Being born and raised in a Christian home, I attended church weekly with my family. However, I never really knew what it was like to have a true, deep relationship with the Lord. I would go to Him in hard times and get a glimpse of His goodness, but I did not know how to walk faithfully with Him.

About four years ago, I was in a serious relationship and had just purchased my first home, which was a huge deal for me as a single mom who had always struggled financially. My boyfriend at the time moved in with my daughter and I with the hope of getting married and blending our families. Very quickly, it became abundantly clear that our relationship was not going in the direction I had anticipated. A few weeks in, I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and unhappy. I distinctly remember coming home from work one day and walking out to the fence in my backyard. There was a warm breeze, and I just looked up and said, "God, this cannot be what you have for me, but how can I financially make this work alone?!". A few days later, I decided to take a leap of faith and end my relationship with my boyfriend, and he moved out shortly afterward.

The next few years to follow were extremely difficult. I fell into a deep depression and gained an excessive amount of weight. I had kept my struggles to myself until a day came when I finally broke down and opened up to my mom about what I was walking through. She went to a trusted friend of hers from our church who has known me since birth. This friend and her husband prayed for me, helped me create a budget, and encouraged me tremendously to keep pressing on.

Slowly but surely, God was showing His faithfulness in His perfect timing. I was promoted to a new position at my work, I was qualified for Gastric Bypass surgery, and I was slowly making progress on projects in my home. Around this time, Covid hit, and everything began to shut down. This gave me much more time to be home and reflect. I was able to really take that time to count my blessings a dive a little deeper into my faith. During this time, I also became closer and closer to my sister. Our relationship had been extremely rocky for most of our childhood, but as we grew up and had kids of our own, that relationship began to change and mature.

As Covid restrictions began to lift, our church would begin holding in-person services again, and my sister asked if I would be willing to teach Sunday school with her. For the next five months, my sister and I taught together, planning lessons and crafts for the kids every week. We didn't know it at the time, but God was preparing us to continue to be used in kids ministry for the years to come.

We decided to take a break from teaching over the summer. During this time, my sister's friends invited her family to a weekend service at Radiant. Soon after she had visited, my mom and I visited as well. I immediately felt I was home. The Lord used Pastor Lee's message to speak directly to my heart. When the message was over, I picked up my daughter from class (which she was very nervous about attending), and she said, "MOM, I LOVE IT HERE!". From our very first visit, I instantly saw how genuine and deep the passion for the Lord was in every Pastor and staff member at Radiant. I knew we were right where God had intended us to be. Attending Radiant that day started us on a journey to a place of truly knowing the Lord deeper.

“Four years ago, I dreamed of the life I am blessed to be living now.”

It wasn't long before we decided to officially make Radiant church our home. We took the Be Radiant Class in the fall of 2021, and my sister and I now serve together in the Pre-K classroom where my daughter also attends. I am in awe of God's handiwork and faithfulness in how He has orchestrated the things in my life. We have met so many amazing people, and we truly love the kids that we have the privilege of sowing into.

I had recently felt a strong urge from the Holy Spirit to be baptized again. I followed that urge and was re-baptized on April 24th of 2022! God has used Radiant church to completely light my soul on fire for the Lord! I see Him in a whole new way, and I am learning so much. What a journey it has been. Four years ago, I dreamed of the life I am blessed to be living now. I have a cozy, loving home with my daughter, I've lost 180lbs, I'm financially stable, and I am more joyful than I've ever been. God took the struggles that I faced and used them as an avenue to knowing and loving Him deeper. He has brought beauty from ashes, and I am forever grateful for the journey He has walked me through!