Melvina Guiboche | My Journey

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:00:03

Reconciliation. What does this mean to you? This is the Journey

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:00:10

With Care podcast, where we navigate honest conversations about faith, Culture and loving our neighbors. I am the host, Melvina Gabosch, and I am an indigenous lover of Jesus. Welcome to Journey with Care. I'm your host, Melvina Gabosh. I'm so excited to, you know, bring stories together and bring people together and just give God the glory. I'm excited to just hear the guests that are gonna come on to the podcast and hear their stories and what God has done in their lives and who they are and What they represent and, yeah, I'm just excited to bring, you know, all nations together and, you know, just to come and love each other and hear each other and listen to each other, respect each other, honor each other. That's the heart of the podcast is just to bring people together And share each other's stories and, you know, get perspective and get maybe a different understanding that we might not have had prior to, You know, hearing someone's story, there's power in stories. There's there's power in in our testimonies, in our stories, and And I strongly believe that there's great power in story.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:01:21

And when we come together in a safe place, We come together with love. We come together in humility. We come together in honesty and in trust and in truth. I believe that reconciliation is possible. I believe that, you know, as the body of Christ, we need to come together and love one another and And reconcile, you know, with one another, back to one another. You know? In the word of god, it says that he sent his son That we would be reconciled back to him and and then back to one another and each other. And I believe that through stories, through, You know, a different perspective, a different lens of of understanding or knowing someone or getting to know them deeper on a deeper level as they Share their story as they share their experience, as they share, you know, what God has done in their life, where he found them, how he's Come into our lives and transform them and change them and, you know, everything that all the good things that god does in our lives. You know? I have a story.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:02:22

I have a I have a powerful story of what god has done, a redemptive story. You know, what god has done in my life, how he came into my life, and he changed, You know who I used to be? I used to be a broken woman. I was broken. And I carried a lot of Shame and a lot of guilt and a lot of rejection and a lot of abandonment and and self hate and Anger and jealousy and I carried all these things, you know, all these things that the world tries to place on you, and I carried them for a very, very long time Until god came into my life. Until 1 night, I just had enough, and I didn't have nothing else to give the world. I didn't have nothing else give my family. I had nothing else to give my children. All I could do was call upon his name, and he came into my life at 30 years old.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:03:11

I I rededicated my life back to him at 30 years old, and he transformed, you know, a woman that was broken, a woman that was So far gone in addiction, in self hate, in anger, in bitterness, you know, in in these rooted issues that, you know, Trauma and pain rooted into me as a very, very young girl. You know? But, you know, god is faithful, and he is just, and he is Kind and he is patient. And and he came into my life, and he showed me grace, and he showed me mercy, and he showed me love, And he transformed my life. He transformed my life. He didn't you he didn't just transform my life. He transformed the lives of my children. He transformed my home. He transformed my mind and my emotions, my thought process.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:04:02

He showed me how to love myself. You know, When I was at my rock bottom, there was one thing that, you know, I said to him when I called on his name, when I called on the name of Jesus. I said to him that, You know, I don't know how to love myself. I don't know how to love myself, and I don't know how to love my children the way they deserve to be loved because I don't know how to love my And I asked him to come into my heart, to come into my life, to come into my family, to come into my home and transform me and teach me Teach me how to love myself so I could love my children the way that they deserved. You know, I I had a hard Upbringing. I had a hard childhood. I had a hard teen life and young adulthood, but, you know, god is full of grace, and there's a purpose in everything. As a young girl, I felt the touch of God.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:04:52

I felt the presence of him. I felt his love. I felt his kindness. I felt his warmth. I felt his comfort. You know, my grandparents were ministers of the gospel. They traveled around From reserve to reserve in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, even into the states, they traveled, and I traveled with them as much as I could. When I wasn't in school, I traveled with them throughout the summer and throughout holidays and and whatnot.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:05:21

You know, my my grandfather went home to be with the lord 4 years ago and he was my mentor. He was my prayer warrior. He was my champion. He was the one that taught me the word of God. He was the one that taught me How to how to love and how to pray and how to be honest with the Lord. I valued him, and I respected him. And, You know, we studied the word of God together when I gave my life back to the Lord. We studied for many years together, and, you know, his passing, you know, left Left a space in my life, you know, that I needed to be filled.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:05:56

