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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Christine’s Personal Testimony

As some of you may know, I had a rather rocky childhood. When I was 4 months old my father went to prison and remained there for 14 years. I grew up in home with my mother, step-dad, and two younger sisters. My step-dad was an alcoholic and later on struggled with a drug addiction. When I was just a little girl, I remembered lying on my bedroom floor reading the bible, not even understanding what I was reading, but just trying to block out the yelling and screaming. I remember praying, but not knowing if God ever heard my prayers. I used to pray and pray that my dad would just get out of prison so I could go and live with him. I thought that if God just answered this one prayer everything would be better.

Growing up we lived in the country, our nearest neighbors were about half a mile down a dirt road from us. Our neighbors on one side of us, was a police officer. I remember having to run to Officer Garrett’s home several times in the middle of the night when my step-dad was drunk and hitting my mom. I continued to pray for God to take me out of this environment, but he didn’t. The neighbors on the other side of us, was Pastor McKenzie and his family. Pastor McKenzie and his wife picked me up for church on Sundays, vacation bible school, I was saved at 12 yrs. old, and baptized. I questioned myself for years and years if God ever heard my prayers and why he didn’t answer. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized God did answer my prayers. As I was getting older and would soon be out of the house, I needed to be there for my sisters and my mother. It wasn’t until this year that God pointed out to me that he did hear me all those years and he sent me the officer for protection on one side of our house and a pastor on the other side to lead me closer to him.

At 14 yrs. old, my world got more complicated. I was about to enter high school in Bentonville. Had a good group of friends, my father was released from prison and I had just spent the summer with him. My mom was also getting a divorce. Then October 18, 1993 my world came crashing down. My mother picked me up from a football game and informed me that my father was being charged with the murder of an 18 yr. old woman in Little Rock. My hopes, dreams, and plans, were all crushed. With so many mixed emotions and frustrations I couldn’t understand how my dad could say he loved me and then take a woman’s life that had her entire future ahead of her. To make things even worse, the victim’s mother took her own life on Christmas morning leaving behind her husband and son. I didn’t want to think about anything going on in my life; I was too embarrassed and ashamed to talk about anything with my friends, so I soon lost most of them, starting skipping school, and became pregnant with Sydney at the age of 15.

Having Sydney was the best thing that ever happened to me. It forced me to grow up really fast. I didn’t have time to think about all of the things going on in my life. I soon began working at the sheriff’s office where I continued to work for 10 years. While working at the sheriff’s office I knew I didn’t want a career in law enforcement. A friend of mine told me about Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County. This organization made it possible for me to go back to school while working full time and earning my Bachelor’s Degree.  However, this journey was a constant struggle. I chose to continue to have a relationship with my dad over the next twelve years until he was executed in November of 2005. Then, I lost my grandmother in 2007 and my 2 yr. old nephew in 2008. I know that God put Single Parent Scholarship Fund in my life to help me through this time in my life. They offered so much support, encouragement, and counseling services to me. I seriously don’t know where I would be without them in my life.

I’m finally at a season in life that I love and can look back and see that God has ALWAYS been there for me even when I felt so distant from him. He always provided and answered my prayers in his time. I couldn’t imagine where I would be without God or the people that he has put in my life. As my relationship with the Lord grows, he reveals to me that his plan for my life is so much bigger and better than I ever could imagine. I graduated last year from JBU and work for an amazing company where I love going to work every day. Sydney is going into the 10th grade, a straight A honors student, in the choir, active in her youth group, and so passionate about God and her relationship with him. I could go on and on about what a beautiful young lady she is growing into. I am in a positive and stable relationship and we are about to have our home open to become foster parents. I am so excited to see what God has planned in my life!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing your testimony and your heart Christine! It's so encouraging to see all God has done for you and will continue to do! So excited for you guys to get to go to Uganda! Can't wait to see updates! :)
    Nicole Francis

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