Yvette 3/11/24 Yvette 3/11/24

The Symbol of Love

“Since the letters S and Y written in cursive make a heart, I knew I had to use this as a symbol…”

I was around 29 years old when I found that I was an artist. God had brought me through an intense time of healing from the many wounds that were inflicted on me from childhood - both emotionally and physically.

I was at a crossroad, life was falling apart. I had carried so much emotional baggage into my marriage, it seemed impossible to survive it. My husband, Steve, was a crucial part my healing process. And, if you have not read my story on forgiveness, I encourage you to do so. (Link below)

Years ago, Steve took the Word of God and began to read it to me daily. We learned so many things we could apply to our relationship and to the wounds of the past, to say the least. Through nightly devotions we learned how to heal our marriage. Books about godly relationships were stacked on the nightstand. Whatever it took to change the course of history, we were determined to do it.

The childhood wounds were deep. Unresolved painful memories had done a serious work on my mind and heart. There are no words to describe the warped thinking and overreactions I had to simple matters. I was not able to develop my talents or hold a job. I felt oppressed. I seemed to fail at reaching my goals, much less my dreams.

So, Steve continued to apply the Word to my aching heart, and things changed. God showed me how to forgive. With each passing day I found new freedoms. Steve, as a vital part of this healing journey - held my hand with each step. He often reassured me that everything I was and would become, was accepted. Being severely insecure, this acceptance changed how I saw myself. I knew I was loved as is!

It was then, the art ability was discovered. Steve noticed me doodling on a napkin in a restaurant. He took me to the art store and we purchased my first set of artist pencils, then paints, etc. When I started painting, it was as if I had been painting for many years. Healing had taken me light years forward.

I knew that this ability was because of my God and Steve. I wanted to find a way to acknowledge it. Since the letters S and Y written in cursive would make a heart, I knew I needed to use this as a symbol of the love between God, Steve and I. We called it “One Heart Marriage!” Putting God in the center of everything was key.

From the onset of my artist life, my signature begins with the ‘SY’ and has been on every art piece for over 20 years. It is the symbol of healing, love, mercy, grace, second chances, and forgiveness.

Thank you my dear Steve - you never gave up on me, and thank you precious Jesus for second chances!

Blog: The Journey of Forgiveness

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Yvette 2/3/24 Yvette 2/3/24

The Journey of Forgiveness

Years ago, my marriage was in shambles. Married at the tender age of 17, I had brought so much baggage in to the marriage from my dysfunctional and abusive home. The marriage hardly stood a chance. My husband had grown up in a good home. It was peaceful, but unfortunately, my home life was nothing short of a nightmare. It shaped my world. It was all I knew in life.

Years ago, my marriage was in shambles. Married at the tender age of 17, I had brought so much baggage into the marriage from my dysfunctional and abusive home. The marriage hardly stood a chance. My husband had grown up in a good home. It was peaceful, but unfortunately, my home life was nothing short of a nightmare. It shaped my world. It was all I knew in life.

We had found God early on in our marriage and we truly tried to get serious about church attendance, and living a godly life, but it seems everything was against us. Our marriage was deteriorating quickly and things seemed hopeless. Many mistakes made added to my already shipwrecked history. I often blamed myself and felt I was a total failure.

In our late 20’s, when things were bleak, is when God stepped in! I would say it was because we finally allowed Him to step in. And so we started our journey of healing in 1999.

With already a decade of marriage behind us, we set out on a journey to make this marriage right. Reading dozens of books on what a godly marriage should be like, with nightly devotions, and putting into practice all that we had learned and felt from the Lord to do, things began to change!

Searching the Word of God we found a healing balm. It was just like it says in Ephesians 5:26 NKJV, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word…” Steve brought the Word into our marriage and the Word was washing me and making me pure. God showed me that I needed to heal from the abuse I received as a child. He showed me something that I call, “1-2-3 Let Go.”