But, you know, by the grace of god, you know, he's our friend. He's our comforter. He's He sticks closer than than a brother or a sister or a friend or a family member. Like, he's always there. He's constant in our lives. Right? And that's what I've known of him. He's constant. He's been a constant in my life.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:06:14

When I was a little girl, feeling his his presence and feeling, You know, him at 6, 7, 8 years old, I remember, you know, crying at the altar. I remember just laying it all out to him, not even knowing what I was Crying for, but I just felt I felt him. I felt the glory of God. I felt his presence. I felt his love, And I would cry. I was very sensitive to the spirit at a very young age. 7 years old, we were in a reserve called Little Saskatchewan. It's about 3 hours away from Winnipeg, and we were there for the weekend for a a tent meeting, a tent service.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:06:51

And they were doing water baptism, And I asked my grandfather. I said, you know what? People were getting baptized, and it was coming to the end. And I ran up to my grandfather, and I said, I would like to get baptized. Can I? And he didn't he didn't stop me. He didn't hold me back. He said, yes. Go. You know, I went and I gave my heart to god that day at 7 years old.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:07:11

I gave my heart him, I gave my life to him. I gave, you know, who I was to him and so young and so you know, didn't even know the world yet. Didn't even know anything, but I knew the love of God, And I gave my life to him. And throughout the years, you know, he never left me. He was always by my side. Even though I might have walked away from him, even though I might have Got caught up in the things of of this life and of this world and didn't know how to, you know, heal or deal with things or growing up in the inner city Winnipeg was a hard thing. It was a it was hardness. It was it was a struggle.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:07:47

Originally, my family is from the PAW, Manitoba and Moose Lake, Manitoba. My grandfather's from Moose Lake. My grandmother was from the Pa. And my grandmother was a powerful, powerful woman of god. She was one of the 1st female indigenous preachers in our area. She was a preacher. She was a prophetess. She was a worshiper.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:08:08

She could worship. She could sing. She was anointed. She was loud. She was bold, and she was on fire for the lord. That's what I remember of my Grandmother. You know, she she passed away when I was 13 years old. But, man, she could she paved the way.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:08:24

She paved the way for For a lot of indigenous women, she started to share the word when, you know and wasn't a normal thing for women to share the word of God, But she stood in her authority. She stood in the calling that god had called her for, and she paved the way. My grandparents were are the 1st generation. My mom and my aunties and my uncles are the 2nd generation. I have an auntie that is been in ministry for over 20 years. She is a powerhouse a powerhouse. She's a powerhouse. She preaches.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:08:59

She prophesies. She worships. She has a beautiful anointed voice, and God uses her for the kingdom of God. You know, my my mom and my aunties and My uncles were the 2nd generation. And so and so me, the grandchild, and, you know, my cousins are the 3rd generation. In my family line, I'm the only one that's serving the lord right now for the grandchildren, but I claim my cousins. I Claim them for the glory of god. One day, they will be serving the lord.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:09:29

I don't do this for nothing. I do this for my family. I do this for the ones that I love. I do this Because I know that there's healing in in the Lord, that there's salvation in him, and that he's my savior. And I believe that he will save My family. I believe that my grandparents believed the same way, and my auntie believed the same way, and I'm gonna believe the same way. And my children Are the 4th generation. You know, my 2 oldest children actually just started a summer job at a at a Christian organization, and my son came home After his 1st day of work, and he said he said, you know you know, mom, they're asking me to pray for people.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:10:11

I've been praying for people. You know, they they say that I'm a leader, and and so I've been praying for for the other staff. And I've been praying and praying out loud and, You know, and that's just how God works. That's how God works, you know. This is a generational thing. This is a generational thing. The blessings And the favor, the provision of God is a generational thing. And I believe that with everything in me that My children will go on to to preach the word, to share the word, to prophesy the word, you know, because god is faithful.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:10:43

God is so faithful. I had mentioned earlier, we came from a reservation called PAW, Manitoba and Moose Lake, Manitoba. The PAW is about 7 hours away from Winnipeg, Moose Lakes about 8. And so I was born in the PAH. My family lived there. And about when I was 3 years old, we moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. We moved to Winnipeg, and it was a culture shock. It was it was different for my mother.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:11:06

My mother was young, and And yeah. So we moved into the big city, you would say. Coming to the city and not educated, coming to the city not having much, You know, just wanting to get away from where they lived and the life they lived, and they came to the city. And so we ended up In the inner city of Winnipeg, where a majority of indigenous people do end up when they do first move to Winnipeg are the inner cities of Winnipeg. I grew up on welfare. You know, my mother was on welfare for most of our lives. I grew up in the systems. I had a hard childhood.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:11:40

