The Man with the Lemon Tree
it was only “so cool, a lemon tree I can pick my own lemons from.”
My name is Leslie Bess. Blessed to have found my one true love, Michael Bess at the age of 27. We married into a blended family which God has used for His purpose. We have his, hers, ours, and now at the age of 47, two little grandchildren ~ Charlotte & Crew. When I met Mike in 2006, he had a tree in his front yard of my favorite fruit, a Lemon Tree. At the time I thought it was only “so cool, a lemon tree I can pick my own lemons from.” At the age of 35, God started to reveal the true meaning of that tree for us…
There is a book in Heaven written about each one of us. If I had to guess, ours is called “The Lemon Story.” ~ “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” ~ Psalm 139:16 NLT
JC in Me is God’s story through us: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” ~ Matthew 5:14 - 16 NIV ~ My heart is to reach as many as we can, and lead them to Christ.
Growing up eating lemons & scrapbooking
JC in Me is our TESTIMONY in a bottle
For as long as I can remember, yellow has always been my favorite color. When I was little, I actually use to wonder why all the girls liked pink and purple, but I liked yellow, it was “weird” to me.
Growing up I loved eating lemons with all my food and I still do. My Dad use to get mad at me at the dinner table & take the lemons away from me. He always said “they are bad for my teeth”. Today, I still put lemon on everything. Lemons travel with me wherever I go. Lidia who has partnered with JC in Me, also absolutely loves lemon on everything too!
When I was in junior high school, I use to doodle on notebooks and pictures with saliva :D and a needle, a pencil, or anything sharp. I drew the character Goofy from Disneyland and wrote in bubbled letters.
and in High School I was introduced to the world of scrapbooking by one of my besties, her name is Christine Arana. In that, I discovered my passion & gift for taking pictures, using scissors, and scrapbook paper.
I developed a heart to give thoughtful gifts away that had to do with pictures. Once in my 20’s, I repeatedly said, “when I get married & we buy a house, all I want is a scrapbook room. I want to own a business, teaching women how to scrapbook.”
Meet Lidia CHRISTensen...
Lidia and I met in July 2024 through our children's friendship ~ her daughter Jaelyn and my son Mikey. Lidia is the first to invest into JC in Me, not only financially, but with her time.
The Heart of JC in Me is Ministry: to encourage women to use the passions & gifts that God has placed in our hands to create & love others. God wants us to live with purpose for His Kingdom. Lidia has found her home in JC in Me. It is an honor to have her. I am eternally grateful for her, and to God, for bringing a friend to partner with us. Many women and gentlemen ~ have poured into JC in Me with their hands. I could not have done this throughout the years without them. You can read about them below (coming soon).
Mikey did everything in his power so that we would not meet, but God had other plans for us. God truly opens doors no man can close:
"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me." ~ Revelation 3:8 NLT
When I was a little Girl & Met Jesus
The first encounter I remember having with Jesus was at the age of 15, but when I was little I use to go to church with my mom every Sunday morning. My aunt also said when I was about 11 years old I raised my hand to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior. Around that age, I remember vividly going to an overnight outpouring where people weeped on their knees and worshipped God all night long. I believe I was set apart & touched at that moment, but I didn’t know yet. I lived with one foot in & one foot out for 20 years. I was curious & wondered about God, but it wasn’t until the age of 35, on January 27th 2013 that my senses were truly enhanced to feel the presence of God.
My eyes truly opening to Him on this day, I literally stepped into a different space, but still in this world. I saw everything through a new set of eyes and it became my new normal. Situations and people that normally upset & angered me, turned into conviction in my heart. Everything around me was so colorful & bright. I felt this sense of indescribable peace & joy. It was so undeniable. I could now feel The Holy Spirit living inside of me. My life has for ever changed since that day.
I started to go to church faithfully, Higher Vision Church in Santa Clarita. My pastor, Jared Ming, just as the service was about to end, he said something about prayer, it was so profound to me as a new believer, “You can even pray in the shower!”
From that day forward I started to pray in the shower. Specifically when I used my body wash. I would squirt the initials “JC” on my wash rag & pray, I still do. When I get to my feet to scrub, the scripture when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in John 13:1-17 comes to mind.
A year later, I was having a slumber birthday party with approximately 15 girls. I wanted to tell my friends about Jesus. I didn’t know how without having to give them a speech, something I am not good at. My party was set for March 14th. Weeks before my party I thought about how would I tell them. What theme would I do for my goodie bags.
Three nights before my actual birthday, March 7th 2014. Tossing and turning, thinking in bed. The idea for my goodie bags came to me. I would create a little body wash, label it “JC Lemon Wash” with a little scrapbook journal, telling my friends about Jesus.
I decided yellow & lemons because these were my favorite things.
Then on my birthday, March 7th 2014, at MOPS, Julia Millsap came over to me with a big bag full of wrapped presents. Told me to pick one for my birthday. The present I opened, was a lemon body wash & yellow loofah. I knew in that moment, that was my confirmation from God, telling me “Yes daughter, this is how I want you to tell your friends about me”.
Only 3 of my Friends received The Prayer Body wash
On March 14th 2014, only three of my friends left my birthday party with their goodie bags. Putting these body washes & little scrapbook journals together ended up taking a lot more time than I thought. While putting these gifts together, the thought crossed my mind that I could actually see this body wash with the journal on a shelf at the Family Christian Store. This was my story. My testimony in a bottle.
The first friend out of the three to receive this gift, Patti Palumbo. Repeated this thought I had. While she sat and read the journal I created & looked at the body wash, she looked over at me and said, “you know, I could see this on a shelf in a store, like the Family Christian Store. This is your story, your testimony in a bottle.”
the story of JC in Me continues now in 2025...
Living with a Purpose
Thank you to those who have poured into JC in Me with their hands & time.
Coming soon!