Ministry and Family

AT has had the opportunity to help coach a football team in the 9th ward at Bunny Friend Park. It is a great way for him to mentor the kids and be a positive role model for them. It's really sad that these kids rarely have positive men in their lives to show them the right way to go. My kids and I have gone the past two weeks with AT, and it has been eye opening. I didn't know what to think because I'd heard on news reports about how bad that area is supposed to be. In actuality, it's not that different from places in my old hometown of Dothan. There are drug dealers walking around, people playing loud music riding down the street, and curse words being thrown around on the corner. Granted this isn't good but it's not uncommon in many of our towns around the U.S. I don't doubt it gets worse after nightfall but in my time there I saw many similarities. I met a sweet 14 year old girl there who brought her little brother to practice. We began talking and she decided to help with Camden for the rest of practice. It was her first day of high school and she was telling me a little about her life. It was interesting to here her account of Katrina and how her house got flooded. She has dreams of being an OBGYN. I am so happy that she has goals set for herself. I've been praying for her because I don't want anyone to discourage this young girl not to reach her potential. She really made an impact on me. Please join me in praying for Alexis. 

We are trying to do as much ministry as we can here, but we have our own family to think about as well. They are a rowdy bunch! Camden is 6 months and he is teething. My poor baby is miserable. He now has 2 little pegs on the bottom and is trying to crawl. Brennan is all boy! That pretty much sums him up. He loves getting into things and wrestling with his friends. Kolbi is "most popular" of the seminary. There have been numerous people come up to us and say, "you must be Kolbi's parents." Everyone knows him. I guess this a good thing! 

It's going to be difficult to balance our ministry with school work and family time but I know it can and must be done. There is a lot of reading and writing in seminary but I've been enjoying the classes thus far. I'm already learning some great information. Please be in prayer for me and AT as we get into our routine. Pray that we impact lives and stay true to who we are and why we are here. We want to glorify God wherever we go. 

Ministry is not just for seminary students like me and AT. It's not just for church leadership either. Everyone is called to minister. I urge you to walk in the light of the Lord so others will see what it means to be a Christian.

In Christ, 

Alissa

Reflecting on my Life: My Testimony

I am absolutely amazed at what God has done in my life thus far! For those of you that don't know my testimony, I'll start from the beginning. I was born and raised in Dothan, Alabama by my parents, Alvie and Linda, and to a certain extent my sister, Amanda. I'm the baby so everyone pretty much babied me. I got pregnant at the age of 14. I had my son Kolbi at age 15 when I was a sophomore in high school. My life changed overnight. It appeared everyone's perception of me changed as well. I was always the good student making all A's and being involved in everything. Certain teachers and other adults wrote me off once they found out my little secret. They thought I would never amount to anything since I was a teenage mom. That was hard to swallow. The assistant principal tried to send me to an alternative school during my pregnancy but my mom wasn't having it! Even though my family didn't approve of what I did, they were always there for me no matter what. My mom always told me I could do and be anything I wanted to be.

I remember being at home on maternity leave doing homework making sure I could prove people wrong. I had to keep up and even surpass the other students. I had a friend who took a tape recorder to my AP History class so I could hear the lecture and write my own notes. I continued to make all A's throughout high school. It's crazy because I wasn't even doing it for me. I was doing it thinking it would change people's perspective of me. I was so busy living for others' approval. During my 11th and 12th grade years I won homecoming attendant. I could tell the faculty at Northview High didn't want me to win but my peers had voted so it was nothing they could do. They thought I was a bad role model when in actuality I told everyone I knew not to follow in my footsteps. I also became a cheerleader during my senior year. I remember times when the cheerleaders would go in the stands to hold and play with different kids. However, I was not allowed to hold my own child for fear it would portray the wrong image. I won my school's beauty pageant that year. I was the first African American ever to win. I'm not saying all this to show what I've done and get praise. I'm saying it to show God's provision and how it doesn't matter what others think about you. Anything is possible. On the outside I looked like I was doing well. However, on the inside I always felt inadequate. I actually dreaded having to tell people my son's age because I felt they would feel different about me. I was very insecure.

