Rev. Yvonne, Someone You Might Like to Meet

Someone You Might Like to Meet

Yvonne McAndrew,

If you’ve been around Rev. Yvonne McAndrew at all you’ve very likely heard her say, “God is good… ALL THE TIME!”  As one member of Unity OKC said, Rev. Yvonne is a living, breathing, walking example of living in the belief of that statement.

When you listen to Rev. Yvonne talk about her husband Patrick you get the idea that even after nearly 30 years of marriage she still feels like meeting him is one of the best things that has happened in her life.  No doubt her daughter Shavonne is one of the other best things!  In 1979 Yvonne and Patrick met at the Marriott Hotel at O’Hare Airport where they were both working.  “I was a chili dog, cheeseburger, french fries person before I met Patrick”, said Yvonne.  “I didn’t eat many vegetables.”  Not long after they started dating Patrick wanted to cook dinner for her and she accepted his invitation.  It was a big surprise when he cooked a healthy vegetarian meal for them!  There’s nothing like finding out right away about things you don’t have in common.

Marriott frowned on fraternization and Yvonne wanted to date Patrick so she changed jobs and started working for Hertz at O’Hare.  Having good business sense, she was very successful with Hertz and eventually had a Hertz franchise in Evanston, IL, before they moved to Kansas City, MO for ministerial school.

Yvonne was born and raised in Chicago, IL.  She was a middle child with one older brother and one younger brother.  When she was only seven her parents divorced resulting in many moves for Yvonne, her mom and her brothers and many changes of schools.  Her parents’ separation also contributed to a strained and distant relationship between Yvonne and her father, which thankfully, she was later able to heal.

“Religious training?, said Yvonne.  “I didn’t have any except the idea that I should find whatever beliefs suited me.”  Her mom was raised Seventh Day Adventist and her dad Catholic.  Both had been forced to go to church as children and by the time they reached adulthood they felt they were gagging on religion.  Not wanting to do to their children what had been done to them, they offered no religious guidance, allowing the pendulum to swing to the opposite extreme.  Left to discover religion for herself, Yvonne began searching in her late teens.  None of the churches she visited felt like a fit so she gave up for a while.  But even at that time she had a knowing that she was always provided for.  One example of how she lived that belief is the way she trusted the money would always show up in time to pay the rent.  And sometimes, working as a waitress, she would be three days from rent being due and a great deal short of having the money.  “But it always showed up, just in time,” said Yvonne.

After Yvonne and Patrick had been married for about five years she hit bottom emotionally.  She was literally on her knees one night praying, “God help me.”  The next day she went to see her mom.  Unexpectedly, Yvonne’s mom invited her to go to a Wednesday night class at the Unity Church of Oak Park in Chicago… and she went.  The teacher showed a painting of a woman and asked each person in the class to share their first impression of the painting.  “I saw a very desperate woman”, Yvonne said.  After each student shared, the teacher told them that whatever they saw reflected themselves.  That is when awareness of her situation hit Yvonne right in the face and opened a crack in her consciousness.  She started attending Unity and healing hurts.

Like many who come to Unity, when Yvonne walked into Unity in Chicago she knew she had found what she’d been looking for.   She says she went to everything they offered, often making the one hour each way drive  4-5 times a week.  She always invited Patrick who, for a long time, showed no interest.  Then one night, much to her surprise, his usual ‘no’ answer turned into a ‘yes’.  As they say, “The rest is history.”  It wasn’t long before Yvonne, who was waiting for a vacation to Hawaii or California or Florida found herself on a two-week vacation at Unity Village in Missouri instead.  Now, all these years later, neither of the Reverends can imagine themselves doing anything else but what they do.

Out of her darkness and living in the Light, Yvonne now has a hard time remembering when she didn’t trust her intuitive voice.  In fact, now she says, “I know when my messages are from God because I feel it in every cell in my body.”  And when that voice tells her something, she says she begins to wonder what’s taking so long when that thing doesn’t happen right away.  Interestingly, and humorously I think, Yvonne also has learned to recognize the voice of her internal personal ego.  She even has a name for her ego voice… Tawanda.  Those of you who have ever watched the movie Fried Green Tomatoes probably recognize that name as a character with a strong will!

As someone at Unity said, “Yvonne is someone who is passionate about peace on our planet.” That is clearly evident in her involvement with Non-Violent Communication, Heart Math, and the Be Peace program.  Last year she manifested a trip to the Global Peace Summit in Costa Rica.  Her inner voice told her “You’re going to that Summit.”   Then a string of synchronistic events led to her being able to go (money showed up at the last minute just like when she was a waitress). Yvonne says that if the money had not shown up she knows it would have been because there was a reason for her not to get on the plane.

About Yvonne’s preaching one member shared these feelings.  “I never feel like I’m being preached at, but that a glowing, sensitive person is sharing parts of her journey with me and allowing me to grow through them.”  I’ll leave you with those words and an invitation to meet Rev. Yvonne if you haven’t, or continue enjoying her if you already know her.

by Linda Pucket

Unity Newsletter, February 2010