Pastor Yvonne Reid pens journey in tell-all biography

‘Gangsta’ isn’t just a moniker for Yvonne Reid; it had become her way of life.

Reid faced numerous traumas growing up, including molestation, rape and drug and domestic abuse. Finding strength within the struggle became her superpower. And today, the pastor is sharing how she went from queen of the streets to serving the kingdom of God, penning her journey in a tell-all biography, Gangsta: Parable of a Lost Sheep.

“My book is about my past life. My name used to be Gangsta before I got saved; that was my street name,” she tells The Sunday Gleaner. The aim of her book is to inspire hope and encourage young women in particular to persevere, despite their challenges.

The executive pastor of The Love Church explained that her story starts with her life in Jamaica. Reid recalls having a happy childhood for the most part, spending quality time with her grandparents and enjoying the simple joys that came with rural living.

“We had exciting times as children going to the farm. But there were other moments when I went through sexual abuse from men. It really frightened me; I never understood these things,” she revealed.

At the age of seven, she migrated to Canada to live with her mother. Moving overseas was strange enough, but having been ripped from the guardians that she knew and loved, it all felt foreign to her. “I was around a mother who wasn’t really there,” she said. During that time, she said someone close to the family also made attempts to sexually abuse and rape her. “I love my mom and I now know that she didn’t realise certain things,” she shared. “I experienced a lot of darkness at an early age,” Reid revealed.

It is her belief that this darkness followed her into adulthood. When she returned to Jamaica, she said she began associating with notorious men, gang leaders and other members of the underworld. “Gangsta started out [as] a fun thing. I got the name because I used to love going to dances and parties with my friends. But eventually, the more I was called that name, the more I wanted to become that character. I would go to Jamaica and give them money, bury those who have died. I was like a mother to some of them.” And she was influential and instrumental in her violent actions. Aligned with gangs, Reid learnt quickly that she could easily make enemies out of these persons who she thought were her friends. Issues of betrayal also came into play and her life took a drastic turn after being beaten and landing in the hospital.

Prior to that, the whirlwind tale included life as a drug dealer. She soon consumed so much of her own supply that she became an addict. Shoplifting was her ultimate meal ticket and she was able to make a profit. “We weren’t petty thieves. This was our job and we would go on the road to catch the store openings at 9 a.m. to their closing time at 9 p.m., returning with garbage bags loaded with stock and taking orders to sell to others.”

And when it came to matters of the heart, she said she experience domestic abuse at the hands of a former partner. “There were so many times that I could have died,” the mother of four lamented. But all of that changed when she turned to God. Possessing no honest skills and bad credit, she returned to the drawing board and hit the reset button. When Reid wasn’t busy scrubbing toilets twice per week, she spent her time studying at the Canada Christian College. Knowing that she was knocking on death’s door, she placed her life in divine hands. She questioned the remedial job at the Bible school that she thought, at the time, was beneath her. However, she took it as a lesson of what was to come: to clean up lost souls and place them on a pure path.

Though she still grappled with a poverty-stricken reality, she said to God that if this was the calling, then He would have to make a way for her. One day, she received a call from the office informing her that someone had anonymously paid her tuition in full to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degree. “The principal said to me that somebody had paid for my courses to finish my bachelor’s degree as well as my master’s degree. Mi almost dropped down in the place. I was told I had to pay nothing. I immediately ran out and said, ‘look at God!’ she highlighted.

Reid went to achieve her bachelor’s and later her master’s in divinity in theology with an emphasis on evangelism and Christian counselling. And she is currently the executive pastor of The Love Church throughout the Caribbean and North America, which she said was all God’s doing. “I know nothing about social media. But He said that I was ready. And it was during the pandemic, so we hosted service online.”

With plans to one day return to college and do her doctorate, and a new book in the making, Pastor Reid’s mission through her book and her ministry is to encourage others out there who are walking in her shoes to persevere, despite the trauma and to find hope in despairing circumstances. “People, especially women, need to know that there is hope. You are not beyond repair. And you are not alone, God is always with you. Don’t be ashamed to talk about your trauma either; it can help you and others in a real way.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com