I began dating AT in college. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me. He took Kolbi in like his own. He was not the typical Auburn football player. He actually cared and wanted the best for me. We now have 3 boys. Kolbi is now 11, Brennan is 3, and Camden is 6 months. AT is the most amazing father and husband I could have ever prayed for. God definitely answers prayers!

Even though I had a great family, I still knew something was missing in my life. I just couldn't put my finger on it. It was God's presence in my life. I needed a relationship with Him. God called me to stay at home with Brennan when he was 1. I would be lying if I said I was happy about it. I had just finished my MBA and thought I was going to move up the corporate ladder. I now look back and know staying home was the best thing for me at that time. God had to sit me down in order to lift me up. I was so busy with "life" that I didn't have time for Him. During the time I was a stay at home mom, I began going to Cascade Hills Church, attending bible studies, and having quiet time. I learned so much about myself during that time. Alicia McGlamory, who is the women's leader, took me under her wing. She showed me there was no need in worrying about what people think. She taught me God was the only person I should strive to please. I know God sent Alicia into my life to help me become a better wife, mother, and Christian. I actually got re-baptized on Mother's Day 2010 and became sold out for Christ!

About a year later is when I got the calling to seminary. This was after many prayers to God trying to figure out my purpose. As I've expressed in a previous post, God called me to seminary for Collegiate Ministry while I was 9 months pregnant with Camden. I always felt I was supposed to go back to school but never in a million years did I think it would be seminary. Now the goal for the rest of my life is to lead other souls to Christ. I know His saving grace and how he can redeem a lost soul. I was so lost for the majority of my life. I want everyone to know that there is nothing too bad that He can't bring you through. If he brought this lost little girl who had a baby at 15 to the light, He will do the same for you. Please seek a relationship with Him today. He is waiting for you. He not only wants you to be happy but to have joy! When you have joy no one can take it away. Thank you for reading my LONG testimony. I hope this helps someone out there. I love you all!

In Christ,
Alissa

Getting Acquainted with New Orleans

In the days following the initial move, my parents were an absolute lifesaver. We had a million boxes to unpack and get organized. My mom was determined to make the apartment look like a home before she left. I'm so grateful to them! I must say the apartment looks great. After their week here, my poor parents were so scared to leave us in New Orleans. We are very close to the 9th ward and of course everyone has heard of the things that happen there. Dropping my parents off at the bus station was an adventure! AT and my dad were inside the  bus station buying the tickets and left us in the Tahoe with it running. Next thing we know a woman was looking into the truck thinking no one was in there. When I say looking in, I mean face up to the window about to steal the truck. It scared me and my mom to death. That was the last thing that needed to happen before they left their baby girl and grandkids in a new city. I had to reassure them we would be fine and things like that don't happen all the time. I'm sure they are still worried about us even now. This is the most my dad has ever called me in my life. I guess he is trying to make sure I'm still alive!

It has been very interesting getting to know the area. The seminary is in a "bad" section of town. It is gated but as soon as you step outside the gate you can tell the difference. We even have campus police to make sure no one jumps the fence. The nickname of the seminary is "Mayberry in the Hood." Everywhere we go people are arguing. It's just a mean place. Any of my fellow Auburn fans who have ever been to LSU understand what I'm saying. Louisiana is just a different kind of place. There are daiquiri places on every corner. People actually drive up, buy a daiquiri, and drive off drinking an alcoholic beverage. I've never experienced anything like it. With all this being said, this is the perfect place for ministry. I'm so excited for what God is going to do through AT and me for His glory in this city!

In Christ,
Alissa

Moving Day: What an Adventure!

We moved on my birthday, July 29. It was a crazy day. We were so tired from all the packing and painting getting the house ready for the renters. We decided it would be best to drive at night so the kids would hopefully sleep most of the way. We left around 8 p.m. That was not a good idea! I started off driving and was doing good until around Atmore, AL. I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open. A.T. took over and it wasn't long before he was the same way. We contemplated stopping and getting a hotel but we didn't want to spend the money for only a couple of hours. We decided to get some caffeine and walk around a rest area for a little while. That helped but it was still a nightmare. We arrived at the seminary around 4 a.m. By that time all the kids were up and we were delirious. All we wanted was to get in the apartment and go to sleep. The apartment has tile floors throughout so we brought the futon mattress and Camden's mattress to put on the floor to sleep. All of our belongings wouldn't arrive until later that day.