Many days I would get flashbacks of the traumatic experiences of my childhood. I would take that one memory or flashback and do a motion of taking the memory from my heart and imagine placing that memory into my hand. I would forgive the one who abused me in that one moment (1). I would forgive myself (2), because I often blamed myself for putting myself, even as a young child, in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Then I would forgive God (3), because I often blamed Him for allowing it to happen. (I was forgiving and releasing blame.). I and definitely understand now that God was not at fault, but He knows my heart. Then I would take that memory and forgiveness and lift it up into the air towards heaven and open it and “let go!” I must have done this act 1000 times.

Months later, I noticed the change. I noticed that the pain I felt from the memories the abuse didn’t hurt anymore. The more I did the process, the memories were painless.

It’s been over 20 years now and I am such a different person than I was back then. It has been an amazing journey of healing.

One of the most significant things that happened to me back in 1999 during the healing process, I found out I was an artist. I had not known this fact prior to my forgiveness journey. One day I was doodling on a napkin in a restaurant when Steve noticed it and said, “I think you’re an artist.” He encouraged me by buying the best art supplies. Each time I tried one medium, he took me and bought colored pencils, then acrylic paints, and then oils and now drawing on an iPad too. There is no other way to describe my journey of art then that it has come from the journey of forgiveness, my husband, and a God who helped me through it all.

Above you see my lavender rose I created on my iPad drawing freehand. I titled it, “Forgiveness.”

I hope that this story has brought you hope. I personally hope that you will find forgiveness in your life. God is waiting with open arms to help those who truly want healing from the wounds of yesterday.

Everyday I am reminded of his healing touch and I continue to use 1-2-3 Let Go!

Purchase Tote Featuring “Forgiveness”

Yvette 1/26/24 Yvette 1/26/24

Prayer In Flight

Coming from an abused home myself, I recognized this cry. I knew something seriously wrong
was happening to a very young child. Each day I would pray and hope that whatever was
going on it would stop and the child would be ok. It became such an issue that I would cry
too. I found a window that was in the direction of the cry. One sunset, after the chilling cry, I
could see the child in fetal position in a pit. In Africa, there are times a serious situation is
untouchable. This was one of those times…

Sometimes, there are situations that we simply cannot fix.

A few years ago, as I would sit in my office to work on administrative duties on the field of Nigeria, West Africa, several months had gone by where I heard a very unsettling child cry from behind my home around the same time. It was an unsafe and inaccessible situation during the 2020 pandemic.

Coming from an abused home myself, I recognized this cry. I knew something seriously wrong was happening to a very young child. Each day I would pray and hope that whatever was going on it would stop and the child would be ok. It became such an issue that I would cry too. I found a window that was in the direction of the cry. One sunset, after the chilling cry, I could see the child in fetal position in a pit. In Africa, there are times a serious situation is untouchable. This was one of those times.

My imagination ran wild, but I started to pray very specific words for this small child. Words I felt would make the abuse stop. I was desperate.

The next day, sounds of giggles and laughter flooded my office instead of the chilling desperate cry. The day after I heard the same thing. It continued day after day! The abuse stopped!

With tears of joy I learned a very beautiful lesson about my God! My words were so specific in my prayer to save a little girl - I knew that in those words God answered.

You see, our words matter! How and what we pray matters. I’ve learned that if I keep close to Jesus with His word in my heart and keep my communication with Him throughout my day with words that matter, I have seen remarkable prayers answered - God working things that I cannot touch or fix. He does it with splendor!

Living in a foreign land where many are less privileged than we are in the USA, has taught me a different walk with Jesus. The more I trust Him, the more He draws close. The more focused I become on Him the more I see Him “fix” issues and get us through.

Simply this, your words matter. Pray specifically what you desire from the Lord. He answers with flying colors.

In the book of John in 5:17 it says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

After this incident, I shared this with a friend. We were crying together and rejoicing over the fact that what I could not do the Lord could. It was then I saw a vision of a bird in flight. As an artist I set out to create it. It represents how our prayers make it to the throne of God in anticipation of the answer!