I had a hard childhood, And there were things in in our home. There were things that you know, my mother was a beautiful woman. She was a beautiful woman. I loved her dearly. She had this laughter about her. People loved her, and she was generous, and and she kept our family together. She did all the, You know, the holidays and the cooking and you know? And she just had, like, this smile and about her. She just lit up a room and, You know, she was she was an awesome woman.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:12:09

She was she was a very, very kind woman and and funny, and, you know, a lot of people enjoyed her company and, You know, but there was another side of her that I got to know, and, you know, me and my mom didn't have a very Healthy relationship. We didn't have that that normal mother daughter relationship, our parent child relationship. My mother was young when she had me. She came moved to the city and, you know, struggled here, to make it, and very often, we didn't have food. You know, we just didn't have the things, you know, cable and, you know, things like that. We didn't have the extra things. And Even though she tried her best, it just wasn't in the cards for us when I was younger. I share about my mother because She has been a big influence in my life, and I've learned a lot from her, and I've grown from the things that I've experienced with her.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:13:07

I love my mother very dearly, and, you know, she went on to be with the lord when I was 17 years old. She was 38, and she passed away. My mother tried her best, you know, to be what she could be for us. You know? I have a younger brother. He is 6 years younger than me. You know? But In my home, there was a lot of abuse. There was physical. There was emotional.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:13:32

There was verbal. There was mental abuse. And, you know, every day of my life, I think as a child, I was abused in in one way or the other. There were things that, You know, I had to endure as a child and not knowing, you know, why these things were being done or why why I felt like, you know, I felt alone most of my life. I felt I felt alone, and I felt like I didn't have a place. And there was an identity struggle and, you know, a belonging struggle, and where do I Fit. Where do I belong? Like, you know, a longing for love and acceptance and a place to fit into a family. I longed For family, I I often felt like I wasn't a part of my family.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:14:13

Growing up, I I questioned a lot of things. I didn't know why Things were the way that they were. I didn't know why me and my mother didn't have that relationship that I felt, You know, a mother and daughter should have or that I would see on TV or that I would see with my friends or you know, we just didn't have that relationship. And you know what? Throughout the years, that that caused me to to search in different areas, to search for love, to search for belonging, to search For a place to fit, to search for family. So that made me, you know, go from relationship to relationship at a very, very young age. That made me, you know, search for friends and want belonging and and do anything to fit in and get involved with the wrong crowd and Do things that I wouldn't normally do that was out of character because I wanted to fit. I wanted to belong. And The life of the inner city is is hard.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:15:10

You you're made tough at a very young age. You're made tough, and that happened that happened to me. And and so I think I left home about 15 years old, and I I left and I moved in with a person that I was in a relationship with. So when I was 17 years old, my mother got very, very sick. She she became very ill, and, she Called me to the hospital. She wanted to see me before she was going to pass away. I didn't wanna go. I was angry.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:15:39

I was hurt. I didn't wanna go, but The person I was with at the time convinced me to go that that I wouldn't regret not saying goodbye to her, that I would not regret, seeing her before she went on. You know, but for for a few years prior to her passing, she gave her life to the lord. She was a different woman. I saw it. But at this point, I was I was angry. At this point, I was bitter. At this point, I didn't want nothing to do with any of it.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:16:08

But I saw it. I saw the change in her, and I saw, you know, a healing take place in her. And I saw her I saw her one way and then she became another way, and I didn't understand it at the time. I didn't understand. Looking at her, she She was different. I could see different in her. She was lighter, and she was I don't know I don't know how to explain it. But now, you know, knowing the lord and knowing Who he is, it was the glory of God.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:16:34

It was the presence of God. It was the Holy Spirit that was, you know, evident in her life. So I went to the hospital at 17 years old, and and she wanted to let me know before she passed on that I was conceived out of rape. I was conceived out of rape. I was conceived out of something that was very traumatic that happened to her. She had to endure a very traumatic situation At a very, very young age, and, you know, she didn't know how to to handle it. She didn't know how to live through it. She didn't know how to heal from it.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:17:08

