When I was 23 I knew I was called to share my story. I quickly became a mom and had kids at home from school for the next 16 years. I’ve always felt that my first calling was to my kids. Over the years I’ve had a few opportunities to speak: teaching at women’s Bible studies, I was the speaker at a Mother’s Day Tea, I’ve shared bits and pieces of my story in various venues, I’ve lead several small groups of women and couples, I was a youth group leader for junior high and high school and lead trainings for Teen Esteem.
Though they were infrequent, there has always been a stirring inside of me to speak, to share, to reach people with a message of freedom. I wrestled with God about this stirring, “Is this ME or is this YOU?”
In November of 2014 a dear friend of mine had an experience with God that confirmed to me, with clarity, that it was indeed HIM stirring in me. Soon after, I began receiving requests to speak more and more. I’ve developed five new talks from scratch in the last year and a half, and have presented each of them one or more times. Some have been for Teen Esteem and others have been doing what I always knew I was supposed to do, sharing my personal story. Almost a year from the date my friend confirmed the call to speak, I shared my life story in full, for the very first time.
So when I was given the opportunity to go through a professional speaker training in San Francisco this week I was overjoyed and grateful! I spent the last two days being video taped, critiqued, encouraged, trained while learning how to develop an influential and effective talk. I can’t thank local pastor, Tyler Scott, enough for believing in me. He was in the audience for my first “big talk” and led me to this opportunity. A huge shout out to Decker Communications for a great training. I’m excited to try out everything I learned when I present to parents at a private school in Oakland next week.
It’s good to be in the center of God’s will.
