Testimony
“For There is Hope, Should Oceans Rise and Mountains Fall, He Never Fails.”
So, you have time to read a short book, I see. I will hit all the important points and try to make it as short as possible, but trust me, it is pretty neat to see how God has used me throughout the past 5 years. I hope I can shine some light to you.
Once upon a time, I went to a public school. I went there from 3k - 10th grade before I walked into the middle of a gang fight and realized that it was time for me to get out of there!
I transferred to a Private Christian School my 11th grade year, and what an eye opener it was. My old school had close to 500 in my student class. Where as my new one had around 45, I believe. Talk about culture shock.
Backstory for understanding: My father passed away a few short weeks before I was born. So, growing up it was always my mom, my grandma, and me. They both worked a lot to provide, even some weekends. I eventually began playing competitive softball when I was 8. And let me explain:
Competitive = Travel.
Every. Single. Weekend.
Anyways, back to the private school. It was really cool to me to hear teachers pray for you and to be able to openly talk about God. Coming from a public school, where during the time they were trying to take church out of the school system, everything was just weird.
Hang with me, this is where it really starts getting good!
As I learned more about the Bible in class, I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
If you knew me in high school, I played all the sports, I played all the instruments, I did everything I could. I wanted to be the best. Well, one of my coaches asked me if I could lead a small FCA for our track team. Oh my gosh, I was so nervous. I practiced for hours each time. I felt like I was nothing and now I felt important and began preaching to a small track team.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
The next year, my school began letting the students lead in chapel worship. I got the opportunity to play and help lead in that. Now watch this…
I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
My senior year of high school, I got the absolute life changing opportunity to go to Baja California, Mexico on a mission trip. My heart was filled with so much love as I was able to show God’s love and kindness to the children and families in Mexico. I was able to preach to a whole city of people that I came in contact with.
I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a whole city.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
My freshman year of college. Geez, what a doozy. I was a healthy, college athlete. Living with my best friend, playing the sport I loved, and studying what I enjoyed. All felt well in the world.
Then one day, my brain decided to shut down. No reason. I began having full body convulsions. 24 hours a day for 10 days straight. By the time they made me leave the hospital, I had completely forgotten how to do everything- hold my head up, walk, speak, play softball, bathe, tie my shoes. They said it was because of the convulsions. It caused my adrenaline gland chemicals to overflow into my memory glad. Which is what caused me to forget. I tell people that it was like being trapped in your own body. I knew what was going on, but I could not speak to tell people.
(btw… it took 8 months to get into Vanderbuilt to get even some type of reasoning to what was going on. I suggest to plan your body breaking ahead of time, just so you can get an appointment. #protip)
(we could go into details about the hospital another day)
Anyways, get this. Before every game I played in college, I wrote on my wrist tape some symbols that stood for, “For there is Hope, Should Oceans Rise, and Mountains Fall, He never fails.”
My team sold shirts and bracelets with this on it to help pay for my medical bills. They were able to sell them all over the state to different colleges. They were being my voice when I was unable to speak. Together, we were able to spread a little bit of God’s word to colleges. Even at my absolute weakest, He was still using me.
I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a city, to a whole state of schools.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
That Guy really knows how to listen. At the time, my mom just happened to be working the front desk at a physical therapy place. I spent 8 hours for 5 days week for MONTHS to be able to relearn everything again. It was a slow and frustrating process. You do not realize how much actually goes into having to step up onto a stair, or how to get your fingers to move to turn a stupid bolt (hated that exercise), or the different parts of your tongue to say certain words. It was so much hard work, but I eventually relearned most (and still learning). I relearned softball to earn myself a scholarship to play at the University of Mobile.
Mom was nervous about me going so far off after everything that had just happened a year ago and all the new and weird things that were going on with my body. But I didn’t want to hold back on life. I knew how easily things could be taken from you at this point. After my grandmama gave me the whole spill about tsunamis, and how I have asthma, and that asthma and swimming in tsunamis do not mix well and that I could die when one comes… I packed up my bags and moved to the beach. I like to think she was secretly okay with it…
I was majoring in Production Technology as well as playing softball. So truly, I was getting the nerd side and the jock side of school. While I was at the university, I met so many people and began to realize how much I absolutely loved hearing International students stories and how much I wanted to make them feel at home here in the USA. (thank you Baja) Internationals will always have a strong place in my heart. However, little did I know, that some of them did not believe in Christ or even know what the word meant. I had the opportunity to show them the Lord’s kindness, how good He has been to me, and even share the Gospel to some of them. I like to think of this as getting to speak to all kinds of different countries, because my friends are from all over the world.
I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a city, to a state, to different countries.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
October came around and my grandmother became sick with Covid and pneumonia. So, I moved back home to be with family. I’m not really sure what is next that God has planned for me. It seems to get bigger and better each time. So, I continue to trust Him. I continue to try to be a light to others. I continue to go where He leads me. I continue to want more. I know that There is hope, when oceans rise, and mountains fall, He never fails.
Currently Listening to: Never Lost (ft. Tauren Wells) by Elevation Worship