Juanita's Story
“I believe that because I was so young when I came to ICI, my heart was good soil. And the seeds that were planted then are producing fruit to this very day.”
Juanita grew up in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago. A busy and active part of the city, she says her neighborhood was known for a “lot of violence, brokenness, and dysfunction. As a little girl, I saw gang bangers and prostitutes. It was a very dark environment.” The brokenness was also a part of Juanita’s life at home. With both parents suffering from mental health issues and unable to care for her, she was adopted and raised by her great-grandparents, already in their 60s.
Thankfully, Juanita’s home life with her great-grandparents was steady, but she remembers the other relationships in her life as difficult and unhappy: “I never wanted to get married. I was very fearful of marriage. That fear took root in my heart as a very young girl because I saw very dysfunctional relationships.”
Juanita remembers the day that things began to change for her. Looking out her grandparents’ home window, she noticed what looked like a block party. People were having fun, hanging out, and playing games. She discovered it was a “Backyard Bible Club” run by ICI, and she started attending the club regularly, getting to know some of the staff and eventually praying to invite Jesus into her heart. Juanita admits that through her teenage years, she lost her way a little, but she never stopped attending ICI programs. Before high school was over, she had renewed her commitment to Christ and was excited about doing ministry herself.
An ICI leader encouraged Juanita to attend Moody Bible Institute for college, where she met her future husband, Eric. “I had built a very strong relationship with one of the leaders in particular, and it was around that time that I went to her wedding. It was the first Christian wedding I’d ever been to, and it was a very positive experience. That leader helped me make wise and healthy decisions, which allowed me to walk into my own healthy marriage.”
As of 2016, Juanita and Eric will have been married for seven years, and they have three little boys, the oldest of whom is now attending ICI day camp. “Our marriage is a huge victory for us. We followed God’s divine order: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage! That wasn’t something we both saw growing up. But by His grace, we kept God at the center of our relationship. Together we believe we are breaking generational cycles…and setting new cycles of blessing in motion for the next generation.”
Today, both Juanita and Eric are very active in ministry. They both serve as elders at New Life Community Church, where they lead the young adult ministry and serve in the marriage ministry. Juanita’s favorite job is raising her three little boys, and she stresses the importance of teaching them God’s word early in life:
“I believe that because I was so young when I came to ICI, my heart was good soil. And the seeds that were planted then are producing fruit to this very day.”
