And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
- Ezekiel 36:26 ESV
Juliane took a big leap of faith in leaving her hometown to pursue her career as a social worker. When she graduated and passed the board exam in 2019, she was pressured by her family and friends to have a stable job. Desperate, she started looking for jobs online and stumbled upon TRIM’s job opportunity on Facebook.
Being the go-getter she is, Juliane volunteered to travel seven hours to an unfamiliar city to have a face-to-face interview. But she didn’t mind the challenge because of her love for humanitarian work. Her efforts paid off when she was selected for the position at TRIM. But unbeknownst to her, God was leading her to His love.
TRIM Is A Family
There are many benefits of solo living but there are also drawbacks. One of the hardest parts for her is to face problems and struggle alone. But this didn’t discourage her to continue serving in TRIM. In fact, in the next few months she will celebrate her third year in the ministry and has been promoted to serve as the scholars’ educational specialist.
“The people made me stay. TRIM for me is a FAMILY. I live alone, I struggle alone, but in TRIM I didn’t feel alone because they support me and celebrate with me,” she said when asked what encouraged her to go on.
Juliane firmly believes it was the Lord who brought her to TRIM because according to her, she wouldn’t have found the answers she had been searching for. “Coming from a different belief system, I had so many questions but didn’t know where to find answers,” she shared. Early in her time at TRIM, Leah saw her need and provided her with books and guided her to read the Bible deeper. Reflecting the heart change occurring within her, she bought her first Bible with her first pay check with The Rising.
“Before TRIM, I didn’t care much about my spiritual well-being. I spent most of my time questioning God, but now I enjoy my alone time with Him. TRIM gave me a different perspective and molded me to be right before God,” she added.
Becoming More Like Jesus
One of the many challenges of a social worker is to interact with vulnerable people daily. Juliane admitted that she overestimated her patience in handling different personalities and realized that she had to improve her patience and give thousands of chances to others. This has been even more so when working with Nicole, who faces many so physical and mental challenges.
“I learned to be very patient when I took my role heartily. I learned how to love Nicole in a very special way. TRIM and the scholars all have unique personalities, and I learned to love my job and give love unconditionally.”
For Juliane, her everyday experiences in TRIM are what mold her to be more like Jesus– to be able to show compassion to others, to take care of them, to love them, and to serve them, without expecting anything in return.
A Bearer of Truth
As the first one to be saved in her family, Juliane feared that her family members would persecute her since they know about her past. But this doesn’t stop her from sharing the goodness of God when she sees an opportunity when she’s home for vacation. According to Juliane, she treasures God’s Word in every devotion and training at TRIM because these are the lessons she brings home to her family.
This did not always come naturally. “In 2021, the Lord trained me through our discipleship in TRIM to help me see that I have to share the gospel in respect and in love,” she said. She even chuckles recalling a scene where she almost got into a fight with her grandmother after sharing the gospel with a bit too much enthusiasm and not enough love.
The Lord and His amazing grace is moving in her family which has calmed Juliane’s fears. Just last Christmas break, Juliane shared about Jesus, and to her surprise, her family listened to her and accepted her new identity in Christ.
Juliane’s story is one of the many demonstrating how God is moving through TRIM. He works wonders in our staff, and the light that He gives them radiates into their families and the people around them. In loving the Lord first, they have learned how to love other people best. We feel so privileged to be used by the Lord for His wondrous works in changing lives. It’s always our joy to see a soul getting saved, may it be in the village people, in our scholars, and in our staff, and with this we rejoice.
“Salvation is Jesus alone and is not dependent on our good works. We only have to believe,” Juliane answered when asked about the greatest lesson she learned in TRIM.