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For over 25 years Proverbs 31 Ministries' mission has been to intersect God's Word in the real, hard places we all struggle with. That's why we started this podcast. Every episode will feature a variety of teachings from president Lysa TerKeurst, staff members or friends of the ministry who can teach you something valuable from their vantage point. We hope that regardless of your age, background or stage of life, it's something you look forward to listening to each month!
Kaley Olson: Well Hello and Thank you for tuning in to the Proverbs 31 Ministries podcast where we share biblical truth for any girl in any season. I'm your host, Kaley Olson, and I'm joined by a new co-host, but not a new friend. She's my friend too. Everyone meet Ellen Adkins.
Ellen Adkins: Hey, Kayley.
Kaley Olson: How you doing, Ellen?
Ellen Adkins: I’m good. I'm so happy to be hosting today.
Kaley Olson: I’m excited that you're here too. Ellen, you're on staff at Proverbs, like I just said, as our community manager, but today. ah I get to tell people that you're also one of my favorite people to get stuck in a conversation with. I don't know if anybody experiences this, but if you work in an office setting, you know, when you just kind of um get stuck in a lunch room, break room with somebody while you're reheating your coffee, maybe that's just me. But Ellen, you're a very interesting person. so- you, you're welcome. And since you're co-hosting today, I figured what we could do. is let our friends kind of have that moment of like getting stuck in the break room with you while they're reheating their figurative coffee. And we could play a quick game of two truths and a lie so that people can really understand who is Ellen. So I had you come up with two truths and a lie. So can you go ahead and share them please?
Ellen Adkins: I would love to. Okay, I'm gonna share three facts and you get to guess which one is true and which one's a lie. Okay. Fact number one, I have my masters of divinity. Fact number two, I am fluent in Irish Gaelic. Fact number three is that I used to work on a farm.
Kaley Olson: Okay. um Our podcast um technician over there thinks it's number three. Is the lie? Oh, you said number two. You think number two, speaking Irish. I'm gonna be honest. I kind of feel like that might be the lie. Can you? Because I do know. You have your masters of divinity, right? So I'm like playing the narrow game right now. Okay. I don't know. You're going with that one as a I think so too. That is the lie. Okay. But the lies, I'm not fluent, but I do know a good deal of Irish. You do? Yes, I'm not gonna say anything. Oh my goodness, I was really hoping that, but you do have your masters of divinity. So if I asked you to speak Hebrew, you could. Ellen is shaking her head I gotta see in Hebrew. of you, okay, that's okay. You the Lord redeems all things, Ellen. wasn't my favorite. I had this, I had her share these things with you because I do know about the masters of divinity. I think that that's gonna come in handy here on today's podcast. And I appreciate people who do the hard work of going through seminary. I know that that was a really big deal for you, but I appreciate that level of expertise here at Proverbs 31 because we- talk about the Bible all the time. And so the fact that I can just turn to you and say like, hey, Ellen, can you fact check me here? Or just the way that you can add color to things is really, really cool. get that with you, we get that with Dr. Joel and our first five team with Wendy Blight, for those of you who've listened. So, super fun, super fun. And then one day you'll have to tell us your farm story. I will. Maybe not today. No, not today. we do. have to transition into our teaching. And guys, here is what we have in store for you today. um Our friend, Madelynn Reyes, who is also from P31 staff. It's just like a big old party here on the podcast today. She is joining us and you're gonna get to hear how Jesus met her in the middle of a lot of heartache and held her even when she wanted to push him away. And so I think today's. podcast episode is going to be just an encouragement for you. And I really think if you lean in, you're going to be blessed. And so I'm not going to say anything else. Let's go jump in and meet our friend, Madelynn.
Kaley Olson: Well, okay, everyone, we are so excited to welcome our guest to the show today, our friend and our coworker, Madelynn Reyes. Hey, Madelynn, what's up, girl?
Madelynn Reyes: Hi, ladies. I'm so excited to be here.
Ellen Adkins: Madelynn is our donor community manager here at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and she is joining us virtually from the great state of Texas. Madelynn, we would love to share a little bit about what you do here at Proverbs 31.
Madelynn Reyes: Yes, so I have the honor, the absolute privilege of working with our monthly partners. And so we have a monthly partner program called The Well, and it's a community of monthly donors at Proverbs 31 Ministries with one shared mission of bringing God's Word to women all over the world. And so I have the just the honor of locking arms with these amazing people who support this ministry, who make this ministry possible. and just stewarding and working with them, living life with them and just growing God's kingdom with them. So it's been pretty amazing.