Purchase Prayer in Flight on Canvas

Yvette 11/27/23 Yvette 11/27/23

The Story Behind Africa Dreaming

The story behind my artwork Africa Dreaming

Living in Africa is not always what it’s cut out to be! Seriously people, there are things that an American never has to deal with, not even in 70 full years of life. Since becoming a missionary I’ve had the privilege to live in two countries, both East and West Africa. I’ve visited nine other African countries and seen many tribes and cultures. With this privilege it has given me the opportunity to have malaria over 20 times in the last eight years. I often tease that I am now initiated into the African culture and am connected to my African family. They laugh about it, but it’s not really a laughing matter. Truly, in Africa, that is how they get through the serious stuff.

Unfortunately, malaria remains a major threat to life in Africa, especially for children five years old and younger. I’ve seen the affect it leaves in families. I know people who have had malaria 100’s of times. Some people are more susceptible than others. I seem to be one of those!

There was a time in 2022 in the month of February that I was sick with malaria. None of the normal prescribed medications worked. It had been a month-long battle of severe weakness, headaches, body aches, and all the affects that come with it. I was given a stronger medication that is not usually prescribed– the big gun! This medication knocked me off my feet and my mind for a trip to the funny side – or should I say, “the far side!”

I was snoozing in the living room when I had a dream/vision (half asleep/half awake) of a zebra with a blue flaming mane! When Steve came to check on me, I told him all about it. He immediately grabbed my iPad and Apple Pencil and said, “draw it!” So I did.

Africa Dreaming was born out of a bout of malaria!

What I learned: God has made a bad thing a good thing! Africa Dreaming has been a big hit and is hanging on walls across the USA! That makes me happy that having a bout of malaria brought something art lovers can enjoy!

Please pray for Africa’s people – and protection from malaria’s rampage!

Purchase Africa Dreaming - Handbag

Purchase Africa Dreaming on Canvas

Yvette 10/10/23 Yvette 10/10/23

A Little Tucked-Away-Dream!

The Africa Dreaming Story

Living in Africa is not always what it’s cut out to be! Seriously people, there are things that an American never has to deal with, not even in 70 full years of life. Since becoming a missionary I’ve had the privilege to live in two countries, both East and West Africa. I’ve visited eight other African countries and seen many tribes and cultures. With this privilege it has given me the opportunity to have malaria over 20 times in the last eight years. I often tease that I am now initiated into the African culture and am connected to my African family. They laugh about it, but it’s not really a laughing matter. Truly, in Africa, that is how they get through the serious stuff.

Unfortunately, malaria remains a major threat to life in Africa, especially for children five years old and younger. I’ve see the affect it leaves in families. I know people who have had malaria 100’s of times. Some people are more susceptible than others. I seem to be one of those!

Africa Dreaming was born out of a bout of malaria!

Please pray for Africa’s people – a way to stop malaria’s rampage!

By Yvette M. Phelps

Several years ago I started drawing on my iPad freehand with my apple pencil. It was a crazy fun and new experience for me. I am accustomed to the usual art mediums like pencils, acrylics, and oils. I especially love the feel of a paint brush against the canvas with the slick oil paint. But when I began drawing with a digital medium, I found joy in creating with color so rich it blew my mind. Some would call it saturated, but I call it pure joy!

About 10 plus years ago, as I searched for something unique, I saw some artisan handbags, but as I looked for deep colors and styles that would be satisfying, I was left wanting. I had a little tucked-away-dream that maybe one day I could design my own handbags with rich vibrant color. It didn’t take long for me to doubt this possibility so I tucked it away again and again.

It feels to me that God has opened a door for this dream to become a reality. I have tremendous hope that there is more to come!

So, today I am so excited to present my Africa Dreaming Tote (Handbag).

Stay tuned, as more designs will be displayed soon.