Home Page .  Let me introduce myself. I am a freelance writer with a deep desire to use this gift to the glory of God. For about ten years, I worked as a literacy specialist in the Philippines with SIL (formerly Summer Institute of Linguistics). During that time, I spent my spare time writing. I finished a women's Bible study which has been used throughout that country entitled Diamonds In The Rough, Jewels In The Making (published under my former name, Jenny Golden). In 2002, one of my children's stories, Gaya's Gift, was published there in diglot (English/Tagalog). Children are enjoying that book both at home and in school, where teachers are using it to reinforce their English lessons. I've also written both news and feature articles for one of Manila's nationally distributed newpapers, The Philippine Star. In my work with SIL, I had opportunities to write curriculum to get vernacular story books and Scripture into use in Filipino public schools. Business letters, website updates for a non-profit corporation, publicity and promotional materials and even ghost-written personal correspondence are also included in my writing experience. I also enjoy writing poetry, short stories, memoirs and biographies. I have a B.A. in Christian Missions, an M.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Education, and other graduate work in linguistics and literacy. I am blessed with a fabulous husband, Gary. We are empty nesters, currently in the process of spoiling our calico cat, Monet. ****** Book Review C. L. Martin, Editor, HEART magazine What the Locusts Had Eaten
The Nikki O’Baire Story
One of the fascinating things about Nikki O’Baire’s true story is that she actually lived to tell it. Her journey takes us through an abusive, broken childhood, early-age marriage and many failed relationships, addictions to drugs and alcohol, brushes with the law, and her near-death mafia experience.
Nikki proved we can move on and beyond our past and trust God to provide help and hope from surprising and unexpected sources. Jennifer Evans, a seasoned writer and dedicated Christian, recognized a redemption story in the life of Nikki O’Baire, and hopes others will see the redemptive value of their own lives. Others who are, as Jennifer puts it, “…victims who become wounded parents…who look for love in all the wrong places…who have given up on prayer.” As Jennifer says, “God never wastes our pain.”
I have always preferred reading biographical reality over fiction and fantasy. It is amazing to discover how someone’s life unfolds, how the choices we make – or others make for us – put us on pathways that could easily destroy us. Nikki O’Baire refused to let difficult circumstances rule her life. Instead, she turned to God and received strength to overcome and grace to become someone with hopeful drive and determination that could only come from God.
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| The Nikki O'Baire Story Nikki O’Baire lived the events of this book on the border between dogged self-sufficiency and raw helplessness. One after another, her saviors disappointed her. At the end of her resources and on the brink of self-destruction, she  found the only Savior really worth trusting.
There is hardly a struggle women face that doesn’t surface in this true story: physical and sexual abuse as a child, exploitation in her teen years, escape into marriage at fifteen, mother of four by twenty-two, miscarriage, malignant cancer during her fourth pregnancy, nervous breakdown, divorce, single motherhood, heroin addiction, arrest and conviction on drug charges, kidnapping of her children, attempted suicide, rape, rehab, romance with a member of the Mafia, loss of her oldest to AIDS, promise of a country music career…. Throughout Nikki’s life, she searched for the approval she missed as a child. She longed for tenderness, but serial romances only left her empty. Her escape grew into a nightmare of addiction stripping her of everything she deemed precious. God brought Nikki through an almost unbelievable chain of events to lead her to the end of herself and draw her to Him.
****** NOW AVAILABLE: Go to any bookstore and use this ISBN: 9781602665309 ****** Here’s what people are saying about What The Locusts Had Eaten, The Nikki O’Baire Story:
“Christ redeemed the life of the wayward woman at the well. He continues that process even today. How many of us sit in pews never knowing the stories of those around us? Jennifer Evans believes every life is a book waiting to be written. The story of Nikki O'Baire is one of generational and sexual sin, abandonment, pomiscuity, drugs, and alcohol. Jennifer has written Nikki's story of abuse and redemption with sensitivity and perspective, reminding us that God never wastes our suffering. She has told the story masterfully. I started reading and couldn't put it down!
The title comes from Joel, "I will repay you for the years the locust have eaten... and you will praise the name of the Lord... never again will my people be shamed." Nikki O'Baire's is one such life. Thanks for telling her story, Jenny.”
Jean Lieffers, author of
BY WORD: 31 Days of Literacy & Language Snellville, GA
Having known Nikki and Jay for the past 5 years or so, I was more than excited to read a book about her life. Nikki has always inspired me to a deeper love for Christ by the countenance on her face. Now I know why she is so grateful to a God who literally rescued her from death. Jenny Evans did a fantastic job of taking this incredible story of redemption and somehow making it come to life before my eyes. I am more convinced than ever that it is through our trials that God strengthens us and prepares us for a greater kingdom impact. If you think there is no hope in life, read on…
Verna Law
Verna Law Ministries If you are searching for a real story of the redemptive work of God you will not be disappointed when you read, What the Locusts Had Eaten. Jennifer Evans, the author, has crafted the compelling story of Nikki O’Baire. On every page Jenny unfolds Nikki’s life of despair and the entanglement of hopelessness . My heart ached for Nikki’s helpless state… drunkenness, abuse, dead end relationships. Life! However, her rescue from despair was not lost to this earthly life, she was captured by the absolute love of God and gained a new life.
If you know of someone who is drowning in the unforgiving sea of this life give them a gift, invite them to journey through the pages of this book and be saved from a life of hopelessness to a new life of hope with a bright future.
Karen Loritts Family Life Conference Speaker --More on the Testimonials Page-- |