I grew up in Campobello, SC as the only child of a single mother. My Mom accepted Christ when she was a child, so from the very beginning of my life she had me in church every time the doors were open. I heard all of the bible stories, memorized bible verses, and learned songs about Jesus. I knew who Jesus was, but it never occurred to me that knowing who He is was not enough. All around me there were people who had personal relationships with Jesus – my Mom, Sunday school teachers, our pastor, and my Wednesday night teachers. However, I still didn’t understand that to have what they had I needed to accept Him and to have a personal relationship with Him.

By the time I was 10, I was beginning to realize that there was more to being a Christian than just knowing who Christ is. During a revival we were having at our church I finally got it. Although I knew the stories - that Jesus came to earth as a baby, He was crucified as a man, and He rose again on the third day – I didn’t understand until that night that He did those things for ME; He died for MY sins! I realized that I had to make a choice – accept Him or deny Him! Accepting Him would mean eternal life in Heaven and denying Him would lead to eternal life in Hell. That night I asked for God’s forgiveness and accepted Christ.

Since that night He has always been a part of my life. Even when I have started to turn away He used people or circumstances to point me back to Him. For many reasons my spiritual growth was very slow the first 20 years of my Christian walk, but in all of that time the Holy Spirit was working in my life - pointing me to the things I should be doing and convicting me of the things I should not. I still have so very much to learn and to change, but God is faithful and patient. He continues to show me that He has a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11) and that I can do anything if I put all of my faith in Him (Philippians 4:16).