1 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:09,800 What's up guys? My name is Alexis. 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,360 You're a host with praises in the pod, and I am so excited to 3 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,480 have Mallory Smith here today. We are going to be talking about 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,880 her testimony and just what all God has done in her life. 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:21,840 We're going to start off in prayer and then we're going to 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,080 jump right in. So here we go. 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:25,520 Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for today. 8 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,080 Thank you for all your many blessings. 9 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,240 Dear God, thank you for allowing just us to come and talk about 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:32,800 your goodness and your faithfulness. 11 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,800 We just pray that you speak to us and through us and let this 12 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,480 podcast glorify you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen, 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,840 Amen, Amen, Mallory. So we've already been talking a 14 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,160 little bit and like tears have already been flowing on my end. 15 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,920 Like, I feel like this is going to be so good, and I'm just so 16 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,280 excited. I'm excited, yes. 17 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:53,640 So let's jump right in. Let's start at your childhood, 18 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,040 work your way up and get to where we are today, OK? 19 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,560 So I'm from the big city of Hawkinsville. 20 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,519 Big, big. City I have I had a really, I 21 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:08,280 guess when I think about my childhood, I'd say it was fun. 22 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,600 My parents are very fly by the city of your parents. 23 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,840 Kind of parents, yeah. We moved all the way across the 24 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:16,840 country to Las Vegas when I was 5. 25 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,760 I went to kindergarten in Las Vegas, then we moved to Branson, 26 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,600 MO, and then back to the biggest city of Hawkinsville. 27 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,080 Now what did your parents do for y'all to move around? 28 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,200 They you know what and everything listen, they, they 29 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,240 moved to Las Vegas and my mom was a waitress and my dad worked 30 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,440 at a casino. Like we weren't military, we 31 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,880 were just living for the adventure girl. 32 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,120 Wow. That is very interesting. 33 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,240 You don't hear that a lot. You see that in movies, Yeah, 34 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,840 but not necessarily, you know? That's crazy. 35 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:45,560 That is my real life. Nice. 36 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,280 I did grow up going to church, but my mom took us to church. 37 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,720 My dad never really went to church. 38 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,680 When I was in the third grade, my mom, myself and my two 39 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,640 brothers were all saved and baptized. 40 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:03,800 My dad, you know, I'm sure he was there for our baptism. 41 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,520 I'm sure he came. I don't remember that, but I'm 42 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,320 sure he was. But from an early age, like it 43 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,640 became like I was obsessed with praying for my dad's salvation. 44 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,840 I was being taught he would die and go to hell because that's 45 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,600 the fact. And Oh my gosh, I pray for my 46 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,760 daddy religiously. I actually became obsessed with 47 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,560 it, probably like OCD. Like if I don't pray today, it 48 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:29,640 might not happen. It might not. 49 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:31,920 Happen you became a prayer warrior I. 50 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,880 Did I did? So in 4th grade I stood. 51 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,080 I asked my pastor, could I go in front of the whole church and 52 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,200 ask the church to pray for my dad's salvation? 53 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,720 Because like I was maybe that's where all my anxiety started 54 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,040 because I'm like, no, I got to get my daddy down as well. 55 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:49,280 My daddy's a big, he's a big man. 56 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,480 And he won. As much as we prayed and prayed 57 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:53,800 and prayed, I know I was praying. 58 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,040 I feel like I was carrying that on my little shoulders. 59 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:01,920 But he got saved, Hallelujah. And I, he, he is my very first 60 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:03,000 huge answer. Prayer. 61 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,040 The whole situation with him pretty much taught me how 62 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:08,280 important prayer. Is Yeah. 63 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:10,320 How old were you when he did get saved? 64 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:11,280 I. Was in the 5th grade. 65 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,240 Oh. OK, so 2 good years of solid 66 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:15,320 prayer. Prayer. 67 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,240 Wow, that's a big answered prayer. 68 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,760 Oh my gosh. For a elementary schooler to 69 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,680 really be diving in begging God for this. 70 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,360 And then he answers in a mighty way. 71 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,680 Begging is the word to begging is the word. 72 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:33,200 But after that, you know, I mean, they, my, my parents had 73 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:34,680 their ups and downs. They're still married. 74 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,240 They're great. They're wonderful. 75 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,520 But we we stayed in church. I'm not going to say like I 76 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,320 heard Alexa talk on your podcast. 77 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,680 And she was like, you know, we weren't really knocking it out 78 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:46,520 of the park like with Bible studies at home. 79 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,880 But, you know, I had great parents and we were in church 80 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,520 and and, you know, we learned the Bible. 81 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:53,320 Yeah. Yeah. 82 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,560 So that's elementary school? Middle school, Yeah. 83 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,440 When does your husband, when do you all meet? 84 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,200 Because isn't Lance from Hawkinsville too? 85 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,680 I met Lance in the ninth grade. He was in the 11th grade. 86 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,560 I had made a promise, or maybe a bet with my friends. 87 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,520 I had three best friends that I would go to prom all four years 88 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,600 of high school. Well, you have to go with a 89 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,279 junior senior, so Lance knows this, but he was just my ticket 90 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:23,520 to prom. Oh my gosh. 91 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,360 Funny how that turned out, but I went went to prom with him and 92 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,080 I've been with him since. Wow, ninth night. 93 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,920 Right. I was 15, he was 17. 94 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:38,680 Wow so y'all just instantly start dating after prom or is it 95 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,240 kind of like a friendship? How does that we we were. 96 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,160 He gave me his class ring in the hallway, you know? 97 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:47,320 Yeah, we dated pretty much instantly. 98 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,120 OHK. OK, yeah. 99 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,920 So what does that look like? Are y'all in church? 100 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,720 How was his faith back then too? And y'all together. 101 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,160 You know, I'll tell you, looking at it now, it's crazy to say 102 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,200 Lance really wasn't involved in church. 103 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:02,880 My mom made a rule like if you want to see Mallory, you have to 104 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,040 go to church. So if you come to church on 105 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,000 Sunday, then you can see her the next weekend. 106 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,000 If you don't come to church, you don't get to see her. 107 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,080 So he came to church because he wanted to see me and that was 108 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,880 the rules. That's how it went so and it was 109 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,600 very casual. He and I were not very involved 110 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,840 in a youth group at that time. I had been as a middle schooler, 111 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:25,840 but in high school kind of fell off and, but we went to church 112 00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:30,480 on Sundays and you know, we, we broke up here and there like 113 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,320 high school relationships. So we were pretty much together 114 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,280 all of our high school. Wow. 115 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,200 You know, and I think back like in high school because you said 116 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,200 you weren't a part of a youth group and I'm like if the youth 117 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,320 groups are what they are now, I would have been a part of that 118 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,320 thing which I never gave it a chance really. 