Women Who Inspire – Cyndi Peterfi-Woods
Cyndi Peterfi-Woods’ interview by Joy Mathis Chadwick
Christian Women Living Magazine would like for you to meet our newest author, Cyndi Peterfi-Woods. Cyndi is a sweetheart and a breath of fresh air to the blogging world. Cyndi will be sharing insights with us from the comfort of her kitchen table.
Joy Mathis Chadwick: Please introduce yourself and give us a brief history of you and your family.
Cyndi Peterfi-Woods: Hi, my name is Cyndi! I am a wife, mother, writer, crafter, friend and ministry leader. But most importantly, I am a daughter of the King. I have two children and two four legged babies. One is of the canine variety and one is feline. My husband and I married in 1998 on Thanksgiving weekend. We brought our first child and the first grandson on both sides of the family, into the world in November of 1999. Two years later we welcomed our daughter in September of 2001. The journey has been filled with tears of laughter, fear, shock, shame, disappointment, happiness, and so many other reasons. Facing the empty nest years brings a whole new set of tear-filled emotions at this stage of our lives but we will face them together alongside Jesus.
JMC: Please give us a summary on your journey with Christ — from the time you accepted Christ, to how you started in ministry.
CPW: I always knew the “story of Jesus”, but got to know Him for myself while dating my now husband. He had grown up in the church but had sort of lost his way a little and that’s when we met. I was searching and he was still sort of lost. We found Jesus together and were baptized together on August 20, 1998. We’ve traveled the road together ever since. I was unsure of serving in any sort of ministry as I often had been and honestly still am, the lone ranger, as it were, being blind and being in ministry. However, I had the opportunity to serve as women’s ministry assistant shortly after being baptized. So, with a trembling but humbled heart, I accepted. After a few short years of being an assistant, I then moved into the director position. I served there for more than fifteen years and I loved every moment. God allowed me to face my fear I had about how I could serve as a person with a disability and showed me that HE is my ability. All we need is a willing heart and He will do the rest. I’ve served in the capacity of women’s ministry director, Bible teacher, social committee director, and currently I’m the prayer ministry director at my church. It has been an honor to serve the Lord.
JMC: When did you first become interested in writing? Did you personally know someone else who was an inspiration for you to write? When you first began to write, would you have imagined yourself where you are now?
CPW: I fell in love with the written word in seventh grade while listening to my English teacher read stories aloud to us with such theatrics and passion. Though I had no desire to write those types of stories, I knew I wanted to write. I had an aunt who was a writer but I didn’t know too much about her writing other than she wrote historical information. I wrote an article in tenth grade about seeing homeless people alongside the road and how this shouldn’t be. I felt like there needed to be more help available for them in our country. My local newspaper published the article and I was the high school celebrity for about a whole day. Then it was business as usual. But I was hooked. I wrote fictional stories for my own pleasure and didn’t start writing inspirational pieces until about six years ago. I woke up at around 3:00 a.m. with poetry flowing through my mind. I didn’t really get into poetry so this was puzzling to be sure. I had no working knowledge of computers so, no, I didn’t have any expectation of being where I am now.
JMC: Tell us a bit about your blog. Where do you get your inspiration?
CPW: After getting computer training, I set up my blog with a title that just popped into my head. I feel that the Lord had specific plans for my blog to be titled “Around the Table” as He knew my joy and love for hospitality. Plus, we often do our most valuable conversing around our tables. I often get my inspiration from how I’m feeling, a passage in the Bible that has inspired a sermon in my mind, or sometimes it’s one of those “middle of the night” revelations. I awaken with an idea that formed in a dream or simply randomly finds its way into my thoughts.
JMC: If you could interview anyone, who would you choose and why? Where would be the ideal place for you to conduct this interview?
CPW: If I could interview Helen Keller in the privacy and intimacy of my home, I would ask her the question that I’ve struggled with myself… “How do you find the strength and inspiration to press forward with your goals and dreams when you run up against the challenges of a disability and no one seems to know how to give you a boost?” I know the Lord has called me to write and speak but if I’m being honest, it can be a lonely and exhausting journey sometimes. But He gives me the strength.
JMC: Technology has advanced so much in the last 5-10 years, how has this affected your challenge of navigating the writing world while being blind? Do you have a specific routine for writing?
