I Was Born at a Very Young Age:
I was born at a very young age in Phoenix, Arizona to two amazing people, my mom and dad. I feel privileged to say I grew up in a traditional household where my parents are still together to this day. We would go to church regularly, pray before meals and bed, talk about Jesus and be shown the ways of life through love, even “tough love”. My parents blessed me with a little brother when I was only two years old, however I did not always see him as a blessing.
My brother Robert and I were typical siblings that fought A LOT! We have always been competitive at heart and games would never last more than five minutes (ten if we were lucky) for the simple fact that it would always end in some kind of brawl and mom would step in and tell us to go find something else to play….separately. Needless to say, we were always finding “something else to play” on a pretty regular basis. She also would tell us that one day we would become best friends. We would always roll our eyes and reply, “Okay, yeah right mom.” But mom was right. I am honored to say my little brother is one of my absolute best friends and I could not ask for a better one. He has taught me so much and led me in so many ways that I am truly thankful for him, his heart and his guidance (yes, even as a little brother).
Taking a step back and pushing aside the fact that Robert and I would g
et into the occasional sibling clash, we also got to do a lot of stuff together – like camping (a lot of camping), sports, traveling and travel sports (that sometimes included camping). This allowed us to grow a lot as a family and as individuals – however it tended to take us away on the weekends which resulted in taking us away from church. Robert and I had a falling out with church once high school and junior high rolled around but we eventually found our ways back…and this is how I did. How I Met The Love Of My Life:
As I mentioned, I grew up knowing who Christ was and what he did for me but it did not necessarily mean I completely understood what that meant. Not knowing that allowed me to get mixed in with the wrong group of people, who did not help me to see who Christ was. I have always strived to be the “nice girl” and was always seen as a rule follower even when I hung out with the kind of people that strived to be just the opposite. It made certain decisions hard to decipher but I am proud to say that through all of the obstacles I have faced running with the wrong crowd, that I was able to walk away staying true to myself and my morals. However, I wanted to seek why that was. I wanted to know why I had certain standards, morals and ways that I wanted to live my life. I wanted to figure out why my heart was always made heavy in certain situations and why I felt the need to live my life differently. I had been invited to youth groups, including Young Life, several times in high school but I never wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. That was until my brother invited me to check out this thing called Campaigners at Brian and Amy Orlovich’s house the summer before my sophomore year of college. I had no idea what it was but I was intrigued and wanted to check it out. It happened to be that night that the group was talking about what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus – something I had never considered before. So there I sat in a room full of high schoolers (and two adults) and I had my eyes and heart reopened; something that I would later learn that Young Life was all about.
A few days after meeting the Orlovich’s, Amy asked me if I would like to be a Young Life leader. I thought she was kidding. I cautiously accepted and met with her and Debbie Griggs to talk about what this whole Young Life thing was all about. I know now that it was purely Jesus that made the moves to make everything come into place and meet me right where I was, but he definitely used key people and ministries to help get the job done. I am honored to say that I have now been leading Young Life for three (going on four) years, and show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Needless to say, Jesus has done wonders in the way I see things, react to adversity and continue to run towards him every day. Just like my parents did as I was growing up, He has shown me and grown me through love – His love especially and the love of others too.
Life is Beautiful, Embrace It:
Every walk and path has speed bumps and obstacles along the way that the enemy tries to use to detour us back onto the beaten path; and mine was no different. I had the tremendous speed bump of a broken heart, a broken heart that would turn into one of the greatest transformations to take place. I came to a point in a relationship with one of my best friends (and boyfriend of five years) where I had to completely trust in Christ and believe that he had His hand on the entire situation. If this kind of situation would have taken place at the beginning of our
relationship, I am not sure what I would have ultimately done; but God had been preparing me. He has used this relationship to teach me new things and allow me to teach new things to someone else. However, there is a point where He wanted both of us to let go and move in new directions separately. Looking back to almost a year ago, it was apparent that He was doing big things at the time of tears and confusion. He allowed my heart to be broken by someone else in order for Him to put the pieces back in the way He saw fit, not the way I did. In that time, I was able to see more beauty and more elegance in every little piece of my life. It helped transform me as person, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a co-worker and most importantly, a leader. I know my path is far from over and I know obstacles like these won’t be the last, but one thing I am sure of is the strength he has instilled in me through all of it. I like to say now that I am fearless. Not because it sounds cool or something like that, but for the pure fact that that is what He wants from us.
"For I hold you by your right hand - I the Lord your God. And I say to you 'Don't be afraid, I am here to help you.'" - Isaiah 41:13
Things that use to put me on edge or shut me down because of fear have now faded into nothing but a small stone in my lighted path. Part of it simply comes from growing up, but the majority of it comes from the security of knowing I am His and He is there to catch me when I am standing on the edge. One of my favorite sayings that I was told when I was going through one of life’s storms was:
“When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go. Only one of two things will happen: either He will catch you when you fall or He will teach you how to fly!”
It’s now so easy to see the design He has mapped out through His son and His word. John 10:10 is highlighted in ever aspect of life and he has allowed us to embrace that and take in the beauty of it all – especially though the little things.
I would like to personally thank you for taking the time to read about me and read about a small glimpse of what my life has been like this far. I know there is a lot more ahead and I am extremely excited to hang on and enjoy the ride, fearlessly.
