Teena Myers

I found my stride the day a popular Bible teacher came to my attention. She became the subject of my first profile, “Who Is Anna Donahue?” I wrote about her journey from broadcasting news to broadcasting the love of God.

My first introduction to Anna came from television. Busy with the laundry, I only caught a glimpse of her and her name. Matters of greater importance were on my mind: dirty underwear and mismatched socks. On the way to the grocery store, I recognized her voice and turned up the volume to listen to her five-minute program. Later that evening, while doing research, her name appeared in the list of search results.

Anna’s ministry website overflowed with activities: television and radio; annual daytime retreats for women; Mirror Mirror conferences for teenagers; Adopt-a-Widow Tea; Coming Up Higher Bible Studies.  I wrote the date of the next Bible study on my calendar.

The cars parked on both sides of the street and the ones looking for a place to park, including mine, made the home that was hosting the study easy to find.  I followed some women into the living room, which was already full, and considered myself fortunate to find an empty chair. As soon as I sat down, the woman next to me gushed with information about the profound effect of Anna’s ministry on her life.

“Which one is Anna?” I inquired.

“She’s not here yet,” said the woman.

I turned my attention to the notes that had been thrust into my hand. The notes were neatly assembled in a three-prong folder, major points in bold print, each thought backed up with scripture, and a checklist at the end. Anna clearly invested her heart and soul into her teaching.

Suddenly, Anna burst into the room, charging the air with life, and greeted most of the women by name. The stranger among them, me, did not escape her attention. Her concern for everyone in the room was unmistakable. After the teaching, I handed her my business card and inquired if I could write a story about her ministry.

Anna and I met for coffee several weeks later. She flooded me with questions, more concerned about who I was than talking about herself. After I satisfied all her inquiries, it was my turn to ask questions.

Life couldn’t have been better during Anna’s sophomore year in college. One night, she was watching television with friends when Gail walked into the community room. Anna saw a woman beaming like a light and heard muffled warnings:

“Gail’s here!”

“Jesus freak.”

“Wacko.”

Gail’s presence quickly cleared the room, leaving Anna and Gail alone. Anna had just met a young man and began a conversation with Gail about love and relationships. Gail looked at Anna and said, “The bottom line will be your relationship with Jesus Christ.” She wondered what Gail meant and rationalized that she knew God.

Gail had told Anna she needed to be born again to see the kingdom of God. Anna looked up the scripture in John chapter 3. She asked friends what it meant to be born again. They dismissed the subject as nonsense. Anna tried to dismiss Gail’s warning by immersing herself in her journalism studies, but there was no escape.

Anna exited the college parking lot in her brown Dodge Dart, tears streaming down her face. What if Gail were right? What if there was more than being raised in a particular religion? She pulled her car to the side of the road and knelt on the rough pavement. “Please,” Anna prayed, “if you’re real, I gotta know. I need help.”

Suddenly, peace entered her heart, and everything around her intensified. The grass looked greener, the sky bluer. She saw a bird in flight and was struck with the realization that God made the bird.

“I can take you to the exact spot I had that experience,” Anna assured me. “Months later, my brother suggested I watch the 700 Club. Pat Robertson explained what it meant to be born again. I knelt by the TV and prayed for Jesus to come into my heart.”

Anna graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, married, and moved to San Antonio where she started her career making $5 an hour as a rookie weekend reporter. When a plane crashed, the station sent her to obtain a comment from the grieving family. Anna objected to the intrusion into their grief. Her boss demanded that she cover the story. She obeyed but knew this kind of broadcasting was not for her. As she endured the next year and a half to fulfill her contract, thoughts of Bible college entered her mind.

After she completed her contract, her husband accepted a job in New Orleans. They had already visited several churches when they walked into Victory Fellowship. His sincerity and rich teaching convinced them to stay. Anna enrolled in the church’s Bible College and looked for a place to serve. She hosted a short-lived television show sponsored by the church, taught Bible studies, and then became a section pastor in the women’s ministry.

“As I worked in the church, I learned submission, how to yield to God’s will, and how to discern his timing,” said Anna. “The most important thing I learned was how to love people. I didn’t care who they were, what they looked like, or how they smelled. I willingly embraced them. It was like having another born-again experience.”

Anna had dreamed of leading her own ministry for many years. During a staff meeting, she knew her time had come. One of the leaders asked her about dates for upcoming events. She replied, “It’s time for me to leave,” and submitted her resignation. Instead of giving Anna a going-away party, the church held a baby shower to celebrate the birth of a new ministry.

I couldn’t understand why I had such a difficult time getting a good headshot of Anna to include with the article I wrote for NOLA’s faith blog. Pictures abounded with her eyes closed, her mouth open, too much light, too dark, and with unflattering expressions she would not want made public. I decided to ask Anna for a posed photo when I attended her Annual Daytime Women’s Retreat. Ever gracious, she agreed to meet me outside so I could position her in a garden. Anna arrived with three friends. “Take a picture of all of us,” said Anna. I complied. She let her friends step aside so I could take the photo for the article.

Paul wrote to the Philippians that some preach the gospel out of selfish ambition, and some do so in love. As I spent time with Anna and those God gave her to shepherd, one thing shone brighter than the many facets of her ministry: the love between Anna and those who labored with her to proclaim the gospel. I used the photo of Anna and the friends she cherishes.

TO BE CONTINUED…