When I was 16, I lived a life full of alcohol and drugs. I went through physical and sexual abuse, dealt drugs, faced self-harm, and honestly have no idea how I made it through alive. The year I turned 19, I was put in jail for the possession of multiple narcotics, and my mom put her house deed on the line to get me out of jail. I was only there for three days, but it was enough to shake me and show me what I needed to do to get out of this spiral. When I turned 20, I left my… Read More
I had a secret that I hid for almost two decades. It was awful and I was ashamed. But I learned that what the enemy intended for evil, God can use for His glory. I had graduated from college and wanted to be an occupational therapist. I was working in a rehab facility and praying that God would help me get into graduate school. But I’m a person that does not do well on standardized tests. I took the GRE six different times and could never get the necessary score. My dream was shattered and I was left without a plan. What… Read More
On this particular morning, I felt led to pray for my husband before I left for the day. I don’t remember the words that came out of my mouth, but I knew he was stressed at work. Normally, I would check in with him by text throughout the day and get a quick response. But I didn't hear back from him all day long. When I got home and he wasn't there, but his car was, I knew something was going on and immediately called the police. After two days of searching and praying, there was a knock at the… Read More
God has blessed me to be the shepherd of some of His hurting children who have survived life-altering burn injuries. He’s allowed me to become the Executive Director of the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation. We put on a Children's Burn Camp every summer: about half of our campers have minor burns, but the other half have very serious burns over parts or all of their body. Our week-long camp in July is free to any child who has suffered a burn. The camp allows these burn survivors to have fun and just be kids. It's a beautiful location on 176 acres… Read More
When I was 13, I started going to a new church. I was hesitant to get involved. Like most teens, I didn't enjoy being the new kid. As time passed, I began making a few acquaintances. One day, I overheard a girl inviting everyone over to her house for a sleepover. I noticed that I wasn't included, so I jokingly interjected. As much as she apologized and begged me to come, I couldn't help but feel it was a forced invitation on my behalf. But I went, and it was a night filled with typical girly activities. We had a blast! Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling… Read More
With all I have gone through I should be a statistic! Thankfully, the Lord had another plan. Between 2013 and 2015, my previous three decades of hardship culminated into a trifecta of even more heartache. My mother died prematurely. Six months later, I realized my 25-year marriage was coming to an end. A few months later, my father also passed away. The back-to-back devastation felt like a tsunami on my soul. All I could think about was the pain and shock of losing so many things that meant the most to me. My family was gone. My… Read More
