The scriptures tell us to render honour to whom honour is due (Rom 13:7). I therefore, wanted to tell my story to express my gratitude for those persons in my life who helped me to get where I am today.
I was born at home surrounded by love. The middle child of 3, my parents elected to do a home birth for the relaxed atmosphere, comfort and naturalness of the process. The delivery was attended by at least 1 certified midwife, a birth coach and my father. After I was born, our local small town doctor came to check on me and my mom. At some point after the birth, my beloved pastor Rev. Rose M. Aluli met me for the first time and blessed my entrance into this world.
From that wonderful beginning, I was lucky enough to grow up in a loving, though somewhat strict home. I attended the public schools, had friends that I made in my classes, and went to a handful of sleep overs and birthday parties at their homes. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my family and church did things differently than the majority of my classmates. We did not participate in Halloween activities or Christmas parties and instead were pulled from class during those times. I don’t think I understood the reasoning at the time but as I grew up, I came to understand that these holidays had their origins in Paganism and were not Biblical. My parents were teaching me to discern good from evil, that there are times to participate and be in the world, but not of the world. I was in 3rd or 4th grade when Rev. Kale Aluli, our new pastor revealed that God had shown him I had a healing ministry and was called to be a doctor. I was thrilled to have a direction in life and soon found I enjoyed human anatomy and biology.
As time went on, I joined choir and band and became more active in extracurricular activities. The dreaded Junior High years came, as did the awkwardness of growing faster than your clothes and needing to wear deodorant for the first time, among other things. I was awkward, I was shy, I was not athletic, I was smart – in short, I was a nerd. This meant I experienced some teasing and what would likely be considered mild bullying as well, but overall, I did alright. I had a set of friends in our Church family that ultimately proved to be the most reliable and best friends a girl could have.
High School came and I joined Track and Cross Country as well as continuing in Band and being active in Key Club. I did well in my classes, but they came easily to me and unfortunately caused me to develop some lazy study habits. Despite this, I graduated with honors, spoke at our baccalaureate and was one of 10+ recognized for our above 4.0 GPA. As a result, I received a scholarship to help pay for my undergraduate education.
Off to college I went – independent for the first time. It was a unique experience not having homework or someone to make sure I got it done. I met new people, made new friends, joined the cross-country team, got a work study job and set out enjoying college. I stayed connected with my Church as we continued to have weekly services. My roommate (who happened to also be a church member) and I drove home 2 hours most weekends to attend service. It seemed like things were going well. Then came midterms…
My parents were notified that I was not doing well and was in fact in danger of failing not one but both of my base courses for my major. I wasn’t studying like I should have been. I had gotten caught up in college life and was reading novels for fun rather than paying attention to my studies. I went home for the mid-year holiday break and had to face my disappointed parents. For those of you who have a good relationship with your parents (and probably some of you who don’t), knowing you disappointed your parents is the WORST feeling in the world.
Then I faced my pastor, who was not happy to say the least. Laziness is unacceptable and, as said in scripture, “to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” I had sinned by not paying attention to my studies, by getting caught up in worldly things, by dishonoring my parents and their sacrifices to help pay for that which the scholarship did not cover. Worse, I had been dishonest about it and, as stated in Prov 6:16-19, the Lord hates a lying tongue. Under Kale’s guidance, I elected to start a dedicated prayer and went to fasting to ask God for help, not only to change my ways but to turn my grades around.
I was advised to keep in contact with several persons in the Church to help hold me accountable and keep me on track when I went back to school. I did so. I returned to school and learned to focus. I got rid of those books. I learned to dedicate time to study and ask questions of my professors in their office hours when I didn’t understand a subject. I kept in touch with my Church mentors. By the end of the semester, I had brought both grades up enough to pass the semester and keep my scholarship. It is because of Kale Aluli’s guidance that I was successful in this.
College went on, I still had friends, I still had a work study job. But I had learned how to study and stayed in touch with my helpful mentors. I had ups and downs; setbacks and triumphs, but with the support and guidance of my friends and family in The Church of Jesus Christ Forever, I did well. I studied for and took the MCAT, performing adequately, but unfortunately not quite competitive enough to be accepted into Medical School right out of college. I graduated on the Dean’s list, but with no specific plan in mind for where to go from there. I did some online graduate course work and retook the MCAT, hoping to bolster my application. Again, I was met with disappointment, but God had other plans. I wasn’t yet ready for Medical School.
At the time, the Church was working on several projects requiring some web experience and IT support. Luckily, I had taken an HTML and JavaScript course in college and my work study job was with the IT department, so I had the know-how to help. Under Kale’s guidance, I began working at the Church, helping with a variety of projects, including a large re-design of our website, PerfectChurch.com. Our work took us to Hawaii and South Carolina at times and I learned how to work hard, pay attention to details and see people as Jesus did. My parents allowed me to live at home during this time, rent-free. I loved my time working with the Church and know that this was a turning point in my life and my development in God. There was a moment when I was in the James home, on the phone with Kale and in our discussion, something he said finally clicked. I began to see the bigger picture was so much more important than my selfish self. Spreading the Gospel and living our lives to the standard set forth by Jesus and exemplified by our founder and first Pastor, Rose, to bring others to the Truth was the goal.
At a certain point, I began to reconsider applying to Medical school but realized not much had changed on my application and I needed to do something. It was around this time that Roselani Aluli-James, a youth pastor, suggested I look into Emergency Medical Services. With this guidance and direction, I had my EMT-basic license within 6 months and my Paramedic License a year later. I joined a local fire department part-time and helped staff their ambulance while continuing to work on graphic and web design with Roselani and Kale for several projects.
I worked on the Fire Department for 4 years, loving every step of the way. When I started, some of the guys teased that they would have me cursing after 6 months. Instead, they found themselves watching their language around me. We had many enjoyable times, despite the odd hours and hard work, but I will always be grateful for my time as a Paramedic and the team that supported me and taught me while I worked there. Though initially the thought of the life altering decisions I had to make was terrifying, I prayed and trusted that God had it all in hand. He did.
As I was coming up on my 4 year work anniversary, I really felt confident that I was ready to try again to get into Medical School. I took a self study course and re-took the MCAT – getting my best score yet and applied to Medical School. I still remember the day when Kale and I, along with one of my second cousins who was helping us at the time, came back to the Church after a lunch break and I found the email indicating my acceptance into my first choice medical school. We cried, we cheered, we stopped working and drove out to where my dad was working, so we could tell him.
I had to work a shift at the Fire Department that night, but came home to a spontaneous surprise party put on by my beloved Church family, celebrating this acceptance and honoring God with me. Then came Medical School, which again was met with challenges, but constant connection with my home Church, regular virtual services as well as visits home (when I could) kept me strong. I graduated from medical school, went to Residency, became Chief Resident and am now an attending physician, adapting to life ‘after’ Covid (I hope).
Through it all, Kale Aluli (and the Church) has stood by me. He has been there through my struggles and my triumphs. He has loved me, corrected me, guided me, answered my calls, no matter what hour it was and helped steer me towards God’s Will always. He has maintained the standard set by Rose, who followed Christ. He has encouraged courtesy, communication and charity.
Was my childhood strict and ‘different’ from the average childhood? Yes.
Was I loved, well-fed and cared for? Absolutely.
Would I change anything about the way I grew up? Only my mistakes, my sins.
God had a perfect plan for my life and Kale Aluli and my family in The Church of Jesus Christ Forever helped me see it and achieve it. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
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