YadaFactor’s Generational Legacy

By May 10, 2023Blogroll

A Mother’s Day Story

written by Lisa Tammaro, YadaFactor participant 

At least a decade ago, my mom passionately shared with me that she had joined a group of women whose sole purpose was to help other women experience and know God more intimately. Despite her enthusiasm, my marital turmoil ironically caused me to be circumspect. Consumed with worry, I simply couldn’t manage the stress of a commitment, and was reluctant to share with a triad group the tragedies that had fallen upon me and my children at the hands of my then husband who suddenly seemed a stranger to me. Always praying and patiently waiting for God’s perfect timing, Mom often mentioned the impact YadaFactor had on her life, and she occasionally would ask me to prayerfully consider joining. I justified that to decompress meant minimizing obligations, including YadaFactor; and furthermore, to rehash the past, even with God, seemed to be reliving the trauma. I just wanted to move forward with a “normal” life, while denying the impact of our experience. So, I opted to keep my relationship with God private.

As God would have it, new challenges surfaced. With perseverance, I pressed on, reaching out to God, but always keeping Him at arm’s length for fear of what He might bring next. Anxiety seized every fiber of my being. My emotions were at odds and waged war with my intellect over confidence in God’s love for me and faith in His goodness. All the while, Mom persisted in prayer, never giving up on me and, moreover, never giving up on God. Feeling defeated in life, and with nothing to lose, I agreed to take the Yada Factor Experience course. God’s providence was immediately evident. The women in our triad had been perfectly chosen, each of us with a history and disposition that complemented one another.

Journeying through the 7 week course together, we discovered new ways to approach our time with the Lord that opened our hearts and minds to hear Him speaking into the depths of our lives and situations. Most unique was the method taught on how to encourage and support one another to hear from God. When the 7 week course came to an end, our triad had formed a strong bond. We had all grown with one another in our relationship with the Lord and so opted to continue together on our own.

In the year and a half since our triad began, my relationship with God has deepened. While my circumstances have not changed significantly, I have. I come boldly before God, I wrestle with Him, I trust He still loves me in my moments of doubt, and I’m learning to trust God’s process even when it’s counterintuitive.

Accepting my faith ups and downs, I now appreciate my journey alongside God, instead of feeling guilt and shame, because I know He accepts me. In adherence to the Hebrew meaning of Yada, I am discovering what it is to know and be known by God. The blessing of my beautifully faithful, prayerful Mom has brought me into a deeper, richer relationship with my Lord and Savior through YadaFactor; and for that, I am truly eternally grateful.

Photo: Lisa and her mother Beverly


A Praying Mother

by Beverly Ristuccia, Lisa’s mother and YadaFactor Coach

I’ve been reflecting on my time coaching women in YadaFactor over the years and the impact that it’s had on my life and the lives of so many women. I’ve been a witness to the saving work of Christ in women who were so lost and suffering, I’ve seen women who found freedom from their burdening circumstances because they drew on Jesus’ strength and I’ve been an eyewitness to the sanctification, transformation, and personal spiritual growth of hundreds of women as a result of the YadaFactor ministry which teaches the disciplines and tools necessary to hear God speak into each of our lives through His written Word.

Over the years, I’ve shared with my children how YadaFactor has been life changing for me and how it’s extraordinarily deepened my personal relationship with my Savior. I’ve learned that I can’t live the Christian life on my own strength and that I need to abide day by day and remain in Christ in order to overcome life’s hardships and to bear fruit, John 15:5. YadaFactor has provided me with the tools to do just that through the hard won discipline of getting into God’s Word daily and seeking to hear His sweet soft voice speak to me as I begin my day by asking Him, “Lord, what do you have to say to me today?”

Not only does God show up for me and meet me in my need but He has transformed my life by drawing me into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him and by empowering me to obey and serve Him as I rely on His strength ( 2 Cor.12:9-10 ) to bear fruit and do the work he has foreordained for me to do ( Eph. 2:10 ).

Having seen what God has done in my life through this ministry, I desired with all of my heart to leave a legacy for my children. I began praying for my daughters to take the YadaFactor Experience course. I knew that my daughter Lisa was struggling with some major life issues and needed to hear from God to allay her fears and receive wisdom and guidance from Him. As her mother, nothing brought me more joy than when she accepted my encouragement and invitation to take the course.

Since that time, I’ve seen Lisa become intentional about her daily devotional time with the Lord. There are days when she will share her concerns with me but she knows that our conversation will inevitably end with my saying, “Well, pray about it and see what God has to say to you.” Although Lisa continues to face some challenges, I see her radiate the peace of God, which was once missing in her life, as she hears from God and trusts Him to lead her through these times of uncertainty.

I’m deeply grateful for YadaFactor, as I’ve experienced the joy and peace of seeing Lisa blessed through this ministry. Although Lisa, at times, is powerless against her circumstances and not knowing what she should do, YadaFactor has taught her first to seek God’s voice and to fix her eyes on Him for He is the only One who can calm the storm and lead her through the valley.

I am so thankful to Yada and the women who dutifully, fiercely and faithfully listened to the voice of God which resulted in a ministry that would impact and transform, not only my life and my daughters but the lives of so many women across the globe by asking one very simple question,

“What did God say to you today?”