For many years, she was angry and she was hurt and she was broken. And I was a constant Reminder of this thing that happened to her, this thing that broke her, this thing that took something from her. And, you know, she apologized, and she told me she loved me, and she asked for forgiveness. And she wanted us to have the time that we had to To get to know each other and to love each other and to not regret, being together for the last time that she had on this Earth. And we did that. We did that, and we had, you know, a good few months before she passed on. We had a good few months, and and I got to see a different Part of her, I got to witness or I I got to feel what everyone else felt. I got to to really experience that kind, loving, funny, beautiful person that she was, and I I thank god for that.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:18:04

I thank god that he he made a way For that to be our story, for that to be, you know, our story before she she left this Earth. After she passed away, You know, there was an anger that set in, and I didn't understand it. And I ran from it. I fought it. I I was angry. You know? Like, I felt like This wasn't my fault what happened to her, and I had to endure such abuse. And there was things that had happened in my childhood that It's it's hard to speak about, and I don't know how much to share because, you know, I'm sure family will listen to this podcast. I'm sure Friends will listen, but, you know, my truth is my truth, and my story is my story.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:18:49

And I don't share things about my mother Or our past or the things that, you know, we had to go through as a family to bring shame to my mother or to bring, You know, any kind of judgment or any kind of shame, but I share it because God has really taught me Throughout the years of being in relationship with him, he has taught me the generational curse and the generational trauma that Started in my family, long time ago, and that started with residential schools and day schools and the sixty scoop. You know, he's been faithful and to teach me and to guide me in this, and he's healed me in many areas of my life That I'm able to share and and I've I've forgiven my mother. I've forgiven her. I love her. I wish She was here. I wish she was able to meet my children. I wish she was able to, you know, be at my wedding and be at my brother's wedding and know, You know, know his his son. You know, I wish that she was here for this stuff, you know.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:19:53

And so I don't I don't share this out of Hate. I don't share this out of shame. I don't share this out of condemnation, out of judgment. I share it because there's power in our stories. And when we start to share our stories with one another, we learn and we we're able to see, you know, the things that we've had to endure. And you know as indigenous people, we've had to endure a lot of heartache, a lot of brokenness, a lot of shame, a lot of anger, A lot of hurt. My grandparents were in residential schools and, day school, and, you know, my family was in day Even though I I didn't go to residential schools or I didn't go to day school, I was still the product of that hurt. I was still the product of that abuse.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:20:39

I was still the product of that systemic generational trauma That came from this system and this structure of residential schools. I didn't know that for a very, very long time Until god started to reveal himself to me and started to reveal things to me and started to heal me. And, you know, when you go through through a healing with god, it's ugly. It's messy. See, it's not pretty, you know, when when he roots up the things that are so rooted rooted in, and he starts to root them up and he starts to To release them. But he does it with kindness. He does it with gentleness, and that's what he's done for me. I was very, very angry.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:21:20

I was angry. It made me you know, for a couple years after my mother passed away, I I lived a hard life. I lived a life that I'm not proud of. You know, I got involved with a local drug dealer, and, you know, I live that Kind of life of drugs and alcohol and and gangs and and whatnot because I wanted to find where I belong. But, ultimately, I just went from 1 abusive relationship to another. One day, I found myself in this abusive relationship, and he had just Abused me, you know, beat me up really, really, really bad and embarrassed me and and shamed me in front of a whole bunch of people, and And I was I was broken, and I remember crying and being in my room. And I I remember crying out To the lord. And I said, is this what you wanted? Is this what you wanted? Like, I was I was angry.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:22:14

And I said, is this what you wanted? Is this what you wanted me to, like, go through. Is this the life you wanted for me? Because he's, like I said, 7 years old, he never left Me. I gave my life to him. I gave my heart to him, and he never left me. Even though I walked away from him many times, he didn't leave me. And I I remember being so angry and saying, you know, is this what you wanted? Are you happy? Are you happy that I'm here? Are you you know, like, you know, being so angry and so young and so naive and but that's just the grace of God, and that's his patience because it was almost Days after that, I cried out that way. He made a way for me to leave that relationship. He made a way for me to leave that relationship.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:22:58

I got I got my own place. I was I I was pregnant. I was pregnant with my 1st child. I left the relationship. I got my brother, and we got a place. And it wasn't in the best area, but it was our own. And we started A family together. We started a life together.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:23:17

I was 19 years old, pregnant. I had my 1st child at 20 years old. Going through my twenties, still searching still searching for love, still angry, still very, very angry, very bitter, not understanding Why I was the way that I was? Why I was angry? You know? But god is faithful. Going through my twenties, I went from relationships to relationships, trying to find love, trying to find someone to to fill a void, trying to find something to fill a void. You know, 30 years old, I was addicted to Pain medication because I was depressed. I was clinically depressed and oppressed. I had no self love. I could not see value in me.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:23:59

