Meet Larissa Jean

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Larissa Jean. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Larissa , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

First and foremost, thank you Bold Journey for this opportunity to share my story! Wow, this is both a powerful and a loaded question! The only way anyone can truly find purpose and a reason for living is by getting back into a relationship with their Creator, who is God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. When I began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at the age of 14, it was then that my Father in Heaven began to unfold His plans for my life. One of my favorite verses in the Bible comes from the Book of Jeremiah. The Scripture declares; “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV).

When I look back over my life, there were many occasions when I should have died at a young age, but God’s grace and mercy truly protected and preserved my life. My mother has shared with me the story that a newborn child, I nearly died of dysentery. As an infant, just a few months old, the ceiling at my grandparents home collapsed and fell into my crib, moments after the Lord prompted my mother to get me out of the room. When I was four years of age, I almost drowned in a lake during a school field trip when I lived in Massachusetts. One of the life changing moments that changed the trajectory of my life and the lives of my two younger brothers, was the day that my mother gave her life to Jesus Christ and began to instill in us a love for God’s Word, God’s presence, and prayer.

Her relationship with God shaped and influenced our lives and eventually, when God relocated our family to Georgia at the age of 12 years, I made the decision to follow Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. This was truly a turning point in my life because I was able to see my life through the eyes of my Father in Heaven and had a new desire to live a life to bring Him glory. The Lord began to unfold how the gifts, strengths, and passions that He gave me from early on in my life were connected to His purposes for my life. As a child, I always loved to dance, to write, to read, to teach, to speak multiple languages, and to lead.

Today, 25 years later since saying yes to Jesus, the Father has afforded me the privilege to write books in the Kingdom as a published author; to impact the next generation as a licensed educator; to lead as the Founder my own leadership academy, the Gift Center; to teach young people from around the world as a Spanish instructor; to mentor and disciple young women and young girls through my ministry WAIT Training Ministries; and to pastor at my local church as an ordained minister, Bible teacher, and Dancing Preacher. When I began my relationship with Christ, He unfolded and revealed who He had in mind for me since before I was in my mother’s womb. There is no greater joy nor fulfillment in life than to be everything God created you to be! My purpose in life is to bring my Heavenly Father all the glory!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I intentionally live life with two main goals: to bring my Heavenly Father ALL of the glory, and to impact as many lives as possible for the Kingdom of God! Born in Port au Prince, Haiti and raised in the United States, I was born to teach. I knew as early as four years of age, that education would be one of the spheres of influence God created me to make the greatest impact for His glory. I spent my childhood in Boston, Massachusetts, and with the influence of my mother, I became an avid reader writer. I am the published author of my books in the Lessons Learned Series, Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid, and most recently, Lessons Learned as a Daughter of the King, which was released on March 23, 2024!

As an alumna of the University of Georgia, I earned a dual degree in Spanish and Foreign Language Education, with a minor in Speech Communication. While in college, I knew that God was calling me into ministry, and I accepted God’s call on my life to teach and preach His Word. I later earned her Master’s Degree from Beulah Heights University in Biblical Leadership, and earned my certification in Educational Leadership from the University of West Georgia. I have over 15 years of K-12 classroom experience, and have passionately served and ministered to thousands of young people. I remain an advocate, mentor, and champion in the equipping of the next generation!

My deep love and passion to prepare the next generation of leaders is seen through my leadership as the Founder & CEO of my school, the Gift Center. The Gift Center, the 21st Century Leadership Academy, provides 9th-12th grade gifted learners with leadership development, Christ centered character development, and college and career readiness coaching. The Gift Center propels 9th-12th grade scholars to discover their gift, sharpen their gift, operate in their gift, and to steward their gift for the glory of God.

As a licensed minister, I am thankful to God to serve as one of the pastors at my local church, Nations 360, in Lawrenceville, GA for the past seven years. I love to minister to single women and young girls through WAIT Training Ministries and JR. WAIT Training Ministries. Finally, with a deep love for liturgical dance, I am also the founder of In Him Liturgical Dance Ministry that equips liturgical dance leaders and dancing preachers.

I thank God because this year is an extremely special year for the Gift Center as well as WAIT Training Ministries! The Gift Center will be celebrating it’s 4th birthday on August 1st! We will be welcoming in our 5th Cohort of gifted 9th-12th grade scholars!

WAIT Training Ministries now has a new resource for single women via my newest book, Lessons Learned As A Daughter of the King, which is now available on Amazon and all major online retailers! Additionally, WAIT Training Boot Camp, our signature Single Women’s conference will be hosting our 3rd conference on December 14, 2024! Registration is now open! Single women near and far can register at https://www.waittrain.com/bootcamp

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

This is another powerful question! I would say that one of the most important qualities in my journey has been to remain teachable. Humility will always proceed honor. The process to stepping into who you were created to be requires a heart that is always open to learning, growing, and being moldable. I am a witness to God’s faithfulness in my journey to birthing, launching, and building a school designed to equip the next generation of Esthers, Daniels, Davids, Deborahs, and Josephs. When I look back over what God has done and is continuing to do through the Gift Center, it humbles me on a daily basis because this is truly the Lord’s work. Relying on His strength and not my own has anchored me in this journey.

The next most important skill in my journey has been and remains organization! As a Kingdom entrepreneur, author, and minister, the ability to remain organized has been vital! I am a person with big vision! I love when God downloads the big picture, and in the same breath, I love the details along the way. I believe that organization communicates that you are a good steward of the vision entrusted to you, no matter the size! Organization is necessary when leading and stewarding a business, an organization, a ministry, or birthing a book with a message that the world needs to hear. Organization ensures exemplary execution!

Finally, remembering my “Why?” has been God’s way of breathing fresh strength to me along the journey. Let’s face it–life can be challenging! The journey will have many twists and turns and unexpected setbacks. However, I am so grateful that in my journey to launching and leading the Gift Center, authoring two books, pastoring, teaching, dancing, and leading WAIT Training for single women as Founder, the Father has always encouraged me that His heart is to love people! That is also my heart!

When you understand why you were called to do what you do, it truly recalibrates your heart and mind when challenges arise. Knowing that my God is being glorified, and that He is reaching lives through the platforms He has entrusted me to steward makes it all worthwhile!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

I bless God for my parents. I am forever thankful that God used my parents to provide me with four key things: sanctuary, structure, stability, and strength. When my parents immigrated to the United States when I was a toddler, never in their wildest dreams did they envision having to uproot their lives in Haiti and rebuild a new life in the United States. However, God had a plan that was bigger and better than what they may have envisioned for themselves.

My parents provided me with the structure I needed to be disciplined, organized, and to value the opportunities that were provided for me to thrive and to grow. At the age of ten, when my mother began her walk with the Lord, she kept us in the sanctuary–the House of Prayer. As children, my mother taught us God’s Word, instilled in us a love for the Scriptures, prayer, and saturated us in God’s presence. This spiritual foundation was paramount for the woman of God I am today. My mother also instilled in me a love for reading. Because of her influence, I became an avid reader and write, and today, author and publish books for the glory of God.

Now that I teach young people, I have witnessed first hand how the lack of parental support can negatively impact a child. Therefore, the stability of a two parent home remains a blessing that I do not take for granted. I remain eternally grateful to the Lord that He gave that me and my siblings the gift of both a mother and father to rear us in the fear of the Lord.

Finally, the last impactful thing that my parents did for me was to teach me to rely on God’s strength. Throughout my life, when I experienced challenges like we all do, I knew the source of my help came from the Lord because my parents laid a strong foundation for my faith in God to grow.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Mikhaela Slavik Photography

Larissa Dayana Jean

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