reading plan on burnout because I could tell I was feeling it.
Stephanie, you will not believe when I opened the reading plan for burnout, I think it was just a very short one for three or four days. And Aversion has a, a way to see the plans you've done in the past. Stephanie, I've done that plan two other times before, but I was so burned out that I didn't even remember.
I did it before, and so I, it was such, it was a wake-up call for me. And I read the first day, and in the first day of that reading plan, it mentioned the importance. It was a quote from Ruth Haley Barton about the importance of silence and solitude and how we need that to take a pause and to assess. And when I read that, that started for me a two year journey.
Of going, falling in a process of, a program on spiritual transformation that actually is led by Ruth Haley Barton. And it introduced me more formally to spiritual disciplines. And that was a start of changing, my, my rhythm of running into burnout and addressing those, dysfunctions or those shadows sides in me that was driving me to.
So, Alexandra, when you talk about spiritual disciplines, everybody might not be familiar with that exact term. Can you explain what that means?
Well, spiritual disciplines I think are, is a, it's a term, not when we say prayer or reading the Bible or fasting or serving. Everyone understands all of those terms, and those are spiritual disciplines. And so spiritual disciplines are, are disciplines or habits or activities you participate in that would posture you for spiritual transformation.
And so, so when I pray, I'm positioning myself to be transformed as I read God's word or as I, you know, speak with God. So, as I read God's Bible. Which is a spiritual discipline. It is positioning me to learn from the Bible, and it's also confronting me. It's encouraging me. It's identifying those things in my life that don't look like Jesus.
And those are simply what spiritual disciplines are. Sometimes I think we've complicated them and we believe that. They can be things that we gain brownie points with God. And we know that's not true. Jesus Christ did everything. it is by his, his life and his sacrifice that we have salvation believing in him.
But spiritual disciplines help position us to receive everything that Jesus lived and died and resurrected for us to receive. And I, I think about it, when we think of the verse in John 10 10. Where it talks about that, you know, the thief comes in order to still key on destroy, and Jesus says, but I came, my purpose is to give him a rich and satisfying life.
Or another. The verse says, life in abundance. And so I think that life in abundance is found as we, intentionally spend time with God and in activities that help us receive from Him and learn from, the Lord.
These spiritual disciplines help us so much in knowing the Lord better and, you know, ones like silence and solitude are. Definitely not easy. In our world. And I find myself just, even if I'm at a stoplight and I know I'm going to be there more than five seconds, or if I'm waiting in line at the grocery store, it's like, I'm instantly reaching for my phone when, just not that many years ago, you wouldn't have even had that option.
You would have just had to wait and just be still in quiet sometimes. But it seems like that's becoming increasingly harder as we always have this ability to be. Multitasking or filling the silence with something. And some of that goes back to that productivity-driven. Urge that we have. And some of it is just a discomfort with silence.
So, you know, how is that working for you in this time of sabbatical to be still in silent?
I am still learning. Stephanie . I think I, I've, I was thinking about this when I started my sabbatical and I was thinking that if I wouldn't have had that learning and the opportunity to grow, in this virtual disciplines in, you know, those years back, I think this sabbatical would've been a nightmare for me.
Because it would've stirred up things in me that I don't think I would know how to address, or I would know how to confront. And so part of why being still is so uncomfortable is because it does bring things to the surface that sometimes we don't want to address. Right? It brings out, it could bring out the good, but it can also bring out.
The bad and the ugly. personal confession, again, I think it was in week, between week three and week four of my sabbatical, I started having these thoughts about, you know, what did you, what did you really accomplish in those 11 half years in ministry? Like, why did you waste your time? And you know, what do you have to show for it?
And I can tell you there was an onslaught internally. To my ego in such a way that I had to acknowledge it and say, this is about me focusing on me and forgetting that the ministry is not mine. It's God's, and it's his work, and he's ultimately responsible. But I can tell you that I did experience that like.
