thankful for god's guidance
I am so thankful for God’s guidance. He has been doing his “God Thing” in my life in the area of fitness since 1992, taking me one step at a time from being a young mom looking for an exercise class to becoming an ACE certified fitness Instructor for Body & Soul® - something I never would have imagined, but it was His plan for me. In March 1992, I was six weeks postpartum and looking for an exercise class. I saw an ad in the window of the local grocery store for aerobics with babysitting - perfect! That was the start of my Body & Soul® journey. I enjoyed the music, exercise, fellowship, and prayer support – it was just what I needed for my physical and mental health. Over the course of time, my family moved from northern Virginia to Arkansas, then to New Jersey, and God was right there providing a Body & Soul® class I could attend each time. My New Jersey Instructor was Kathy Perry, a wonderful, dedicated woman. I stepped up to be her ride when she went to a Body & Soul® Instructor Training Workshop. God worked through this and guided Kathy to ask me to be her emergency substitute. I trusted God, said yes, and began to give back to the ministry I loved so much. As I attended workshops, God kept growing me. He knew I had to be ready for the next step.
Kathy began to have various health challenges and she called on me to lead the class as her sub more and more. She strongly encouraged me to become a full Instructor, but I wasn’t sure about taking that step. I was apprehensive about passing the Group Fitness Instructor exam and memorizing the calls to lead the class. As a sub, I was able to use the songs with calls. That was my comfort zone. But God is good at taking us out of our comfort zones for His divine purposes. When I attended the Body & Soul® RECHARGE™ Convention in 2022, God had big plans for me! I signed up for Training Day without really understanding what it was. God swept me up into the process of auditioning and I was approved to be an Instructor for Cardio Strength & Flexibility™. I felt supported and encouraged and God gave me excitement and enthusiasm to start this new journey. I even ordered my ACE materials and started studying, then in July 2023, I passed the ACE exam. I became a certified Instructor!
Kathy cheered me on, even as her health failed. Sadly, Kathy passed away at the beginning of September 2023. The Body & Soul® class members and I grieved her passing, and we are so thankful that she had done her part to keep the Body & Soul® class going by encouraging me to be ready to take over. We know she is dancing with the Lord in heaven right now. What a faithful servant of the Lord!
God has continued to nudge me forward. Now I am also approved to teach Body & Soul® Longevity Fit360™, Power Strength™ and Dance Blast™. I am excited to see where God will bring me next in my Body & Soul® journey.
by Sue Wilhoit
Paramus, New Jersey
Sue Wilhoit has loved Body & Soul® since attending her first class in 1992. She was a student and then a substitute teacher for many years before becoming an Instructor. Sue is part of a prison ministry team with Moms in Prayer International and enjoys serving in her church. She and her husband currently live in Northern NJ. They enjoy traveling and have three adult daughters and three grandchildren scattered from coast to coast.
