My parents reared me in the Baptist Church.  We were there any time the door was open.  I grew up with a clear knowledge of God and what it meant to be a Christian.  When I was about 9 years old, I accepted the salvation that Christ offered so freely to me.  I continued to study about God and participate in mission-minded programs at church.

When it came time to choose a college to attend, I chose Southeastern Bible College to further my knowledge of the Bible and my God.  After that I attended Auburn and met my husband there.  We attended church our entire marriage but didn’t necessarily live our lives for Christ; only when it fit into our plans.

In 2004, I found out I have colon cancer.  I had it removed but in that surgery they found another cancer:  one that was in a “jell” form and that filled in between my organs.  This was treated by an enormous surgery at MD Anderson in Houston, TX.  I spent one month in the hospital there and another month on feeding tubes and other tubes at home.  I have lost 5 organs and 2 sections of my colon to cancer and yet God has used my life since all this to lead others in their Christian walk with Christ.

Through everything, I never got angry with God.  I always had a peace that God knew what He was doing and that He held me in His loving hand.  I have now been 5 years without my cancer returning.  I thank God for healing me and giving me a chance to live for Him.  Before my cancer, my whole family lived our lives pretty much however we wanted to live it and through this cancer we have all found a better meaning for life, through Christ.  I would do it all again if He wanted me to.

Here is what we learned.  God wants us to know Him personally.  He wants to spend time with us while we spend time studying about His character, talking to Him and trusting Him with the things we care about, while getting to know Him more and more.  He wants us to serve others while displaying His character of love.  He wants us to use the power He gives us to overcome the sin in our lives so that we can be a better witness for Him and so that we can avoid the consequences of our sin.  It is all for our own good, because He loves us so much.

This Christian life is not easy, but it is very rewarding.  My husband and I are serving our church now by hosting 2 Small Groups weekly in our home.  We are enjoying growing spiritually with other Christians like ourselves as we serve each other and our community.