Q: My first recollection of being in church was…

A: I’ve been in church all my life. My parents are very dedicated. They made sure I was in a church house every time the doors were open starting when I was about a month old. I went to and sang at, revivals all over the Carthage area, multiple Vacation Bible Schools a summer, church camp every summer, my best friend is my childhood preacher’s daughter, I was involved in the puppet ministry and choir, my whole life has revolved around the church. Growing up, if no one had a special song for the services my dad would volunteer my sister and me to sing. He would just hand us the hymnal opened a song. There was no time to be shy or worry about what anyone would think, we sang for God.

Q: The closest I have felt to God in my life was…

A: The closest I’ve ever felt to God is life currently. I feel God moving in my own life as well as the lives of my family and friends. I see Him turning lives around. I feel His power moving in our country as more people turn to Christ. I see the beauty of how He can take situations or people we think are too far gone and show that He is still in control.

Q: The time I have felt the greatest doubt or distance from God was…

A: The time I felt the furthest away from God was when I was suffering with postpartum. I felt like I was alone in the world. I walked through life existing and just going through the motions. I dreaded waking up to face another day. I didn’t want to go to church because I didn’t feel like I could be helped. I was about to give up in this world, I was on the floor crying and completely exhausted alone in my home, then God spoke loudly and sternly to me and said, “Get up and follow me.”. I felt His presence as I got up off of the floor and asked for the help I so desperately needed.

Q: If I could thank God for just one incident in my life it would be ______ and why?

A: Narrowing down one moment in my life where I am thankful to My God is tough because I am so blessed in so many ways. However, I would have to say one event I’m thankful for, aside from when I was born again in Christ, is when my parents adopted me. I have no idea what life would have been like with my biological family. I have been blessed in meeting a good bit of them and they are all great people, but God placed me with my adoptive family for reasons still being seen today. He placed strong people in front of me to guide me through life. God has a purpose in His plans and I grew up with so many wonderful Christian examples in my life and have been able to influence others in their lives because of where I am.

Q: If I could thank God for just one person in my faith journey it would be _______ and why?

A: Aside from my family, close friends, my husband, and my child, one person in my journey of faith who I am incredibly thankful for is my friend Taylor. She came into my life at a time I was weak in faith and didn’t need a lecture, I just needed support. We bonded over similar hardships and through joys in Christ. She helped me change my mindset and draw close to God again. She never judged me for doing things I did or feeling things I felt, she was simply there. She had a big hand in turning my life around and getting where I am today. I don’t think she realizes how important she is to me.

Q: If I could name a turning point in my life for my relationship with God it would be ________ and why?

A: I’ve turned away from God many times throughout life. With mercy and grace, He has brought me back to Him. A turning point in my life was June/July of 2021. I was drowning in life, work, and my own mind, I was a sinking ship. My husband changed our household. He had been seeking God more than I had recently. We started going to church on Sunday and changed the rules of our life, put God at the head of our decisions instead of our worldly desires, and we have become closer to God and others who are walking with Christ. As sinners, we slip, but we go to God instead of allowing ourselves to remain in the grips of Satan and we rise up with a strength only found in Jesus. I encourage the reading of Psalms 31 and Psalms 46.

Q: If I had to tell someone why I am a Christian I would have to say…

A: When someone asks me why I am striving to walk a more Christian life the answer is this. My God told me to go be His example. To spread His word and seek the lost so that they might be saved. I’ve seen the works He has done, I see the works He is doing, and He deserves my praise. He has saved my soul when I didn’t deserve that kind of love or forgiveness. How could I be so selfish as to not follow Him? I encourage others to turn their life to The Father and feel that peace that only He can give. I pray we all can strive to bring others to know salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.