As soon as we opened the apartment door, the smell of bug spray overtook me. We turned on the light and there were dead bugs all over the floor. I wanted to cry! I quickly told A.T. there was no way I would put my babies on that floor. We didn't know what to do. There was a hotel that the seminary owns across the street so we tried to call to get a room but of course no one was there to take the reservation because it was 4 in the morning! Our last hope was to sleep in the Tahoe. I felt horrible for making my family do this. We found a parking lot at the seminary and took out the back and middle row of seats and laid the futon mattress back there. It was the craziest thing ever but it worked. We all laid down and got us a few hours of sleep before our belongings were supposed to arrive. Can you imagine five people laying in the back of a Tahoe asleep?!

Our belongings were supposed to arrive at 2 p.m. We didn't have anything to sit on, no extra clothes, nothing for the kids to play with or anything. My mom and dad got here around 9 a.m. so we made use of the time and decided to paint the rooms. For anyone who knows my mom, you know she was busy cleaning the apartment. I was so grateful to have her here because the apartment definitely needed her touch. We were so ready for the truck to get here so we could get things unpacked and at least the beds together so the kids could sleep. We waited and waited. The truck arrived at 11 p.m. We didn't realize the truck would be so late so none of us took a nap and were so tired once the truck arrived. We got our second wind though and unpacked boxes pretty much all night. Now as I look back I believe that the furniture arriving late was God's blessing in disguise because I know we wouldn't have had time to properly clean and paint if the furniture was already here. We already had the apartment looking somewhat like a home. Oh what a day!

In Christ,
Alissa

Our Journey to New Orleans: The Critical Stages

Hi guys! The last post left you with me trying to figure out how I was going to make the move work out. Once I got back to Phenix City from the preview event, I had the task of talking to A.T. face to face. He thought I had gone off the deep end. I was so fired up but soon had to realize that all my family and friends had not been to New Orleans with me so they didn't understand. I felt so alone but I continued to pray to God for His will to be done in my life. The normal routine began to set in. I was mom and wife again. My days consisted of doing laundry, cooking, and taking care of my family which I loved. At the same time, I had the urge to get back to New Orleans by August for the start of school. I knew that if I was truly called God would call A.T. as well so I waited and waited and waited. I probably asked A.T. every day had God spoken to him yet! I finally had to let go of the situation and trust that God would take care of it.

Within two weeks A.T. came to me and said we were moving to New Orleans. I was so shocked! That was God and God alone. We both were comfortable in Phenix City and were close to our families. We loved our church family at Cascade Hills and thought we weren't going to leave any time soon. However, we knew New Orleans was where we needed to be.

These were the critical stages of the journey. Once we figured out we were supposed to be in New Orleans then came the how do we go about getting there. We prayed and prayed about every detail of the move. My "soul sista" Alicia was my rock during this time. She helped me see God's hand on every part of the journey. Alicia is the women's leader at Cascade Hills and also the leader for the marriage ministry. The bible study we did during this time was Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. If you are a woman reading this blog and haven't done this study I highly recommend it! The study was so convicting. It detailed the events in Jonah's life and how God had told him to go to Ninevah. Ninevah was a place of sin and Jonah knew it. He didn't think the people there were worthy of God's love so he didn't obey God's command.  Instead he went the opposite way to Tarshish. This is what humans do all the time. We know that God told us to go one way but we decide it's in our best interest to go another. The story of Jonah ended with him finally going to Ninevah and it being the biggest revival ever. It's funny how we always end up where God wants us to be. It may take 1 month, 1 year or even 10 years. I realized throughout the study that my call was to go to the present day Ninevah (New Orleans). There were so many parallels from  Jonah's story to the journey I was actually on. I knew that was God's way of speaking to me. The women in my bible study were so great. They prayed for me and gave me words of encouragement. They even took up an offering for my move. I could never thank them enough.

