Welcome to Ms. Nelly's Sunday School Class

Welcome to Ms. Nelly's Sunday School Class

by Chetoca Barfield

 

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GENRE:   Christian Non-Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Join in on the fun as Ms. Nelly teaches her Sunday school class how to interact with God. Each story in this collection is ideal for reading aloud in just five minutes - a perfect fit for bedtime, story time, or anytime!

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Class: Everyone in the class raise their hands except for Cindy. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Thank you, class; please put your hands down. Cindy, would you like for me to repeat the question? 

 

Cindy: No, Ms. Nelly. I believe Jesus loves me…when he’s not sleeping. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Oh really, why would you say that? 

 

Cindy: God isn’t answering my prayers so, I believe he has fallen asleep. 

 

Class: Laughs 

 

Bhatti: God doesn’t sleep, Cindy. 

 

Ms. Nelly: You are right, Bhatti. God does not sleep. 

 

Cindy: Ok, if you say so.

 

Ms. Nelly: Yes, I do. Class, today we are working on our next Sunday school program. Our program is all about the blessings of God. Each of you will share your story on how God bless you or how you witness God blessing someone else. Would anyone like to share their story?

 

Theo: Yes, Ms. Nelly. God allowed my mom to give me chocolate chip cookies as a snack. This was a blessing from GOD. Mom never lets me eat anything sweet. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Very good, Theo. 

 

Victoria: God blessed my lunchbox. God allowed my mom to give me a lot of food for lunch. I shared half of my lunch with my friend, who left her lunch bag at home. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Victoria, that was nice of you to share your lunch with someone in need. 

 

Class: Yes, Yep, very nice.

 

Connor: God blessed me with the best adopted parents ever, Ms. Nelly. They cook for me, they spend time with me, and they kiss me at night and tell me how much they love me. 

 

Ms. Nelly: That’s wonderful, Connor.

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

No.  Of course, I’ve jokingly said “oh, maybe I will write a book one day”.  That’s all it was.  A JOKE.  Never in a million years would I have thought I would become an author.

 

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

 

My book is published with Absolute Author Publishing House.  Based in Louisiana this publishing house is really dedicated to helping infancy (such as myself) and mature authors navigate the conundrum of publishing.  The staff has a wealth of information ranging from editing to marketing to distribution.

 

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

 

Miquel Ruiz.  I love how he aligns spiritual guidance to everyday living.  His passion for helping others transform their lives through practical, simple steps to experience joy in the here and now is a welcome gift.

 

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

 

I think the best part about being an author is exercising a skill that I didn’t know existed.  The worst…Hmm, can’t think of nor have I experienced a downside.

 

5.What are you working on now?

 

Today I’m working on projects centered around my book Welcome to Ms. Nelly’s Sunday School Class such as well as partnering with churches to redesign programs for their children’s ministry. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

My name is Chetoca Barfield. I was born and raised in a small town located in Eastern North Carolina with my parents and 2 siblings; and older brother and younger sister.  Growing up I had dreams of becoming a lawyer.  There wasn’t anything that sparked this interest, but I knew early on in grade school that I loved to research and explain how things came to be.  

Graduating from high school I knew that I would pursue criminal justice studies at Elizabeth City State University (i.e., ECSU) with hopes of having a career as a criminal prosecutor. 

My freshman year in college I laid eyes on my dream guy who has been my husband for the last 19 years.  I knew the moment I saw him walk out of the café I was going to marry him. 

 

I know that may sound weird, but it’s the truth. Michael (my husband) and I didn’t begin dating until one year later.  It’s funny how things happen, but that is a story for another day.  In 2000 I graduated from ECSU and began working in corporate America a customer service representative.  At the same time, I was studying to taking the LSAT to enter law school.  

 

In 2003 Michael and I wed.  Marriage was fun, enjoyable, and I didn’t want anything to interrupt our marital bliss 😊except for the mini dachshund I adopted; his name is Baxter.  Baxter was a welcomed interruption, but I thought that was all the interruption we needed.  I made the decision to no longer pursue law school. 

 

To be honest studying has never been my strong suit.   Law school demands a lot of time and at that point in my life I wasn’t ready to commit. I enjoyed working in corporate America but knew staying in a customer service role wasn’t my “forever” career choice as I wanted to pursue a leadership role.

 

In 2006 I received my MBA degree from Strayer University.  During this time my corporate career was starting to take off.  I moved into a supervisory role and lead an operations team for a few years within the financial industry.  In 2011, I was offered a higher-level leadership opportunity with a different financial institution.   

 

It was the best decision I could have made for my career goals as I have thrived promotionally ever since.  Leading teams for the last 15 years led me down an unexpected path; mentoring.  I’ve mentored many colleagues and peers from a career development perspective.  I must say this was an un-disclose passion that I didn’t know I had until I was knee deep in it.  

 

As time progressed, mentoring evolved into to helping individuals, groups, etc. navigate life challenges.  Growing up in my household my parents had a rule for my siblings and me.  If we didn’t attend church on Sunday’s, we couldn’t go anywhere for the rest of the day.  Every Sunday we were in church.

 

While I didn’t appreciate going to the church as much as I did at that time, I’m thankful that I did.  It was through my Sunday school teacher that I learned how to develop a relationship with God.  As I’ve grown in my walk with Christ this vital lesson has helped me through many difficult moments.

 

When COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 all our lives were altered. The daily routines that were once in place was replaced with social isolation, mental health challenges, social injustice, and doubting faith.  The need of having a healthy support system was magnified and this need lead to the birth of Treasured Possession.  

 

Treasured Possession is a mentoring community that I created to provide encouragement, support, and tools to equip the body of Christ to lead healthy lives in body, mind, and spirit. The name Treasured Possession comes from Deuteronomy 7:6 (ESV) “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

 

You & I are his most Treasured Possession.

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Chetoca Barfield will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway