Making Hearts Smile with Yzzy, Creative Comedian

In Today's podcast episode, I'm honored to introduce my guest, female comedian, Yzzy Zarate. I had the pleasure of meeting Yzzy at a Women's Called Conference last year and I was truly excited for her to share what her life and journey has been like, bringing joy and laughter to people. She talks about the stigma tied to comedy and it's place in the Christian community.  Yzzy, has faced many challenges throughout the beginning stages of her comedy pursuit but she continues to trust the Lord to use her in the present to bring smiles to hearts everywhere. I was inspired and encouraged by this young women's courage and resilience to continue to pursuit God and share her craft and gift with people all around her. Listen to Yzzy's story and be inspired.

Transcript

Ann: 0:13

In this podcast, you'll listen to stories of women from all different walks of life and backgrounds. You'll hear stories of painful past and how women have overcome by putting their hope in Jesus Christ. Friends, I wanna encourage you to listen to this podcast, Her Scars Tell a Story, a safe space for women coming together To share their stories and their hearts. I pray that you would be inspired, Encouraged and that your hope in Christ would be renewed. My name is Ann Calvillo, and I'm your host. Tune in to her scars tell a story podcast now.

1:01

Hey there, everyone. My name is Ann Calvillo, and I'm the host of Her Scars Tell a Story podcast. Today, I'm with a special guest, Yizi Sarati. Welcome. Thank you. How's everything today? Everything's great. Thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. So one of the things that I like to do is To let our guests know how we met. So do you remember a little bit about how that went down? I do we met at a CALDS conference at Moody Bible Institute and We have mutual friends from New Life Midway Church Yeah, yeah, and so um the CALDS conference Do you remember, you know, kind of, sort of, what that was about? It was about calling, and calling is a huge word, and it's kind of tricky sometimes because it can have some, some inclinations that are not the way that the Lord calls us, and then there could be like a healthy calling. And so it was cool to have a conference dedicated to raising young women to become leaders in, yeah, the future church and the future of, you know, Um, yeah, and so you, you said the word young woman and I'm really grateful because a lot of the ladies that I interview, um, they're more seasoned women, mature women, right? And so, um, can, would you mind telling us how old you are? I'm 21 years old. Yeah, that's so awesome. And, you know, one of the things that, I talked to you about before we got started with the podcast was how, the Bible instructs us older women to teach the younger women, right? And so, um, that's kind of like what this called conference was about equipping women leaders, young leaders, to teach Um, how do you think your mentors, teachers, have impacted your life as a young woman? I definitely would not be where I'm at if it wasn't for the mentors I have and had and just hearing older people speak about their life experiences, their failures, especially people that I look up to and. People that are in places where I would like to be one day. Like, for example, whether it's Mark Jobe, my pastor, living a godly life and leading a family, and continuing to walk with the Lord after years of just trials and in life, or If it's, uh, a woman that's doing Christian comedy and has made it to a place that is very successful, to just ask them questions and hear about their life, it is amazing. It really gives me a path to follow and to pursue and also encouragement to see that it is possible to keep persevering and to get through it. Yeah, you said the word comedy, um, and so, you know, before again, before I discussed with you how I viewed comedy, as a Christian, as a younger Christian, I didn't see that there was a place for comedy. In the kingdom of God and boy was I wrong, now I know that there definitely is a place for comedy and, I shared with you that my husband, he's just a natural funny guy, you know, he's a funny guy and jokester, he's a jokester. And so, um, years ago through my religious glasses. I would say to him stuff like oh, that's so inappropriate. Oh, that's not godly and he would just be like this is how I communicate you know, and I didn't understand that until years on where I began to see like this is his way of communicating and it's been used in ways to reach people that he might not reach in a serious conversation, right? God even uses that humor in its context, right? In a way that would really reach people, um, and that would open the door for him to plant the seeds of the gospel. can you tell me what that looks like for you, being a young comedian? Yes, uh, there is definitely a little, stigma that Christians are not funny or that they're very serious and a part of that comes from, there's a little history lesson I have. Okay. Uh, so back in the day, like 1800s, there was actually a lot of theater and comedy involved in church and. Actually on Easter Sunday, uh, the, the preachers, the pastors would have a time for jokes and laughter. And then later on, there was a shift in the teachings of the church and that involved personal holiness and pursuing holiness. And there was a lot of seriousness that entered into the church. And so that kind of carried on with. Performance and just comedy in general, it being something that hush, hush, we should shut it down and it's not appropriate. And that is not, is, is not true. When we look at the Bible, there is Proverbs that talk about laughter and joy being fruit for the bones and medicine to the soul. And there is a time to to grieve when people are grieving and there is a time to rejoice when people are rejoicing but something Uh that i've seen is that jesus himself can be sarcastic sometimes Or he can be seen Like it would be very very hard to believe that while he was Eating with his disciples or spending time with him that he was just Serious all the time as humans we have that natural. Just goofiness to us um something God had for us when he created the world was Yes, to work in the garden, and, and that was very good. To be fruitful and multiply, and that was very good. The most important thing, to have a relationship with him. Sometimes we forget so much about the last one, and that is to enjoy, and to rest in his creation. And to, yes, to enjoy his creation and what he has and part of that is, yes, playing and, and having fun and finding the joys in life, finding what is meaningful, part of, what I see is that there is a lot of hard things that happen in the world. And there's a lot of expression through song, through poems, through storytelling, or spoken word, and a lot of dramatic interpretations through art that just express the struggles and the hardships of life. And there is not a lot of lifting up after we hear those things, or lifting up in the middle of hardships, and so something that is very helpful is just being able to laugh, being able to find things to be thankful of, finding things to be joyful of, to forget about the pain that's currently going on, even if it's just for a moment. Because here on earth, we won't have eternal joy until we go into heaven, and then it won't just be. A time to laugh, which is here on earth, it would be an eternity to laugh and be with God and to enjoy his presence. And so something that I can give as a comedian is that no matter who they are, Christian or not Christian, whatever their thoughts are about God, uh, I just have a gift that I could give, uh, and it might last even just a second. To just forget about the pain for a moment and to have a time that all these people in the room that are together we could share that moment of enjoyment and laughing together and we're all united in the same thought of just Ha that was funny or ha I see what you did there or hmm. Let me chew on that for a while If you didn't make me laugh, I'd probably punch you in the face for saying that I have to chew on it cuz my husband and my son are so quick wit and it's like It goes over my head. I'm like What? Nevermind. You didn't get it. And then afterwards I'm like, Oh, okay. Like minutes later. Oh my goodness. You're the delayed laugher. The delayed one, for sure. Um, but then I get it and I'm cracking up on myself. Then I'm on myself laughing. Aww. So, tell us a little bit now. What does comedy look like personally for you now? Yeah, so I didn't want to be a standup comedian. It wasn't the plan. It wasn't the dream. I started comedy two years ago and that started with seeing a lot of artists that are Christian, um, just creating beautiful, wonderful things. But again, Just looking at it, wow. There's a lot of the same patterns, the same themes. Kind of depressing, kind of just really heavy topics and things. But there wasn't a lot of comedy. There wasn't a lot of fun things that like, I personally am more drawn towards watching those types of things. Like I love watching comedy. I never thought of myself as being the comedian. I'm a very, I guess I'm a creative soul and spirit and I've done plays. I've done public speaking. in the past, but those are, were mostly scripts and things I would memorize and I would just do them. And so there wasn't a lot of original writing of jokes and that jazz and seeing myself as a funny person that there wasn't any of that. Uh, but I just saw, I saw the little niche of, Yeah. What about comedy in the Christian world or what about comedy? That just is Christ like. What does it look like to have Christ like humor? And that is something I've just been seeking and learning about and I will continue to learn about through my life. But there's a lot of humor that is being displayed that pushes people down. And something that Jesus does not do is push people down. And so finding humor lifts people up and you're able to do impressions. You're able to make fun of people, but are you doing it in a way that's making fun of them or adding to that stereotype? That's really pushing them down. And something I want to find is humor that is able to poke fun at things but not degrade them, but pull them up and being able to recognize the beauty in those things. Displaying humor that doesn't gratify language like swearing or, just sexual things or drugs or abusive or addictive behaviors and making them okay. A lot of comedians have points to make and if I'm going to make a point, just simply just talking about things through the lens that, yes, I believe that the gospel is true and so I believe in God and so