CIA Confessional~ Kelsey 11/17/2011

I recently was called to share my story in Grace Fellowship (where we attend church) new “Sharing Space” in the bulletin. Thank you Ana Walker!! This is a great idea!!
I was excited about this opportunity to share what God has done in my life. It flowed out when I was typing it. I thought I was just going to share it in the bulletin. However, telling my story became an everyday thing, after writing it out. A few weeks ago, I read my story in the “Crazy Beautiful” Ladies Study I taught, wrote it in the bulletin and emailed it to a friend. Each time Christ used “His Story” to His Glory in different ways.
In the ladies study, I shared my story because we were talking about Purity. I wanted the ladies to know in the class that I was a “dirty little girl’ but Christ washed me clean. And He can do that for you too.
In the church bulletin, I felt that members know my husbands story and did not know mine. So I wrote my story to share where God has taken me on my journey.
In the email, I encouraged a friend to write and share her story with others. To show His Glory. She did and emailed it out the next day!!

I started to think what else has writing and sharing my story done for me:

• I have nothing to hide which leaves me vulnerable. Christ was also vulnerable.
• Stories give hope
• An opportunity to share Christ with people
• An opportunity to see what you have in common with others. (I talked to someone that had been to Italy, and we talked about our experiences.)
• The weight on my shoulders feels lighter.
• I realize that sharing my story prevents gossip from spreading because my story comes from me.
• My story is powerful because it is about God.

Writing my story I realize that not even some of my family really know my story. But here it is:

I have been Clint’s bride, for 5 years, and Asher’s mother for 5 months. I love my life but this is how I got here. I grew up in a very, very small town. There were 200 students in one school grades K-12, teacher houses, and only one road, but there were 3 churches! There were 18 students in my graduating class. My mom was my 6^th grade teacher, and she knew when I was in trouble before I did. I grew up on a farm; dad was a farmer growing everything from cotton to carrots. I have two older sisters; yes, I am the baby of the family by 6 years! I guess you can say that I had a pretty “normal” growing up. We attended the Muleshoe Church of Christ, three times a week, faithfully. If we were leaving on vacation on Sunday, we still went to church until communion was served, whatever that means.

Growing up in a small town was not all that you think it would be. Starting my sophomore year, I started smoking and drinking which led to drugs. I believe that my whole senior year I was high or buzzed. I tried my hand at dealing drugs for a short while. During my junior year, there was a 5 acre field of marijuana, a mile away from the school; it was soon discovered by police. We would find huge black bags of “weed’ on the side of the road and sell it to the next town. One Friday night the field was burned, during a football game! Crazy!! I felt so much peer pressure to sleep around during my high school years. My life style and behavior put me in dangerous situations and this lead to a rape, by a fellow partier. My actions left me feeling defeated, robbed and bitter at myself and others I felt unworthy and condemned. These feelings plagued me day after day, for years. I was so afraid and did not know how to go to God. I choose my behavior, I was insecure, lost and behaving like my friends all around me. Church youth group was just another place to gossip about how awesome the party was the night before. I was stuck in the fake life. Going to church but having no relationship with the Lord; living life on my terms.

I started college with the same actions. Receiving a MIP (Minor in Possession) on the first night of college. My parents were still in town from taking me to college. By age 20, I was disgusted with my life. I was sick and tired of running, keeping up with the many lies, being insecure in my own skin. I determined to make some changes in my life and I stopped smoking, drinking and drugs. Jesus started to become real to me; the Holy Spirit was doing surgery on my heart. I began to take notice of other women around me. They were different, secure with who they were. I was the opposite of most other college kids, because my party days were over! I was glad I was different. I was baptized in the fall semester, I attempted to find new friends, and stay away from any semblance of my former life. This did not happen until; I let God truly be the Lord of my life. I had to allow Christ to transform me from the inside outside. In 2004, I moved to Italy and started to be more active in my newly found Christian life. Things began to change in my heart; I started to stand up for myself. I let my yes be yes and my no be no. (Something the Italian culture is good at.) My confidence was growing as I allowed the Father to heal my wounds from the past. The Lord was changing me into a new person. I came back to the States in 2005, and attended Eastern New Mexico University to get my Consumer Sciences Degree (Home Economics). This is where God provided time in my life to seek Him with no distractions. I had no friends and my family was busy. I was in relationship with my Savior, not lonely, and truly satisfied and secure in Him. I cherish that time and have such fond memories! Toward the end of college, I saw Clint for the first time. He was leading a worship band. I always knew that I was going to marry a showman! We started dating at a college retreat, and were married within a year and 2 months.

In 2008 an unexpected turn of events happened. Clint received an unmistakable call to ministry. While we had no idea what that would look like, God knew exactly what he was doing in our lives. As the Lord began to lead us into campus ministry, I felt overwhelmed, digging my heels in the ground. As I faithfully follow my husband, as he follows the Lord I have experienced the joys and heartache of ministry. I have grown in ways I never would have expected. The Lord has brought me a deep sense of love for lost people and an evangelistic way of approaching life. He has walked me through being a role model and mentor for many college girls. Although, I’m not proud of my past life I have been able to share it with college girls who are thankful for the transparency. My life is crazy busy with the addition of our little son. We want Asher right in the middle of campus ministry.

Now, in 2011, I am continually being transformed in His image. And loving every moment….. I am blessed to be a daughter of Christ, Clint’s bride, Asher’s mom, CIA mommy, cancer educator (paying job), and living for the Glory of God. I love to share my family’s life and what we are doing on a daily basis through blogging.

If you take one thing away from this, let God have your story!! and share it, to show His Glory. And start writing your story!! It helps us see what God has done in our life.

Please Check out Kel’s Blog: http://thehillplanet.blogspot.com/

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