It's Only by the Exhibition of His Grace...: As Children of the Master Architect, Our Limitations Do Not Limit Us

By Adrienne Aristil

It is not only your efforts that can take you where you want to be. Even though we do our best, we wont be able to meet the requirements of this demanding society. But God can take our incapacity and our humbling efforts and use them for His glory. We just have to trust the Master Architects plan.

Sometimes we wrestle with life by trying to do it on our own way, but the real problem is our unwillingness to surrender to God for His plan for our lives. Again, throughout this book, you will read testimonies about different situations of what God can do through His childrens lives when they surrender.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449751470

Adrienne Aristil

Adrienne Aristil was born in Haiti and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of thirty. In spite of her professional background in her native country, she was afraid about immigrating to the United States. She didn’t think she would be able to integrate herself in the country academically, professionally, or socially. She thought if she could just speak a little bit of English, she could survive, but she would not be able to go to college. However, God had more in His plan for her. She went to school and received her bachelor’s degree in social work at the age of thirty-eight from Florida Atlantic University. She became a teacher and continued to study to be certified in four subject areas in Florida’s school system. She got her master’s degree in educational leadership, and in the summer of 2009, she was awarded a scholarship from the French government to study the strategies of teaching French language and culture through art, music, and drama. As important as all of these achievement in rising above her limitations, she gives all the credit to God, who she calls her “Master Architect.” Adrienne Aristil lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, with her family.

Book preview

It’s Only by

the Exhibition of

His Grace . . .

As Children of the Master Architect,

Our Limitations Do Not Limit Us

43447.jpg

Adrienne Aristil

Forewords by Filise Jules and Marilyn Guerich

Do you feel you are so limited you will never be able

to accomplish anything?

This book will show you how, as children of God, our limitations are not a problem. In fact, God will take our limitations, our weaknesses, our inabilities, and our ignorance and use them for His own glory.

logoBlackwTN.ai

Copyright © 2012 by Adrienne Aristil.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1-[phone]

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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5148-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5149-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5147-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012908331

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/16/2012

Contents

Dedication

Foreword By Filise Jules

Foreword By Marilyn Guerich

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Oh My God! Who Am I?

Who Am I?

As A Child

The Wish List

Some Facts About The Suffering Of Children

The Fight For Love And Belonging

The Development Of The Needs

Love And Belonging

The Biggest Mistake Teenagers And

Young Women Make

What I Didn’t Know

The Mistake Of The Mechanism Of Love

The Consequences Of The Inconsequence

The Darkest Day

Another Perspective About Suffering

A New Journey

How It Started

The First Step Of The Journey

My Story As An English Language Learner

The Cultural Shock Of Dr. Pepper

A Different Answer From God

The Dream I Didn’t Dare To Dream

The Moment To Be Organized

Be A Great Manager Of Self

What It Means To Be Motivated

Manage The Time Wisely

The Use Of Available Resources

Money Management

Overcoming Obstacles

The Mistake Of Not Being Willing To Say No

Now I’ve Done It!

The Best Day

Where Did It Unconsciously Begin?

Where Did It Really Begin?

The Interview

The Desire To Give Back

The Turning Point Of My Life

Why Do I Still Feel Empty After All This?

Time To Live Authentically

The Choice To Live Authentically Through My Divorce

Divorce And Its Coming

After Divorce… What Next?

Deciding To Give My Hand To God

The Master Architect Has Retraced My Journey

At The End Of The Day

The Road Of Surrendering

Surrender To God Design And His Acceptance

Know Where You Are

Acknowledge The Power Of Silence By

Spending Quality Time With God

Be Open To God’s Leading By

Keeping The Right Perspective

Growing Into My Authenticity To

Fill My Spiritual Hunger

Keep Living:

Keep The Gratitude

Attitude And Experience The Wonderful Love Of God

Keep Living By Keeping A Grateful Attitude Toward God

Keep Living Through Experiencing The

Wonderful Love Of God

References

About The Author

Dedication

In memory of my first daughter, Christelle, who spent only ten months on earth with me. It’s been twenty years, but you will always be in my heart, sweetie.

