Do It Afraid, God Will Equip You! Melinda Torrison's Story

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Hey friends, welcome to the Her God Story podcast where you will always hear a good

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story to build your faith and equip you in your walk with the Lord.

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I'm your host Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares America and international

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author and traveler on this journey of faith.

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I encourage you to take a moment to like or follow this podcast on your favorite streaming

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platform so you won't miss the stories of any of my amazing guests.

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Hebrews 13:21 is a blessing over God's people which says, may he, God, equip you with all

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you need for doing his will.

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May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ every good thing that's pleasing

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to him.

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All glory to him forever and ever.

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Amen.

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My guest, Melinda Torrison, has seen God do that for her over and over again.

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In fact, she had a little encounter even this week, which we'll talk about in a minute.

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And as president and COO of Meter Staffing, Melinda has faced many, many challenges as

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she has led her company through the last few years.

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But looking back, she sees how God equipped her and prepared her in advance for this season.

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She loves walking out her destiny and calling using the gifts God has given her to glorify

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his name.

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She also loves taking Jesus into the marketplace and every other area of her life.

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In addition to leading a thriving business in Houston, Texas, Melinda is a wife, a mother

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of two adult children, and she seeks to pour out her life for others so they can know Jesus

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too.

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Welcome, Melinda.

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Thank you, Jodie.

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I'm so excited to be here and just being able to have conversation and yeah, just looking

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forward to it.

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So thank you for the invitation.

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Well, before we jump into your life story, share what happened this week to Meador Staffing.

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Oh my goodness.

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You're in Texas, so.

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Of course.

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Yeah.

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We're in Texas, which you know, of course, you know, because of your, you know, just

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a role with somebody cares all of the hurricanes that we go through and being in business for

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54 years, we've had our share of hurricanes and disasters.

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But yeah, this week was different because we had tornadoes, which, you know, of course,

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tornadoes are pretty common, but not to the extreme of what we saw this week.

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So Tuesday afternoon, we knew that there were going to be storms coming through late morning

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to late afternoon, which is pretty common here.

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And lo and behold, gosh, around 2 20 to probably 3 p.m. there were just a number of tornadoes

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that touched down actually in the region, you know, the area of Houston where we have

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offices.

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So when my father had actually called me from College Station and said, Melinda, I'm watching

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the Weather Channel and Pasadena and Deer Park, Texas are on the news for the first

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time ever was called a tornado emergency.

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Yeah, I was here, of course, in our Pasadena office.

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Believe it or not, our power did not go out, but it was very dark.

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Our cell phones start going off.

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You know, tornadoes are in the area.

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And while that was happening, our dear part team was texting me and they actually received

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the brunt of the storm.

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They were in the kitchen on the floor huddled together, of course, praying and just telling

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each other.

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I can't imagine being with anybody else for such a time as this.

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But they endured a pretty significant I believe they called it like an E3, like 140, 100

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140 mile an hour winds, I think.

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So our community was pretty devastated in a short period of time.

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But even sitting here, you know, this afternoon, you know, you're tired, but you just see the

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goodness of God, his faithfulness and just what an amazing community we have opportunity

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to live in and work in here in Pasadena and Deer Park.

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And just, you know, the greater, really, it's greater Southeast Harris County is where we're

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at.

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So, yeah, the tornado went right down the street where your office is, but your office

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was spared.

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And amazingly, no one was injured in the tornado, even though a lot of property damage and homes

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were were damaged.

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So the tornado actually, what they had said was that no, believe it or not, just no, no

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major injuries, no deaths, which is just amazing.

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And it actually happened while school was letting out.

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So the school districts, fortunately, had made pretty quick decisions, had sheltered

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in place, kept the kids after school.

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But a lot of parents were literally in the parent pickup line as all of this was happening.

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So that's really what makes the story even more significant of just everybody being safe

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and no lives lost in the tornadoes here.

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So yeah, yeah.

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Mercy, mercy from the Lord.

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And Somebody Cares is actually on the ground responding to that tornado.

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So if any of you are listening, I would like to give towards Somebody Cares disaster relief.

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You can go to our website, somebody cares dot org.

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But leading a business through crisis is something that Melinda has a lot of experience at.

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And we're going to hear how God prepared her for that.

