Jajean’s Story: A Collision with Grace

God literally had to hit Jajean by a bus to get her to church.

For more than 50 years, she lived in California without any real idea of who God was or what He’d done for her. She had visited a few churches with her parents when they were seeking, and she was pretty sure she believed in God, but she didn’t have much to go on beyond that.

Then, 10 years ago, her really good friend, Shawna, became a Christian. She watched in awe from a distance as Shawna transformed.

She thought, “I should really find a church.”

But she was busy. She was working 65 hours a week in a high-stress finance job, in addition to being the full-time guardian of her autistic grandson. He was flailing at school, and she was overwhelmed at work. One day, she made a decision. They needed a change.

Jajean announced to one of her friends in Louisville that her house was on the market and she and her grandson were moving somewhere with an easier pace of life. Her friend suggested Louisville.

After making a quick visit to explore the area and assess the options for autistic education, Jajean knew they were moving to Kentucky. She had given 6-months’ notice at her job, knowing it would take a while to fill her role and train her replacement. But then things intensified even more, and four months into her transition season, her doctor released her on stress leave and enabled her to receive a year of disability.

In this state, she and her grandson arrived in Louisville and began settling in. He immediately began to thrive at school, like he’d never thrived before. She started looking for a church, but the sheer volume of churches was paralyzing. Where would she start? How would she know which churches were sincere and biblically led without having any idea herself of what the Bible even taught? With a lot of questions and too many options, she didn’t know how to move forward.

And soon, she was busy getting ready to provide for them again anyway. Her year of disability was finishing, and she was lining things up to start her next job in Louisville.

Then, she got hit by a bus.

She found herself in the ER with a cracked sternum and intense pain. An ER doctor referred her to a pain and therapy facility, where she would be spending three days a week for the foreseeable future.

One day, while she was at therapy on a table, she saw a woman walk in with an usual shirt. She wondered aloud about the shirt, and her therapist, whose back was turned, asked what it said.

“I love my Church.”

The therapist lit up. “She must go to my church!” The therapist explained Southeast Christian Church and the I Love my Church series. Jajean was intrigued. Later, when she noticed the girl in the shirt looking for a place to sit, she invited her over.

She wasted no time. “Please tell me why you love your church.”

Jajean explained that she had been looking for a church since they moved to Louisville, but that she wanted to be especially careful because she had a grandson with autism who would need extra attention.

The other woman couldn’t believe it. She had a son with special needs who was thriving with the Disabilities Ministry at Southeast. They both knew that God had perfectly orchestrated this moment, as only He could do.

The next week, Jajean attended Southeast for the very first time. She cried through the whole service. One week later, she was baptized. Her grandson was watching as she emerged from the water, washed free from her sins because of the grace of God. He’s ready to be next.

Jajean had known she needed to find a church. But it wasn’t until after she was hit by a bus that she found exactly what she needed.