I didn't know how to love myself. I didn't know how to love my children. I had 3 children at the time. I didn't know how to love my children. I didn't know how to love. I didn't know how to be. I didn't know how to exist. I was just surviving, to be Quite honest, I was just surviving in this world of of pain and this world of rejection and trauma and this world of hate.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:24:22

And, you know, 1 night, I decided I was gonna take my life, and I didn't wanna live this way no more. I didn't want my children to Experience this life, I thought they would be better without me. I had a plan. I I tried to take my life 1 night, and it was in the midst of that that my daughter, She was only, you know, 8, 9 months old. She was in the crib next to me, and she woke up. I felt my body drifting, And I could see her, and and she was standing there, and she's she began to smile at me. I just saw her smile. I saw her beautiful little smile, And it was then that I I I wanted to be her mother.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:25:00

It was then that I wanted to I wanted to be her mother. I wanted to love her. I didn't want to leave her motherless. I didn't wanna leave her parentless because I knew what it was to be motherless. I knew that hurt, and I didn't want my my children to know that kind of pain. And, you know, with everything in me, I called on the name of Jesus. I remember this night so vividly, I remember it like it was yesterday. I called on the name of Jesus, and and I remember speaking to him and and just Crying and laying it all out and just weeping before him that night, and I told him that I didn't know how to love myself.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:25:39

I didn't see value in me. I didn't see worth in me. I didn't I when I looked at myself, I saw ugliness. I saw rejection. I saw abandonment. I saw abuse. I saw all these things that the world tries to place on us, and I saw that and I carried it. And I didn't know how to love myself, and I didn't know how to see Myself, the way that, you know, he saw me.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:26:02

I didn't know how to see myself that way. And I remember saying I remember saying to him, I need you to show me how to love myself so I can love my children. I want to love my children the way that they deserve. I wanna love my children the way that I I was not loved. I wanna love them the way that you love them, but I don't know how. I don't know how, lord. I need you to show me. And from that moment, my life has never been the same.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:26:32

From that moment, my life has never been the same. He came into my home. He came into my well, first of all, he came into my heart. I welcomed him back into my heart. You know, being that 7 year old girl that I gave my life to him for many years. I I ran from him, and I didn't allow him into my heart. But 30 years old, broken, Abused, addicted, at the bottom at the bottom, shame, just covered in shame, covered in pain, Covered in in in all the things that the world, the enemy tried to place on me. I was covered in it.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:27:08

And he came into my life and And he loved me right where I was. He loved me where I was. You know, he took me as I was, and he showed me his Kindness, and he showed me his grace. He showed me his gentleness. He showed me his patience, and he restored me. You know, he healed me one thing after the other. One thing you know, I carried things. I carried shame.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:27:32

I carried guilt. I carried abandonment. I carried rejection. I carried anger. I carried bitterness. I carried all these things. But one thing after the other, he healed me and he restored me. He restored me back to the likeness of who he created me to be in his image.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:27:52

He did that for me. And it wasn't an easy thing. It wasn't an easy process. It was hard. It it was hard to To dig deep, it was hard to go deep. It was hard to be weak. You know, it was hard to be vulnerable. It was hard to go to god The way that I was.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:28:10

And it it wasn't pretty. Like, I came to him very, very much so broken. But 1 layer after layer, 1 level to level, glory to glory. He he healed me. He transformed me. I feel like I live a redemptive a redemptive story because he he gave me redemption. He showed me redemption. My name was not good.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:28:33

My name was not good. I I did things, and and I became someone I I I never thought I would become. But god, he had mercy upon that moment, and he came into my life, and he just changed my life. And, You know, I I found a a home church, and that's where I I I met my husband. I met my husband at, at a church here in Winnipeg. It was Called well, it's called First Nations House of Prayer, and his grandparents were the pastors of this church. And my grandparents would go and preach there. My grandmother With Preach, I I would remember being in a service, you know, 8, 9, 10 years old, and watching my grandmother preach, my grandfather preach The word of God and sing.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:29:17