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So Melinda, you grew up in a Christian home and you really knew Jesus, knew of Jesus all

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your life.

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Can you remember when you actually made the personal decision to follow Him?

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Yeah, that's such a good question.

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You know, I always used to feel very intimidated when people would ask the question, hey, do

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you remember the date that you got saved and what was your experience?

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And you know, so many people have incredible encounters, you know, with the Lord and just,

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you know, their salvation and they remember the date, the time, the place.

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And so for me personally, that was always a question I would just ask the Lord, like,

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am I saved?

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Because I grew up in the church and I really don't remember, you know, this huge special

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encounter.

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And I really want to have it as part of my story.

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Just you know, the way that God speaks to me and just, you know, me being very curious

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and the way I ask questions, He knows my love language.

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And so it was just like, Lord, like, really, when was that moment?

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And so for me personally, it was, I was probably 13 years old at a, at that particular time,

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you know, our church had a choir.

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I was involved with the youth group and all of that fun stuff.

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And it was actually at a choir camp in East Texas.

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One night that God really showed me and revealed like, Melinda, that was the pivotal moment

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when you really made the decision.

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Yes, I acknowledge Jesus.

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I follow Him, His true surreal.

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And it just gave a visual picture for me.

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And so yeah, that's my story.

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So your, your teen year, I mean, you, you grew up, of course, knowing the Lord and made

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that decision, but your teen years were a little bit shaky because unfortunately your

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parents ended up going through a divorce when you were in high school.

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How did that affect you in your faith?

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Wow.

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It was a time that, you know, of course, when you're a teenager, you're, I'll just speak

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for myself, was focused on myself.

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You know, you're really not looking at, you know, what's going on around you as far as

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your family and your parents.

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And so for me personally, I think it was a shock to hear, you know, that my parents were

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actually going to separate and, you know, go their separate ways and actually divorce.

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So I think, you know, of course now looking back, I can see all the good things that have

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come from that, believe it or not.

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My parents remarried and had been married to their second person, you know, my stepmom

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and stepdad for like 40 years.

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And I just have a half sister and a half brother from that, from my stepdad or my stepmom and

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my dad.

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But, you know, looking back, I think that's what created in me and I probably had it even

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before then just an identity crisis of who am I, where am I going?

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What does this mean?

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And I think it set me on a, just a journey to really find who I was.

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Unfortunately, I, you know, I take full responsibility, just made crazy, you know, crazy decisions.

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But really when I look back, it was truly, I look now at the importance of just our identity

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in Christ and really knowing that we know who we are in spite of anything that might

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go on in our lives and around us that we cannot be shaken because we know that we know who

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we are at the end of the day.

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And you kind of had a second come to Jesus moment, really, didn't you?

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Yes.

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When, you know, you had made some decisions.

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I mean, many of us who are in our young, you know, teenage and young adult years make rash

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decisions and do foolish things, but God is so gracious and merciful.

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He knows our hearts really want to follow after him.

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And so he intervenes.

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And how did he do that for you?

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Oh my goodness.

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So, yeah, he did.

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And that's really what he does and did all throughout my life.

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But I remember, you know, at that particular point in time, I had gone off to college.

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I actually went to Stephen F. Austin University.

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I was there for a whole hot minute, like a semester, because I didn't do well.

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And of course, you know, my parents are like, you got to figure this thing out, Melinda,

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before we spend a lot of money on a college education.

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So I actually came back to Pasadena at that particular time.

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I started working for Metta Staffing and was going to, gosh, I was going to San Jacinto

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College at night.

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It was like yesterday.

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I can remember being in the driveway.

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I was still, of course, at my parents' house at that particular time.

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My dad was actually living in the house.

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My mom had moved out.

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And I was in the driveway and just had a moment of just this encounter, you know, that sometimes

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you hear from people just like you felt like God was in like the front seat with you, you

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know, he and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

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And just talking to me saying, Melinda, which path are you going?

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There's two paths that you can take.

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One of them will lead to life.

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The other one will not be so great, which I knew that I knew like that path was either

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going to lead to death or to jail.

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Like it would be something really bad.

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And so that was an encounter that literally changed the direction and the path that I

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was going where, you know, my dad has always taught me, you know, your life is determined

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by the people that you surround yourself with, the voices that you listen to.

