In the Bible, Proverbs 29:18 KJV teaches us that "where there is no vision the people perish, but he that keepth the law, happy is he." I believe this to be very true. Just as we look to our parents for everything when we are children is the same way I have learned to look to God for everything. I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband and children and my mom and dad about thirty minutes away. However, growing up in the city of St. Louis was impoverished (deprived of strength and vitality). Whatever you were exposed to, such as alcoholism, guns, unemployment, and more, you had to decide within yourself much later in life what to do with it. You could either become a product of your environment or do something different. I decided to do something different. I had always heard voices in my head telling me that I would never do anything or become anyone because of where I came from. And so I believed that, and it made me afraid. But when I was ten, we moved out of that neighborhood, and we moved with my grandmother. This was a much more established well-cured community compared to the one I had come from. It was the home my mother and her siblings had grown up in. Deep down in my heart, I had always wanted to live there. (Psalms 37:4 ESV says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.") Shortly after moving there, I turned eleven years old, and I met my best friend Trestaca Warren whom I met visiting the church of extended family members. The pastor did what is called an altar call. It's when you're asked if you want to be saved and join the church, and I had decided in my heart that I wanted to. So Tressie offered to go with me to the altar. When I look back on that experience now, I see it as God holding out his hand to me, letting me know that he will carry me every step of the way in life. I have been close to meeting death several times; from nearly being kidnapped to overcoming cancer and surviving four major car accidents, God has kept me. I stand here today to let you know that I am here to do his work by helping others overcome the challenges they face in life. I find my joy the most in encouraging healthy living, marriage, and family. My bachelor's, master's, doctorate, and PhD degrees are not from the classroom but from my life experiences.