this is how I see the world is just So different than most comics do. Being a Christian comedian is not just about the jokes that I stand up and do, but just the lifestyle I live. I have been able to receive opportunities to continue doing comedy and. This has been, uh, it started just me making fun of Bible school at Moody Bible Institute and doing little events, doing little, uh, Bible frat dorm things. And then I got the opportunity to internship with a ministry called the Christian Comedy Network. And that really blew my mind that there were people already doing the thing that I thought I just found out, which is not, not true at all. But it is a group of comedians. The founder, Tony K, is a Christian, but he invites comedians that that are famous, like Tommy Davidson is one of the biggest people, um, that have worked with us and he makes a platform, which is usually churches for comedians to perform, but he gives them the platform and he says anyone could come from kids to adults. And you must, you can't swear, you must tell stories that are according to this standard, but it's able to invite people within the church to be entertained, but there's no pressure to go to church or to be a Christian. It's just an opportunity to get people in the church, but it's also an opportunity for the church to raise money. So depending on how many tickets are sold, that's how much money. The church is able to raise, but also Christians are able to get entertained as well and at a decent price and in a Christlike way. And so it's been cool to travel around the U S and sometimes perform standup comedy as an opener and watch how the shows are created and watch what that lifestyle is like and how hard it is. Thanks. Also how meaningful it is and see that, okay, this is something I wanna continue to pursue. And since after that internship, that just kind of boosted my confidence and I've continued to pursue both improv comedy and standup comedy in the city. I take classes at Second City in Chicago, and that's one of the biggest comedy shows. In the world, a lot of SNL people started there and there's other schools like the IO Theater and the Annoyance and I have recently tried out for two different improv teams. And I am now performing regularly at the Annoyance Theater girl party. And I am also now on the team, uh, at the IO Theater. And I want to continue to join improv troops and perform regularly. Uh, but it's just been, uh, Really cool to see how being a funny person but also being a person that wants wants to love people well and because of Being a christian like you you have to love people. Well, you have to love god and love people Well, but seeing the entertainment world you will get so far by just being friends with people by people liking you and a lot of it is networking and being able to know the right people You And so, if you have that and you have the skill, like, everything's going for you. but the environment that I'm in, off the stage. Is a lot of comedians, although they can make people laugh, there are some, probably the most depressed, sad people. And that is probably because they use comedy. They use laughing to cope with life. And so something I have seen is I'm surrounded by people that are living lifestyles that they were raised in a Christian home. But now they're running away from God because their parents were very hard on them or they just felt like they weren't being understood because they, they feel they're just not understood, like they're, they're LGBTQ um, they're going by different pronouns, they're, they're transgendering, and they're going to drugs and alcohol. A lot of my friends in the comedy world, they use some type of substance. To feel that energy that high again, so they have a good performance And so something I have been able to Showcase is that hi. I'm a bible student at the moody bible institute and i'm in the midst of this and I, I don't drink and I don't do drugs and I don't swear and it's, it's just been strange for a person like me to be able to get along well with these people and to not have a, a cringey sense of humor to be kind of like Blendin, but also Not at the same time. I am set apart. I am different but being amidst these broken Sad people that oh man, they struggle through so much. They go through so many hard things Some of them have mental illnesses It's just been really cool to be In the midst of this really dark place that if I didn't have this talent in comedy And this passion and this drive to just pursue this craft. I probably would never run into these people And there's not a lot of Christians that see the entertainment world as an area that needs ministering to. And then also, one of the biggest things in the world right now is media and is entertainment. People want to be entertained every single second. And so something we should do as Christians is gather all the creative people, train them well, to make quality entertainment so that when we go to entertainment, Christian entertainment is up there. And it's not like, I'm a Christian, so I guess I should choose the pure flicks, the, the cringy, created, no, let's not make it cringy, let's make it, Something that we actually want to watch, and that people that are not Christians want to watch as well. And that is just something I've just been seeing as