Sheryl Giesbrecht...Living a Life of Hope
Sheryl Giesbrecht and daughter-in-law, Megan, preparing for trip to Ethiopia in September
Sheryl Giesbrecht is the wife of the late
Paul Giesbrecht who was a pastor in Bakersfield
for about twenty-five years, and mother of two grown children, Sarah and Ben.
Her life is a remarkable story of how faith in God brings hope in the midst of
sorrow and tragedy.
Sheryl is an author, speaker, radio
commentator and the Executive Director of ICM—International Christian
Ministries. She was
raised by loving parents who took her to church regularly, but as she entered
her teens, Sheryl became involved in drugs and alcohol. Her choices led to trouble
with the law and to a downward spiral, much to the consternation of her family.
When she was seventeen, her parents
arranged for her to work at a Christian summer camp. The love and acceptance
she received from the staff at the camp made a deep impression on her. As
Sheryl heard the words “love covers over a multitude of sins” repeatedly during
her time there, she finally realized that they were true and that God did love
her unconditionally, causing her to surrender her heart to Him.
“I knew I couldn’t clean up my act on my
own,” she shares. Her life took a whole new direction, attending Biola University
in Orange County. While in college, she met Paul
Giesbrecht, the fairy-tale prince of her dreams! She expected to marry him and
have a “happily ever after” life.
Paul and Sheryl moved to Bakersfield to be closer
to his parents after Paul’s father was diagnosed with cancer. Sheryl struggled
with loneliness and depression, feeling like her fairy tale had come to an
abrupt end. Health issues with her two young children, financial struggles and
then the loss of Paul’s job impacted all of them.
Gradually she formed new friendships
and found support from a group of young mothers who gathered together to pray for
their school-aged children and to share each other’s burdens. Her faith in God
grew and she realized that He could use her to help others by sharing her stories
with them. She began writing inspirational scripts for a local radio station, volunteering
for events and working with business sponsors. This eventually became a
full-time job.
When Pastor Paul became involved with ICM,
Sheryl was able to travel to Africa with him
as part of the leadership team. He had only been on staff for one year when he
was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. Suddenly at the age of 52, Sheryl
became a widow. It was a terrible blow,
not at all the way she had expected her life would turn out.
With Sarah and Ben grown and living
on their own, she decided to focus on what God wanted her to do. When the president
of ICM, Phil Walker, asked her to carry on with the public relations part of
that ministry, she agreed. She continued working part-time at the radio station
and became a full-time missionary for ICM, teaching at several seminaries in Africa and visiting orphans and widows there. She felt especially
connected with the widows, bringing comfort and hope to them.
“I have learned so much—tough lessons. It’s
been an amazing God-thing,” says Sheryl. These lessons are shared in her first
book, “Get Back Up… Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down.” You can also read
more about Sheryl and watch her on You Tube by going to: www.fromashestobeauty.com
She is very excited about a trip to Ethiopia
from September 13th-26th where she will be teaching
women’s conferences in two cities.
Sheryl’s daughter-in-law, Megan, will be a first time member of the
team. Sheryl is also organizing two major events for ICM:
“Africa Rising: Hope Renewed” is ICM’s
annual fundraising banquet on Tuesday, August 20th starting at 5:00
p.m. at the Olive Knolls Church
of the Nazarene in Bakersfield.
Phil Tuttle, the president of Walk Thru the Bible will be the keynote speaker,
with the ICM Country Directors as special guests. Besides a delicious catered
dinner, there will be an African market, Live and Silent Auctions.
On Sunday evening, August 18th
a women’s event, “Sharing the Journey: Connecting and Bonding with Our African
Sisters” will be held at the Crossroads Christian Fellowship in Bakersfield at 6:30 p.m.
This gathering is free. For more information on either program, please call 661-832-9740
or go to www.icmusa.org
Thank you, Sheryl, for all you are doing
to bring hope to people around the world! Your stories indeed are touching many
lives. Keep on sharing them!
“May the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:13 NIV)
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