Kaley Olson: We love that Madelynn. I absolutely love getting to work with you. In some ways I'm jealous that you get to work from Texas because, well, I think maybe I'm more jealous that Texas gets to have you and that we can't have you here at North Carolina, but you are such a gift to our donors and our monthly partners. And we do guys, we wanna share a little bit more about you. with those of you listening, what it looks like to be a part of that program at the end of our teaching. And so Madelynn, that is just such a part of your heart and what you do here at Proverbs 31 Ministries and ministering to that group of people. So we will definitely save time for that. But Madelynn, you're here today on the show because we wanted to invite you on to talk with us about what you've learned about. when Jesus meets you in the middle of your heartache. And I know that your story is kind of like a roller coaster of just like thing after thing that's happened to you, but um Jesus has been so redemptive in that. And you're here today to share with us what that has looked like for you. And so for those of you listening, I want you to just lean into what Madelynn is saying. Think about your own story as well and listen to uh Madelynn's while you are processing what that looks like for you. and let Madelynn's message encourage your faith. And so Madelynn, I'm gonna hand the reins over to you and let you take it away.
Madelynn Reyes: All right, thanks. Well, I'm just gonna get right into the word, ladies. We're gonna go straight into John chapter four, verses one through six. And speaking of the well, we're gonna visit with our friend, the Samaritan woman in Jesus. And so John four, one through six says, now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard what Jesus was making, that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, He left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sygar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. Before we move on, I'm gonna give some points on Samaria. So Samaritans, they were a mixed race. They were part Jewish and part Gentile. um The Samaritans, they were rejected by the Jews because they couldn't prove their own genealogy. So they created their own temples, their own religious services, and that just further intensified hatred. It was just really intense. It was so bad that in John 8, in John 8 48, Jesus' enemies wanted to insult him. So can you believe they called him a Samaritan? I'd never caught that before.
Kaley Olson: I haven't either.
Madelynn Reyes: But yes, the audacity, okay? John 8 48 says, The Jews responded to him, aren't we right in saying that you're a Samaritan and have a demon? What? Okay, so you get it. Tensions are high and there's just a lot of history there. So as we move on, the first part of John 4.7 says, a woman from Samaria came to draw water. Okay, so we know how the Jews view Samaritans. Now imagine being a woman on top of that. Let's just say a Samaritan woman, wasn't being the first. She wasn't the first pick at gym class. She's not the most popular person in this area. There are plenty of theories as to why she was going to the well in the evening. She could have gone because it was six o'clock, but what's interesting about that is there wasn't anyone around there, so it didn't seem to add up culturally. People weren't around, and usually the well is the place you would go for community. It's kind of like what we would do in the 90s when we went to the mall. um Don't judge me and do not uh I know I'm aging myself. So let's have some grace.
Kaley Olson: I love the mall let's go.
Madelynn Reyes: We love them all so You know it said ultimately that she went to went during that time because she was seen as an outcast and Others just didn't want to associate with her The more we read John we're gonna take a chunk right here. So bear with me But John four seven the second half of that through 18 Jesus said to her, give me a drink for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, how is that you, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? For Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, sir, you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father, Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself as did his sons and his livestock.
Jesus said to her, everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. Jesus said to her, go call your husband and come here. The woman answered, I have no husband. And Jesus said to her, you're right in saying I have no husband for you have had five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true. Ladies, this is this lady's story. At this moment, That's her story, that's it. She is a Samaritan woman. We know that now she has experienced cultural tension. She has experienced tension within her community. And now we know that there is serious tension within her relationships. And if I can be honest, selfishly, I wish John chapter four wasn't so short. I wanna know more about her story. What happened in her life? How in the world did she get herself into this predicament? And how did she feel? I'm confident that if she and I could grab a cup of matcha, because I love matcha with oat milk, me and let me know if you want to join.