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So at that moment in time, I knew like, I probably need to change direction with, you

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know, the people that I'm hanging out with.

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So I literally just gave up everything that whole, you know, group of friends, just the

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lifestyle that I was leading completely changed.

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And then of course, set me on the course to eventually go to Southwest Texas State University,

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which is now of course, named Texas State University.

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So that completely changed the direction and the path that I was going to go down.

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Yeah.

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And our young adult years really are about finding out who God created us to be.

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And he started revealing that to you when you got to that college, you went away to

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college.

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Share about that a little bit.

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So I'm this new person, you know, Melinda Meadow, and Melinda Meadow was known for this

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in high school.

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So really one of the reasons why I chose the college that I went to was I have to go somewhere

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where nobody knows me because I didn't want a reputation to follow me.

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I wanted like a clean slate, new beginning.

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So that was a really big deal as well.

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So went to college, you know, I laughed now because my high school friends are like, you

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joined a sorority.

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That would be the last thing that I would have done.

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But really, I mean, I look at I think the hand of God was really on me saying, you need

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to join a sorority, and ultimately knowing that these were the people I was going to

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connect with and still good friends with, you know, until now.

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And so joined a sorority, you know, was a business major and truly just became immensely

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involved with not just the sorority that I was in, but also just within the Greek system.

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You know, in Southwest Texas University, I was able to participate in Rush, you know,

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which is a huge, huge event, you know, that goes on in the fall and the spring semesters.

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But I look back now and realize that's really when I was called into leadership.

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Just people come into me, hey, Melinda, we want you to be we think you should be president

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of the sorority, or we think you should, you know, oversee the Rush program this next year,

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and never had any inkling or any really longing or desire to be in leadership.

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I'm a really good follower.

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I'm super obedient and uber responsible, like just give me a task and I'm going to do it

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with excellence into the fullest and complete it.

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But you know, I look back and college was really the beginning of being called into

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leadership.

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It's really interesting that you say that because I look back on my college, I also

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joined a sorority, which was not really what people would have thought I would have done

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either.

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And I also ended up in leadership in that sorority.

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And I until you mentioned how that was kind of God's calling you into leadership, I realized

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that's kind of the path I was on too.

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I mean, I hadn't really thought about being a leader until that point either.

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Yeah.

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So God uses all sorts of things to help form the identity he has for us.

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Your leadership role was really the first step in preparing you for something bigger

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in more ways than one.

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And after college, you even became a sorority consultant, explain a little bit about that

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and what your role was and what you learned.

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Oh, gosh, that is that is a crazy job.

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But it was it was one of the best jobs that prepared me just for life in general.

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So yeah, for those of you who are in Greek life in the sorority world, and you are probably

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familiar with many of the sororities referred to him as either chapter consultants or leadership

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consultants.

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So for our sorority, they had selected five young women to travel.

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Basically you travel across the nation.

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So you're on your own for like weeks at a time living out of a suitcase.

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We fortunately were able to fly everywhere and you have to get yourself from place to

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place.

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So I was so blessed.

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I was able to travel a lot in the Midwest, the Northeast.

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To some amazing universities.

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But you're really you're meeting with alumni.

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You're meeting with leaders at the university.

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You're meeting with those who oversee Greek life on the campus, as well as, of course,

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most of the time you were living with the sorority.

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So you're in the sorority house.

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You're wherever they put you is where you have to go.

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So that's where I learned a lot about adaptability and just being able to present and speak like

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kind of, you know, on the fly and just able to really have conversations with all different

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types of people.

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So that was that was a fun job, a hard job, and you really don't make a lot of money doing

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that.

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So it's such good training for for the future.

246
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So after your year as a consultant, what did you do?

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I came actually came back to Texas and never had any intention of really wanting to come

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back to Texas, never wanted to come back to Pasadena, Texas, never really wanted to go

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to work for Metter Staffing.

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It was always I'm going to go out and do something really amazing and and live somewhere really

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cool.

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So but we were in a recession, a really bad recession at that point in time.

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And so I came back to Pasadena.

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I actually my roommate was one of the girls that I had traveled with with the sorority.

255
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So we got an apartment.

