We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angela White williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Angela, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My purpose was birthed from God through the testing and fire of many obstacles and trials. I came to San Antonio due to hurricane Katrina and I made many efforts to go home but God fixed it in such a way that made that task impossible. Not long after, my mother passed away and I went through a divorce that was inevitable. Through all of this I learned that I was much stronger than I had ever known. God was producing something in me that I never truly knew about…Faith in Him. I eventually remarried to an amazing man that brought me back to church. I started an new job in which I was able to serve the Lord and help people daily. Less than two years later, the company closed but I knew God had a plan. On the day we received the call of the Christian Store closing, my husband called and said we will get a check for 30,000 dollars…go open your own Christian Store and Abba Father’s Christian Store was opened and has been in business for almost 7 years. Here is where I can minister to people with no rules or regulations. The only goal is to show love and save souls! This was always and still is my God given purpose…to know Christ and share Him with all I meet.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the servant of Abba Father’s Christian Store. We have been in business for almost 7 years with 2 locations here is San Antonio. We strive to meet the needs of the community by selling bibles, church supplies, inspiring gifts with the message of Jesus, along with uplifting books and Christian shirts. The primary focus is meeting the spiritual needs through prayer and ministering when moved by God. We have had people delivered in the stores along with accepting Christ. We love to talk and share with our customers and many have become friends and family through it all.
I also serve on the board of R3 Student Outreach along with mentoring the youth. This is a program that serves the youth and young adults by providing opportunities, resources, and space to excel in their personal development and academic pursuits. At R3, we are able to give away new clothing to the youth which was born from a vision of my mother along with food. This was something she had loved doing and now God has given me the torch to carry on the mission in honor of her.
I am truly blessed to Co-Pastor Revived Community Church on the west side of San Antonio for 3 years. I have been witness to God moving, saving, and loving people that thought they would never see hope again. People who had been broken and bruised from life…now know what joy is and have found their purpose through this ministry.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back on my life, I always tell people to put God first and everything else will follow. This is advice that my loving father gave me when I was in my teen years. I did not know then how impactful those words would be to my life now. I try to share this message especially with the youth. Start now and you will surely be victorious in whatever God leads you to do.
Second…your first reaction to any and all situations must be Jesus! seek ?Him in all things and He will direct your path. Too many times we make decisions based on thoughts, emotions, and wrong perceptions. When we go to God first…the reaction will always be the right one.
Last…PRAY! the world is in a rush because of pride and envy! We must stop and pray! The day must begin and end in prayer with prayer always being the focus! Thank God for the good days…worship Him in the bad and you will see Him be glorifed. The good days will remind you that He is always near and the bad days will keep you close to Him knowing that He is an ever present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were and are compassionate, dedicated workers in whatever they did. My father is a musician and he once stepped on a nail while going to work. The nail went through his shoe and into his foot in which is caused a lot of bleeding to happen. My father simply took the sock from one foot and wrapped the injured foot and carried on to work. He played his horn and sang for 6 hours that night without skipping a beat. This taught me that we can do all tings in Christ who gives us strength. I do not remember my dad ever missing a day of work. This caused me to strive to always be the very best with all that I do and to go to God for strength when I felt weak.
My mother was a human resource manager and she took her role very seriously in order to help people achieve success. She mentored them along with providing clothes, shoes, food, and whatever they needed. She was always able to see when someone needed a hug, smile, or words of encouragement and she would respond accordingly. She was full of compassion and never walked away without fulfilling a need. She was a true example and being a servant and because of her and my father…my desire is to know Christ and to be His servant with all diligence.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abbafatherschristian.com
