The Most Important Question

Guest blog – Vernon Liverett

I recently had the opportunity to do intake at the food pantry. Before shopping, people sit down with a volunteer to complete or update a food bank form. Ours is a client-choice pantry, where people choose groceries their families can use. It is the type the San Antonio Food Bank recommends.

To me, the most important question comes after the form is completed: “How can I pray for you today?” That question opens a conversation beyond the paperwork and gives us an opportunity to bring the person’s concerns to our heavenly Father.

This is when people may share a fear or concern they have been carrying. I don’t regularly get to do this but when I do it often is very emotional. Recently, a man told me that his mother and his partner had both died within the last three months. He had also been evicted and had to live under a bridge for several days before he could find a place to live. He was overwhelmed by all that had happened. Another young man shared that he had a young son with Down Syndrome. He was unemployed and looking for a job. A woman shared that she was struggling to care for her mother who has dementia.

These conversations remind me how much it matters to listen, show compassion, and care about the person sitting across from us. This question allows us to really connect with them.

Our care does not depend on whether someone attends church, but when they know that we truly care about them, they are much more receptive to an invitation to any of the activities on our campus. This might include ceramics, the Tuesday meal, Divine Women or just coming to worship or Bible study. To me this is why I believe the question, “How can I pray for you?” is the most important thing we ask. It’s not just asked at the food pantry, but also at the thrift store, at the Saturday food distribution, and the Tuesday night meal.

A Journey of Faith, Service, and Sign Language

Jazzmen Wilken’s story is one of adventure, faith, and a deep commitment to helping others. Growing up in a military family as one of four children, she experienced a life of constant movement. “About every four years or so, we moved,” she recalled. Those early experiences taught her adaptability, a quality that would shape much of her adult life.

One of the most significant chapters of her life began with a simple conversation with the man who would become her husband. Before they were married, they dreamed about living somewhere beyond the United States. On a whim, they settled on a destination neither of them knew much about. “We just looked at each other, I said, ‘New Zealand?’ He’s like, ‘New Zealand.’” Years later, that dream became reality when her husband accepted a position in New Zealand, and the family made the move.

While a stay-at-home mom raising children overseas, Wilken became passionate about mental health and founded a nonprofit focused on creativity as a tool for healing. The organization encouraged people to express themselves through activities such as yo-yoing, dance, and art. Reflecting on its mission, she explained, “If you do something creative, it helps you to let go of some of the things, maybe depression or anxiety or stress.” Her work brought joy and connection to shelters and community spaces, where sometimes the goal was simply “to laugh and smile.”

Upon returning to the United States, she found work as a teacher's aide and later as a co-teacher. Yet another unexpected turn came when she felt compelled to learn American Sign Language (ASL). As she described it, “One night God was like, ‘Hey, go learn sign language at San Antonio College.’” Trusting that prompting, she enrolled and began what would become a transformative journey.

Wilken immersed herself in the Deaf community, attending events and learning directly from native signers. Her dedication paid off when she passed the basic Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) certification exam in Texas, allowing her to work professionally as a sign language interpreter. “God has given me the skill that I need,” she said.

Her search for opportunities to practice ASL led her to Family Deaf Church. At the time, she knew very little sign language, joking that she could barely sign her own name. Yet the congregation welcomed her with patience and encouragement. “It was really their warm and welcoming demeanor and attitudes that made me keep going back,” she remembered. Through those relationships, she developed both her language skills and her connection to the community. She eventually became an interpreter for the church. Sometimes she signs vocalization and other times vocalizing ASL.

Underlying all these experiences is Wilken’s faith. Raised by parents who were ministers, she has long viewed her life through a spiritual lens. One childhood memory remains especially vivid. After being baptized at age seven, she emerged from the water feeling transformed. “I felt lighter,” she recalled. “I feel like I could float away.” Later in life, she intentionally tested the beliefs she had inherited, seeking proof through experience. Time and again, she felt that God was present and guiding her path.

Today, Wilken works as a sign language interpreter, serving clients across a variety of settings. Looking ahead, she envisions a bright future for Family Deaf Church. She hopes to see the church grow and expand its outreach through services such as counseling, food assistance, and resource support specifically designed for the Deaf community. “I see them continuing to grow and expanding their reach,” she said.

From a young girl moving from place to place, to a nonprofit founder in New Zealand, to an interpreter serving the Deaf community, Wilken’s story demonstrates how faith, service, and a willingness to follow unexpected opportunities can shape a remarkable life journey.

Everything in That Bible Is True

John-Michael Marroquin came to our campus because a friend needed groceries.

Her husband had lost his job, and she needed help with food. John-Michael brought her to the Highland Park CAN food pantry. There Vernon Liverett told him about the Tuesday community dinner.

"It is a free meal," Marroquin thought, "and I am going because I need fellowship."

He also needed a church.

In 2004, while living in Houston, Marroquin was diagnosed with a neurological illness. It shook him, but it did not drive him from his faith. At first, he admits, he lived in denial. Then a friend challenged him to take the Bible seriously.

"Read the Bible. Do everything in the Bible that it tells you to do," his friend said. "I guarantee that in one year your life will change. What do you have to lose? If everything in that Bible is true, you have everything to gain."

Marroquin accepted the challenge. In 2006, he joined Grace Community Church in Houston. Faith became more than Sunday worship. He studied the Bible, prayed daily, and tried to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

His life changed. He received a job promotion to general manager, responsible for about 30 accounts. His income grew. So did his faith. 

He joined the church choir, though the first rehearsal tested more than his voice. He stood in front and sang with everything he had. One of the men soon approached him. "John," he said, "you might want to go sit in the back."

Marroquin stayed with the 268-member choir. He had come to sing for the Lord. The Lord began by working on his pride.

The illness did not disappear. Stress made it worse, and John-Michael eventually left the corporate work he had once considered a success. "God removed that," he said. "He wanted me to go somewhere else, and I followed Him."

That somewhere else was the road. Marroquin began training for a commercial driver's license. In Waxahachie, discouraged by a test he was afraid he could not pass, he stood outside and prayed. "Lord, why am I here?" he asked. "Where am I supposed to go? What am I doing?"

When he turned around, he saw a woman who was also a Christian. She later became his second wife. They married in 2015, drove together, and talked about God with people they met along the way. Not everyone wanted to listen. They spoke anyway.

In 2016 he was hospitalized while on the road, a year later his wife’s health problems brought an end to their time driving together. So, Marroquin went to work for Greyhound. He drove interstate routes from 2017 until 2022 and called it the best job he ever had. Another surgery brought his years behind the wheel to an end.

His marriage ended too. The divorce was hard. He drifted from the life he believed God had called him to live and searched for a church where he could belong. The search brought him to Baptist Temple when a friend needed groceries. He came for food and found fellowship and the connection to God he always longed for.

"I was led to you by God," he said. "I feel the presence of God here."

When asked what God had placed in his heart, Marroquin did not hesitate.

"To minister," he said. "To spread the gospel, the Word of God, and share it with others. His amazing grace, the testimonies that we have, the things that I have seen. I can say today that everything in that Bible is true.”