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I actually came back to work for Metter Staffing.

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You know, my dad approached me and said, hey, I think you'd be really good at this job and

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you don't have to do it forever.

259
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But why don't you come on board and maybe see if this is something for you.

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And so the job was actually one that entailed traveling and it's the the company that was

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part of Metter Staffing Services where we would actually help other permanent placement agencies

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or staffing companies get into the temporary health business.

263
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So that's that's how I started my 35 years now career here at Metter Staffing.

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Just I'll go try it out and see if this is fun.

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Aren't we glad that we don't know all the future, particularly when we're young, right?

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Because we think we know what we want to do when we think, OK, I'll that's how I moved

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to Virginia.

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I was like, I'm just going to Virginia for a little bit of time, just for a year or two.

269
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And then I'm, you know, and then I've been here over 30 years.

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But it was perfect.

271
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It's exactly where I needed to be.

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And I'm I've flourished where God has planted me as as God has planted you there.

273
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He's you've really flourished.

274
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:56,480
So you're working for your family business, but you had kept in touch with a lot of your

275
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friends from the sorority.

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And one of them introduced you to a handsome young man named Rick.

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So what happened and where did that lead?

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Before I met Rick, I had actually in college had a five year relationship with a guy that

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I ended up becoming engaged to.

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And, you know, that's a whole other story, but had broken that engagement.

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When Betsy had introduced me to Rick, they were living in Indianapolis at the time.

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Rick had actually traveled for his fraternity.

283
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Same job, you know, that I had.

284
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Then he had gone to work permanently with the fraternity and they were located in Indianapolis.

285
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So when Betsy had introduced me to Rick, it was like, OK, I'm not looking for any relationship.

286
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I don't even know if I'll ever be married.

287
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You know, like you're saying, Jodi, you just those things that you kind of you think is

288
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going to happen in your life, but it, you know, thank God, God comes in and has a different

289
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story for us.

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You know, of course, I was traveling all over the country, had gone to visit Betsy and she

291
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said, hey, I got this guy, you know, just he travels for Lambdekai.

292
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He's going to go out with us tonight.

293
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And so Rick and I just, interestingly enough, really became friends just via long distance.

294
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He had a girlfriend from college, you know, at the time.

295
00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:23,160
And so long story short, we just became really good friends, having really deep conversations,

296
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you know, which, of course, you know, one of our conversations was always centered around

297
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faith because he wasn't raised in the church, really had never gone to a church, which I

298
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was like, OK, who does that?

299
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Like, how does that happen?

300
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And so it just really led to being really vulnerable and transparent and me even questioning

301
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,560
my faith when he would ask, why do you believe what you believe?

302
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:55,480
Like, is that because of your parents or, you know, so it was just a just a really sweet

303
00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,600
time, just a long distance relationship.

304
00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:02,080
And then, of course, you know, he'd come to visit me here in Texas.

305
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:03,720
I'd go visit him.

306
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And just he ended up moving here literally during a hurricane.

307
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He was driving him to Texas.

308
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:13,240
I know, like Transformers, you know, going down.

309
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He's like, I don't know if this is a place for me.

310
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Eventually, you know, we got engaged and then five months later got married.

311
00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,160
So we've been married now like 32 years.

312
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:29,920
So along the way, as you're questioning your faith, it really caused you to get your roots

313
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:34,640
deeper in the Lord and Rick also came to faith.

314
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:35,960
Yeah, he is.

315
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:36,960
He is one of those.

316
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,480
It's like, oh, my gosh, you know, just a really neat story.

317
00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:42,480
And so, yeah, me questioning, OK, why?

318
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Why do I believe what I believe?

319
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You know, is it because my parents believe this?

320
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:47,760
My grandparents?

321
00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:54,120
You know, my uncle was a pastor and district superintendent at that point in time and just

322
00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:59,040
all kinds of questions and, you know, things that we would talk about.

323
00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:05,260
And of course, when he moved here to Texas is when everything changed for Rick.

324
00:21:05,260 --> 00:21:09,840
And so, of course, you know, he went to the church that I grew up in because it's like,

325
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:16,320
OK, well, this is where we go and became really good friends with our associate pastor who

326
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:26,040
was young and just an amazing, amazing guy and really gave Rick the opportunity to ask

327
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:27,040
the crazy questions.

