If you have never been around Voncelle, I would like to paint a picture for you. Voncelle is bold and beautiful with a heart fully surrendered to Jesus. She trusts in God’s character and promises no matter what her circumstances look like. Even when life is difficult, she follows Jesus, taking his command to seek first the Kingdom of God with a seriousness that her actions give testimony to.
Voncelle spent the majority of the holiday season in the hospital, after suffering a stroke. The stroke happened on the heels of caregiving for her husband and father who had both been battling cancer. By the standards of the world, it would be entirely acceptable for her to be angry with the Lord and exhausted. And yet, when I visited her, she was praising God.
Not only was she praising Jesus throughout our conversation, she was also pouring into and encouraging me. I quickly learned that this was not a one-off occurrence as she was continuing to live on mission within the four walls of her hospital room. Her focus was not on herself but on Jesus and the people she was coming in contact with daily. When I asked her how we are able to love in hard circumstances, she simply said, “The love of Christ compels us.”.
Voncelle also testified to the love of Jesus through her community. A consistent theme wove its way through every story she shared. The love she received became love she could give away, even in something as simple as cooking.
“Do you know what it’s like for someone to come home from work, cook you a meal, and deliver it? It’s a warm hug. It’s like someone wrapped me in their arms and told me everything was going to be okay. And now I am going to learn how to cook.”
What a beautiful picture of the love of Christ. Scripture tells us, “We love because He first loved us.” Voncelle now desires to learn how to cook because someone cooked with love for her. She longs to do the same for someone else. This theme continued with prayer.
Throughout her hospital stay, the promise of prayer brought Voncelle deep comfort. “Prayer is the most powerful tool we have on the planet,” she said. She knows people are carrying her to Jesus, lifting her needs before Him, and that knowledge has sustained her. In response, she prays continually for others.
“God is amazing. He is still working, even in adversity and suffering. When there is a code blue, I can speak, I can swallow, I can pray. That means I can pray for the code blue. It’s not about me right now. I am praying all night long for the woman next door. God puts us exactly where we need to be. He makes no mistakes. I don’t know if anyone else is praying for her, but I will. Our lives are not our own, Raegan. It’s not about us. I have surrendered my life. A lot of people did not wake up in the hospital today, but I did. All glory to God. That means He still has things for me to do, like this (conversation).”
She has been leaning into the work God has given her, even when she was unable to walk. She intentionally built relationships with hospital staff and fellow patients. She encouraged them, prayed for them, and shared the gospel. “Our lives are not our own,” she said. “If I am here and these nurses need encouragement, love, and the Lord, then I am called to be obedient.”
Before long, staff members were coming to her room just to sit and talk during their breaks. She even received two marriage proposals from fellow patients, a detail she shared with good humor and a sincere reminder that people need to be loved.
We are deeply inspired by Voncelle’s faith. In the midst of immense hardship, she is leaning into Jesus and choosing to love the way He loves. This is the power of God at work through surrendered hearts and faithful community. We were never called to run this race alone. We are commanded to love one another with the love of Christ.
This Valentine’s Day, our prayer is that we would choose to love one another regardless of our circumstances. We pray that each of us would truly receive and understand the love Jesus has for us and how His love changes everything. We pray that our relationships would reflect the gospel as we lay ourselves aside to lift others up.
We thank God for Voncelle and for the way her life encourages us to love like Jesus. Her encouragement has stirred in me a deeper desire to encourage others and to share the profound love of Christ.
This is what community does when we love like Jesus. We change one another.
“We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
P.S. Voncelle is currently in rehabilitation and preparing to join our Compassion Tanzania team on mission internationally this summer. Her heart is set on serving, encouraging, and sharing the love of Jesus across borders.
If you would like to sponsor her journey overseas and be part of the work God is doing through her, click here: https://compassionconnect.givingfuel.com/crowd/tanzania-2026/fundraiser/29078