And so this this church, First Nations House of Prayer, was rooted in in Winnipeg, and the Pastors of that church is Willard and Rose Gabosh, and they were pastors in Winnipeg for 35 years 35 years. And so when I when I walked into that church, I met my husband, and a year later, we got married. A year later, we got married. God God brought me to my husband. You know, he introduced us together to each other. And so we've been married, me and my husband. My husband's name is Dakota Gabosch. We've been married for 7 years.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:29:53

We've been together for 8. We've been married for 7 years, going on 7 years this September, And we have 6 beautiful children. I had a few children before I met him, and he has taken my children as his own. He has loved them. He raised them, and he's loved them. And god has been good to our to our family. You know, we serve the lord. We We're in relationship with God.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:30:18

And for many years, we just served in our in our home church and and until god called us to the ministry. And a couple years ago, he called us to the ministry. It's not an easy thing to be in ministry. It's not an easy thing to, You know, be a servant for the lord, but I love him. I love him because of what he's done in my life. I love him because of what he's done in my home, what he's done in my children's life, And I've given my life to him. I've given my life to the ministry. We had a part in establishing a church, an all indigenous church here in Winnipeg, And we were a part of that that birthing of that church and, you know, and then he moved us on.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:30:56

The lord moved us on, and he placed us into our current, home church, we go to Believer's Church in the inner city of Winnipeg. It's called Believer's Church by pastors Wayne Bustard and Dylan Chambers, and we just absolutely love our leadership and where god has paced us. So for a couple years, we've been there. We I think it's our 3rd year there, And we've just been learning so much and growing in the things of God. But, you know, God called me out into ministry in the inner city, And I'm a a community minister with Intercity Youth Alive, and I've been there for it's my 3rd year. And this is what I mean when I say that there's a purpose for everything. You know, I serve a community. I serve women and families that I identify with them, you know, because that's where God found me.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:31:45

This is who I was. You know? This is the life that I lived, and And God came into my life and changed it, and and he called me back, you know, full circle into this ministry Of of serving the inner city and serving, mothers and serving children and just bringing a hope. And the hope is Jesus. Right? You know, what he's done in my life, and I know that he can do it in others' lives because he's done it in mine. If he could do it in my life, he can do it in anyone's life. And so I serve, some very, very beautiful women, and I walk alongside them. And I and I care for them, and I love them, and And I'm in relationship with them, and and I just share the love of God, and I share, you know, my story and my testimony of The transformation and the redemptiveness of God and and his healing and his and his kindness and his love. Like, I I can't Get enough of saying that because that is literally what I felt from him.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:32:42

You know, these last couple years is just love and and kindness and patience. And And so I am serving in the inner city, doing what he's called me to do. And then, you know, one day, through networking or through relationships or through friendships, I met Wendy Park. I met Wendy Park and, You know, this woman is just a firecracker. She is great. She she just she's a go getter. She is for kingdom. She's 4 women.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:33:12

She's 4 ministry. She, she just has just this honest heart about her of, You know, loving the church, loving, you know, loving the church and loving families and children in hard places. And and so we come together, and we're introduced To one another by one of our friends, Naomi, who is a connector. She connects people, and she connected me and Wendy together. We met during COVID. We met during COVID, and, you know, we never thought anything of it. She gave me some advice and And, yeah, just another awesome moment to have in your corner and in friendship with. And I don't know.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:33:49

Somewhere along the the journey, Podcast came up, and it's always been my heart. You know, a couple years ago, the lord the lord showed me, and he told me that This is the path he was taking me on about podcasting and sharing stories. Because, you know, I'm very transparent. I'm I I'm very transparent Parent with what the lord has done in my life, and I share my story. I share my story to give glory to him. Like I said, I believe that there's Power in stories when we come together and we share. And so I I I truly, truly honor stories. And so, You know, me and Wendy, we got God just started stirring stuff up, and, you know, we didn't move fast on it.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:34:28

We didn't act fast on it, but we allowed God to direct it. We Allow God to just do what he was gonna do, and he has done it. He has done it. We're here. We're here for episode 1, and the podcast Launched? If you're listening to this, the podcast has launched. So me and Wendy, we come into relationship together and we just have this heart And there's a vision for a reconciliation and for for the church coming together, all nations, and Loving children and families in hard places and and sharing stories and sharing, you know, experiences and sharing, like, You know, the kingdom of God, sharing who God has been in our lives, who you know, the transformation, the the the struggle here and there, you know, just sharing it all together And supporting one another, being able to support one another and being able to to encourage one another and lift each other up. We are all the body of Christ, we are his body. He is the head and we are his body.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:35:28