119 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,680 But you know like they are so awesome and y'all have a youth 120 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:51,800 group too, which we'll get into that. 121 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,000 But I'm like man, like I. They're definitely, they're 122 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,640 definitely different, definitely different. 123 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,680 OK, because I'm like I missed out, but I'm sure they are. 124 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,080 They've like really evolved over the years for sure. 125 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,640 OK, so high school, you actually do have your oldest in high 126 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:08,400 school. So tell me a little bit about 127 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,760 that. So actually I graduated high 128 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,080 school three months pregnant with Peyton. 129 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,520 OK, yeah. So, I mean, just to be fully 130 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,600 transparent, I mean, Lance and obviously did not wait till 131 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,280 marriage, you know, and we were to get had been together for 132 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,840 four years when I got pregnant with Peyton. 133 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,720 And yeah, it was very hard. Yeah. 134 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:34,760 Well, two, you're in a small town. 135 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,200 I was. About to say we live in that 136 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,640 really tiny town. I think I was probably the last 137 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,280 person people would think would get pregnant in high school. 138 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,920 I have, I mean, I don't know if this is too much information, 139 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:50,240 but I've only ever been with Lance. 140 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,640 Like it's just, it's, I've been with him my whole life, you 141 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:57,160 know, so I've not had another relationship really other than 142 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,960 Lance. So I did get pregnant and it was 143 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,320 just absolutely terrifying because I knew how it was going 144 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:07,280 to break my parents hearts. And I'll be honest with you, I 145 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:08,760 was never really scared to be a mom. 146 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:10,520 Like that's kind of all I ever wanted to be. 147 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,080 Peyton wasn't the scary part. It was just the reaction of like 148 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,080 my small town and and my parents. 149 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,040 Like I knew it was going to break their hearts. 150 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,360 Yeah. Well, how did that affect, like 151 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,120 your walk at that time? Because, you know, like you 152 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,160 said, y'all are going on Sundays, you're not really 153 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,640 involved. But now, you know, you're 154 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,320 pregnant at a young age, you're not married. 155 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,080 And I know, you know, you're probably getting some oh gosh, 156 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,640 yeah, yes, just some, you know, negative responses and stuff 157 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,240 like that. So are you like, shameful? 158 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,280 Oh, gosh, listen, I was so ashamed. 159 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,080 And I worked in a precious little gift shop in Hawkinsville 160 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,360 that's still there. Everybody knew me. 161 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,400 And, you know, I mean, I was on the homecoming court, you know, 162 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,520 like, I was just like, I appeared to have it together. 163 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:03,360 And then now I'm pregnant. And it was, it was rough. 164 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,240 It was rough. I mean, people were not nice 165 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,920 people, you know, lied and said it's not Lance's, which was 166 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,680 completely impossible, like not even possible. 167 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:18,680 It's just my mom worked in the in town too, so she heard all 168 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,320 these rumors and it was already hard enough on them. 169 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,480 Like they were already, you know, I'm sure they were ashamed 170 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,120 and embarrassed. Let's be honest, they were 171 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:31,600 angry. Probably 2 is like, you know, 172 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:33,520 you want more for your kids, of course. 173 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,039 And they know like you're a young age and now you're going 174 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:39,799 to have to struggle and figure out this life before you're 175 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:44,680 really even ready because at 1718 years old, I'm a complete, 176 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,360 I don't know anything, you know, like I don't know how to raise a 177 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:48,440 kid. I barely know how to raise 178 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,720 myself. And so, you know, we just want 179 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,080 more for our kids. And. 180 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:56,480 Something like that So. For a long time I carried a lot 181 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,480 of hurt from them, like of honestly their reaction to it. 182 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:06,000 Now I'm, I have a child of my own that, you know, I have 183 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,640 children of my own, but I have a child of my own that was that 184 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,960 age. And I mean, I can imagine, you 185 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,120 know, I can imagine how they felt so. 186 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,560 So after y'all have Peyton, what does life look like? 187 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,800 Because new, new out of high school? 188 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:21,040 Really, What does that look like? 189 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,720 So I stayed with my parents. Lance and I did not get married 190 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,520 right away. I had this huge fear that I 191 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,440 would marry him because we had a kid and then it would end 192 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,280 terribly. And I'm like, I've already got 193 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,480 this all out of order. Like I just, I can't keep, I 194 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,240 can't make the whole deeper, you know? 195 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:42,040 So Lance would have he would have gotten married his parents. 196 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:44,480 So let me backtrack a little bit. 197 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,880 His parents left when he was 17. He graduated at 17 and they 198 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,440 moved away. So Lance was pretty much living 199 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,280 on his own with his older brother and. 200 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,360 What's their age difference? Let's see, Oh gosh, maybe four 201 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,800 or five years. So I mean, like, he didn't have 202 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,000 a lot of order. He was working at a grocery 203 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:09,280 store, and so his parents weren't weren't around. 204 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,440 And, you know, I stayed with my parents. 205 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:15,600 I just felt like I needed that stability for Peyton. 206 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,280 I didn't like Lance could take care of us. 207 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,360 You know, at that time, I was in college. 208 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:23,880 I went straight to college out of high school. 209 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,160 Like, I tried to put my life on a fast track because I'm like, 210 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:27,760 you know, I'm here. We are. 211 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:30,920 I want to beat the statistics on all of this. 212 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,120 Yeah, for sure. So I actually had Peyton and 213 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:37,280 three days later I went back to college and sat on the pillow. 214 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:40,680 Yeah, it was crazy. But anyway, termination. 215 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:44,600 Yes, yes, for sure. He I told my mom until Peyton 216 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,360 was 18 months old and it was rough because. 217 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,840 And here I am a mom. That's my kid, you know, and 218 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,560 like they're still telling me like what to do and how to do 219 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:56,800 it. I will say that. 220 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,040 And my mom would tell you the same thing. 221 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:02,480 Like I raised Peyton from the get like that was I was up by 222 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,600 myself with him at night. Lance never spent the night 223 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:05,960 there. Like I handled. 224 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,680 I did it like, you know, I grinded it out. 225 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:13,880 But we got married in Jamaica when Peyton was 18 months old. 226 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:18,280 Yes, well, destination was OK. I told you, like I got that from 227 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,120 my dad, I guess. Like we'll just take off and go 228 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,040 somewhere. So just looking for an 229 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:23,800 adventure. But yeah, we got married in 230 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:25,360 Jamaica when he was 18 months old, so. 231 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:26,480 So y'all. Get married. 232 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:28,720 You're around the age of what, 20/20/20? 