I know that if her and I could ever grab a cup of matcha, that she would open up about those really hard moments in her life. Moments that led to five husbands. Moments that led to her going to that well alone. And if I could do the same with you, I'm sure I would hear of your hard moments, your story. Because the truth is, we all have them. Some of them are more trauma-filled than others, but just like the Samaritan woman, we all have our story. And I hope it's okay with you. I'm gonna share a bit of mine today. You know, in 2021, my husband and I went through the darkest season of our marriage when he was suddenly struck with debilitating anxiety and depression. It happened fast, it was really unexpected. he chose to do a lot of the hard work. Thankfully, he chose to do a lot of the hard work. And after seeking help, from a psychologist, a therapist, our pastors, our mentors and friends. And we really did reach out to all of them. My husband came out of that season strong and he's been intentionally working on this in his heart and mind since, but during that time it was difficult. So this was in the beginning of February of 2021. During that same time in February of 2021, I learned that my sweetheart friend, I just left her. We had a very... kind of like a mentorship relationship, lived life with her. Her name was Christina and she was diagnosed with bone cancer. That same day I learned, the same exact day I learned that my father was diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer. Both of them are terminal and I was devastated.
Fast forward a few months later and it's November, 2021 and thankfully my husband did a lot of the hard work again. And so he was back to himself. Yet Christina's health was declining. I went over to spend time with her and she handed me a notebook and on the notebook it said funeral wishes. She walked me through all the details of her service. And friends, I just had to listen because I was going to plan this for her and she knew it. When she was done and she closed her notebook, she asked if I would listen to a beautiful song she heard. And so she put it on and she closed her eyes and I watched her as she listened to the song. And she was just so, um you could see that she's just so in love with Jesus. And I looked at her and thought, this is gonna be her in heaven soon. A couple of weeks later, I went by again and she made me coffee con leche. So we're Puerto Rican and we like coffee. Well, actually we like milk with a lot of sugar and some coffee. And so that's she offered to make me, cause it's what she could do. And she was really proud of that. And so I went by and that week she made me coffee con leche. The following week she was in hospice and a week after that she went home with Jesus. She was 33 years old and my heart broke again. Two weeks later we celebrated her life and it was everything she wanted. Now if we fast forward two months, we're in February of 2022.
I was a meeting at work with 40 colleagues on a Zoom call and we were notified that effective immediately that department was dissolved. I was for the first time in my life laid off. Not a great time. Zero stars do not recommend to my friends. And as you can imagine, that was unexpected, not part of the plan. And so now I need a job. The following month, my father's health was declining. And our father decided we'd go celebrate his 75th birthday in April in Georgia. We visited and celebrated a bit earlier. His birthday was the 13th. We left on the 11th. But as always, I called my father on his actual birthday to wish him a happy one and He picked up as he always did with a, baby. And we laughed, we had a great time. And the next morning after his 75th birthday, my father passed away. um I cried, but if I could be honest with you, these tears were really different. You see, my father was an alcoholic all my life and he was physically present, but emotionally absent. I was never close to him. I was never the daddy's girl. His I love yous were really scarce. and I had to reconcile a lot of different feelings in this passing. I cried because I was sad. I cried because I was mad. I cried honestly because I was exhausted, but I held onto God, tired and emotionally drained, but nonetheless, I held on. So let's fast forward a couple of months, right? I find this great job here at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and I was giving myself the permission to rest, and I was just about to come up for air. when I received a phone call from my sister Candy, and yes, that's her name, Candy.
Madelynn, I have breast cancer. It was stage four, and I felt like I was punched in the stomach. All the fears from Christina and my father's journey, they set in, and I didn't want to react. I knew I had to be strong. But once my sister wasn't there, the gloves came off. I was mad. This whole time I was confiding in God. I was holding on. I never doubted him. But now, no, no, I became furious. And I told God, you let my husband suffer from depression and anxiety. You let Christina die. You let my dad die. And now you want to take my sister? No, no. And for the first time as a believer, I was mad at the very God I loved so much. To be honest with you, The next few months, I barely opened my Bible. I was mad and I didn't want to pray. I didn't want to talk to him. You know, I still believed in God. I knew he was sovereign, but I just didn't want anything to do with him. And I once heard Lysa Terkeurst say, what happens when there isn't a plan B? And that's where I found myself. God has always been my plan A. He's always been it. There is no plan B. So what happens when you don't even want plan A? How could he let this happen? So I became stuck. I was in a season of being stuck. I sulked, I cried, I was in a bad place. And it got so bad my husband was concerned. Thankfully, a couple months later, my friend released her book. I attended her virtual release party and she read a portion of her book and the Lord just, he was tugging at my heart. I felt the heaviness, I felt emptiness, and ultimately I realized I missed God. After the lunch, I grabbed my Bible and I sat there. And after fighting, not talking to the Lord for so long, I just, remember doing this as a teenager when I didn't know much about the Lord. opened my Bible and said, speak to me Lord. And you would just kind of open it and wherever your finger landed, that's where you were going to read. And here I was in my forties, so desperate. I said, I'm going to open my Bible, God, and I need you to speak to me. When I landed on first Samuel, at Hannah's vow, I read when Hannah was She made her way to the tabernacle where the priest Eli was and she began to pray. Verse 12 says, she continued praying in the Lord's presence, Eli watched her lips. Hannah was praying silently and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk and scolded her, how long are you going to be drunk? Get rid of your wine. No, my Lord, Hannah said, I am a woman with a broken heart. And friends, that was it. It was like I received a diagnosis. I was broken hearted. I had experienced so many hard things in such a short time. And that night, Romans 8.26 came to life. says, in the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. I had no words. All I had was tears. I sat in the presence of God and cried. I cried for Christina. I cried because of the complex feelings Surrounding my father, I cried for my sister and her battle with cancer. And then I cried because I missed my savior. I repented for my anger against him. And for a little over two hours, I wept. And I know he saw every tear.