And, you know, there's there's a part for all of us to play. There's a part for all of us in the kingdom of God, there's a purpose, and and and God is just showing us the purpose and the place that we are in his body. And, you know, he's equipped us, and he's he's given us a vision, and he's given us passion, and he's given us direction and guidance with prayer and with Asking him what what he wants of this, and he's provided. And so I believe that there's something great that's gonna take place within stories, Within community, within within relationship, within loving each other, within truth and within honesty and within, You know, having hard conversations, you know, like, I believe that the indigenous and the non indigenous, I believe that when we come together in humility And we come together in the heart posture of God, and we come together willing willing to to listen, willing to hear, Willing to to share. Willing to, in some way, educate. Right? Like, because there's things that since I've been, You know, a missionary, since God pulled me, brought me out of the ministry that I was used to, and put me into a Christian organization, He's taught me a lot through the servants and through the men and women of God that serve, and I've learned a lot. I've I've gained knowledge In in the ministry, I've gained wisdom by learning from others. And, you know, I think that when we Put on that heart posture of willing to learn, willing to learn from the non indigenous person, are willing to learn from the indigenous person, Willing to learn a different way or a different perspective or a different you know, learning willing to learn with one another.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:37:14

I think there's power in that, You know? And there's authority in that. And and I I can't wait to see who's gonna come around the table. I can't wait to see who God will bring and the stories and and the encouragement and the word that he's gonna bring through this podcast. You know, there's a There's a couple episodes that I have already recorded. Man, I I can't wait for them to be released. I can't wait for them to be released. You know? I know some very anointed women and men of God that are indigenous. I come from indigenous background Indigenous Christian background.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:37:52

And there is a big population of indigenous Christians. And, you know, the one thing I'll share a story. We're sitting together In one of our prayer groups, we're telling stories about the church and the churches that they've come from, the church that I've come from. And and so I'm I'm talking about, you know, The the church that I mentioned earlier, the First Nations House of Prayer, and we've like, this church has been in the city for 35 years. And Willard Gabosh, who went home to be with the Lord during COVID, pastored this church for for many years, 30 years. And and he was respected in the indigenous community. He was respected. He was honored.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:38:30

Many ministries came out of this church. Many indigenous ministries We're birthed out of this church. I was one of them. I sat around in this room and these women didn't know or ever hear of this pastor. And it it was like it was crazy to us that, you know, we've all lived in this city, but yet we don't I guess, We didn't have connection to one another, or we didn't have relationship with in the non indigenous and the indigenous, you know, Christians. Well, there's a big population of indigenous Christians. And so, you know, I believe that god is calling all nations together. He's calling us to come together to reconcile with one another, to move forward to move forward together as the body of Christ.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:39:15

And, you know, and how do we do that? Right? We get to know each other. We get to know each other. And, like, how are we gonna move forward together if we don't get to know each other? If we don't get to know, you know, the things that we've we've gone through and what god has done in our lives and, you know, through stories. Right? Through stories, we can get to know each other. Build trust. Build trust. I believe that trust is gonna be a big thing in moving forward in reconciliation Within the church, like, we we need to build trust. And and how do we build trust? We build trust in relationship.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:39:46

We build trust in honesty. We build trust in Just knowing that, you know, we're not gonna always get it right. We're gonna make mistakes. Sometimes it's gonna be messy. Maybe there's gonna be times it's gonna be ugly. We're gonna have hard conversations. Sometimes there's gonna be emotions. Sometimes there's gonna be this.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:40:02

Sometimes there's gonna be that. But at the end of it, The love of God is there. Because if we all love Jesus, we all love him, and we're doing his work for the kingdom, That's gonna come through. That love is gonna come through. That love is gonna shine through. That love is gonna be evident in everything that we do, in all our conversations. I've had many non indigenous Christians that have played a big role in my in my life in the last couple of years, You know, that played a good role, a big role in my life, in my in my growth, in my learning, in my walk with the Lord. And And even just in in my discovery of identity, my discovery of who I am as as an indigenous believer, as an an indigenous woman, As an indigenous lover of Jesus, yeah, I just thank all the relationships that I've been able to encounter in the last couple of years.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:40:54