233 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,960 OK so now y'all live together everything else, how does that 234 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,280 look? OK so just to be fully 235 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:42,480 transparent, I am a very I have separation anxiety like no 236 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:45,280 other. So my whole life my person was 237 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,360 my mom. Like she's my she's my person. 238 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:52,880 I have a lot of anxiety about like her dying or her leaving 239 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,200 me, which I have no reason to have this anxiety by the way. 240 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,360 Like she's been consistent. She's never, I don't even know. 241 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,640 And so my mom was my person. So I moved in with Lance. 242 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:09,320 Obviously we were married and my mom's still my person and that's 243 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:15,080 kind of a a problem. So I think marriage is hard in 244 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,560 the beginning for anybody. You know, when you move in with 245 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:19,680 people, I've been with Lance for five years, they're like a new 246 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:21,320 Lance. But living with Lance, it's like 247 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:22,320 different. It's different. 248 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,600 And let's be honest, like we have an 18 month old kid that 249 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,440 I've lived with full time, you know, for 18 months now. 250 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,480 Yeah. Not just being married, but. 251 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,400 Having a full time. And I mean, let me say he's he's 252 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:36,640 seen Peyton every day of his life. 253 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,800 Like he's always been a great dad. 254 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,440 That's the, but just living with someone is just different. 255 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,840 So I think the our marriage was kind of rocky at 1st and I was 256 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,080 like, I don't even know if this is what I need to be doing. 257 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,920 But four months into our marriage I get diagnosed with a 258 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,120 very rare type of uterine cancer. 259 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,080 So now it's already kind of shaky. 260 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:02,800 We've got this baby and now I have cancer. 261 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,240 So that was tough. Yeah, I can only imagine. 262 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,360 That's a big thing to have to deal with, you know, your first 263 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:14,000 first year of marriage with a young baby and everything else. 264 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,040 So that takes a toll. What is your spiritual walk 265 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,160 looking like right at around this time? 266 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:21,600 I would say there probably wasn't one, just to be 267 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,800 completely honest, I would say there probably wasn't one. 268 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,280 I didn't. Know like if maybe what you find 269 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,440 this out and now you're angry with God and like you're just 270 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,520 going off the deep end or what that looked like so you just 271 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:34,840 you're just not really there it's. 272 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,440 Just not there, yeah. OK. 273 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,680 And so you're how do you deal with it? 274 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,600 Like what, what's going? On SO, Lance was only one 275 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,360 working at the time he's working. 276 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,360 He was working swing shift. I was still in college. 277 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:54,000 I had no choice but pretty much to move back in with my mom. 278 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:58,560 I didn't really move in per SE, but I had to stay there all the 279 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,440 time because I was so sick. I got really sick really quick 280 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:02,880 so. You had to take chemo and stuff. 281 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:06,920 So right off the bat, immediately had a few surgeries, 282 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,640 I'm taking chemotherapy, My mom pretty much had to like take a 283 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,160 leave from work. My dad was still working, but I 284 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,320 mean, Lance couldn't because he was our income. 285 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,480 He he's who had my insurance, you know, like he had to. 286 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,040 And to be completely honest with you, me and Lance were so 287 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:23,880 distant at this point. And I don't want to say he 288 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:27,920 didn't care. For years. 289 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,720 I kind of resented him because I'm like, I was like dying. 290 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,880 I felt like, and trying to be a mom and where were you at? 291 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:40,000 Like my Mama had to do it. But now, like, I'm just, it's a 292 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:41,880 completely different perspective for me. 293 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:43,840 Like he's a young man. He's 21. 294 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:46,840 And doing all that he can. Doing all that, he know what to 295 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,000 do with me, you know, I'm sick and he didn't know what to do 296 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,160 with me and and, and Peyton. And he's, I mean, obviously he 297 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,040 was still dealing with Peyton because my mom had to deal with 298 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,720 me. But it was just, it was a suit. 299 00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,480 And, and to be honest, that whole year of my life is 300 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:03,280 probably a blurt. I mean, it's like, I can't 301 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,480 remember a lot from it. And I think it's because I was 302 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:07,640 just so sick and I was just trying to get through it. 303 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:13,000 Yeah. So you came out of that, so you 304 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,040 went into remission or like? Yeah, so the kind of cancer I 305 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,720 had, pretty much when you beat it, you don't get it back, thank 306 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,680 God. But I had to have some some 307 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,480 surgeries. They didn't take my uterus out, 308 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,800 which is insane. Thank God they told me I 309 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,280 probably would never have another child. 310 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:32,960 Like that wasn't in the cards for me. 311 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,600 I had one Doctor Who I love with all my heart tell me I think you 312 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,640 could. But my cancer doctor said it's 313 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,800 not going to happen. So yeah, we got through that. 314 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,520 That's tough to hear at such a young age idiots, you know, 315 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,960 because you just became mother at a young age and now you you 316 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:50,880 want probably more because you were young when you had your 317 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,120 first and so there's. Just and I thought, you know, I 318 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:55,720 really want the experience of being pregnant with a husband 319 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,480 and having that healthy, you know what I'm saying? 320 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,560 But I thought, OK, well, that's not going to happen. 321 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,840 Thank God I have Peyton. Yeah, there we go. 322 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,480 Well, even though your doctor said that, we know now that you 323 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:11,000 do have more children, so well, how, how did that come about? 324 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,160 Was it just like a complete shock or? 325 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,280 Well, you know, this is so funny to say. 326 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:18,960 I guess it's not funny. I don't know. 327 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,880 It's funny to me. Kipton is the only kid that I 328 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:28,960 have that was born in wedlock. So Kipton is Peyton makes fun of 329 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,000 me because I say I all the time describe Kipton because he's my 330 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:37,840 little miracle baby, but he is. But so about four years after my 331 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,320 cancer diagnosis and I beat cancer, me and Lance are doing 332 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:45,120 better because I want to say after cancer, I was like, me and 333 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:47,760 Lance had to get to know each other again because like that 334 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,040 was just like, this breaks, you know, on our on our new 335 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:52,720 marriage. We had to get to know each other 336 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:53,840 again. And we're doing, we're doing 337 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,320 better and I just have to go every six months now. 338 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,440 And I'm, I'm, you know, everything's looking good with 339 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:00,640 me. I'm healthy. 340 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:02,800 And I just started praying for a baby. 341 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,599 And back to the story about my dad, you know, like I just could 342 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:09,640 remember these specific times in my life where God has really 343 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,760 answered prayers. And I didn't even tell Lance, 344 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,720 like I did not tell Lance I'm praying for this baby, but I 345 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,200 would pray constantly. And I'm a stay at home mom, by 346 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,319 the way, at this point, Lance got a better job. 347 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,000 I'm babysitting random kids, just trying to make ends meet. 348 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,560 I had to put college aside like now, like it's I couldn't do it 349 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,680 all, you know, And I would just get on my knees. 