Two weeks later, I was reading a book by Lysa TerKeurst. It's called I Want to Trust You, But I Don't. I know we did that um here. And as I read, I learned that I was experiencing suffering. I had never considered that. I was suffering. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around it for so long. I missionaries suffer, victims suffer. I wasn't the one who experienced depression. I didn't have bone cancer or breast cancer. And yet I had been through so much. And so I sat with God and I reflected on those last two years. And for the first time, I gave myself permission to acknowledge my suffering. Once again, the tears flowed, but these tears, they were different friend. They weren't from a place of pain, but of healing.
My sister, I know you have a story and I'm here to say you have permission to tell God what you really feel. If you have suffered, I want you to know you have permission to acknowledge it. Give yourself permission to confront what has stunted you. Remember our friend at the well? Think about her five husbands. Doesn't that sound like she endured suffering? And yet I believe her suffering is what brought Jesus to the well. Remember he chose her. And speaking of her, I have to get back to the text because there is more. After Jesus says, there will be time that we will worship in spirit or truth, our friend replies in John 4:25, I know the Messiah is coming, he who was Christ. And when he comes, he will tell us all the things. I love her. I love the Samaritan woman's boldness. She was confident the Messiah was coming. And friends, she didn't have a plan B either. John 4:26, Jesus said to her, I who speak to you, am he? And I want us to stop like understanding, do you understand what just happened? The immoral Samaritan woman was the first one Jesus chose to reveal himself to as a Messiah. There's so much power behind that. And ladies, the next few verses, what I tell you, the excitement that comes out of me, I want to jump out of my bones. These verses are the ones that punch Satan in the jugular. John 4:28 to 29. So the woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, come see a man who told me all I ever did. Can this be the Christ? So first she left her jar. She didn't need it because she already received the living water. She was satisfied. She spoke to Jesus. So now she ran to tell others. Nothing about this lady's story changed. Nothing about her circumstances changed. but it was her heart that changed because she encountered the Messiah. Verse 29 is the moment that our friend came out of being stuck. She probably walked to the wall ashamed, maybe mad, maybe disappointed. She had reason. And after encountering Jesus, she left full and free. And I believe today is that day for you. Excuse me. It is time to acknowledge suffering. It's time to acknowledge the hurt, whether it's a person or God. It's time to come out from being stuck. And I'm not even done. So when our friend went to the well, God was already there. He didn't wait for her to arrive and then show up. No, he was there waiting for her. He is here today waiting for you. And remember she ran to the town, come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.