During this entire time of getting ready to move to New Orleans, A.T. and I were terrified but excited at the same time. It didn't make "worldly" sense for us to pack up our 3 boys and move to a place like New Orleans. I had to realize though that it didn't have to make "worldly" sense as long as it made "Godly" sense. We had a lot of bumps in the road and things didn't go as planned. We weren't able to sell our house. We couldn't get Kolbi into the school we wanted. A.T. didn't even get a job offer. The devil was working hard to deter us. We stayed on the course and I'm proud to say God has provided throughout the entire process. We found a renter ONE WEEK before we left and Kolbi  got accepted into a Christian school. We could see God's hand in every step of the way. Even though A.T. wasn't able to secure a position, we knew God was behind the wheel so we decided to move forward with our plan.

In Christ,
Alissa

Our Journey to New Orleans: The Beginning Stages

Hi everyone! I'm new to this blogging thing but I thought what better way to keep our friends and family in tune with what is going on in our world than to have a place for them to follow our journey. So here we go.... I want to start off with a little background on my calling into the ministry. It all started in January while A.T. and I were in Atlanta for a couples weekend. I was 9 months pregnant and couldn't sleep. During that delirious moment, I had a vision of me on a college campus being a ministry leader. I heard God say I needed to attend seminary to obtain this goal. I didn't know if it was my hormones or really a sign from God! I was so lost because I wasn't even sure what seminary was all about. It took me a couple of weeks after that divine intervention before I even thought about it again. I knew I had been asking God for over a year to make my purpose clear to me. I decided I needed to do some research.

I was amazed to see what God had called me to do. I thought seminary was for preachers in a church. I knew that was not my calling so I was so confused. As I began researching, I found that seminaries have numerous tracks for people with various callings. In particular, I found a collegiate ministry track. At that moment I knew it was God who had spoken to me that night in the hotel room. It was definitely confirmation, and I had to be obedient.

I wrestled with the fact I was a mom of a newborn and being called back to school. I began looking at different seminaries with the thought I could do online classes while Brennan and Camden were asleep throughout the day and at night. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary kept coming up. I looked into the curriculum and saw they had an extension center in Atlanta. I thought I had hit the jackpot! One day while I was on the internet researching the school I saw the main campus in New Orleans was having a preview weekend. At this point, Camden was 6 weeks old. I felt so convicted to go to the preview. I didn't know why but I knew I should be there. This was a week before the event so I had to be quick if I was going to actually make it. I spoke to A.T. about it and he told me if I felt led to go then he was fine with the idea. Let me reiterate the circumstances surrounding the timing of all of this. Camden was 6 weeks, I was breastfeeding, I didn't have hardly any milk stored, A.T. had gone back to work, I didn't know how I would get to New Orleans, and it was a week before the event! All odds were stacked against me. Needless to say it was overwhelming but God provided in all those areas. My mom stayed with the boys and Camden had enough milk until I made it back. Hallelujah!

Preview weekend in New Orleans was amazing! I was so nervous because I was there alone because A.T. had to work. During chapel on the second day of events, the president of NOBTS spoke about the journey of faith. Everyone I spoke to that day and night told me how being in New Orleans would be better for my ministry. I kept thinking these people are crazy! I have 3 kids (one of which is a newborn), a house, my husband has his dream job, and there is an extension center close by to take any classes not taught online. That night I got so convicted that we were supposed to move to New Orleans that I couldn't think straight. I spoke with Brian and Gina, a couple that was attending preview weekend about my concerns. They were so humble and listened to all my concerns. I spent the entire weekend being their third wheel! They told me they were moving to New Orleans and they had 4 kids! God sure does have a way of showing us His way can be done. I was overwhelmed by their obedience to God. I knew that I had to at least try to follow God's will. Later that night, I called A.T. and delivered the news. I know he thought I was crazy to even think we would move to New Orleans. Remember, I told him (and really believed myself) I was only going to New Orleans to see the campus in the event my classes weren't offered online or at the extension center. However, at that moment I was convinced my family and I had to move to New Orleans no matter the cost.

In Christ,
Alissa