I was born and raised in Southeast Ohio in a small Amish community where we took our religion very seriously, not only by not having the modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, electricity or phones, But following the hundreds of religious laws that seemed to always be getting me into trouble! I found it hard to follow all these rules with no explanation as to why we do things the way we do and was often told that it’s best not to ask questions but to trust the bishops and the elders. I am one of 12 children, I was number 8 with 3 sisters and 8 brothers.
when I was a very young child my father began to sexually groom me and for my whole childhood he molested me on a daily basis until I was 18 years old, I didn’t know anything else as a child. This resulted me becoming a bitter and angry person, i didn’t know why I’m acting the way I am and eventually I became depressed and I was convinced that I was too far gone for even God to care about me , I had prayed many prayers that God would help me like what dad was doing to me but He never answered my prayers so I was sure He was not pleased with me and that was why my prayers weren’t answered!
because my father told me this was his job as a dad and I believed him I never talked to anyone about the abuse, and because the Amish don’t report this or any other kind of abuse to the authorities it would have done no good to talk about it.
At the age of 20 I got married to my amazing husband and after about a year into our marriage my brother began sharing some truths from the bible with my husband and though I had very little trust in anything he was saying, my husband kept going to the bible and checking to see if what he was saying was true, after realizing that we were typical Pharisees we became really hungry for the truth and began attending bible studies which is ultimately what got us kicked of the Amish, and with that came the life long shunning, we left the Amish and Joined the mennonite church where we heard the salvation message. Most of my family who had left had these amazing born again experiences but again God wasn’t answering my prayers! This is when I became very suicidal, I really thought that I was just that far gone that even God can’t save me! By now we have 3 kids with number 4 on the way, but it was at this time that I began to listen to Andrew Wommack’s teachings and learning about the God of Grace, I began to understand His love for me and slowly but amazingly I began to trust Him and believe that He really can but not only can He but He WANTS to save me! So on a Sunday morning as I am getting my babies ready for church I fully surrendered my heart and my life to Jesus! Oh the weights that from my shoulders that morning! all I can say is PRAISE HIM!!!
My husband and I have since left the mennonite culture and are now both graduates of Charis Bible College and are raising 6 children to honor and glory of God! We are a single income family so my husband is working and providing for our family while also being a fantastic dad to our wonderful children and a wonderful husband to me. I am a full-time stay at home mom homeschooling our children and taking care of the house, we believe our children are our primary calling for this time, however we do also minister to other parents who have questions about parenthood and mentor young people in the lord, we actively serving in our church as a part of the family life team where we have amazing opportunities to share the love of Jesus to many people.
ultimately we both feel called to the family mountain so that is what we lean toward in our ministry, helping families in need and mentoring young couples on how to have good healthy families. We are so thankful to the Lord Jesus for saving and delivering us for the world of darkness and translating us into His Kingdom!