350 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,880 I can still remember the bedroom in the house we were renting. 351 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,000 And I would just pray like, God give me a baby and I want it to 352 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,960 be a boy. Like I want Peyton to have a 353 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:40,480 baby brother and sure enough, I got pregnant with Kipton. 354 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,240 How long were you in prayer for the for another? 355 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:44,560 Time. I'd say a year. 356 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:50,600 And Lance has no idea that you can wow, because you associated 357 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:54,560 being so in prayer with that miracle that you experienced as 358 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,280 a child with your dad. Now, you know the power of 359 00:17:57,280 --> 00:17:59,360 prayer, right? So you go straight into prayer 360 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:01,360 and you're like, you know what, God, I know what the doctor 361 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:04,200 said, but you can make anything happen, right? 362 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,400 So wow, wow, you become pregnant. 363 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:14,480 Right. And I go to the doctor and that 364 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,040 my daughter was such an Angel and he was so supportive. 365 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,200 He was like, we're going to do this, you're going to do it, 366 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,600 we're going to do it, let's do it. 367 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,200 So we did. And I'll tell you Kempton was 368 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:29,040 the easiest pregnancy and the easiest delivery of deliveries 369 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,000 can be easy. You know, he was he was the 370 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,400 easiest. And that's kind of the end of 371 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,240 that cancer chapter for me. Like when when Kempton was born. 372 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,440 That's kind of the end of that camp, like. 373 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,040 Brighter days ahead, yeah. It's like he was the end of that 374 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,120 ugly chapter and he was the beginning of like the brightest 375 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:46,240 chapter. He was. 376 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,560 And I hate to say this because I don't want Peyton or Lance to 377 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,400 hear this, but like Captain brought so much joy with him. 378 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,920 Like he he truly did. Like when he came, he just, he 379 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,200 just brought the joy. Yeah. 380 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,400 It just felt like a missing piece. 381 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:02,400 That was, yes. That wasn't there that you 382 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,880 didn't know that you were missing, but he just started to 383 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,920 complete that. Oh wow. 384 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,280 So y'all you just got this answered prayer? 385 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:14,440 Is this when maybe you start really trying to dig deeper? 386 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,000 So at this point, Lance and I are going to church every 387 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,000 Sunday. We're going to church at the 388 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,160 church, The church I grew up at, my pastor there was Freddie 389 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:25,400 Rhodes. He's passed away now. 390 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:29,920 I'll say he's my pastor until I die because he was such an 391 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,520 influence in my life and in Lance's. 392 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,440 And this is where things start to get crazy for us because 393 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,440 about this time people start telling Lance random people 394 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,520 you're, you're being called to the ministry. 395 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:44,440 I'm talking about the DIRECTV guy. 396 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:52,080 And we're like, he's on drugs. And then my granny, she, she 397 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,640 passed away two years ago, but she had told me she was like, 398 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:56,600 you know, Lance is made to be a pastor. 399 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,880 He's so kind and he's humble and he's gentle. 400 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,800 He's made to be a pastor. I think Lance needs to be a 401 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,640 pastor. And we're like, hello, do you 402 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:07,640 know us? Things like that started 403 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,560 happening. Well, then Lance started feeling 404 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,600 called to ministry. So Lance called our pastor over 405 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,640 to the house and he came and he was sitting on our couch and you 406 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,600 know. Girl, we were so we were so 407 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,360 tired on money, honey, it don't even make no sense how we were 408 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:24,280 making it back then with those two kids. 409 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:29,360 And and anyway, he came there and he was like, Yep, I think 410 00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:30,640 you're being called to the ministry, Lance. 411 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,000 Wow. And Lance is like, yeah, I don't 412 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,840 know, I'll think about it. I feel it, but I'm not sure 413 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,880 that's a big. Commitment, you know, he's, he's 414 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:40,480 working. We got two kids. 415 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,880 I am like, I'll that was the loneliest I've ever been in my 416 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,840 life. I was so lonely because I was at 417 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:49,080 home all day with those two kids. 418 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:50,520 I was babysitting other people's kids. 419 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,720 I was surrounded by children. My parents, I had kids young. 420 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,760 My parents still work full time. I don't have any help people my 421 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,600 age. I was, you know what, 23 when I 422 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,960 had kept in, like, my friends are still out living their best 423 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,480 life, you know, like they don't have kids, they're not married. 424 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:09,480 Just out and about. I was just lonely. 425 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:15,400 But Lance was like, this was the beginning of Lance piling things 426 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,280 on our plate. And he said he, he decided to go 427 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,760 to school for ministry. But I'll tell you, he didn't 428 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,640 decide. All those people, all the the 429 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:25,960 pastor, all those prayers, all that call. 430 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,400 We were, I can still remember where we are in the car, like 431 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,080 where we were driving and we were talking about in the front 432 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:37,400 seat and Peyton in the back seat, who was probably, what, 6 433 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:42,360 at the time said, you know, Daddy, you can keep running like 434 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:44,320 Jonah, you're going to have to go. 435 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:47,760 I have a Bible that I've written all these things in. 436 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,800 And people are like, he didn't say no, he really said that. 437 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:53,760 And Lance and I both just like stopped. 438 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,320 And like, that's a part of Lance's testimony. 439 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,320 He tells that all the time. And I'm like, Peyton now doesn't 440 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,520 even remember saying that, but I'm like, Peyton, that was a 441 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:02,600 turning point. Like that was that was the 442 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,080 corner. So Lance decided after that, 443 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,600 like, OK, I'm I'm going to have to go to Nineveh after all. 444 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:09,680 Here we go. So I gotta go. 445 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,000 Yeah, so he went. He went to school for ministry 446 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:13,760 then. Wow. 447 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,200 I mean, to have a six year old, yeah, that says a lot about 448 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,320 y'all's parenting, right, You know, and being in church for 449 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:25,600 him to even, you know, correlate those two stories and just a bit 450 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,360 like, that's such a mature answer. 451 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,720 Yeah, like. Wow, I think he was kind of born 452 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,200 an old man. I knew I needed him to be 1 and 453 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:33,920 he has pretty much been one his whole life. 454 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:38,160 Oh my gosh, that is amazing. So he goes to school? 455 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,400 Yeah, that's probably even a lonelier season for you, because 456 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,720 now you're still keeping the kids. 457 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,760 You have two. But now he's in school working 458 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:47,640 full time. Oh my gosh. 459 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:49,880 Yeah, that's heavy. Yeah, it was heavy. 460 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,880 It was heavy. How do you how do you navigate 461 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,880 that? You know, I don't know. 462 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:01,960 I think that we were raised, me and my brothers were raised to 463 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,520 just my, my mom had really high expectations. 