Daily Inspiration: Meet Christine Trujillo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Trujillo.

Christine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am the youngest of eleven children and was born in Grants, NM. My father was disabled from the uranium mines. He was also an alcoholic and drank pretty heavily. There was a lot of disfunction in our family and this made life very chaotic. In grade school I also lost two of my brothers- one from a motorcycle accident and the other from suicide. The pain I had gone through caused me to look for love and acceptance to fill the huge void in my life. After graduating from high school, I met and married my high school sweet heart. But a year later he passed away from cancer. These events caused hurt, pain, and trauma in my life. Within two years I was in another relationship, ended up pregnant and remarried. I thought to myself, if I have a family I’ll will be happy. Boy, was I wrong…These traumatic experiences led me to have issues with anger, bitterness, and deep insecurities. I carried these feelings into adulthood, and they affected every relationship I had, in a negative way. Fast forward to 31 years of marriage and being a stay-at-home mom of three children, the perfect storm hit our family. I was diagnosed with Lyme, a debilitating disease and was extremely sick. From this, I had no other choice but to dig deep in my heart and deal with the baggage that had plagued me all of my life. While I was working on healing my physical and emotional well-being, my husband of 31 years left our marriage, and I went through an unwanted divorce. During that time, God was working in my heart. He was removing the sin and trauma that I had never dealt with. I have to say, it’s a miracle that I’m here today, and can speak of the redemptive work He has done in my life. I was bedridden for about a year and a half, and saw many doctors over the course five years. Since then, I have recovered in my physical and emotional well being, I’m getting stronger and better every day, and continue to heal in those areas. Through the healing process, I felt a desire in my heart to share my journey of restoration with other women. Along with admitting the hurt, pain, and anger that I had hidden, I also found comfort as I talked about my past and journaled. Five years ago, God placed a desire in my heart to write a book, called “You’re Beautiful.” It’s my autobiography of all the ups, downs, good, bad and brokenness that I experience over the course of my life. From my published book came an opportunity to start Grace Women’s Outreach, a non-profit organization designed to honor and encourage women who are going through difficult times. I hope to use my life story as a living testimony to encourage women who are lost or hurting and share the Gospel Message of Christ. From the book came an opportunity to start a podcast call “Beauty Out of Brokenness.” It has been an amazing journey, and I feel so blessed to be able to give the gift of encouragement and hope to others.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been an extremely difficult road, with many obstacles and challenges along the way. The first was being raised in a family with an alcoholic parent. There are lifelong repercussions that can be generational. I am fortunate that the alcoholism didn’t carry over to my kids. However, there are residuals that come with challenges that I walk through on a daily basis. I have made great progress over the years, with the help of counseling and coaching. However, there are small evidences that I work on like traces of insecurities and trust. I’m thankful for the people that have come alongside to encourage and help me in these areas.

Another area in my life that was extremely challenging was when I lost my first husband to cancer at the age of 22. I had to help him and be there during surgery and cancer treatments. I was very young and vulnerable, and didn’t expect his death. It caused me to grow up quickly. Although, it was tragic, I came away with a stronger character and learned how precious life is. It shouldn’t be taken for granted and anyone close to us can be taken away at a moment’s notice. We should enjoy each moment of life as a gift.

I’ve experienced many trials in my life, but the most traumatic was being diagnosed with a debilitating disease that hindered my marriage. Being bedridden caused me to require help from others for basic necessities. It was very humbling for my spouse and children to see me in such a vulnerable stage. Treatment for the illness and working on saving my marriage was the most challenging obstacle I had ever faced. My future was unclear and I wasn’t sure how I was going to provide an income for myself. But each day I was getting better and more independent. By God’s grace, He got me through it! As I look back, I’m in awe of where I am today, and feel blessed and grateful. It’s the desire of my heart to use my story to encourage other women who are facing a difficulty or hardship. I have empathy for the lost, hurting, sick and brokenhearted. I believe we all deserve hope and encouragement.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an author and poet and I love to write. It helps me express myself and heal. I never knew I could write until I began to journal during my sickness. It was suggested to me by many people, that I should write a book. My life story is very unique and has a lot of ups and downs, but I never thought I could get my story in a book. When my divorce was final in 2019, I had to look for a job to help support the alimony I receive. After eight months of looking for a job and no opportunities, I felt led to begin the journey of writing my autobiography. The stories of my past, from childhood to adulthood came to life as I began to write. I started in August of 2019 and finished in January of 2020. I found a Christian publishing company and by October of 2020, my memoir called “You’re Beautiful” was published. During the writing process, I would share my stories with my adult children and they would say, “Just keep writing…” so I did!

That same year COVID hit the world, and we were all called to stay home due to the pandemic. During that time, I began writing poetry. It was my way of releasing my thoughts and emotions on paper. I started in April of 2021, and completed 40 poems in four months. Many of them are inspired by my freedom in Christ, and the renewed life He has given back to me. I believe writing is an art and it helps many people express their creativity on paper. Writing is a gift that has been given to me to express myself and benefit others.

What sets me apart from others is that my life is unique, has been extremely difficult, and inspiring in many ways. I have gone through a lot of heartache, loss, and pain. It’s an honor and a privilege to share my story and encourage others with it. I am not ashamed of my past; in fact it’s a great testimony. As I share my story, it’s my hope that others are encouraged to share their stories. Sometimes life is hard. We all go through difficulties in life and we shouldn’t hide behind the facade that everything is always fine, because that’s not reality! Our stories can make a difference in someone else’s life. Stories are impactful, relatable, can make a connection, but most importantly they can bring healing. Our aim at GWO is to recognize women who have persevered in faith through seemingly insurmountable circumstances and honor them with our, “Your Beautiful, Woman of Faith, Overcomer Award.” We want to hear stories from women who have overcome an extremely difficult hardship in faith. Each month we will choose a woman of faith overcomer. Our goal is to take the “99” who have persevered and reach the lost sheep- those who are hurting, broken and marginalized by society, be a beacon of light and share the Gospel Message of Christ. For more information or to submit your story, go to our website at gracewomensoutreach.org.

I am most proud of the life God has entrusted to me, and the work He has done in me to benefit others. Queen Esther in the Bible was chosen to help free the Jews from annihilation at the hand of Haman, an enemy of the Jews. Mordecai her cousin said, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14b For me it goes… “Perhaps I was made for such a life as this.” To benefit others…

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I give credit to my kids who supported me from the start. They encouraged me to write when that was all I had to work with. I was a housewife and mother for twenty years, and homeschooled our children. After my divorce in 2019, each one of them encouraged me to keep writing stories for my book. They also were involved when I started the non-profit organization, Grace Women’s Outreach. One of my sons financed publishing my book “You’re Beautiful” and the ministry. I also have had many friends who have supported GWO ministry with financial donations, mentorship, and prayer. Our board members have been a big part of the continued efforts of this organization. One friend imp articular- Donna Shepherd- who believed in me, mentored and encouraged me to continue with the ministry and podcast.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gracewomensoutreach.org
• Instagram: instagram@gracewomensoutreach
• Other: https://gracewomensoutreach.org/podcast/

 

 

Image Credits
All the above images were taken from my iPhone.