Amazing Testimony from 1994!

Vanessa and I at the Guts Girls Brunch

I want to thank each and every one of you who prayed for my time at Guts Church recently. It was a tremendous success as many lives were touched and many people came to know Christ. It was also wonderful to be reconnected to Mercy graduates from over the years who attended the event. In fact, there is one particular story I would like to share with you...

While I was at the Guts Girls Brunch with approximately 2,000 women, a beautiful young woman approached me from across the room who looked to be in her mid 30s. She knelt down at my table and asked me the question, ‘Do you remember me?’ I immediately said, ‘I know that I know you. You look so familiar to me, but I cannot tell you where I know you from.’ She proceeded to tell me that her name was Vanessa and she came to Mercy Ministries in Louisiana at age 15 (that was the only home we had open in 1994) with an unplanned pregnancy. At that point, it all came rushing back to me exactly who she was. The birthfather of her baby was a baseball player who eventually played for the San Diego Padres. The coolest part is that not only did Vanessa choose to parent her baby boy Dakota, but she and the birthfather ended up getting married, committing their lives to Christ, are now members of Guts Church, and have had three additional children!

Me with Vanessa and her family after church on Sunday

This was such a great thing that I personally experienced that I wanted to share it with you and let you see the pictures. God is so good! It is rare that one of our unwed mothers actually marries the birthfather and has other children and remain married – extremely rare. I am so grateful for God’s goodness. They are a very happy family and it was so cool to spend time with them. Vanessa was at the brunch, but brought her whole family to meet me the next day during the Sunday services. I thought you would enjoy hearing this story!