BEHIND THE CROWN

I'm not your typical person. Crafted from the tribulations that didn't break me, molded from the trials that didn't kill me, and strengthened by the God that saved me! I am STRONGER THAN BEFORE because I didn't allow myself to be broken by my past. James 1:2-4 I haven't always made the right decisions, but none of those things defined who I am or what I am destined to be. I was born in May of 1979. I grew up in a small town in Lynchburg, VA. I always knew I was different than most kids and I felt as if I never fitted in. Bullied all through elementary school but still loved people. As a child, I had a solid foundation of Christ. Growing up in a COGIC holiness church, you tend to find yourself in church almost seven days a week. Church members became your family, and everyone is either your auntie, uncle, or cousin. My parents trusted people from the church but wolves blend in with the sheep. While only a little girl, a minister of the church, who was a wolf in sheep's clothing, molested me repeatedly until I got old enough to understand what he was doing and how it made me feel. I made sure he didn't corner me alone ever again. When I was 12 years old, another man violated me. The man raped me. He lived in my neighborhood. I pushed the nightmares away and started to become numb to my surroundings. I began to attract older men. I told myself I did not have anything in common with boys my age. I started flirting with older men. I had my first child in 1995 at the age of 15. The father was 21. My uncle and late aunt raised him as their own from birth. Over the next few years, I felt as if I was going through the motions. I graduated from high school in 1997 and attended North Carolina Central University that fall. I graduated with my first degree in May 2001. In 2002, eight months after graduating from college, I had a child. A couple of years later I got married and had another child. In 2017, God laid on my heart to share my testimony and inspire others not to give up! I don't look like what I've been through, and it's because of the grace of God I've outcome many battles. I've had to deal with rejection, rape, loss, molestation, failure, fear, anxiety, depression, sickness, divorce, grief, addiction, poverty, and more. You name it, I've been through it, and yet MY PAST DIDN'T BREAK ME! Although I've been through some of life's fiercest battles, I have always come out stronger. Today, I am a blessed woman who is walking in my purpose. I'm a mother of three beautiful adults. I'm healthy and happy. Over the years, I have attained additional degrees, certifications, and purchased a few homes. It hasn't been easy, and there have been some obstacles along the way, but I refuse to give up! I'm wiser than I was yesterday and more confident than I was a year ago. Those tests and trials made me stronger.