There are Rainbows of Purpose of Your Wilderness a guide to dealing with life’s challenges

DR GRACE JACOTT, always knew her destiny was to be a teacher which, in her mind, encompassed much more than imparting information.

She wanted to guide youths and help them be successful as human beings, in relationships and in whichever field they chose.

Her book, There are Rainbows of Purpose of Your Wilderness, is an extension of that desire. It is a testimony of her experiences as well as a devotional book and guide, providing suggestions for dealing with life’s challenges.

Her wilderness, her challenging time in life, was from 1997-2007 when she lived in Suriname.

“While I was going through that wilderness experience, I felt this strong urge to document what I was going through, because I had a sense of the fact that God would bring me out.

“In addition to that, I felt that the idea of documenting to share in the future would help other individuals who had to face whatever challenges they would meet.”

In the book, she shared how God brought her through tough times and the Bible passages that gave her strength. She also understood people did not always know what to do or the right mindset to have when difficulties crop up.

Her aim was to help and provide guidance.

“I found myself writing to provide guidance on the suitable mindset, the most suitable perspective that one needs to engender while going through life's challenges in order to come out as a whole person, in order to come out as a better person, in order to come out successful.”

Before she moved to Suriname, Jacott and her husband lived in Arima. She worked at the Ministry of Finance, had completed teacher’s training and was quite comfortable in Trinidad. But she was excited for the opportunity to teach and experience somewhere new.

She, her Surinamese husband and her three-month-old son moved to Suriname in 1997 because she was promised a teaching job. But when she got there, she was told the job was no longer available.

And so began her wilderness, which included unemployment, high cost of living, culture shock, a different transportation system and a language barrier.

Everything was very expensive, she recalled. She said, at the time, a loaf of bread was about $50 or 500 guilders (which was replaced by the Surinamese dollar in 2004). And a pack of disposable diapers cost around $500.

She said her husband was working and his job sustained them well enough until they had their second son. Thankfully, she got a high school teaching job in 1999, but her salary was US$250 a month even as rent was US$300 ($2,034).

“I was employed with a bachelor’s from Andrews University in the US, and my salary was US$250 ($1,700) per month. You can imagine the personal humiliation in my heart to think of my qualifications as it relates to such a very low salary.

She had received a bachelor’s in English with an emphasis on education from Andrews University, Michigan, through University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) in 1994.

Since her salary could not even cover the rent, her husband had to cover the difference as well as the cost of food, clothes, diapers, baby formula and other necessities. The idea of luxuries like getting her hair done or travelling for vacation was foreign to them during that time.

But she was grateful to God that they were able to plant and grow many fruits and vegetables, and they never had any major medical issues.

About five years after she started teaching, she felt a growing desire to do a master’s degree in education. Online education was not available and she could not afford it, which contributed to her psychological stress.

Then there was the culture shock. She did not speak Dutch and found it difficult to learn. Also, the main mode of transport was motorbikes and scooters, and it was traumatic seeing her husband transporting their two babies on a two-wheeled vehicle with minimal safety features.

Jacott regretted her decision to leave TT. She felt it was a foolish decision. But she started depending on God and her perspective changed. She felt her hardships had a higher purpose and started documenting her experience in 1998.

“Mind you, I had no clue of how I would have gotten out of it, but I felt in my mind that somehow, someday, I would eventually get out of it. So I said, ‘Okay. As I continue to go through it, let me write all that I feel impressed to share to help others in the future.’”

She stressed that even though he also had hardships, her husband’s experience was different to hers. He was Surinamese and was accustomed to the culture, customs and language. So she wrote only from her perspective.

In 2006, someone told her husband about job opportunities in Arouba. They started the immigration process but it stalled. So the family decided to return to Trinidad.

She moved first, living with her parents and looking for a job. During her search, she saw USC had employment opportunities and applied. She also learned the school was looking for someone with her husband’s qualifications.

“Within a matter of just a few months we were both employed with very good jobs at the university. And so my wilderness experience suddenly flipped, from that period of economic hardship to a new period where we could once again have a decent standard of living and level of comfort.”

Jacott also returned to learn the TT government was offering Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses Programme (GATE), and she was able to do her master’s in educational psychology at 50 per cent of the original cost at USC.

After completing her master’s in 2009, she worked part-time as a teacher, was a residence hall dean at USC, and had no intention of doing more studies.

But while attending a conference at UWI in 2018, she saw an advertisement for a PhD at UWI for tertiary educational leadership. It was expensive and she felt it was too challenging for her, but she also felt the desire to do and be more.

She started the degree that very year and completed it in 2023.

She said her experiences taught her to trust in God even when faced with difficulties. He listened to her and, even when she was not immediately delivered, she learned He would take care of His people and never allow them to face more than they could bear.

Jacott said even though she started writing the book in 1998 in Suriname, she put it down for several years as her life got busy.

But, in 2022, while doing some cleaning, she came across the pages she wrote in an old journal. She felt compelled to complete and publish the book to help people face their challenges.

Earlier this year she decided she would finish it before the end of the year. It was completed in October and published in November.

There are Rainbows of Purpose of Your Wilderness is available on Amazon or interested parties can contact Jacott at 787-7189.