And I just I just want to open up a space for conversation, open up a space for dialogue, open up a space for trust to start To start being built, you know, I feel like we need to start trusting each other. We need to start working towards building trust with the non indigenous and the indigenous people. And I can't wait to see what God is gonna do in this podcast. I believe that there is something powerful gonna Manifestor. Something powerful gonna take place throughout this podcast, and I'm looking forward to it. Are you looking forward to it? I am looking forward to it. I am looking forward to it because God is good. He is good.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:41:32

He's a good father, and he knows what he's doing, and it's in his timing. It's through his timing and his timing that, you know, he has a plan for reconciliation. He has a plan for healing. He has a plan for restoration. He has a plan, and I I'm just thankful to be a part of it and what he's gonna do for his sons and his daughters, what he's gonna do for For the kingdom of God, what he's gonna do for the body of Christ. Like, we're coming into something. Something is being birthed, Like, in this season, something is being birthed. Something beautiful is being birthed.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:42:06

I'm just so honored and so humbled to be a part of it And to be able to share this vision with Wendy and with Johan, Johan is is an amazing podcast engineer. He just he's been teaching us so many different things. I know nothing about podcasting. I know nothing about the technical Things of it and recording and whatnot, but he has taught us. He has taught me. He's been patient. He's been kind with me. He's been good he's been good.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:42:34

He's been a good teacher. And so, you know, we're coming together, and and we're doing what God has said to do. Honestly, this is his vision, And we're just able to be a part of it and able to just honestly honored to be a part of it. And I can't wait for, you know, the guests that are gonna come on, The stories we're gonna hear, the redemptive stories, the transformation, you know, just bringing, you know, nations together, bringing cultures Together and bringing them together in love, because god has asked us to love. He is he said, love me above all else, and then love your neighbor. You know? And so that's what, hopefully, this podcast is is going to do is just show the love of God and show Who he is and what he is, and I'm just excited to see what God is gonna do. He's gonna do a great and mighty thing through Journey with Care. Yeah.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:43:25

So this that's a little story about me. I hope I didn't bore you. I hope I didn't talk your year off. This is who I am. God has come into my life and changed me, transformed everything, everything, you know, everything. And And he's given me such a joy, and he's given me such a peace, and and I love him. I love him so much. And if he says To be a podcast host, I'm gonna be a podcast host.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:43:51

If he says, you know, invite people to join the table and let's have conversation, I'm gonna do it because I trust him. I trust him. I trust that he knows the way. I trust that he has already made the way, and he's he's going before us. So I'm excited for the podcast. I'm excited for Journey With Care. I'm excited for the vision of it, Care Impact and and their vision and wanting to support the church and wanting to equip the church and come alongside, families and children in hard places. And because I was I I was too.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:44:25

I was I was a child, and my family was in a hard place. So I know What it is to receive that help, to have that kindness come from somewhere you didn't think it was gonna come from. Right? So I just love the vision of Care Impact and wanting to empower the church and wanting to to empower the church and wanting to support the church. And I think this podcast is gonna be a great way of doing that. So I thank you for listening to me. I thank you for, you know, taking the time to get to know me, to hear a little bit of my story, And to hear a little bit of where I've come from and what God has done in my life. And I look forward to this journey in in reconciliation to be To moving forward in love. Yeah.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:45:07

So I'm excited for you guys to hear the the episodes that are coming after me. There are some awesome episodes. I I love The men and women that have been able to sit down with me and share their story with me, and and you're gonna love it too. So stay tuned. Listen to episode 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and so on. Keep listening. Like, follow, and share with your friends, with your churches, with whoever you wanna share with. Share this podcast with them.

Melvina Guiboche [: 00:45:35

I believe that God is gonna do a great thing through this podcast. I'll sign off now, and I just thank you for listening. I thank you for being a part of this journey, wanting to be a part of this journey together as we journey with care.

Wendi Park [: 00:45:48

Thanks for listening to the journey with care podcast where paths connect Over real life stories and honest conversations, we hope you continue to join us on this journey of faith, reconciliation, and loving our neighbor. Be sure to like, Follow and share. Special thanks to host Melvina Gabosz, our podcast engineer, Johann Hinrichs, and donors who helped make this show possible. Journey with Care is an initiative of Care Impact, a Canadian charity dedicated to connecting and equipping the whole church across Canada to journey in community with children and families in hard places. Learn how Care Impact is transforming the way churches engage with child welfare with our Care portal technology and academy training. To support this podcast or to learn more about us, go to care impact dotca or Click the link in the show notes. We're so glad you are part of this journey with us as we journey with care even in the messy. Until next