Of people like inside of me, this, this shaking inside of me. And then I, I read an article by another pastor that went on sabbatical and he experienced the same thing. And it, it's almost a thing inside of us that we want to discourage us and it's discourage you from, from what was done. And you know, it takes me back to Philippians.
Where it says, you know, we need to think about what's true, what's worthy, what's admirable, what's holy, and none of those thoughts are holy and admirable. And, but at the same time, those are invitations to, to say, Lord, my ego is still very big here and I need you. This, this place. And I need you to help me remember that my identity is in you and what Jesus did and not in me.
And I'm very clear that the Bible says you will know them by their fruit. And I believe that, our lives should manifest the fruit of the spirit because that is maturity. However, I think this, this moment that I was having was more about. self glory and, and pity, even self pity and like, why did you waste your time?
And I think it was part of two things going on. I think it was a spiritual attack to my mind, but it was also me recognizing that there's some work in my ego that I need the Holy Spirit to continue working in me. And so, yeah, a sabbatical or moments of pause, and like you said, it could be a stoplight where we're there for 30 seconds.
For a sabbatical like mine that's extended, if we are not willing to be still and know he is God, then those things that keep stirring us, those things that we keep, continue repressing at some point. Stephanie, those things will be coming up. The matter, the question is when.
Man. That is so good. And it's so true. And it really makes me want to cooperate with the process because you're right. It's not a matter of if, but when we're going to have to deal with those things that are inside of us. And I think it's so why is what you said that part of it was your ego? You know, part of it was your flesh.
Part of it was the focus on self. But then there was also an attack on your mind, and it just goes back to that scripture.
You shared with us from John 10 that says the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. And it was like you spent this 11-plus years pouring out. Yourself and your heart in ministry and serving other people.
And I know. Making a huge impact, not only on the people that you are serving, but also the people that you were leading within your ministry.
And so the enemy wants to come in and steal all that good seed in that good fruit. But I know that there were so many good things that also came out of those 11 years in your ministry. And he told us a little bit about that.
Oh, there is so much good, and I'm so . Glad you brought it up because I think, you know, that verse that you mentioned, that part, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And one of the things that I learned in the time that I was in ministry is because the enemy comes to kill still and destroy every, anytime I realized that my peace was being killed, my joy just being stolen and my purpose was being threatened, I realized that.
I wasn't having my eyes on Jesus and I wasn't living that life in abundance, and I was realizing that was part of also my red flags or my yellow flags of, oh, I, I need to, I need to spend some time with the Lord. Because if joy's not there, if peace is not there, if my sense of purpose of what I knew God called me there to do and be.
Which probably meant I was trying to do things in my own strength or I took my eyes off of Jesus. And so part of, part of when you are driven by productivity and results you have normally, and I'll speak about myself, you have a tendency of not focusing on celebrations 'cause you're moving on to the next thing.
And so it's like, okay, achieve this. Let's move on, achieve this, let's move on. And so part of pausing is not only. To look back and reflect, but part of pausing is to celebrate and to be grateful. And so I look back in 11 and a half years and there's definitely so much more positive than there was this, and I think the 11 and a half years for me we're so important because of the deep work, not so much of what I contributed to the ministry, but the deep work that the Lord did in my life and in my character and part of that.
Was this, this, these, the surgery that he was doing in my heart and in my, in my spirit, in me. And so that part wasn't easy, but when I see the, the fruit of that, I see more joy. I see more peace. I also look back in, in gratefulness and in thankfulness to the Lord for his faithfulness or the growth in ministry, in the development, in the people, in the growth, in the ministry, in so many different ways.
But God has all the glory and has all the honor. And so I'm thankful to the Lord for all the amazing things he did. I specifically remember during the, during the pandemic. Where the operations were significantly reduced for obvious reasons. And I mean, everyone experienced it in the world, but it was the year that more people came to Christ and we focused on, you know, calling people and, and praying for them and sharing the gospel and verse and, and instead of focusing on, Hey, these are the commitments you made, or these are activities we have to have.
