Journey of an Unknown Destination: Becoming a Pastor’S Wife

By JoAnn Havard Smith

As I look back on some of the things I did to keep from going to church, I have to laugh. I would take my twin brother's and sister's only pair of shoes and hide them. Back in those days my parents could only afford one pair of shoes. I was hoping that my mother would let me stay home and baby sit.

Look at me now! Married to a pastor, going to church all the time. Is this God's way of reminding me not to hinder the little children. After all, He does work in mysterious ways. As I set out on life's journey of an unknown destination unsure of the path I would go, the most important thing one can do is always be true to oneself. Remember, there's nothing that God cannot do. So, start out today with faith in your heart, until your dreams come true!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481722391

JoAnn Havard Smith

As I look back on some of the things I did to keep from going to church, I have to laugh. I would take my twin brother's and sister's only pair of shoes and hide them. Back in those days my parents could only afford one pair of shoes. I was hoping that my mother would let me stay home and baby sit. Look at me now! Married to a pastor, going to church all the time. Is this God's way of reminding me not to “hinder the little children”. After all, He does work in mysterious ways. As I set out on life's journey of an unknown destination unsure of the path I would go, the most important thing one can do is always be true to “oneself”. Remember, there's nothing that God cannot do. So, start out today with faith in your heart, until your dreams come true!

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© 2013 by JoAnn Havard Smith. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/05/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-2240-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-2239-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013903782

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgment

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1.   My Grandparents

Chapter 2.   My Mother And Father

Chapter 3.   Growing Up In Mississippi

Chapter 4.   Leaving Mississippi

Chapter 5.   Living In Cabrini Green Housing Project

Chapter 6.   Family Gatherings

Chapter 7.   Living A Single Life Before Marriage

Chapter 8.   When I Met My First Husband

Chapter 9.   Divorced

Chapter 10.   My Visit To The White House

Chapter 11.   Becoming A Pastor’s Wife

Chapter 12.   Introduction To Church Folks

Chapter 13.   Church Folks

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I want to give thanks to God who is the head of my life. Without him I wouldn’t exist. I want to thank my husband Murdock Smith Jr for praying for me and with me every day and, encouraging me to put my story in writing. Prayerfully, I can be an inspiration to someone else. I want to thank my Uncle David Weathersby and my cousin Dorothy Ann Weathersby Chesser for all of their help. I want to thank my sister Christine Green for all of her advice, all of her help and for putting up with me. I know sometimes I can be a pain and impatient but thank you for being patient with me. Last but not least I don’t want to forget my neighbor Mrs Eunice Weston. Thank you. I can truly say that I’ve come a long way and God is still working on me.

DEDICATION

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY MOTHER:

MRS. MARY WEATHERSBY HAVARD

BORN INTO LIFE JULY 28, 1921

BORN INTO ETERNITY JULY 30, 1994

A beautiful life came to an end. She died as she lived, everyone’s friend.

God saw you getting weary, He did what He thought best, He put his arms around you and said, Come and rest. He opened up his golden gates on that heartbreaking day. It broke our hearts to lose you. You did not go alone; A part of us went with you the day God called you home.

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In loving memory of Mrs. Mary Weathersby Havard. She’s gone but never forgotten. She will always be a part of my life. I can see her smiling and shouting all over heaven. I give her and God all the praise for who I am today. I’m still a work in progress because God is not finished with me. There’s a lot of work to be done and I know that I’m headed in the right direction. You never know where life will take you. I can testify to that. I pray to God for more patience and a better understanding. My mother used to tell me all the time to trust in God and do good. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Throughout the years, I’ve tried to live by those words. Sometimes I fall down but I always get back up. One thing I can say about my mother is she never let anyone steal her joy. No matter what life threw at her she always had an up lifting spirit. When God made her, He made one of a kind.

INTRODUCTION

My name is JoAnn. I am the mother of three daughters, grandmother of six grandsons, four granddaughters, one great granddaughter and two great grandsons. All together my husband and I have a total of thirteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I am the fourth child of eight siblings. I was born in Liberty, Mississippi and I was raised up in the church. Never drank, never smoked, nor have I ever done drugs; however I have been around people who have done it all; I was never guilty by association. I was married to my first husband for fifteen years. I’ve been married to my second husband for two years. I am telling my life story about the path I took from childhood to becoming a pastor’s wife. You might ask the question what’s the big deal? Well, you never know what life has in store for you, never say never. I left Mississippi at the age of nineteen with my daughter and moved to Houston, Texas for one month. I didn’t like Houston, so my next move was Chicago, IL. There I lived for forty two years. My first living experience was living in Cabrini Green housing project. I was single for twenty years after my first marriage. I turned down several proposals. It never entered my mind that I would marry a preacher. I give God all of the Glory for bringing us together. The question had been asked, what inspired you to write this book. Well, everyone wanted to know how I ended up married to a pastor.