See how God is using Money Mentors like Jan to bring hope to people doing it tough in communities across Australia.
It was a sign out the front of a church that planted a seed of hope for Jan. After years of financial stress while living on a farm, her marriage ended and she became a single mum.
Jan had known what it was like to struggle financially from a young age. Her mum was widowed when Jan was just nine years old. Growing up, her family didn’t have much, but Jan’s mum worked hard to make sure her children didn’t go without. And she took on this mindset during her years of struggle as a parent herself.
“There wasn’t much excess, but I had the ability to understand what I really needed rather than just what I wanted. I often sacrificed myself for my children.”
It was during a time of deep loneliness and vulnerability when Jan saw a sign out the front of a local church about an adult Bible study, and it felt like a new door was opened for her.
“The theme of the day was ‘Living in the Valley’ and that’s exactly where I was,” says Jan.
“You know when you’re at the bottom of a pit and there is nowhere else to go. Look up, Jesus is the light.
“I found a sense of joy that I hadn’t felt or known for a long time and although it was still hard, there was a joy, there was a lightness.”
It was at church where Jan met her now-husband. Together, with five children between them, they built a new life together.
“God has been so good to us,” says Jan.
“Having been a step mum, through divorce, God has shown me many facets of life. My then-minister’s wife said to me once ‘Jan, God’s going to use you’.”
Years later, after Jan and her husband moved from the country to Adelaide and joined Waypoint Uniting Church, Jan heard about Hope Economy (formerly CAP Australia) and became a supporter of the ministry.
Then, last year, Jan trained as a Money Mentor so she could walk alongside people who are financially vulnerable.
“Because I’ve had to live within my means, both as a child and as a young mum, God used this to pave the way,” Jan reflects.
Over and over God has been there. He has given me a heart to walk alongside people doing it tough.”
As Jan has walked alongside different people, she’s learned to take things slowly.
“As a Money Mentor, I’m learning and it is all trial and error,” she says.
“Initially I was trying to jump the hurdles too quickly. It was too hard too quickly for the participants. It’s a slow journey and long-term, but I can see how it will be effective. Relationships and trust are a must.
“For some people there is so much you need to go through before getting to the budget, and that was an eye-opener for me.”
Jan has found she’s been blessed through Money Mentoring, too.
“One of my participants said to me ‘because we’ve got Jesus, we are one’. And that’s what she loves about our Money Mentoring relationship. And I love that too. We’re one.
“Being a Money Mentor is such a joy, so you know it’s from God.”
