In the summer of 1982, I attended the Starlite Crusade hosted by First Southern Baptist Church – Del City at Del City High School’s football stadium. At the close of the service, our pastor, the late evangelist Bailey E. Smith, extended an invitation for anyone who wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
As I watched people go forward, I asked my dad what they were doing. He explained that they were going to ask Jesus to come into their hearts. I told him I wanted to do the same. So, on July 17th, 1982, at the age of six, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
I wish I could say my Christian journey has been smooth, but it hasn’t been. My path has had its share of struggles, starting with my parents’ divorce in 1989.
After my dad gained custody of me and remarried, life became increasingly difficult. I grieved the loss of my mom and being kept from her, and I was spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally abused by my dad’s new wife. Then, in early 1994, at the age of seventeen, I was pressured into enlisting in the Air Force, even though I wasn’t ready.
During my time in the Air Force, I drifted from my faith, and this led to a series of painful events: being sexually assaulted by a childhood friend in 1996, becoming pregnant by and marrying an abusive man in 1997, being coerced into an unwanted abortion in 2001, and marrying the wrong man again in 2004.
However, in the summer of 2013, while going through my second divorce, the Lord finally got a hold of me. I fully surrendered and recommitted my life to Him.
In response to my repentance and renewed commitment, God blessed me with a loving, God-fearing husband, even though I had no plans to remarry. I am forever grateful for His mercy and faithfulness.