The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
I thought my mother was going to die: CCB Podcast Special Series - Jonathan's Story Part 5
Thu, 13 Mar 2025
What happens when a mom's struggles lead to unexpected blessings? In this excerpt, Candace and Jonathan talk about the transformative power of both his mom’s love and community support. Jonathan shares more of his story of growing up in poverty, where his mother faced immense challenges to provide for him. At seven, he joined a local church program that changed everything. The program offered meals and school supplies but also love and support, lifting a significant burden from his mom's shoulders. Jonathan reflects on how he nearly missed this life-changing opportunity due to his anger and fighting. He emphasizes that compassion goes beyond sending money; it’s about joining God in serving those in need. The episode highlights the importance of grace and the impact of relationships formed through letter writing with his sponsor. Life is like a rollercoaster, but it’s so much better when we go through it together! It’s true. We’re better together. And this season, I’m asking our podcast community to do something TOGETHER to make a difference in the world. There are hard things going on around us. Hurricanes. Floods. Fires. People hurting. And as followers of Jesus, we show up in the hard stuff, and we build relationships with people who need us. We give. Each week I’m bringing you a short piece of an interview with a special guest, and each week you’ll hear more about what we can do together. These are short episodes - less than 10 minutes each. Come back each week to hear more about Jonathan’s story. To see how we can make a difference together, go to https://ccbpodcast.com/compassion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the significance of community support in Jonathan's story?
Life is like a roller coaster, but it's so much better when we go through it together. It's true. We are better together. And this season, I'm asking our podcast community to do something together to make a difference in the world. There are hard things going on around us. Hurricanes, floods, fires, people hurting.
And as followers of Jesus, we show up in the hard stuff and we build relationships with people who need us. We give. Each week, I'm bringing you a short piece of an interview with a special guest. And each week, you'll hear more about what we can do together. These are short episodes, less than 10 minutes. So come join us. So you didn't join a gang. Did you join a gang? Like when?
Chapter 2: How did Jonathan avoid joining a gang?
Yeah.
When did compassion come into your life?
Chapter 3: When did Jonathan's life change with the church program?
Yeah. Thanks God I didn't. I won it. And I was involved in a lot of fighting in my ghetto because every two blocks I had to fight with a group of boys who were in a gang. Yeah. That's a great question because actually my mother was worried about the reality and the boy who lent me the uniform, he was a sponsored child. We didn't know.
So his mother talked to my mom and said, my son is attending this local church. like an after-school program. After school, he goes there and they provide him, they provided him with the school uniform and shoes and food and all that. And that was exactly what I needed. And so my mother applied, maybe two weeks passed.
And we were we someone from the church came to our home and said that we got in. I got into this compassion program, which I didn't know what that was.
I was going to say your mom. I'm assuming your mom was probably so happy. But did you understand what that even meant?
Chapter 4: How did the church program alleviate Jonathan's mother's burdens?
We didn't. We didn't. She was really happy. I think I think she knew. Yeah. because we saw the neighbor with the Jews, the school supplies and all of that, which I needed. So she was really, really excited, but she didn't understand how a blessing and life-changing that was to me eventually. The only thing we knew, it was like a Sunday Bible school. but through the week.
So we will come, I will attend the church three times a week and they will provide for me two meals a day. Got my very first time, my very first school supply, school uniform, school supplies. And my mother now only had to worry for one meal through the day.
Right. That's a big burden lifted.
Big burden.
Off of her. Yeah. And how old are you when you got sponsored?
Now I'm seven.
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Chapter 5: How did Jonathan's sponsorship impact his perspective on life and death?
Seven, okay.
Seven years old, I got into this local church. Now that you mentioned a big birth, then I reflect, she was bleeding at night normally. And I didn't know why. One of the things growing up in poverty is that I was aware of death beyond what you will want a child to be aware of. Seeing my mom bleeding through the nose, make me aware she's going to die. Like that's not normal.
You don't bleed through the nose at night. That's not normal. And it was a stress. She had no tumor, anything in the brain, just stress. And having those two meals, as you said, it was a big burden that it was- Was lifted off of her shoulders. She was released. And now I'm in this local church.
And the reason I mentioned that I wanted to be part of the gang is because my very first reaction in this local church with loving people, all these resources was fighting. I'm fighting every day. I am involved in fights. I'm running out of the church in the time that I am supposed to be in the church. I am, you know, sadly involved in all these fightings with everybody, other kids.
I wasn't physically fighting with the tutors, but I was arguing a lot, misbehaving. And those are things that now I feel so embarrassed and sad. The way my mother reflect on this reality moment of my life is she asked a question. She told me once, do you remember you almost lost the best opportunity of your life? And now that I look back, she's right.
Yeah.
Um, I don't know if, if I'm very sure people listening to us might relate, relate with the reality that we, we sometimes don't behave the way we should. And sometimes we are not thankful the way we should be thankful.
But isn't it amazing that God still keeps the door open for us? So even if we don't walk through it that one time that, you know, he has, he still gives us more opportunities to keep walking through.
Amen.
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