Today we’d like to introduce you to Dieula Previlon.
Dieula, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Haiti, I was the youngest of four daughters. My parents left Haiti to ensure a better life for me and my older sisters. That journey of securing a better life for us, kept us separated for 10 years. I didn’t officially meet my parents as a verbal adolescent until the age of 11. Needless to say, those years of being separated were difficult; everyone sacrificed something. We were then finally reunited as a whole family in 1987 in NJ but by then I had two younger siblings knocking me out of the youngest child category. Those first couples of years in America were marked by trauma and constant emotional stress. Not only was I in a new country but everything about this new country was different from my country of origin; the climate was different, the language was different (English was my third language to learn), the way people were dressed was different, the culture was different, even the way the food tasted was different. I spent many days Isolated and alone. Fast forward to college where I began seeing the benefits of my parents and our entire family’s sacrifices. I was able to receive an education, to dream of doing something meaningful with my life and my favorite part; I was able to meet people from all walks of life, some of which are my best friends to this day. It often feels like I accidentally arrive at different opportunities in my life but because of my faith in God, I know God has been the overwhelming presence leading me to where I am in life. During my last semester in college, I became pregnant and married; we soon became a family of three and then five. Though the decision to have children and become married during my last semester in college was difficult, it’s one of the decisions that changed the trajectory of my life.
During those first few years of marriage and as a mother, I became a school teacher, a profession that would give me the first big clue to the career paths I would take. After four years of full time teaching, the family and I left NJ, to Dallas as I attend Dallas Seminary to obtain my masters in counseling. Again, a decision I believe was ordained by God. Soon after seminary, I landed a job at a megachurch in Irving, TX as a missions pastor. In this role, I was afforded opportunities to travel all over the world to support national leaders in their work in their country of origin. I was able to join them, support them, celebrate their work and tell stories of what I’d seen national leaders doing to change their country. During my last trip with the church, I led a trauma healing trip in Kenya for a group of women in Mt. Elgon. That trip cemented my passion for elevating women all over the world; to see women healed from trauma, to see women used in leadership, to see women use their gifts to reach their fullest potentials. Too often women bear the burden of suffering in their families and communities after traumatic events. ElevateHer provides training, conferences, seminars and one-on-one counseling to help women on their healing journeys. We believe once a woman has received the healing necessary to progress in life, they are then better able to support their families and make a difference in their communities. ElevateHer is a part of my story, once a woman is elevated out of gratitude, she elevates other women. That is my story.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, my journey had not been a smooth road at all. In addition to being separated from my family and the challenges of my immigrant experience in America, being pregnant with only one semester left in college was one of the greatest challenges I faced as a young adult. I feared the criticism of my church, which were many but most of all, I feared to disappoint my parents who sacrificed all they had to give us a better life. I was the first in my family to attend college, so my family was expecting great things out of me, not marriage and certainly not a baby without first being married. Though the journey of motherhood and marriage have been challenging, they have shaped me into the person I am today. Another obstacle I faced along the way, was the profession I entered, doing pastoral work as a woman, as a Black woman. If there is one profession a Black woman is to enter to ensure limited already created opportunities, it has to be pastoral work.
Women, in this line of work, have to be ready to create opportunities for themselves. The pastoral office is still one that is designated for men. So when a woman senses God has not only gifted them but also called them into the work of pastoral ministries, their response is often marked by confusion. I was confused and feared to share my desires with anyone in fear of not being taken seriously and being met with suspicion. When that began to happen, I knew I had to be bi-vocational. So in addition to the pastoral work, I was being led into, I started becoming more serious with my other vocation, counseling and life coaching. I am now a pastor, counselor and life coach.
Please tell us about your organization.
The vision of ElevateHer is to Empower women to heal from trauma and become instruments for healing, peace and hope through large and small group trauma and life skills training. Too often women bear the burden of suffering in their families and communities after traumatic events occur. ElevateHer provides training, conferences, seminars and one-on-one counseling to help women heal from these traumas. Once these women have gone through their training, we offer them further opportunities to become healing leaders in their communities.
The work of ElevateHer began in the walls of Lew Sterret jail in the women’s unit in Dallas. My first session with the women was called “Her story, my story and our story”. I used the stories of women from the bible to teach the women that we all have a story; oftentimes that story has pain and suffering but it is important to choose life every step of the way. After two years of training in the Dallas jail, we started offering training in Haiti.
In 2020, we are offering training in Uganda, Haiti and for the very first time, we are offering racial trauma healing groups for Black women in Dallas.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One on of my favorite childhood memories is of me and my siblings living in our apartment in NJ on 833 Stuyvesant Ave, we often reminisce or lament of our years at 833. I have 5 sisters and 1 brother, the youngest among us and who recently passed. I will always be grateful to them for who I am today.
Pricing:
- $130 per session
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.dieulaprev
ilon.com/ - Email: dieulaprevilon@gmail.
com - Instagram: intagram.com/
dieulap - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ pastordieulaprevilon/ - Twitter: twitter.com/dieula
Pricing:
- $130 per session
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.elevateherinternational.org/
- Email: dieulaprevilon@gmail.com
- Instagram: intagram.com/dieulap
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastordieulaprevilon/
- Twitter: twitter.com/dieula
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