A Mom's Point of View: Cathy Peters

When my middle daughter, Chlese Jiles first told me about the Wesley Foundation as a freshman attending Louisiana Tech University, I hoped most of all that she would be embraced, loved and accepted. I hoped that she wouldn’t be made fun of or rejected because although I ALWAYS knew how amazing, beautiful, kind, loving and brilliant she was, she had not always been treated that way. It is one of the greatest pains of a mother, to watch your child (ren) get exposed to the harsh realities of a world that often prejudges them for whatever reason, whether it be for the color of their skin, their dress size, their hair length, their club associations or something as minute as where they “hang out” and cast judgments on their worth as an individual. As a mother, I constantly balanced the pendulum of pushing her and her two other sisters, Kamaya and Camellia to strive for success while also not wanting the success to drive them. I didn’t want to push them so hard until they lost who they were. Yet, I wanted them to know they could “do all things through Christ who strengthened them”. While Chlese and Camellia were in high school, I started to realize that it was my ultimate job as their mother to not make decisions for them, but instead to prepare them to make their own. It was my job to assist them with having the courage to say no when they needed to as well as the courage to step outside of their comfort zone in order to welcome new experiences. It was not only my responsibility to pray for them, but to also teach them how to pray. It was my God-given privilege to not only teach them about the Word of God, but to also share the wonderful joy of exploring the Word of God. More important than pointing them toward a certain GPA, a particular college or a lucrative career was to point them to Christ. 

So it was when Chlese shared with me about the Wesley Foundation that I hoped and prayed that she had found a place of comfort. From the onset of her description, it seemed to ring different from other “campus ministries” in that it wasn’t just about having events in which to invite the students to participate, but instead it seemed that the people at the Wesley Foundation were more concerned about going out of their way to reach people than they were about how people thought they looked. They did the “radical” things such as spontaneously going to the campus dorms and knocking on students’ doors to share that they were invited to cookouts and other campus events. Like her, I found that very refreshing. Her younger sister, Camellia did as well and joined her sister in participating at the Wesley the following year as a freshman herself at Louisiana Tech University. 

As both Chlese and Camellia shared more and more about their involvement in the Wesley Foundation, I saw both my daughters blossom and grow into women full of grace and the personal experience of who Christ was to each of them individually. When they came home for visits, they began to share things that were being discussed at the small group they were attending. They were eager to call and talk about how much they was spending time in studying whole books of the Bible as opposed to gleaning scriptures for superficial meaning. It was then that I realized that the Wesley was not only providing both my daughters with a place of comfort, but also a place of conviction.  They shared how the things they heard and the things that they were being taught were challenging their thinking and causing them to question things. As a mother sending her daughters to college, this so pleased me as these are the very things I hoped they would learn from their college experience.  

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 

3 John 1:4 

Yet, they have gained so much more than that. They have gained a “family” at the Wesley Foundation who love them, take care of them, and walk with them through the many unexpected turns and twists of life. One incident that readily comes to my mind is the horrid Ruston tornado of April 2019.  Chlese called me at around 2:00 am to tell me that they had just survived a tornado and how scared they were. My heart literally felt as if it was going to jump out of my chest. It took all I had to try to remain calm enough to make sure that they were okay. The plan was to drive from Shreveport and visit them the next day to assist them with accessing the damage. The next morning, Chlese sent me pictures which showed that the house she and Camellia were renting with a friend had been partially destroyed.  Thank God, the roof had completely blown off the part of the house in which none of them were sleeping the night before. I was so weak I could hardly think but knew that I had to go see about “my babies!”  As I drove to Ruston, I prayed for strength to take care of whatever needed to be done. To my absolute amazement, when I arrived I witnessed a caravan of love! Their Wesley  “family” was literally in the home and helping them with packing their things, throwing away trash, moving furniture and taking it to their new location. When I arrived there, I witnessed another host of young ladies cleaning that home for them.  I didn’t have to do one thing other than to hug my two daughters as I watched “love in action”. From that point I was able to return home and rest. Chlese and Camellia continually shared with me the outpouring of love that was shown toward them! So Wesley family, I would like to end with this: 

“That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” 

Ephesians 1:15-19 The Message (MSG) 

Cathy R. Peters 

Cathy Peters is a delight to everyone around her as a wise and gracious woman of God. Every time she walks through our doors, she blesses the Wesley community with her presence, hugs, encouragement, and sometimes snacks! Ms. Cathy is the Director of Management at Community First High School in Minden as well as a mother of three daughters (Kamaya, Chlese, and Camellia Jiles), two of whom are active members of our body.