464 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,560 We weren't babied. We were expected to do what 465 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,320 needed to be done to push through. 466 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:14,800 My mom's come through a lot of adversity. 467 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,760 And that said, that's how she approached a life. 468 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,000 And now looking back, like I'm thankful for that because like, 469 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:24,160 you know, we didn't have time to sit around and cry about it, you 470 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:25,920 know what I'm saying? Like, it's got to be done. 471 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:28,400 I got to make some money. I got to keep these people's 472 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,160 kids. I got to feed my kids. 473 00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:32,480 The house has got to be cleaned regardless. 474 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:34,200 Like, get over it and get it done. 475 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,040 Get off your butt, you know, and make it happen. 476 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,680 So I guess that's how I just pushed through. 477 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:40,560 Like what other choice did I have, you know? 478 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:42,200 Because life's going to keep going. 479 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,840 Either you're going to like just sit in it and be content and 480 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,520 just like spiral, right? You're just going to push 481 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,960 through and come out on the other side eventually, you know? 482 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,800 So how does he really get into ministry? 483 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:00,080 Like what is how does this youth get youth pastor and all this 484 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:05,240 get started? OK so he is in school he is 485 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:13,640 working as an electrician now he let's see I just we bought our 486 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:18,640 first house. I decided like kittens getting 487 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:22,880 older, he can go to pre-K now. I'm tired of being at home. 488 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,760 Like I want to have the chance to have an education as well. 489 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,080 I started going to school to be a respiratory therapist. 490 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,040 So now he's working full time and in college. 491 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,880 I'm work, I'm being a mom full time. 492 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:41,400 I'm in college. And we get a call from First 493 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,000 Baptist Church of Hawkinsville. And they were, well, actually it 494 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,360 was my my band director. She had been my band director. 495 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:48,280 I was on the dance line in high school. 496 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:50,680 OK. And she asked me would Lance be 497 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,160 and, you know, interested in being the youth pastor there. 498 00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,360 And I'm like, you know, we, we come with no experience. 499 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:56,440 Yeah. He's in college. 500 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:57,680 Like, we're trying. We're learning. 501 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:01,920 We don't know, like, we're really raw. 502 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:04,240 You know, we aren't. We don't have any experience. 503 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:05,720 And she's like, no, I think you'll be a great fit. 504 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,360 Shout out to them for giving us a chance. 505 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,320 You know, in a small town, a very prominent church, you know, 506 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,760 everyone knows our story. And he became the youth pastor 507 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,800 there. And those kids, they taught us 508 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,080 so much. I mean, we were young and our 509 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:26,160 kids were young. Our kids were raised in that 8th 510 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,960 grade, our boys. And now those, those kids are 511 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:30,880 grown. They're married. 512 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,600 They have their own kids. Some of them are my best friends 513 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,240 now. They're women, you know, they're 514 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:38,120 women and men. We're so proud of that group. 515 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,000 I mean, man, that they, they taught us so much and I'm sure 516 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,760 we messed up a lot because we were learning, you know, but 517 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,680 they, oh, gosh, expected, yeah, they, they were great. 518 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:52,080 And that's where we started. Wow, so that was what that that 519 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,400 time period seemed like. It was like a big shift. 520 00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:00,480 Oh gosh, you were at home in a lonely season, but now like 521 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,720 you're kinda in a whole nother chat because now you're working. 522 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,600 Y'all done jumped into ministry together and that's always so 523 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,440 beautiful because like there's so many times that like recently 524 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,320 I've noticed like it's never just we're talking about a 525 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,600 pastor, it's always a pastor and a wife because this is a 526 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,520 ministry together. Like you're being, you know, 527 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,600 held at a higher standard because you're leading people to 528 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,360 the Lord. And that's a vision that God has 529 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:28,640 given, you know, y'all as a couple. 530 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,840 And so I'm sure that's tough, you know, like living that at a 531 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,760 young age, trying to figure it out and everything else. 532 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,480 So y'all are there for a long time. 533 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,960 Well, we were there for two years, but during the time we 534 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:44,080 were there, my doctor will say we're like, you know, we have 535 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,040 two kids, they're healthy, they're beautiful, they're 536 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,080 growing. We are busy. 537 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,800 And Lance got a vasectomy. We're like, we're done. 538 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:54,560 We're done. Six months after his vasectomy, 539 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,600 my doctor saw some things he didn't like and was like, you 540 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,080 need a hysterectomy. So we are. 541 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,160 I had hysterectomy at 28. Wow. 542 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:03,400 Oh, that's young girl. Yeah, yeah. 543 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,520 We are double sure we're done with kids. 544 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:06,720 Like we're not having any more kids. 545 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:08,920 We're done. We're going to take care of the 546 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,280 kids at Hawkinsville and we are out with having kids. 547 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:16,880 So after two years of there of being in the youth there we 548 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:18,520 were. He was part time. 549 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,000 He got offered a full time job as a youth pastor at a different 550 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,840 church. So we left and went to a 551 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,200 different church so that he could. 552 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,160 We thought it would give us more time, you know, like because 553 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,840 he's working full time as an electrician and youth ministry. 554 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:34,400 And so we he left there and we went to a different church where 555 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:35,600 he could be full time. He's pastor. 556 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:36,440 Oh, wow. Yeah. 557 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:41,040 So y'all both, yeah cannot have children anymore, but we know 558 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,720 that you do have another child. So tell us a little bit about 559 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:48,000 that. So after, you know, we are 560 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,480 starting, we're not having any more kids. 561 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,640 I was really excited about that, to tell you the truth. 562 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,120 Like I'm like, you know, I've been being a parent since I was 563 00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:58,120 18. Like this is good. 564 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:02,000 I'm going to raise these kids. The boys are growing. 565 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,000 They're great. I love being a boy mom. 566 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,120 It's I love a baseball field or a soccer field. 567 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:08,880 Like I love sports. I'm good with it. 568 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,840 Like it's great. We're doing good with that. 569 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:16,240 That's we're excited about it just being a family of four, but 570 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,640 then God starts putting on our heart, my heart specifically to 571 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:22,240 adopt. Wow. 572 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:27,320 And I, I push that, push that I push that, you know, First off, 573 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:28,680 I didn't feel like we could afford it. 574 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,960 So, you know, I started praying about it because it just would 575 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,320 not go away. Started talking to Lance about 576 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,240 it. He was all on board and we 577 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,400 reached out to a few private adoption agencies. 578 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,200 I don't know if you've ever done that then which this has been a 579 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,360 while ago. You know it was 30 to $40,000. 