Excuse me, well, she goes to verse, if we go to verse 39, verse 39, Chapter four, verse 39 through 42. Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony. He told me all I ever did. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this indeed is a savior of the world. Ladies, God used this woman immediately. She won almost an entire village over to Jesus. She swept that village up and they knew the Messiah because of her. The beauty of going back is that when people see you, they will encounter Him. We see it here. The village, excuse me, the village encountered the Messiah because one woman, one sinful woman met Him at the well. And so today I'm telling you, God will use your story. And I speak Genesis 50 verse 20 over you. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Kaley Olson: Madelynn, that was so good. think there's a lot of thoughts that I have and Ellen, I'm glad that you're on here, because I don't know if you guys know this, but Ellen has her M.Div. So she can be kind of like our resident theologian here on this conversation. Something that's kind of wild to me is that I got to just sit and listen to you read the John 4 passage and we're talking about this woman and how Jesus basically calls her out and like airs her laundry, even if it's just the two of them together. And she doesn't feel shame in that, but she's going to the well because she feels shame and she goes at noon while no one else is there. um But she happily ran back to everyone and was like, hey, come and meet a man who told me all I ever did. Like how in the world is she okay with that? How does she not feel safe? And I just think that that is so cool. Ellen, I don't know if you have anything that you wanna say. You kinda look like you do wanna jump in and say something right now. It's funny, I was actually thinking,
Ellen Adkins: Madelynn, as you were sharing your own story and hearing out of John four, I think so often we have this view of God that he treats us the way that. we treat him or that we treat ourselves or each other. And I was just thinking about like how she encounters Jesus and she doesn't feel the need to say, okay, I hear what you're saying, but I should probably sit and wallow in my shame so that I feel like I can, you know, meet with you or Madelynn in your own story. Like after being so angry with God for so long. It's like when you said you repented of your anger and he was right there. It's not like you had to go chasing after him to get back into his good graces. And so I do think that the fact that when we turn to God, he is right there and like he has never actually left us. That really does cast out that shame because we don't need to work and toil to get back into God's good graces. We can just receive his mercy and love for us. then walk out of that without feeling the need to ah really look to your own shame to justify yourself. It reminds me of a verse in the Bible, somebody will have to uh tell me the exact chapter verse, but it talks about how we can approach God with confidence and without shame. And I think that's something that's really beautiful about uh the story in John 4 and your story, Madelynn.
Kaley Olson: Yeah, there's something about the confidence of being fully known and fully loved. There's even this song by Kane. I really like the band Kane. They're so fun. But the line in their song says, couldn't love you any more than I do right now. And I think that that's just exactly what this passage is about. Madelynn, I want to get back to you and your story. Cause I love the way that you um shared the Samaritan woman's story first. And then you took us in to your story and you took us into the hurt. But we also got to see the woman's hurt revealed. And then we got to see like, testimony, come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. And so if you were to be able to summarize your well moment, like you've been through a lot and you were to say, come and see this Jesus, how would you summarize that to someone who maybe didn't know him or maybe was having a really hard time with that? How would you use how Jesus met you in your pain?
Madelynn Reyes: Yeah, I would. That's such a great question. I think that I think it's a matter, I think it's a lot of what even Ellen just said now, that God doesn't view us the way we view ourselves. He's not gonna see us and say, you deserve this. so, I um think I would share my story and then say that He was there the whole time. He was there when I was angry. He was there when I was crying. In my head, I pushed Him away, but He never pushed me away. And so my well moment was knowing that He really, truly, truly does love me unconditionally. And um even when I don't love myself, even when I'm upset with myself, like he's always waiting and it doesn't matter what that looks like or what we've done or where we've been. um And our now isn't going to be our forever. And there's more in him. He has more for us. And so I think that um meeting with him, it's a matter of recognizing there needs to be a meeting or recognizing that he's waiting to meet with us. And then from there, giving him, know, having that conversation with him, she conversed with him and she was bold with him too. Like she said some pretty bold things. How are you going to speak to a Samaritan woman? Like that's, that's a very bold statement. um And so she was confident where she stood with him. And so I think that he doesn't, power from those conversations. And so I think it's a matter of let's have them with the Lord. Let's be real. um Let's also accept His love for us and know again that our now is not our forever.
Kaley Olson: Yeah, that's so true. I think too, just John four is in the middle of the gospels. don't really get to that's in the middle of Jesus living his life and us getting to witness all of the things, all of the human experiences that Jesus walked through. that later in the New Testament we read, there's nothing that you're gonna experience in life that Jesus hasn't experienced himself. But he didn't have that level of credibility with that woman yet. So of course she was like, who are you to tell me these things? But I think that the beauty of looking at the lens of the gospels holistically, Jesus being somebody who lost a best friend, who had to watch others lose people, who grew up really poor uh like in the most rejected part of Israel. I mean, like not in like a really poor town. uh He experienced betrayal. He experienced like not having a place to call home for long periods of time. There's everything that we go through in life. There's something that Jesus has been through that relates to us. And I think that that's why we don't have to experience shame. We don't have to justify the way that we feel. And I think that he probably would have been like, yeah, Madelynn, I get it. I wouldn't want to talk to me either after all that you had been through or like whatever it is that you're walking through. He says, yeah, I get it. But we get to sit down and meet with him and talk with him. And I think that's beautiful.
