I was raised on a farm in Iowa, USA. I am the youngest of four children. Our parents sent us to Vacation Bible School at the local rural church near our farm for one week every summer for about three years, and thought this would give us all of the spiritual direction we ever needed.

When I was about 16, I declared I was an atheist after talking to my oldest sister who also identified with atheism. Then, when I was 17, I began to date a boy who was a Christian. Our relationship was not glorifying to God…and he broke up with me after several months together. We attended different schools, so to make him mad and make him see me, I began attending his church youth group. I went to make him mad, and ended up hearing the word of God preached and accepting Christ.

In the summer of 1998, I went camping with two friends of mine. One of the friends and I stayed up all night talking about our faith and experiences. A tornado (literally a tornado) went through our campground, but we refused to leave and stood in faith that God was protecting us. God did protect us! The next morning, since I had not slept the night before, I went home to sleep. As I was falling asleep, I felt a huge hand swoop down and press through me; simultaneously, I could hear and feel screaming and pain…then I felt that it was done, Christ had completely taken over my body, from that day forward. A huge weight was lifted from me.

I have continued in reading my Bible and am part of a great church! I was first overpowered by the Spirit during prayer and spoke in tongues sometime in 2002.

God continues to reveal Himself to me in the most miraculous ways! He continually conforms my spirituality to His plan, not the religious plan churches here have confined Him to. Praise and glory to God, who has saved me with the miracle of Christ and his death on the cross!