CPW: When I was set on this path of writing, I didn’t even know how to turn a computer on. My vision had worsened from about seventy percent sight loss to ninety percent. Blindness is a spectrum and I fall towards the farther end with only ten percent sight. Accessibility features have opened many doors but technology has also been my biggest hurdle. Many advances have been made for online websites and the key feature to these sites is how visually appealing they are to visitors. Adding graphics and photos to my blog has been a challenge but I’m so grateful to have the ability to put my words to type and have a handful of people want to read them. I write when God inspires me but I’m writing almost hourly in my mind. I sometimes feel fenced in if I try and force my own inspiration for writing. But God has never failed me in inspiration.
JMC: On a personal note, what has been your biggest struggle as a blind person that anyone else might take for granted?
CPW: I think the things that have been most challenging for me that most people may not think about on the daily are simply getting in the car and going to do those seemingly mundane tasks of shopping for groceries, running their kids to yet another school event or overnight stay with friends, or doing a much-needed task for a friend or family member who needs assistance; to have that freedom to live an adult life and not feel like a habitual teenager asking for a ride from mom to the mall. But again, God has held me together and lifted my spirits countless times so it’s my honor to serve Him with writing and speaking as He leads.
JMC: What do you think is the biggest challenge for those women with barriers to have an effective ministry?
CPW: I think that any barriers in our way are often put there by our own fears and the ideas that it all depends on us. However, there are those barriers that other people put up, maybe even unintentionally, that seem to discredit someone as not being capable of ministry because of a disability. Like perhaps they simply “can’t” possibly do that effectively. There will always be road blocks or barriers, the key is to use our God-given abilities and creativity to go around them. The only way to do that is to keep our eyes on Jesus, take hold of His arm and let Him lead the way. I try to live by my favorite verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
JMC: What is your go to for inspiration?
CPW: My inspiration is found in my world around me. I listen to conversations and draw out feelings and emotions and find how they connect to a scripture I’ve connected with. I have a heart for story telling and I have a tendency to create a parable-like situation to illustrate scripture or a lesson. I’m kind of known for my analogies.
JMC: What is the most practical thing that keeps you focused on God and His calling?
CPW: Ironically, for me, the thing that keeps me focused is if someone suggests that because of my limitations, that it might be wise to pursue something a little less challenging. I’m not afraid of the work it takes to pursue my God given calling, I’m afraid of not pursuing it at all.
JMC: As a writer, what is your biggest fear or concern?
CPW: My fear as a writer is that the words I write will have a little too much “me” and not enough “God”. I want the words I write to reflect Him only. Also, that the thousands of words God gives me to write would go unread.
JMC: What do you do when life feels overwhelming?
CPW: When I’m overwhelmed by life, I step back from writing because I don’t want my words to mirror my feelings. I will wait to organize my thoughts before spewing angry or reactive words on to the keyboard. I will write honestly, but thoughtfully. I take time to talk to God. I don’t know that I would label it “praying”, it’s more like just a conversation. I think praying is more reverent then “having it out” with God. I’m never disrespectful, just honest and God can handle that. I also, on a more practical note, take some time to be; you know, make a cup of tea or coffee, sit on the couch and binge watch my favorite show, Little House on the Prairie.
JMC: What advice do you have for someone who might feel the calling to write but doesn’t know how to begin?
CPW: My advice to new writers isn’t the typical advice. Most people say “just start writing”. I would say “just start praying”. Writing is hard work and people need to be sure it’s really a calling. If we just simply like to write journal entries or throw a little blip on social media about our day, writing may not be a calling. The words we hold in our minds and thoughts have to be put down on paper or digital paper, this is how we can know that writing is more than a hobby. As I said, writing is hard work and I’ve learned that the hard way. But to spite the multitude of roadblocks and hurdles, I still write; this is how I know God is asking me to do so. If this sounds familiar, then you, too, are called to write. I read in a book that the difference between writers and published authors is that published authors never give up. Writing is fulfilling and exhausting, invigorating and taxing, thrilling and depleting, exciting and frustrating, and the greatest calling I ever loved and hope to succeed at. Simply put… I love words.
JMC: I knew from the very first conversation with Cyndi Woods that I had found a new friend. She’s just that kind of down-to-earth person who puts her whole heart into everything she does. Get a glimpse of her heart for yourself from her blog, “Around the Table” or on Facebook at @cyndiwoodswriter .
