I was not born into a Christian home. My parents were both very “good” people, but they had never accepted Jesus into their lives as their personal Savior. When I was six years old, the bus ministry from First Baptist Church, Rogers, AR started coming to our house every Saturday. They offered to come by and pick us up for church on Sunday mornings. I looked forward to them coming on Saturdays because they always brought a big bucket of bubble gum! My dad finally allowed me to ride the church bus, but he was not willing to go himself. The people from the bus ministry continued to come by and visit with my family each week. After a few weeks, my mother decided to go with me whether my dad went or not. That Sunday was truly unforgettable. When the bus arrived, Mom was crying, pleading for my dad to go with us. Dad was crying, too, because he was fighting a battle of guilt. He knew that he should be the one taking us to church. However, that changed in only one week when Dad was driving us to church, himself! We continued going to church together as a family. Dad was the first one of us to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. Then each member of the family accepted Christ.
I made a public confession of faith when I was seven, but did not truly understand and accept the Lord as my personal Savior until I was fifteen. I was sitting in a New Song concert at FBC Rogers when they sang a song titled “Three Rows Back” and I was actually sitting three rows back at the time of the invitation! The song and the irony of my situation certainly did make an impact on me, but I accepted Jesus that night not because of any song that was sung or any words that were said. Jesus spoke to me that night in such a simple, straightforward way. I understood for the first time what it meant to become a Christian.
I have had some awesome opportunities to share the gospel with others. I served with my family on the Southern Baptist Volunteer Foreign Mission Board, ministering and sharing Christ with the people of Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. During my youth, I also had the privilege of traveling the United States as Miss Arkansas TEEN. I used that opportunity to share my faith with those I met. The Lord blessed me with a godly, loving husband. We’ve been married for 18 years and have two wonderful children – ages 13 and 15. I had the privilege of leading them both to the Lord.
I have worked in the field of education for about 24 years. In opening my own preschool, I was able to “minister” to the families of NWA and share the love of Jesus with their children. I now work directly with teachers, sharing the importance of visual art, music and movement in education. In all that I do, I try to always show that the Lord is the most important part of my life and share His joy with all that I meet. My husband, children and I are members of First Baptist Church, Bentonville, AR where I serve as drama director, sing on the Praise Team and in adult choir, and serve on the Worship Planning Team. I look forward to the plans the Lord has in my future.
