LAFAYETTE PARISH — Revina Amos spends her days serving others in Lafayette Parish. At 60, she says her life has been filled with chapters, each one shaping her mission today. “Oh my, well I have to say that my story — because I’m 60 now — my story has so many chapters,” Amos said.
Those chapters include founding the nonprofit Extended Hands and serving as an active member of Spirit of Liberty Global Ministries in Lafayette Parish. “We go out and set up large yard sales in those neighborhoods — and we redirect and redistribute everything that’s been donated back to the community,” she explained.
Her work, she says, is about empowering others. “A lot of people that we come in contact with, they don't want anybody to fix things for them. They want the resources and the ability to fix it for themselves,” Amos said.
Amos says her desire to serve comes from growing up with very little. “We grew up poor. To move to the projects was an upgrade… Everything was part of making me who I am — not being attached to people or things, just focused on the purpose”. That purpose has carried her through a career in the U.S. Army, “I was in the military for 13 years — jumping out of airplanes. I was an airborne paratrooper, military intelligence, had top secret clearance — and I loved it,” she said.
But life after the military brought challenges. “But I was in the world, and the world that I was in at the time was violent and it was destructive, and I had to navigate through it. But there was a light in me that God never let go out,” Amos said. She adds that she also faces serious health risks when dealing with emotional stress. “My body is wired so that if I become too emotionally distraught, my heart goes into cardiac arrest. I had two cardiac arrests — one when my mom passed and the second one was recently in April when my husband passed” .
Speaking about her late husband, she said, “He was genuine, and it’s hard to find people who are real in this day and time. It was refreshing to find him and I felt truly honored and truly blessed that God did give me nine years.” Reflecting on her losses, Amos added, “I’ve learned to accept the fact, and I do believe that it’s a gift; and it’s fallen to the ground and planted more seeds, and another tree is planted, and that tree is feeding others, you know.”
Despite the pain and loss she has experienced, Amos continues to focus on her mission. “There was a light in me that God never let go out,” she said.