like, why, why comedy? And as a Christian, yes You touched on so many good points. One of the things I wanted to expand on Is just this whole idea of entertainment, right? It's out there and our kids are being entertained, we are being entertained. But like you said, it doesn't have to be cringey. It doesn't have to be, boring. Right. We can have some good laughters and good fun. Right. without falling into sin, I'm a parent. So that's one of the things that I really look out for, when we think about entertainment, it's everywhere, what you proposed was like this vision, Of if the people in the entertainment industry and christians, right? Were to use their craft to bless people and glorify god in the midst of that how much more could we reach people? How much more could we show them the love of god? How much more? Could entertainment be used as a tool right? To glorify god versus us kind of Just, um, staying away from it in general, there's people who don't turn on their TV. I'm not a TV person, I will watch The Chosen sometimes. And one of the things I love about The Chosen is the humor. I love, I love the humor. I love the seriousness of it, but when they're having fun together, when the disciples are having fun with Jesus, I enjoy that. Like you, you mentioned that, I enjoy that. And it does something, laughter does something to your brain, and into your physical body. It, like you said, it lifts you up. So you can be watching this intense scene and then, a few scenes later, there's this joke, or, something funny happens, and you go from this really intense, heavy scene to like laughing, and it just feels good, it feels uplifting, so I get you when you say that, um, and so, right now, on the path that you're on, where you're at, I know you're in the early stages of your, comedian. Journey, right? You're in the early stages of it. What have been some of the test, the challenges, um, maybe personally that you've experienced so far. Some challenges have been encountering people in my life, friends or teachers or loved ones or just people that I, I'm just observing. That are just funny, just naturally funny, they're out there joking, they just say one word. You know those funny people that you just look at and you're like, they are so funny, I love spending time with them. Yeah. Is I've had thoughts of like, they should be the comedian, not me, not shy girl over here just staring at everyone and observing. And looking at what the heck is a comedian. And something that I have been learning is that if we did put that funny guy on the stage, Maybe he'll do, maybe he'll kill it. Maybe he'll do amazing as a comic, but does he have the storytelling abilities? Does he have the stage presence? And why is he doing it? And that is something that I have that they don't have. Is that comedy is so much more than just being funny and telling jokes. It's like a puzzle. For me, it is. It's, it's telling a story. It's, it's crafting. It's very smart. I don't know. I'm not saying I'm smart, but it's so much more intricate than just standing up there and being funny and also just having the pressure to just be funny on the spot. That's hard. Like, yes, you could be a funny person, but if I just said to you, like, Hey, be funny right now, it's really hard, uh, and being a comedian, doing comedy, is something that no matter who you are, can be judged so harshly, even if you're not the person up there, or never able to get up there and do it. People are going to tell you their opinion, and it is something that You find out right there in that second, if you're good or not, you just go up there and if no one laughs, you suck, you're not good. And it's something that I have had to grow in is who am I? Who am I? If I don't know myself and I'm up there on stage doing comedy, it's not good comedy. The best comedians are the people that know who they are as an individual. And what they look like to other people, and being confident in that, and speaking, overflowing from that, and you see what they bring to the table. Oh, okay, there's, there's the black comedian, there's the, the Asian comedian, oh, there's the woman comedian. Uh huh. And. So just really sitting in God, who have you created me to be and what does it mean to be me in the brokenness in the loveliness and in the most embarrassing moments of my life. And so something that comedy has gifted me with is sitting and reflecting and processing the things of my life. A lot of the hard things that Have been processed and sometimes turned into a joke where people are enjoying this joke and this bit But they don't know the story of the process of creating that joke that it was actually really hard when that thing happened Or it was really hard to face it and think about it and I actually sometimes wrestle at night and I don't want to think about it because it just like It's like, oh man, why, why did I do that? Um, but yes, it's been a wrestling game of am I even funny? Why am I doing this? And so in the midst of hardships, when people, are heckling you, or saying like, oh, that was a bad joke, and boo, or, uh, or, uh, just, just being very rude, or walking out of the show, or just giving you the, the stink eye, to really be strongly confident that, yeah, I remember, I remember last week, I killed it. I, I know I'm funny. This, it's okay that this