8 minute read
Interview With Vanessa Boucher Stevenson
Vanessa, I am looking forward to this interview and hearing your heart about what God is doing in your life and ministry in this season. You were born in Guyana and you are the second person from Guyana that I am having the pleasure of interviewing. Please tell us a little about yourself and your migration from Guyana.
I am a Guyanese and my parents immigrated to the United States in 1983 and I was eleven year old at said time. I did most of my schooling in the United States. I graduated from East Side High School and then went on to Rutgers University for my undergraduate studies where I majored in English and minor in Political science. My goal was to pursue Law School, but I found myself in the field of social work helping others in my community. I got married and it lasted for 11 years, after which I became a single mother raising five children. At this point, I got closer to the Lord and found myself praying three times daily on a consistent basis. I was a member of the Agape Christian Ministries where I learned how to pray, fast, and stay close to God. This was the beginning journey of my relationship with God. I also hold a double master’s (MsED) Early Childhood and Special Education from the College of New Rochelle, NY and a Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Hofstra University. I recently remarried to a wonderful husband who is supportive of my work to serve the community; I am currently self-employed working as a practitioner/therapist with children who are developmentally delayed and challenged as well as children who are on the spectrum with Autism. I currently host an international prayer line every Thursday night. I love the Lord with all my heart and soul. I enjoy praying and praying for people to help them overcome their struggles in life. God has been great to me and He has never left my side. I was able to raise my children and inspire them to go to the universities and to become responsible citizens of their communities. God is moving in my life and He is lifting the standards not only in my life but those who are in my company. I am able to lead and influence without judging anyone. God has allowed me to look at the bigger picture and He is teaching me how to trust Him whole-heartedly. My faith in God has risen and I know that He is all I need to depend on because Man will fail you. I keep praying and communicating with God and at this time, I am learning how to teach others how to pray and have deep conversations with God through the International Prayer call line.
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I know that every Thursday night you host an international prayer call. Can you tell us what prompted you to start it?
Well, when the pandemic started, people were home, and everyone was confused, and fear began to step into the hearts of many. Then the Holy Spirit said to start a prayer line that people from all over the world can come on and pray or find comfort through what is going on now. This is when the establishment of the International Prayer call line was established and since then we see what God is doing.
Because your call is an international call, my next question is, did you have specific countries in mind when you started the prayer call?
No, I did not have specific countries in mind. When the Lord gave me the vision, it was for people in every nation. Anyone who wants to pray can call in and pray freely. In fact, the prayer line will become a 24-hour prayer line where prayer warriors will be stationed to help folks from all over the world pray to God.
I have been on your prayer call and know that you are passionate about how you pray for people and I would safely say that you are an intercessor. Was praying so fervently something that you always did?
No, when I was a little girl, I would get dreams and visions — both bad and good dreams — that would come to pass and I had no control over the outcomes of the dreams/visions. I started to pay close attention to my dreams, and I learned that God was speaking to me through my dreams and that He trusted me to share many things that I saw, which came to pass. I decided to pray on those dreams that I had no control over and cancelled the assignments of the enemy. I also became engaged with the intercessors and prayer warriors at Agape Christian Ministries and continue to develop a prayerful life and I watch how God saw me through many adversaries and trials and gave me victories after victories. I would say to anyone, prayer is the key. I would be up from 2:00 am in the morning praying until 7:00 a.m., with one of my girlfriends and everything that we petitioned God for came to pass. Powerful! God is still answering my prayers. This is a scared place in my life; I am excited about what God is doing through prayers and now I am able to bring others to the throne of God though prayers.
What advice and encouragement would you give to someone who believes that God has called him or her to host an international prayer call?
They should be obedient to the call and watch what God does in their lives. If I had disobeyed God’s calling, many would have perished. The prayer call line provides succor to the sick and helps to meet all the needs of God’s people. Just remember, when we are faithful to God, He will be faithful to us.
Tell us about VB Developmental Services LLC and your vision for it?
VB Developmental Services LLC is my company that I established to provide therapy for children who are developmentally challenged and delayed. Currently, I am able to serve children via teletherapy and in homes, provided all the safety protocols are followed. We are also able to provide ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) services for children who are diagnosed with ASD. This is another passion of mine. The goal is to build the business and to continue to help parents by providing strategies on how to work with their children and how to cope with children with
challenges and developmental delays. One of the goals is to build a sensory community center for children with sensory challenges where they would be able to go and gain sensory input through play and sensory activities.
I know that you just got your real estate license. I also noticed that your son is a realtor. Are you just joining him, or do you have any other specific plans for getting and using your license?
This was just another achievement of mine. I intend to use it to enrich my endeavors and I have joined my son’s company, Naeem Boucher Properties LLC Team that is booming in NJ. From conversations with you last Christmas, I know that you are also interested in sowing into the lives of children. Tell me about your compassion and heart for children, which I heard when you were trying to send Christmas supplies to the children in Guyana. I have always been a servant to women and children. I used to be a Program Director for a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, NY, the Rose F. Kennedy Family Center for over eight years and I was able to serve children and women in many social capacities. This is my passion. I enjoy putting a smile on a child’s face and live to change the outlook on mothers who are struggling. I engaged with toy drives for children and now my children are giving back to the community as well. I engaged with feeding the homeless especially on special holidays; it does not take much to put a smile on someone’s face. I provided services for women and children for over 25 years in many capacities.
With COVID-19, this new strain of virus, political unrest and all the other things happening in the world right now, what are your plans for the rest of 2021?
Of course, to remain faithful to God through my prayers and to leverage the prayer line to the next level for our participants. I believe that something next will be coming as an extension from the prayer call line to motivate young people and the people at large. I am waiting on God to complete the vision for His people so I can move and fulfill His promises. I am staying focused on God and His purpose for my life as well as moving when He says to move. Therefore, in other words, I allow God to direct my path and order my steps. When He gives me an idea, I will run with it and allow Him to bring the vision to pass. I am currently working on establishing a daycare center for children and it’s a lot of work and monies. However, I am trusting God to see it through its manifestation and that God will get the glory. I am asking God to line me up with the right people and funding so that this vision can come to pass to serve families in the Essex county area in New Jersey. In addition, I would like to start a women’s counseling group for the International Prayer Call line which will be a support group for women who are in need of internal healing.
