What does your job involve?
My job involves discipleship and outreach to girls grades 6-12. In this role, I get to be the visionary for how we will reach girls with Christ’s love, work one-on-one with girls to help them along in their relationships with Christ, and support/encourage the female leaders in our ministry who are also discipling girls. My heart in this ministry is that girls would have such a great love relationship with Jesus Christ that it spills over into every aspect of their lives and how they live.
Where were you born and raised?
I have lived in Orlando my entire life except for the four years I was in Tallahassee for college.
How large is the family you grew up in?
Besides my parents, I’m the oldest of four children. I have two sisters and a brother.
When did you come to know Christ?
My parents became Christians right after I was born and began living their faith out in a very real way. I remember coming to Christ very early in my life, though I don’t remember the specifics. However, it was not until I was 13 that I made the decision that I was really going to follow Jesus. That’s also when I got baptized.
What was the first job you ever had?
I babysat for relatives and family friends.
Where did you go to college?
I attended Florida State University, where I got a degree in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising.
How did you get into ministry?
When I was in high school, I was very involved in serving with the youth group. I also served as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes while at Boone High School. In college, I was the director of the women’s ministry at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. I also worked as an intern in the Student Ministry here at First Orlando in the summer of 2004. After I graduated from college, I came back to Orlando, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life or what my passions were. I started volunteering with [Sixth-Grade Pastor] Staffon Bunn to see how I would like working with students. At the end of a year, I realized that this was something I wanted to do as my career.
Have you ever done any long- or short-term missionary trips in the U.S. or overseas?
When I was in high school, I went on the trip to Philadelphia when we were planting Keystone Church. In college, I had the opportunity to go to Nicaragua. We went to a rural area where no one ever visited and we shared the Gospel with them and showed the “Jesus” film. I also went to East Asia with our church and we did some great work there.
Where else have you served?
At Florida State, I was part of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, where I served for three years as the women’s ministry director.
What is the turning point of your life?
There are several. The first came when I was 13. It was then that I realized that following Christ was a decision I had to make — my parents couldn’t make it for me. That’s when I remember wanting to read my Bible and wanting to have a relationship with Jesus. Soon after that, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. That diagnosis made me run to Him even more, and in those years, I learned so much foundational truth in my time in His Word. Another turning point was when I went to college. Every crutch I leaned on — family, church and friends — was removed all at once. I learned a lot about God’s grace and how I had to really rely on Him in every kind of situation.
Your mother, Sandra, died of colon cancer at the age of 44. How did that affect you?
Anytime you’re faced with death, it puts a lot of things into perspective and weeds out a lot of the fluff in life. My mom’s death definitely brought our family much closer and eliminated a lot of the typical family drama that others experienced. We were all united around my mom’s situation. Her example through that trial has had a huge influence on me. She never complained and always had her eyes on the Lord. She was always looking outward and ministering to other people. That will affect me for the rest of my life. I did have my times when I questioned God and had to work through my anger and grief, but I learned that I could bring all of that to Him and that He could handle it. He worked through it all with me. Also, what happened with my mom has made me a lot more excited about Heaven.
How did the experience with your mother help you in your current position?
I’m really thankful that the Lord allowed me to go through that experience because now, in my ministry, I feel that I can understand what girls are going through in difficult situations. It may not be the same thing I experienced with my mom, but I still understand that deep level of hurt that others are going through and I’ve learned that Jesus is enough to handle anything.
What do you like most about your job?
For one thing, I love hanging out with the girls. But the best part about what I do is when I see a girl who really “gets it.” Growing up in the church, there are a lot of girls who just go through the motions, and they know all the right answers. But when you see their lives start to change and they start seeing how awesome and satisfying Jesus is, it makes everything worth it.
What is your most memorable moment in ministry?
I remember volunteering for Camp Orlando one summer when one of my girls, who had been in a very bad situation, came to Christ. Watching God change her life completely was amazing. I began discipling her and we’ve become like sisters. That has been huge for me.
What’s your favorite Bible verse?
I have several. One is Psalm 73:25-26: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Another is 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
What do you like to do with your free time?
I like reading, listening to music, singing karaoke, going to concerts, eating lots of cheesecake, hanging out with friends, going to the beach and just being outdoors in general.
If you weren’t in ministry, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be teaching middle school.
Is there something about you people would be surprised to learn?
I come from a very large extended family. I have 14 immediate aunts and uncles and over 50 first cousins.