time around, I was testing out material, or there was the wrong crowd. I didn't read the room well enough, and I'll come back with a different joke later, or I won't have that chance. And so, I know I'm funny, but it's just It just wasn't today, and so being okay with rejection and being confident in who you are is something that makes this world very difficult. Another hardship ugh, there's so many. Well, I come from a family of, oh man, so my mom is Filipino. Medical field, all the way. My dad is Mexican and he is a tradesman. So he works with his hands. He was also an athlete, all into the sports. And then there's me, I want to be an artist like that. They have no idea anything about the creative world or what it means to do theater or do comedy. It's just something they watch on TV after work or to. Just spend time with family watching movies or watching a comedy special. It was never something that my parents put on me to pursue. They never enrolled me in theater programs or classes. It was just something I just personally was drawn to. I watched The Wiggles and Shirley Temple growing up. I would sing in front of my grandparents. Just to, just for fun, but it wasn't something on their radar that they tried to make me become, or they wanted me to become. I remember my mom still tries to convince me to become a nurse, but I remember being in high school and trying theater for the first time and being like, I think I want to become an actress and telling my mom that, and my mom just highly discouraged it. Said it doesn't make any money and it's not reliable and it's very hard and there's no way There's no way that could ever be possible for you and my dad Again, he's just a very he's very man man. Like he doesn't really tell you I love you or affirm you. Plays are not his thing. He doesn't like to watch those things. And so, I remember being a part of the speech team in high school and every Saturday we would wear suits and give speeches for fun and would compete for medals and I remember just coming home one day and being like Dad, like, I won fourth place and I'm so excited about this. Public speaking thing and my dad told me yeah, you're wasting your life. What what's the point of that and it was just kind of like Well, i'm on my own right now with being understood in this capacity of wanting to do creative things and so something I poured a lot into was like my friends who understood the love for that craft and Just continuing to do it, even though my parents didn't understand You And so when I became a Christian, I had a lot of questions about, Oh, do I keep this artistic part of myself or do I shove it down? It's something I surrender and give up because now I'm a Christian and that's a no, no anymore. There was some things I needed to recognize. I was pursuing a lot of my Where I got my worth, where I got my attention, where I got my love. And I took all the glory when I would do well on stage and I would perform. And that is something that is not Christ like and had to go away. And so it took some time for me to, okay, I shouldn't be performing anymore because it's something I am using as an idol is something that I'm finding my worth in. That is not from God. And going to Moody Bible Institute, being a communications major was something that very much opened my eyes to why is it meaningful to be a creator as a Christian, and that is crazy to think. God? What? He was a creator? He was a creative? Of course! Yes, he created this world! And just how he took his time to just intricately make little things. Like if you have you looked at a leaf and just seen how many different veins and colors and there's so many different types of leaves and then. Even more so he created humans in his own image and how much more creative will his children be if they are created in his image and it's like little hymns like little me's and I just love that I am able to Show a little part of who god is Because he is creative and he is funny And he is a god that wants us to have joy wants us to enjoy life in the midst of The pain that he uses to make us more christ like and so I just love being able to be a little Light a little glorifier Of who our father in heaven is and so coming back to Share that. Hey mom and dad. I think god is calling me to be a christian comedian and Them reacting. I'm just like, I don't don't really understand You know, I don't think you will make money It is something hard to hear, but then, a lot of people that follow the Lord, like, it's, it shouldn't be about the money, it shouldn't be about the fear of what others think about you, it shouldn't be about the fear of failing, it should be, okay, God called me here, and I have no trust in anything, but I have trust in God, and I'll take this step by step. And it might just be that for this season, yes, it's pursuing comedy and the Lord will lead me somewhere else. And I'm ready with open arms to, with this dream, um, for wherever God takes it. But that has been very hard to trust that that was God's voice that I continue to hear. And It's not just God's voice that affirms, it's God using other people to affirm in me, to pray for me. It's open doors, it's the Bible verses of reading, discovering that there is joy, that there is laughter in the Bible. And just reflecting on the past of experiences that I