I honestly can’t remember much about what my life was like before meeting Jesus. I was born into a faith-focused family and I was in church as soon as I was home from the hospital. I was born on a Wednesday night at 6:45pm which is exactly the time our mid-week Bible study started at my home church. The joke used to be that I was born right on time for church.  

Having given my life to Jesus at age 5, going to Christian School, Bible College, and then Seminary, one would think that I didn’t need any type of life changing “come to Jesus” moments. However, that was not the case for me. My life had been fairly easy and even though I knew that I was going to heaven by what Jesus did for me, I still found myself feeling that I was a pretty good person and couldn’t imagine my life being off of the “right track.”

Years down the road, after being married and wanting a family desperately, my husband and I discovered that I had some health issues that would make becoming parents challenging, and then, through the process of trying to start a family, we discovered that my husband had cancer. I went through a very difficult time wondering why this was happening. What had I done wrong? Hadn’t I been the “good girl” I was raised to be? Through all of these trials, fertility treatments, disappointments and eventual joy of finally becoming a mother to two wonderful little boys, I learned so much about Who God is. God was never out to get me, He was never punishing me, and He never left me. I had Jesus in my life, but that didn’t make it easy. What it did do for me was make my life BETTER! I always had the comfort of knowing that God was for me, even in my difficult moments.While He never promised me a life without pain, He did promise to always be with me. I learned to trust in His plan, even when it didn’t make sense, even when it hurt. I knew that He had paid the ultimate price for me and forgave me of my sin. And my sin was great! Even in my church filled life, I still had sin, I still had many downfalls, and I still desperately needed a Savior. All of this was made so clear to me when I struggled with my faith in the trials of life. And the best part of it all, was to know that Jesus died willingly even though I had all of those flaws, in fact, He loved me deeply despite of it. I learned to trust and have confidence, that even when I don’t know what tomorrow holds, I know WHO holds tomorrow and I can have peace and joy in any circumstance because of this.

I have been part of Eastern Hills for 11 years! Eleven WONDERFUL years! This church has stood beside me when I cried over empty arms without children. They came to the hospital when my husband went through cancer surgery. They even helped pay some overwhelming medical bills. I have made life long friendships in this family of believers and I cannot imagine what life would be like without these friends who have become my family. Jesus gave me this blessing!

My service at Eastern Hills has involved working in the Nursery, helping in the kids ministry, working in Leadership in MOPS, helping in the Green Room once a month, helping with the Care Team, and also some speaking opportunities where I’ve been fortunate to share my stories with others in hopes to encourage others going through difficult times.

Serving at church has been such a blessing to me as it has allowed me to make deeper connections with others at Ehills, gives me a sense of belonging that I truly am a part of this church, this group of believers, and no matter what capacity I serve in, I ALWAYS get blessed so much more than anything I’m offering as a volunteer.

This is not the church I grew up in. While there were many wonderful things about that church, there were also unwritten rules that could feel impossible to keep up with. At Eastern Hills, I have always felt that I have been looked at as someone with infinite dignity, value, and worth, just because I’m me, and Jesus loves me just as I am. My prayer is to offer that same feeling of belonging to anyone who comes through the door. I hope my life, in some small way, can show to others that Jesus truly does make life better!