So that year, we saw so many people come to Christ. One specifically stands out where, this man was very sick and we kept on visiting him and or calling him and we couldn't. And one of the, staff members finally visited him, shared the gospel, and two days later we received the news, news that he passed away.
And just so grateful to the Lord that that man had the opportunity to give his life to Christ two days before. He passed and just hearing so many different stories of lives changed of families, transformed of employees who've grown in the faith, and again, I look back all glory to the Lord.
Amen to that.
Well, one of our key questions on this podcast is what does your journey to being Wholly Well look like. And as we wrap up here, I'd love to know what does that. mean for you and specifically in this time of sabbatical?
I think that I wouldn't be able to. Fully be present and fully be at my best in all aspects. If I wouldn't have taken this pause. I think, you know, leaving, Dominican Republic and coming to the United States, that alone is a huge change After so long, I mean, there's so many things in the us Has that changed?
I mean, I can't even get to the details of everything that's so different. Just me gone so long. Also starting a marriage, right? And so starting a marriage, changing countries changing jobs. There's so many life, large li like big life events that are all happening at once. And I, I recognized that my body also wasn't doing that great.
I, came from, you know, came from this experience in the past year having. Situations with my back and my neck and, and even though I addressed it while I was there, I needed further care. And so taking the sabbatical was necessary for me because one of the things that unfortunately happened to me in the last two years is kind of, I, it's not that I stopped praying, and it's not that I stopped reading the Bible.
It's not that I, I, I've lost. Kind of my, my rhythms of my spiritual disciplines. Like I had this set rhythm and I realized that I'm at my best when I have these rhythms. And part of the rhythms is not just praying, and it's part of the rhythms that are not just reading the Bible and fasting and spending time in silence or solitude.
Part of my rhythm was like basic stuff, Stephanie, like exercise and having, you know, being consistent with exercise and making sure my nutrition was on point and I'm taking the vitamin and so. My, disciplines that I need for me to be at my best have, have just fallen off, right? And so part of sabbatical was for me to, to sit and be still and to get in touch with myself again, to say, you know, what's next?
Lord, you know, what are my deepest spiritual desires? And how do I connect those back to you and how do I, how can I be still after moving so much for so long? And how do I take care of my body again, in a way that manifests stewardship over the temple that you've given me. And and also reflecting. Of things, lessons learned and things to celebrate, and things to be grateful for, but also new vision because this is a new chapter with my husband and I and our marriage and our next step.
And so sabbatical to me is a, is a sailor, and it's a moment to just wait on the Lord. I will tell you again, I'm in week 12. It's taken me. A long time to feel that even though the outside has paused in many ways, but my insides have kept on going the way that I've described it to people is the external treadmill has stopped, but my internal treadmill has continued.
And so it has taken almost this whole time for that internal treadmill to kind of stop. And I think as that slows down. I'm gonna be able to get a lot more clarity and understanding and, and to spend time with God. Hear the Lord as I read his word, and be ready for the next thing that God has for me.
What an exciting time for you. And I have to say that really is very brave of you to take the sabbatical, to take the time to pause because. A lot of times it's much easier and it seems much more the norm to just keep going. Even when really the best thing for us in the long run is to take these stops in these moments of deep reflection. And I just also want to say thank you to you as a part of the body of Christ as a sister in Christ for what you've done for those in need. Really so inspired by it. And I'm very excited and can't wait to see what God has to say to you during this time.
And what's next for you?
Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Wholly Well Journey podcast. Please be sure to subscribe, and you can also head over to wholywelljourney. com to check out the show notes and the whole podcast library. That's also where you'll find information about our health and wellness coaching, which you can participate in online from wherever you are in the world.
Just a reminder and disclaimer that this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice or professional counseling. Please be sure to consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise plan or starting to fast. If you're interested in more information about fasting and spiritual disciplines, check out danielfastjourney.com. Thanks for joining us on this journey to becoming wholly well.