didn't know that they were preparing me for a specific day. Or for me to step on stage and tell this story. That was crafting me to become a comedian like that really Affirm. Wow. This is the path that i'm on and i'm gonna keep going until the lord tells me not to or the lord puts me in a spot that just shows Exactly what he's been talking to me about and so a lot of it is trusting god and trusting god is hard Yeah, I think when you say trusting God, we can trust him as much as we know him. And so that's the key is knowing him because the more I know him, the more I can trust him. The more I know what he says about me. The more I can trust that he has the best interest for me, right? And, and he created me uniquely. He designed me uniquely for his purpose and for his glory. And that, why not the entertainment world? Why not, right? and I think that that's because You know, like you said, the stigma tied to it, but you are really speaking to me. You are a wise young woman and you're speaking to me because, like I mentioned to you before, I have a son who is very creative and he, it's amazing how his mind puts things together. He's a visionary. The way he sees things. I'm like, Whoa, I, I didn't, I didn't catch that. And he allows me to experience something in a whole different way, you know, and really enjoy it. He sees, he sees the fun in it. He sees God's humor in it. It's just, it's beautiful. It's beautiful how he can convey something, a vision that he has or the creative aspect to it. Changed the way I see it. You know from boring black and white to like this colorful array and I'm like, whoa, you know I just got that from it. You know, how'd you get that from it? You know, it's amazing And I and like I told you I shared with you was like I didn't want to discourage that in him Because I said look If he's like that, it's for a reason, you know, like it's beyond my understanding. My understanding is so limited Right and my capacity to see beyond black and white can be so limited at times and I know this about myself But I believe that my son Is able to see the whole colorful array and then he's able to bring me into that i'm so appreciative of that of him Um, and so I want to encourage him to use whatever craft and Whatever, um, creativity God has, woven in him,, to share with others. I want to encourage that and support him in any way that I can. So what would you say to someone who's just into that? Like it is a creative soul. They can close their eyes and they can imagine this whole other world. What would you say to someone who may be? Like, should I let go of that? Is it just a phase that I'm going through and it's just going to pass away? It's beautiful and it's a gift, but sometimes it feels like it's a curse. I sometimes think to myself, why can't I just be normal? Why can't I just like wake up in the morning and dream about, yes, I want to be a doctor. That's like straightforward. And like, or I want to be a mom. And it's just. I wouldn't have to have dreams or visions or ideas and imagination. And I would just have a straightforward path and it would be easy and life would be easy and maybe people would not question When I say hey, this is what I want to do or I don't know what I want to do But you really do you have a dream in your head, but you just don't know how to get there And so something I see In different capacities is that yes, you do have a talent. You do have a gift. You do have interests keep doing them It doesn't mean that you're gonna become Like, let's say if you love acting, it doesn't mean that what the Lord has for you is to become a Christian actor. It might just be that, yes, you're pursuing acting, you're getting better at acting. But that, what God's planned for you with that, you don't understand in that moment. If it is to pursue acting in that moment, you never know what that will lead to next or what God is doing in that moment. And so, something I'm realizing is that In different seasons, God calls us to different things. As long as you know, yes, your first call is to be a child of God. If you are married also to be a spouse, if you're in a sister or brother, um, is loving God first and then making sure you're loving people well. If you are loving God and loving people well while you're doing acting or while you're creating videos or whatever creative thing You're an artist you draw you finger paint you do stand up comedy I don't know. There's so many different creative things to do if you're loving God first and loving others Yes, and you're doing that with with whatever you're doing like yes keep doing that But it doesn't mean Like inside because of what you're passionate about whatever you're passionate about does not mean What you're called to a calling is something from the outside That reaches out to you and pulls you in it's not something internal That just like pops out of you. So I would say there is a reason why, you have that Ima imagination that creative things and it's not a bad thing. Do not be afraid of it. Continue to use it to express yourself, to discover who God created you to be. Use it to describe to people stories about. Your day, or just your life, or to make analogies to what God is doing in your life. Use it to express. Keep creating. Keep using it to enjoy life. Keep using it to cope with life, to process