Chasity Jones (third from the left), who currently serves as an organizer for Faith Action Network, celebrated the success of establishing a Bible school with church leaders and teachers during a mission trip to Cambodia.
By Chasity Shavon Jones
I am Chasity Jones of Mandeville, La. I have always been a fan of beautiful things, but not until recently has the most beautiful thing to me been the sunset. It reminds me that God is creative and He has created me to create as well. As I walk farther along my journey with God, I am witnessing the beauty of the people of God as well as the beauty of freedom.
I am 24 years old and worked in the social work/mental health field prior to moving to Seattle. I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2014 and I am currently working on my master’s in Public Health. I love the people of Cambodia and hope to work there as a missionary in the field of public health in the future.
Since I trusted Christ with my life in 2012, I have heard whispers directing me to be a missionary. This idea was met with substantial resistance from my family and friends, however. The resistance led to the delay in answering God’s call for my life. In my final semester at Southeastern Louisiana University, I was fortunate enough to speak with a missionary at my campus’ Wesley Foundation. I told her of the conflict between mission work and my family. She, too, informed me that most of her family has never supported her work, but she did not let that keep her from answering God when He called her. She then secretly made the director of the Wesley Foundation promise to being me on his next mission trip because of the potential she saw. Her name was Marsha Alexander.
When I was asked by the Rev. Emile to go to Cambodia, I thought he was joking, but I accepted regardless because it had always been hidden desire of mine to serve in that capacity. I have always wanted to advocate for the voiceless and oppressed but felt too young and insignificant to do anything about it. Little did I know that the decision to go would put me on a trajectory that I would never have dared to dream. The love and pure religion that I experienced in my time in Cambodia ignited dormant passions that I have never known existed inside of me. I am now driven to protect children and their innocence. I now recognize that righteous anger, stirred up from witnessing injustice can be focused into seeking justice. Ever since then there has been this intense motivation to love and protect all children, but especially the children of survivors of genocide in Cambodia.
I have also recently realized that I am in the midst of an identity crisis. I am unsatisfied not knowing my true culture, my true name, my true land. I desire to know that I belong somewhere and that my culture is not limited to that of a ‘Black American’, but so much more than that. I want to know that I come from more than pain and suffering, chains and whips. I want to know the land that loves me and calls me her own, even though it is likely that my land has been soaking the tears and blood of genocide that colonization has birthed. Even though the land that brought me forth may be crying herself and has been rendered barren, I would still like to know her.
Because of these desires within me and the recent events of police brutality in the United States, a desire to advocate seeps from my pores. The strength of the desire to advocate on behalf of my people, black Americans, continues to surprise me daily. As I witness violence against my brothers and sisters who want protection and equality and as I witness a nation ignoring their outcry, I am moved to action.
At Faith Action Network, I will be advocating for policies that would reverse the disenfranchisement of people of color through dismantling a culture of violence, criminal justice, economic justice, and healthcare. Never in my life would I have imagined that I would end up here in Washington State focusing my passion to impact thousands of people, as opposed to working on a case by case basis in the social work field back at home in Louisiana. I hope to lift of the black community with my words, actions, and by what I advocate for.
I also want to be an inspiration to the members of my family, especially my younger brother and sister. I hope that through my example that they can understand that life is about what you give, not what you receive. I hope that my future children will be proud to bear my legacy and will know that there is a place and a people who love and want them.
Most importantly, I hope to please God with my life.
Contact Chasity at jones@fanwa.org if you have any questions or want to learn more on how to serve, engage, connect, or grow. Special thanks to Marilyn Reid, Conference Secretary on Global Ministries.
Please consider supporting Chasity Jones, Advance Number #3022206
