My Story

And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. – 2 Cor. 3:17

My journey as a Christian began at the age of 8.  I was raised in First Baptist Church, Laurinburg, NC.  I was taught all of the foundations of the faith early on, and I truly understood at that age, that Jesus had died for my sins and that I was to live for God.  I learned that the Bible was the word of God and that I should read it and that I should pray to communicate my needs and desires to God. 

It was not until my adulthood, that I came to understand that God desired a deep relationship with me and that He loved me beyond anything that I could ever think or imagine.  I had guilt and shame over many wrong choices in my life.  I discovered in my adulthood, that He loved me no matter what I had been through or done. 

In 2009 I made the radical decision to quit my job and pursue a life in full time ministry.  The only problem was that I thought I knew where God was leading me, but I was wrong.  I spent the next two years trying to be still and listen for what God had in store for me. 

I studied what it truly means to be a child of God.  I learned that because of what Christ did on the cross, I was no longer tied up or held by lies that Satan had convinced me to believe.  It was in this discovery that I knew that I was free in Christ.  I am now learning to believe what the Bible says about me and trust that God means every word of it.  I am able to spot Satan’s lies more easily and this is completely changing my life.  I now am able to live in joy, where before I was weigh down by negative thoughts.  As you will see in my blogs, I still struggle with this at times, but I know that God’s power and grace are on my side.

In the summer of 2010, I went on my first mission trip to Leticia, Colombia, South America.  It was a “vision” trip for our church to see if we wanted to partner with a children’s home named La Aljaba.  Despite the heat and the language barrier, I was drawn to the people of Leticia.  Steve O’Brien and I lead a team to Leticia the next summer and then I returned again in October of that same year. 

During this time, several people had made comments about me moving to Leticia.  There was nothing in me that even entertained this idea.  I had no desire to move to the jungle and the heat.  During my trip in October 2011, La Aljaba learned that they were being evicted from the property that they resided on.  They had 10 months to move.  I was very excited by this news because I understood and believed that God was expanding the territory of the home and the influence of the director, Lucy Palma.  

At the same time, I began to pray earnestly that God would send someone to Lucy to assist her during this time.  After returning to America, I began to feel God say that I needed to move to Leticia.  I was very much opposed to this idea for several reasons.  However, after arguing with God for some time, I realized that is where He was leading me, and to refuse would be disobedient.  Therefore, I am now committed to the work of La Aljaba and ask that you support me by praying for me.