580 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,360 Wow. That didn't really sit right 581 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:52,440 with us for a multitude of reasons. 582 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,320 I'm not talking about agencies, I'm just saying. 583 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,720 But we couldn't afford it, even if it did sit right with us like 584 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:02,120 it wasn't. That wasn't in the. 585 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:03,480 Cards. It wasn't in the cards. 586 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:09,040 We have a few doctor friends. Our pediatrician is a St. and he 587 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,960 adopted pretty much just from somebody he knew from the 588 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,760 practice. So we felt like we're going to 589 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,040 reach out to him. We reached out to a doctor in 590 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,360 Atlanta that was a family friend was like, you know, if you've 591 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,800 hear of anyone that's wanting to, you know, give their child 592 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,040 up for adoption and we can do it privately. 593 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,720 We just tried to get our name out there to different places, 594 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:36,560 my OBGYN, you know, and we probably about six months into 595 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,400 that, it just wasn't nothing was happening felt. 596 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,040 Like a dead end, yeah. We're still pretty busy. 597 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,720 Like it's OK. Like I never felt like I'm 598 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,840 missing a piece. Like, you know, my family unit 599 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:50,520 was was good if that's all it was So. 600 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:58,680 But I had a dream one night of my white chest and a very dark 601 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:03,160 hand on my chest, a baby's hand. And I woke up and I told Lance I 602 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:07,960 was like, Lance, we're going to adopt and it's a girl and she's 603 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:12,680 brown. And he was like, OK, he was good 604 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,360 with that. He was fine with that, but we 605 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,000 were like, how does this happen? Like where does because like now 606 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,080 I know, you know, I know how this. 607 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,160 Is how you're looking for. Yeah, I'm like, where is she at? 608 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,200 Yeah, I know how this is going to end. 609 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:28,920 But like, how we had a friend that approached us and was like, 610 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,200 you know, you can always go through foster care. 611 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,360 And my first reaction was what everyone's first reaction is, 612 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,080 oh, but they might go home. I know they might go home. 613 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:40,840 And everyone has that fear. I mean, I already had two 614 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:42,840 children. I, I knew what it would be like 615 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,440 to become attached. I just told you I have 616 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:48,000 separation anxiety. You know, I knew what it would 617 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,720 be like to become attached. And then the child might not get 618 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:52,960 to stay. So at this point, we start 619 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,160 researching. I start listening to sermons. 620 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,000 I start reading about foster care and adoption through foster 621 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,560 care. And I was pushing back on it 622 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:05,160 because, you know, I'm like, I'm going to fall in love. 623 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,480 My boys are going to fall in love, Lance, and we're very well 624 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,920 could pack this child up and send him home if we decide to go 625 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:16,520 this route. Well, I read in a book where 626 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,160 this woman said, but that's the problem. 627 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,400 It's not about you. Like God said, serve the orphans 628 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:27,440 like it's not about you. So do it for the kid, you know, 629 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:33,280 do it like not selfishly. So we decided, OK, we'll try it. 630 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:37,720 We'll do foster care and we went through the class classes and 631 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:40,120 jumped through a bunch of hoops. You know, you have two home 632 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,120 inspections and all kind of stuff to be a foster parent. 633 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:46,600 And we did all that. And I have to tell you this part 634 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:51,080 because this is the best part. I'm praying specifically now. 635 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:52,880 So now I know what I'm praying for specifically. 636 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,000 I'm praying for this brown girl. Like, you know, we go to this 637 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:58,480 impact class, which is the class you take to become a foster 638 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:00,280 parent. It was a whole weekend long, 639 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,520 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lance was actually pastoring 640 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,040 like he was the head pastor at this point. 641 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,440 So we like had to get somebody to fill in and we're like going 642 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:12,600 to this pastor. I mean, going to this class, we 643 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,200 go to the whole class. It just pretty much talks about 644 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,440 like the legal side of it. But at the very end, the class, 645 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:18,560 the teacher's name was Dexter. I love him to death. 646 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,800 He gave me and Lance a really hard time about all kind of 647 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:23,440 stuff. He was silly. 648 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:25,520 But at the end he was like, I want you as a couple. 649 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,520 There's several couples there to take this sheet of paper and I 650 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,760 want you to draw your perfect child that you're going to get 651 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:35,840 from foster care. So I was like, OK, give me, I'm 652 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,280 like, give me the pencil Lance, because baby, this is this one's 653 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,480 on me. So I drew this little girl a 654 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:44,880 shade in her dark, you know, I drew all this big curly hair and 655 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,840 you had to put, you know, he asked like, where, where was she 656 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:52,280 born? And I rode out of state because 657 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:54,960 I thought in my head, selfishly, if she's born out of state, this 658 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,600 will be easier for me to, to maneuver to handle. 659 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:02,400 Why did she come into care? There's only certain reasons a 660 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:04,640 child comes into care. I thought neglect would be the 661 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,080 least of all those reasons. So I wrote neglect. 662 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,600 What does she like? And I put Disney World and 663 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,280 princesses and Barbies and, you know, I drew this. 664 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,320 And so then he's like, now stand up and show it to the class. 665 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:19,600 Then we did. And he said, no, I want you to 666 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,040 RIP it up because foster care is not about you and you're not 667 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:25,360 going to get what you want. Wow. 668 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:28,000 I have chills. I ripped it up. 669 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:29,520 I wish I would have took a picture. 670 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:38,520 So we got approved on a Tuesday. We picked her up on a Thursday. 671 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,760 Wow. They called me and they said we 672 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,360 have a baby up here that we've taken into care. 673 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,360 She was born in Virginia. I'm like, out of state. 674 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,240 Well, yeah. And we know you're a Caucasian 675 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,680 and we want to let you know she's African American. 676 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:00,720 And I'm like, do not move. I am coming now. 677 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:03,360 We having a car seat. This is at night in 678 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:04,920 Hawkinsville. Do you know that there's nobody 679 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:06,200 that has a car seat in Hawkinsville? 680 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:07,720 Like Dollar General ain't got a car seat. 681 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:09,880 I'm calling friends. I'm like, listen, rip your car 682 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:11,239 seat out. I will bring it back to you. 683 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:14,679 I need it right now. We go and we pick up this tea. 684 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:21,480 Tiny little bitty baby girl. And I got her that night and we 685 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,600 got home and I had to bathe her and I have nothing. 686 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:25,560 I have 0. Lance. 687 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:27,120 Is it Dollar General? Just trying to find bottles. 688 00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:29,280 You know, she don't have formula, she don't have diaper, 689 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:30,840 She has nothing. You have a baby. 690 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:36,719 That's it. And my mom came over and my mom 691 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,760 said I was just washing dishes. Like I literally detached. 