Submitted by Wanda Briscoe
My PHOEBE is Dr. Janice Payne.
Dr. Payne and I had a divine connection in 2014. We don’t know how we met or who introduced us, but from the day that we came in contact with each other, we have grown from associate, to friend and then to Godly sisters. Dr. Payne is an awesome playwriter and director, and she gave me my first opportunity to speak at one of her plays in 2014. I’ve endured a lot of spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, and mental abuse, and I was comfortable sharing those experiences with Dr. Payne. There was never a time that she judged me; instead, she prayed with and for me. She didn’t just pray once for me; she consistently prays for me, and I appreciate that.
A lot of times people will say that they will support you, until it’s time to support you; not Dr. Payne. She has proven that she is a consistent supporter, not only to me, but to others as well. I love Dr. Payne’s style in clothing and her personality. Dr. Payne enjoys life, and she will definitely make you laugh when you’re around her. I can go to Dr. Payne with any issues or problems, and she will give me an honest answer. If I say or do something that is out of order, she privately corrects me in love; she doesn’t publicly humiliate anyone, and that is an important trait that a person should have.
On December 3, 2018, I received a telephone call that my youngest son, at the age of 22, had been murdered. I called Dr. Payne, and I remember as I cried on the phone, she cried with me. My parents drove me from Maryland to Atlanta, Georgia, shortly after we received the tragic telephone call. When we walked into my aunt’s home in Georgia, Dr. Payne and her mother were sitting in my aunt’s dining room. At first, I thought that I was seeing things because our drive from Maryland to Georgia was approximately 10 hours, but Dr. Payne was already there. She informed me that after I called her with the tragic news, she and her mom booked airline flights and flew to Georgia. Now, if that isn’t a true character of a PHOEBE then I don’t know what is! Dr. Payne was there for me the entire week of preparing for my son’s funeral, and she did things to make me laugh to help with the grieving process.
I’m grateful for how God joined Dr. Payne and me together. God knew that she is what I needed in my life. I will never forget her lovingkindness, her prayers, and the support that Dr. Payne has shown towards me, and I love her dearly.
Thank you, Dr. Janice Payne, for being my PHOEBE!
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