life. And you never know who else will be able to benefit from that. And maybe it's a song you create, and someone listens to it. Just one person listens to it, and they're like, Man, your song got me through this hard time. Oh your song I you made me feel seen through that song But maybe it's a billion people and it needs to be on a platform And so many people are like man your song changed my life. I don't know What it is And it might just be Something that prepares you for a different thing. I don't know, but you'll never know Unless you continue to do it and you continue to pursue it and it might be oh I've been pursuing this for this year, but I found that that's not the thing for me. It's actually photography And that's okay, too But I would say do not be afraid of that It's like a superpower, like don't, don't be afraid of that. Use it for good and not for evil and Yeah, I would just encourage you to keep doing it As long as you are loving God and loving others well. that's a good way to present that, you know, in, in a good way to encourage people to use their God given Gifts, and it looks so different for each and every one of us. I wanted to ask you, beside comedy, I know you mentioned Moody Bible Institute. What is your major there? Like, what are you going to school for? Yes, I came to Moody Because I recently became a Christian my senior year of high school, no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew before I did anything with my life, I wanted to have a firm foundation in my faith, and to stay a Christian, and to experience what Christian community was like, and Moody had all those things, and So I chose the communications major because I wanted to find a job that allowed me to use my talents of public speaking and creativity, but just find it in a normal job. And yeah, I did not find a normal job, but it gave me confidence that after I graduate, like, even though I'm getting all these great things and experiences, I would have a degree. But also I would be able to step in the world and have a firm doctrine in what I believe in and be able to just express my faith and live a Christian life very confidently and on a solid ground. And I'm not saying that you need to go to Bible school in order to get that. There's so many other ways that God uses to get you to that point. But for me personally, it was, it was that, that was the next step. And so I am majoring. I continued in the communications major, but I'm also minoring in Bible. And so a lot of the classes I take are theological studies like the old Testament, new Testament apologetics, how to defend your faith, uh, how to read the Bible, how to study the Bible, how to preach the Bible, how to minister to people, how to love people, well, how to preach the gospel to different nations, so many different. areas and topics that the professors specialize in. The professors very much care about you. And so, hey, if you're thinking about Bible school, go to Moody Bible Institute, or if you just have no idea what to do with your life, just come. Come and see and test out a day one or experience Moody or visit It has been a very good experience for me, but yes, I, in the communications program, it's very much, how do we bring Christianity and the gospel? To media, how do we not be afraid of tick tock or the things that are coming so quickly into our hands and into our culture? How do we jump on that as Christians and create quality things for people to chew on and to watch and to be entertained with? And that's, there's so many different areas. It's very broad. And so my niche is. Speech, performance, and marketing. Thank you for sharing that, because, I thought, there's a reason why you, you chose Moody Bible, Institute, right? And, it seems like you're not just creative in that aspect of comedy, but you're also creative in communicating. And I think now more than ever, we need good. clear communicators, in this world and, in the different spheres of life, we really need that. One last thing before we, end this, episode so if somebody wanted to hear your comedy, if they wanted to see you, where can they follow you or where can they see you? Yes. Follow me on Instagram at Zaratekid1, so Z A R A T E. K I D 1. It's like karate, but with a Z. I love that. Uh, and I post a lot of my shows that are around Chicago, or if I have an out of town show, you can see it there. If you want to look at the Christian Comedy Network and the events that they are doing, you could go to their website or their Facebook page. They have an app now. But, I'm also starting on a YouTube channel. I haven't quite yet. But everything's on my Instagram. I am using that as my main platform. That's great. Okay. And then I'll post a couple of links, to your Instagram. Are you on Facebook at all for, us older folks? Of course I'm on Facebook for you old folks. That's weird to hear that, but I'll take it. All right. Well. Thank you so much, Izzy. This this was a great episode. I was blessed by your journey as a young comedian, as a young female, young woman comedian. And, again, I think that the creative aspect has a way of opening our eyes to that colorful array. And I thank you for doing that on this podcast today. Thank you. I loved being here. Thank you and thank you all for tuning in to this episode of Her Scars Tell a Story.