A store of hope and inspiration

Voula’s World combines crafts with spirituality

By: Stephanie Brown
   MONROE — Some might know Voula Begley for the beautifully handcrafted Victorian gifts that overflow her shop, Voula’s World, on Spotswood-Englishtown Road.
   Others might know her for the winter wonderland she used to turn her yard into during Christmastime.
   And yet others might know Ms. Begley for her devotion to Christianity and penchant for helping the poor and downtrodden.
   Whatever the case is, those who know Ms. Begley say she and her store truly are treasures on this earth.
   "People find a peace and tranquility in my store," Ms. Begley said last week. "It’s not like a regular store where you walk in, and you know, push and shove, ‘can I help you?’ My store is different. I’m there. I can look at you and see what’s behind your eyes."
   But times have been tough for Ms. Begley. Financial hardships, which she’d rather not discuss, threaten to close her beloved store.
   And while her world could soon come crashing down around her, Ms. Begley remains oddly serene.
   "I’m not scared, to be honest with you," she said. "I trust in God and he’s directing my path, so whatever happens, I will be fine."
   On Dec. 12, wearing a shirt with the word "believe" written across the top, Ms. Begley floated about her store.
   On every shelf, around every corner there is a hidden treasure, a delicate picture frame, a whimsical hatbox, heavenly scented potpourri and, of course, many, many handmade roses — her signature item.
   Ms. Begley pointed out her shop’s various sections — christenings, baby showers, weddings, religious — making sure to note several spots where an unexplained, but significant, incident occurred.
   "This particular window, a young girl who was in a coma saw it in a vision," she said, referring to a large window surrounded by white roses. "She had been in a coma. She had a dream or a vision in which Jesus appeared to her and said you must go back because you have a purpose. Then one day she came here with her mother and she started crying because the vision she had seen — all the background was white like this window."
   Over the past seven years, Ms. Begley has come to believe that incidents like that are not mere coincidences, but rather God’s plan.
   A woman of slight stature, Ms. Begley exudes power and grace. Her eyes are intense, and her speech often rushed as if she can’t help but pour her words out for all to hear.
   "There’s just so much to tell," she said between breaths.
   Ms. Begley’s story begins many years ago in her hometown of Kafalonia, Greece.
   As a child, she was drawn to nature and God. Growing up, she attended church but said she never really had the connection with God that she has now.
   In 1967, at the age of 16, she came to America to visit family and ended up staying for an arranged marriage.
   She settled with her first husband in East Brunswick, where she lived for 13 years and gave birth to her two daughters. During this time, Ms. Begley began realizing her talent to create things with her hands.
   Times were tough for Ms. Begley financially, and she said she asked Jesus to give her some sort of skill that she could put to work and never have to depend on a man.
   Ms. Begley’s prayers were answered shortly thereafter when she just happened to participate in a church bazaar.
   "The church asked me if I could do anything for the bazaar and I got so involved, I can’t explain it," she said. "I made dolls, ethnic dolls, Pinocchio. Everything I was touching, it was like God was just giving me inspiration."
   Ms. Begley admits that back then, she didn’t realize how God had been there for her.
   "Even though we go through hard times in life, now that I’m older, I can look back on my life and say, ‘Oh, God was there. God was always there for me, always,’ " she said.
   After divorcing her first husband, Ms. Begley remarried. She and her second husband, William, moved to Monroe 24 years ago, set up shop and have been there ever since.
   Every Christmas for 15 years, the Begleys would decorate their house and store for the neighborhood children. They’d even call in a visit from Old Saint Nick himself.
   "I was the place to go," she said. "All the children knew that it was the real Santa in Voula’s World."
   However, in recent years, the Begleys have fallen upon financial straits. They can no longer afford to put on such an elaborate Christmas show, and are barely able to keep the store itself open, Ms. Begley said.
   But whenever she falls upon hard times, Ms. Begley says, she can always turn to God and he will be her guiding light through the storm. And one time in particular, seven years ago, that happened quite literally.
   Ms. Begley said that on Oct. 17, 1999, she had left her house extremely upset over a conflict in her personal life.
   It was a stormy night and upon returning home, she saw a bright golden light and a rainbow appear before her very eyes.
   "I can’t explain it — what it did to me — to this day. It was divine. It was God," she whispered. "Immediately, I was at peace."
   Ms. Begley refers to that experience as her moment of transformation.
   "Through this transformation that began with a light and a rainbow, I was able to reconcile the dilemmas in my life and different circumstances, and receive peace in accepting whatever I had to deal with by trusting in God," she said.
   Since then, Ms. Begley said, God has continually blessed her. Two years ago, on her birthday, she said, God granted her the gift of the written word.
   Having only a sixth-grade education, Ms. Begley said, she has been enabled by the grace of God to write spiritual poetry and prayers.
   Her eloquent and inspirational words grant serenity to and feed the soul of all who hear them, said friend Joan Caliendo.
   "She’s very gifted, very blessed," Ms. Caliendo said. "She’s changed my life and so many others. She has the power to heal."
   Ms. Begley said she is called by God to help those who are in need.
   "I don’t judge people from the outside. I can see beyond to the internal," she said. "I can feel your pain. If it’s very strong, I will approach you and say ‘Are you okay?’ It comes instantly. I can’t explain it."
   A little over a year ago, Ms. Begley began collecting money for charity. Every dollar with the letter C and number 3 on it that comes through her hands she donates to her church or a needy family.
   Ms. Begley said that letter and number combination has a significance to her; the letter C, she said, represents Christ and number three, the trinity.
   For all the many gifts she has given to others, those who have been touched by Ms. Begley want to help her and her store.
   Hundreds of people have written letters to Oprah, asking the talk show host to make Voula’s wildest dreams come true and enable her to reach many more suffering souls.
   "I appeal to you to find out more about Voula, hear her complete story and then offer it up for all to know," wrote friend Linda Crockett. "Voula’s story is one that will give hope and encouragement to a hurting world that desperately needs inspiration."
   And while she said she is touched by the support, Ms. Begley trusts in God to lead her to her destiny.
   "If we’re open and tuned, we can see how God talks to us," Ms. Begley said. "I feel protected by God. His presence is all around me. What I feel you cannot buy, so to me I am blessed. If I die tomorrow I am just so grateful that I have experienced this glory."