692 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,560 And my momma said why aren't you holding her? 693 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:47,120 And I was like, because if I do. Yeah. 694 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,080 But I did. And that was it. 695 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,080 That was it. I thought, I will move heaven 696 00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:00,000 and earth because she can't go back to where she came from. 697 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:04,680 And she was sick. I mean, she had she was just 698 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:06,560 kind of, she was failure to thrive is what she was. 699 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:09,720 I took her to my pediatrician and he was like, we're going to 700 00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:11,520 have a time. We're we got to get her caught 701 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:12,240 up. We're going to have a time. 702 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,280 She's six weeks old, by the way. I don't know if I said that. 703 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,320 Yeah, she's six weeks old. I don't. 704 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,880 I think she weighed 6 lbs. So. 705 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:24,640 Oh, she was just, it's it was the time. 706 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:32,720 But do you know that within 8 weeks that girl was on target? 707 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,480 Wow. She was on target and Lord 708 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,040 defects waving yes defects. Forgive me because this I break 709 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:41,280 every rule because you know, the baby's got to sleep in her own 710 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,600 room and her own bathroom. The baby slept on my chest like 711 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,440 I'm like, you know, and the, the caseworker would come and she'd 712 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:49,600 say, where is she sleeping? I'm like, oh, in that beautiful 713 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,440 nursery. We, we ain't never slept in that 714 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:57,560 nursery. But anyway, it was 18 months of 715 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,240 hell fighting because, you know, foster care is messy. 716 00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:04,800 And in that time we also got more foster children, by the 717 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:07,600 way, like they're coming and going and, and, and these were 718 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:09,640 kids that would come and they would say, we need you to keep 719 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:13,680 them for a week until another home is ready, which was it's 720 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:15,760 heartbreaking all the same. I mean, I don't think people 721 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:18,200 understand the foster care system and how full it is and 722 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:23,680 how limited foster parents are. And anyway, you know, we had 723 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:27,680 honorary Tide 2 scheduled visits a week with her biological 724 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,120 family. We had court every month. 725 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:34,920 Sometimes, you know, biological family doesn't show up at all. 726 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:40,520 Regardless, I had to go to these visitations and defects. 727 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,000 The caseworker was like, I can transport her there, I can take 728 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:44,480 her to the visits and I'm like, no, she's mine. 729 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:46,040 I'll take her. You know, I need to see what's 730 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:47,880 going on. I would work all night at the 731 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,960 hospital, not go to sleep, come home, take her to visitation. 732 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:53,760 Whether they showed up or not, I was there. 733 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,440 I never missed one. Did they show up or? 734 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:03,360 Occasionally more times I had. I have a journal that I kept 735 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:07,200 because I don't want her to ever have questions that I can't 736 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,760 answer. Bro I would write notes of every 737 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,800 visit and more times than not they did not show up. 738 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:19,600 If they did show up they would call me after make. 739 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,280 Their visits were supposed to be two hours long. 740 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:26,120 They call me after about 20 minutes and say the caseworker 741 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:27,160 would say we need you to come back. 742 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:28,600 The child's done nothing but cry. 743 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:32,960 And she didn't cry like she didn't cry. 744 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:36,960 So, you know, it was those visits were for hell, to be 745 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,480 honest, for me and her and Lance. 746 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,840 I mean, Lance and I would just sit in the parking lot and wait 747 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,080 to get that call because we're like, we need to go get our 748 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,240 child, you know, so. I'm sure that is such, the 749 00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:52,120 visits and everything too. But you have this vision, this 750 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:58,920 dream of what you have and now you're not sure if if like 751 00:37:59,240 --> 00:38:02,240 because you know, there's so many times that like, it feels 752 00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:06,400 perfect and this is it, this is it, This is exactly what it is. 753 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,200 And then come to find out it's not. 754 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:13,240 So you're having to walk a fine line of like, you know, but it's 755 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:16,960 not legal yet, you know, and everything, so I'm sure. 756 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,320 So much so. And I'll tell you after 757 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,400 everything I've been through, like teenage pregnancy, cancer, 758 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:23,920 like nothing was as hard as that. 759 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,520 That's the hardest storm I've ever walked through. 760 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:32,840 And it, it literally drained me, me and Lance and Lance always 761 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,000 had more of a piece about it. But like, I doubted I just 762 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:37,920 because we'd go to court every month and every month the judge 763 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:39,880 would say, we're sending her back home. 764 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,000 This mom's going to be better now and we're going to send her 765 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:47,800 back home. And you know, it was never good 766 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:49,480 for her to go back home. And I knew that. 767 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,560 And I'm like, I'm in love with this kid and like, I just want 768 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:53,960 her to have her best shot at life. 769 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:56,080 And I'll tell you how it finally ended. 770 00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:57,360 I'll tell you how it finally ended. 771 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:03,160 Her biological mom did start showing up to visits and at this 772 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:08,120 point on a Ruth was 18 months old so she could call me mom and 773 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,560 daddy. It's not like and Lance Daddy, 774 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:12,080 it's not like we taught her that She heard my boys doing that. 775 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,040 She loved us. She loved those boys. 776 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:18,080 They you know, they loved her. My poor Peyton, he had so much 777 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,040 anxiety. He was only in the 5th or 6th 778 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:23,600 grade and we'd go to court and I'd have to call his teacher and 779 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:27,160 say please tell him court's over and she's home good. 780 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:31,000 You know, because he was he was just so it gave him so much. 781 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,840 I mean, we're attached to this baby. 782 00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:39,320 One night she was up in the middle of the night for whatever 783 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:42,480 reason. And I stood in the middle of my 784 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:46,760 living room floor, the house we live in now and what a beautiful 785 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:50,120 name it is, was playing. And I just held her in my arms 786 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:57,320 and I said, God, she's yours. I'm so sorry when I acted like 787 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,400 she was mine. And I'm going to pray for her 788 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:04,680 Mama now because she was 18. I've been an 18 year old Mama. 789 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,600 The difference is I had support. She did not. 790 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:11,640 And. Let me pray for her. 791 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:15,440 Like I am so sorry that I haven't thought to do that 792 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:17,960 before now. And I started just meeting her 793 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,040 with so much kindness. Like when I saw her, I hugged 794 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:27,440 her. Like the night after that 795 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:33,360 happened, I got a phone call the next morning and it was a 796 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:36,520 caseworker and she said her mother called and she would like 797 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:38,720 to sign over rights to you. Oh my gosh. 798 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,440 Wow. But the court did not decide. 799 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,160 She decided. And I will tell you, I still 800 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,880 talk to her. We have a very open 801 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,440 communication. I'm proud of her. 802 00:40:54,000 --> 00:41:02,200 She has been through hell and the one thing that she got, she 803 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:09,720 gave to me and I love her. I mean, you know, I've had 804 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:15,000 people tell me got her off. I could never. 