Ellen Adkins: There’s something really remarkable about the fact that we worship a God who suffered and knows what suffering looks like. ah And so even as we experience our own pain and suffering, uh we really are able to grow even closer to the very heart of God as we experience that suffering. And He delights to comfort His people and He delights to show mercy. um That's not something that He shies away from or is put off by the fact that we are coming to Him in our suffering or in need of mercy, but it delights Him to do that. Yeah, yeah, it does.
Kaley Olson: And I think I'm going to transition a little bit into closing our time together because We have to do that even though we're having a really good time just kind of talking. um But Madelynn, earlier whenever we were introducing you and you were like, yeah, I lead a program called The Well and it's so fun. And it really is fun. Like your job is great and you get to basically kind of minister to the group of people here at Proverbs who make our ministry possible because We're talking about these well moments of Jesus meeting a woman at the well. He can't physically do that with people anymore. That's not typically the way that he would show up now. But at Proverbs 31 Ministries, what we do is we create moments like these, or really the Lord does that through us. And it's really through the content that we share that's on. this podcast, the content that we share through social media. mean, think about how many times you have been exhausted and you pull out your phone to doom scroll and all of a sudden Jesus just meets you right where you are and just slaps you in the face with something that is like a truth bomb you needed. That's content that Proverbs 31 puts out. Or we have these devotions that go out every single morning and I sit down at work and I work at Proverbs 31 and I read our devotions. We have our first five mobile app and We have so many opportunities that we create as a ministry to meet women in the middle of their day, in the middle of their mess with truth that they need to hear, but that also speaks to them in the season that they're in. And we do that at Proverbs 31, but it's not possible for us to do that without the support of people who are partners with us through our program called The Well. so uh Madelynn, I wanted you to be able to share what it looks like for this group of over 3,000 people from around the world to support the work that Proverbs 31 is doing every month. So can you share a little more?
Madelynn Reyes: Yeah, so this group is just an amazing group of people who love the Lord and who really just love what's happening here at Proverbs 31 Ministries. A lot of them have come because, majority of them, because they love what they've received. um And I think what's great is I've had the opportunity to speak with many members um of the Well. And I have to tell you that one... word that I can attribute to this group is that they're selfless. know, many of them are going through hard times in their own lives. They're having their moments, uh medical problems, family issues, job loss. And yet they have been so gracious to say, no, I'm going to keep supporting. I'm going to keep giving. And they do appreciate we do have some fun perks, you know, becoming a well member. We give honor where honor is due. And we really do want to bless as you have also been a blessing, those who are in the well. um But they, what makes me happy is that they're most excited to hear the stories and the testimonies of women whose lives are being changed. They love knowing that their support is making it possible to reach over 6.5 million women a day throughout the various platforms that you just mentioned, whether it's First Five or our devotions. um And we really do hear stories every day, real hard stories of women. who are meeting God in their hard moment. And these members, like they make it, they are making it possible for them to meet with God in the midst of that hard. They are, the well members are the ones who are making it possible for these men and women around the world to get to their well and to meet Jesus at the well. And we get to be a part of that as a ministry. And they're the ones who make all of that happen.
Kaley Olson: I love that so much. um Ellen pulled a testimony from one of the well members. So why don't you read that?
Ellen Adkins: Absolutely. This is from a well member named Melanie. She says, The well represents freedom to me. The enemy tried to steal my identity and lock me in a cage of shame and guilt. God used amazing women to mentor and help heal me. Because of their love, my dream has been to see hurting women set free. While I don't have the resources to impact the world, my partnership with P31 makes it possible to see my dream come true and so many women just like me set free. I can't say enough about my love for P31 and the well.
Kaley Olson: I love that so much. Me too. love that. There's a lot of collective good that we can do. Absolutely. And we say yes and participate together. uh Madelynn, it was such a treat to have you on the show today. know Ellen and I are greatly impacted by your message and everybody listening. we say the same thing. So thank you so much for taking the time to join us today. I'm going to close us out everybody. You know what we say around here every single time at Proverbs 31 Ministries, we believe when you know the truth and live the truth, it changes everything.