In loving memory of Christine Philéus Kavanagh, my cousin and friend, who suffered courageously with cancer for two long years and went to be with the Lord. I miss you, cousin, but I know you are in a better place.

To my earthly son and daughter, Sebastien and Janay, I love you so much!

To my mom and my dad, Oristin and Esperanta Aristil and my eight siblings: Myrtha, Kettely, Nadia, Nancy, Robenson, Frensisca, Schnaida, and Schnaidie Aristil—I know I can always count on your love and support.

To Carol Crilley, my former principal, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself, who saw the potential of a good teacher in me, and encouraged me to become one. I will always remember that.

To Pastor Josue Monthervil and Sister Michelle Montervil, your children and you have taught me about patience and walking the painful journey toward finding deliverance through God.

To those who always support me with their prayers and their love, especially my former brothers and sisters at Peniel Haitian Baptist Church—I cannot forget Sister Yolene Georges and Sister Claire Raymond.

To those who believed in me when I didn’t, I cannot forget my unique brother, Robenson Aristil, and my best friends, Danielle Leneus and Serge Mexile.

To Dr. Gérard Blot, the first person who believed in me when he chose me as his office executive while he was the minister of public function and secretary of state of health department in Haiti.

Foreword by Filise Jules

When Ms. Aristil asked me to write the foreword for this book, I was dismayed and grateful at the same time. I know I am the least qualified to do such a work. But then I realized while reading this amazing book that I did not need to be an expert. I just needed to be me, because this book has been written from the heart of a person who wants to share her amazing story with the world, hoping that someday, somehow, someone can find his or her way in this unknown and confused world.

This book is not only for women; it is also written for beginners: the ones who leave their country, their life, their family, and their true identity in quest of a better tomorrow in a new place of opportunities and, hopefully, with a truthful and reliable companion. Beginners are ready to start over, but many have no clue how to adjust and what lies ahead of them. In this book, readers will find how a beginner has learned to trust in the Lord with all her heart and lean not on her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

Whether you are a woman or a beginner, as long as you are alive and place your hope in the Lord for a better tomorrow, this book is for you. Ms. Aristil’s experiences and struggles, as well as her joyful moments and achievements, are yours to dig into and learn so you can make your own experiences and perhaps live your life in a different way. Just like you, Ms. Aristil has a long way to go to discover all the Sovereign Lord has in store for her. I invite you to sit tight, buckle up, and be ready to take a good ride.

Foreword by Marilyn Guerich

It is an honor for me to introduce Adrienne Aristil to caring readers. Her heart for women and children of Haitian origin is poured out in this work. In the seven years I have known and worked with Adrienne, she has been a staunch advocate for Haitian children and their families in our school and community. She has a deep understanding of Haitian culture and its ramifications. She understands these children and their families, because she has walked in their shoes and on their path as an immigrant far from home.

At my first faculty meeting at Orchard View Elementary, I remember the principal, Carol Crilley, announcing that their very own Adrienne Aristil had graduated from Florida Atlantic University and how proud they were of her accomplishment. So from the very beginning of our acquaintance, her work ethic was already widely acknowledged. What a delight it was to me when we were teamed together for a first-grade French/English program! To work side by side with someone who always strives to do more than her fair share is pure joy.

While eating lunch together every day, we shared the hopes and fears of our hearts. It was then that I first got a glimpse into the center of a Haitian home. Every culture has its own quirks and its own modes of expression. As an American-born woman, it was eye-opening to learn what can happen to Haitian women in a marriage. My sisters in Christ do not have it easy, by any means.

It is my prayer that while you read this book, you put yourself into the shoes of this immigrant teacher/friend of mine. God has a perfect plan for her life, as He does for each person.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I would like to thank the Master Architect, My God, Who is my Heavenly Father and to Whom I owe love and gratitude more than everybody else. Without Him, I wouldn’t be here to experience His goodness and eager to share with others.

Thanks to Filise Jules and Marilyn Guerich, my counselors and friends, for taking time to read the manuscript and write the forewords of this book.

Thanks to the teachers I worked with when I was a paraprofessional in the teaching field: Karen