805 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:22,720 So yeah. Wow so y'all does she get to see 806 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,400 on a roof or is it? Is it? 807 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,400 She hasn't seen her. So anytime you adopt from the 808 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,720 state, it's a closed adoption. She has seen her once. 809 00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:34,080 She came on a roof, is in The Nutcracker every year and she 810 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:37,120 came to Nutcracker and she's seen her once. 811 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:40,960 It was very confusing for Anna, I'll be honest with you. 812 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:44,600 The trauma of visitations and being for like her being just 813 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:48,280 ripped out of my arms and forced to sit with people that she just 814 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:52,800 didn't know was hard on her. She doesn't necessarily remember 815 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:55,600 that, but she has a lot of trauma. 816 00:41:57,200 --> 00:41:59,160 It's just wasn't healthy for her right now. 817 00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:04,240 But I talked to her irregularly, probably twice a month. 818 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:09,200 I promised her when she signed overwrites that I would always 819 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,240 send pictures and be very transparent. 820 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,200 Anna does sing happy birthday to her every year. 821 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:19,560 I mean, you know, I think there'll be a time when they can 822 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:24,440 see each other and it'd be healthy, but it's just not right 823 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:25,440 now. Yeah. 824 00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:30,400 Yeah, so have y'all already maybe started talking to her 825 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:33,760 about the adoption and. Yeah, she is fully aware of 826 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:37,640 their pictures. The mother and the father are 827 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:41,040 framed in her room. She talks about them by name. 828 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:43,280 She's very aware that she's been adopted. 829 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:46,920 You know, I started telling her from the moment I got her. 830 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:49,280 I would rock her now. I would tell her a story about 831 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:53,480 how we prayed for her and the angels brought her and how she's 832 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:55,680 ours now. And she couldn't come in my 833 00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:57,200 belly, but she came from the Angel. 834 00:42:57,200 --> 00:43:00,440 So she can quote that story. Like she tells that story and 835 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,680 I've made it very elaborate, like, oh, and I knew you were 836 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:05,160 Princess, so we had to go to Disney World and you met all the 837 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,760 princesses. So she quotes it like to AT so 838 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:12,600 she's very aware she's adopted. She loves to tell people she's 839 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:16,200 she's I mean, I never wanted it to be like the shocking moment 840 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:17,960 for her. I mean, obviously she's brown 841 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,280 and we're not. So she was going to find out. 842 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:22,160 And I'll tell you kids pointed out to her all the time. 843 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:24,560 So now she's ready, she's prepared, she's got an answer. 844 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:27,240 So. Oh my gosh, that is the most 845 00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:30,360 beautiful story. Like truly, that is such a 846 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:33,800 beautiful story. And I'm just sitting here and 847 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:35,720 I'm like, I know I'm an ugly crier and I'm. 848 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:39,560 Like you're not like. Huffing in the mic, but like 849 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:45,200 truly like that is so touching because you know something that 850 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:48,960 you prayed for, you've experienced what it those 851 00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:51,720 answered prayers left and right every chapter. 852 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:55,320 We kind of talked about that a little bit before of you know, 853 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:59,720 every storm, yes, you were praying for a specific thing, 854 00:43:59,720 --> 00:44:01,560 right? You knew without a shadow of it 855 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,040 out, you wanted your dad saved. You wanted to be healed of 856 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:08,320 cancer. You you want to a brown baby, 857 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:09,720 you know like. I want it kept in. 858 00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:12,320 I want to paint Yeah, all of these. 859 00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:16,200 Things and so like you're just so specific in prayer and God 860 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:19,520 tells us to be specific and there's so many times in prayer 861 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:25,160 that we are just very like vague, I want this Lord, please, 862 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:26,840 Lord, make this happen, blah, blah, blah. 863 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:31,320 But for you, you've seen be specific, you know, and that is 864 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,880 just so powerful. I think so many people can take 865 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:38,240 that away, you know, take that biggest nugget from this to be 866 00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:41,760 specific. Yes, wow, yes, that's good girl. 867 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:44,760 I guess we're going to go ahead and start closing up. 868 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:50,640 OK, so with that, what is maybe something that we haven't 869 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:55,760 touched on or maybe you're going through right now or what does 870 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,960 life look like and maybe it maybe you're in something right 871 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:00,640 now that you're praying about or whatever. 872 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:05,720 What would you like to close? So obviously right now, I think 873 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:09,880 the biggest thing for us for for Lance and eyes, we're praying 874 00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:11,520 for a building for Southside Hawkinsville. 875 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:15,400 We're praying for people to come alongside us. 876 00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:18,120 I'll tell you, for the last three years, we've pretty much 877 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,680 done ministry alone. Like, you know, we, we decided 878 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:25,560 to leave our last church. Lance was a full became a full 879 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:29,000 time teacher so he could really get in the mission field with 880 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000 the teenagers. And it has proven to be such a 881 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,200 success. I mean, you know, we have a 882 00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:36,840 large youth group. And for a really long time, it 883 00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:39,240 was just me and Lance doing it. Now we've got people, you know, 884 00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:41,640 coming along with us and, and we need more. 885 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,680 We need more because we we ready to get this church started. 886 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:48,880 We need a building. We need a youth pastor, we need 887 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:50,960 a children's pastor. You know, we need, we need 888 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,280 people, everything. We need, you know, everybody to 889 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,520 help us. But that's our biggest prayer 890 00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:00,000 right now. We're super busy. 891 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:03,000 Lance works full time. He teaches, coaches, preaches. 892 00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:07,000 I work full time. Our children all have a million 893 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:11,800 different things going on. And, you know, we're just, we're 894 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:13,960 just trugging along. And I'm praying specifically 895 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:15,520 still. So when those prayers are 896 00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:19,160 answered, I'll be able to say it was so specific, you know, 897 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:21,960 prayers. That is amazing because I guess 898 00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:27,400 I haven't said, but Lance, her husband is one of our pastors 899 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,480 for our future campus, Southside Hawkinsville. 900 00:46:30,720 --> 00:46:33,800 And so we have been, I think we announced it last Vision Sunday. 901 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:36,640 And so they have been, you know, trying to get a building and 902 00:46:36,640 --> 00:46:41,960 trying to really plant there. And we have already seen the 903 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,920 student ministry that y'all have, the youth ministry just 904 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:47,640 boom. Like y'all are doing incredible 905 00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:50,840 things in Hawkinsville already without the four walls, the 906 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:53,200 corporate worship. Y'all are already on mission. 907 00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:57,640 And it is just beautiful to see. And we just have big plans, big 908 00:46:57,640 --> 00:46:59,520 prayers, everything else for that. 909 00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:02,680 Y'all have so much going on. Y'all story is so beautiful. 910 00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:05,520 Now that we're sitting here, I'm like, man, it would have been 911 00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:07,680 nice to bring Lance on with you too. 912 00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:09,920 And we could have done A2 parts. Yeah, yeah. 913 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:12,480 It just sounds great. But this has been wonderful. 914 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:14,560 Mallory, thank you so much. Absolutely. 915 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:15,960 Thank you for having me. Yes. 916 00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:17,920 All right, guys. Well, we hope that you enjoyed 917 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,360 this as much as we have. This has been absolutely 918 00:47:20,360 --> 00:47:22,600 incredible. So stay tuned, stay blessed, and 919 00:47:22,600 --> 00:47:24,520 we'll see you guys next week. Bye.