328
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,640
He said, Ask me any question that you want.

329
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:34,440
Rick's first question was, how does a guy live inside the belly of a whale?

330
00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:35,440
How does that work?

331
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:36,440
And so that first.

332
00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:37,440
Yeah.

333
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:44,080
And, you know, but was just really I learned a lot from Bud Miller as well about how to

334
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:49,320
engage people who don't know Jesus.

335
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,960
And I really attribute.

336
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,880
I mean, Bud Miller was a huge person that led Rick to the Lord.

337
00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:00,520
And then, of course, my dad having conversation, you know, if you have any intention of marrying

338
00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,040
my daughter, you need to get right.

339
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,320
You need to know who Jesus is.

340
00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:11,040
So Rick got, you know, got saved, got baptized in my dad's swimming pool.

341
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:15,640
And then his faith journey just went to a whole new level.

342
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,320
Like, yeah, which is a big part of our story, too.

343
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:20,320
So yeah.

344
00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:21,440
So you got married.

345
00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:26,520
You wanted to start a family and God, who really knows us intimately better than he

346
00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:27,520
knows ourselves.

347
00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:28,520
That's what I like to say.

348
00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,360
God knows me better than I know myself, because I think I want to do one thing.

349
00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:35,680
But God knows what creates joy in me because he put it in me.

350
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:41,000
So in the family process, trying to trying to start a family, God had something really

351
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,920
unique in store for you.

352
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:43,920
Share about that.

353
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:45,280
Well, I am definitely a control freak.

354
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:49,000
And I think I know everything, you know, and how it needs to be planned out.

355
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:53,840
And so, of course, we got married and it was like, OK, I think I probably want to have

356
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,520
a baby in the summer, you know, be pregnant in the winter.

357
00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,120
So it's like my whole timing was like all planned out.

358
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,120
And of course, it didn't work out that way.

359
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:10,440
You know, started going to, you know, various doctors and, you know, trying to figure out,

360
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,320
OK, what's what's going on here?

361
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:17,120
I always tell everybody, Jodi, everybody has their own unique and individual story and

362
00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:20,200
their path to parenthood.

363
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:25,920
And so for Rick and I, it was just really unique.

364
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:31,760
We were in I remember being in the lobby of a doctor's office and we had gotten another

365
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:33,240
test back.

366
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:37,560
And I think we knew at that point in time, OK, we've got to make a decision.

367
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:45,520
Like, do you start really going down the path of trying to conceive a child or adoption?

368
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,600
And it was just it was just really weird.

369
00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:54,720
I remember we looked at each other and it really wasn't even this long, in-depth emotional

370
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,120
conversation.

371
00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:57,920
It was very matter of fact.

372
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:03,520
We looked at each other and both of us said, we're supposed to start the pathway to adoption.

373
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:10,080
And just like I said, it was just I look back down, I'm like, thank you, God.

374
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:14,000
You know, just how he know it was.

375
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,160
And both of us just knew that we knew we wanted to be parents.

376
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:23,800
And for me personally, like I said, everybody has their own unique story and how God has

377
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:26,480
uniquely designed them and crafted them.

378
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,120
For me, I just wanted to be a mom.

379
00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:35,680
And for me personally, it wasn't about being pregnant or conceiving a child.

380
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,580
And so and he I don't know when he did it, but he did.

381
00:24:38,580 --> 00:24:46,800
He just healed me emotionally, so I never went through just agonizing emotions or trauma.

382
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:53,920
He just started the path towards adoption, which was emotional and an interesting journey

383
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:57,920
that we probably didn't know as much as we probably should have.

384
00:24:57,920 --> 00:24:59,920
But again, there's a reason for that.

385
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:04,160
But just that just led us down the pathway to adoption.

386
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,160
And you ended up eventually with two children.

387
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:08,160
Yeah.

388
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,840
And you were able to be in the delivery room with both of them.

389
00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:18,320
So God really had those precious moments available to you know, for you to share with your children,

390
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,280
even though you didn't carry them.

391
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,760
And even a relationship with the young women who gave birth.

392
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:25,760
Yes.

393
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:31,440
Our two kids, we have a son and a daughter, and both were a little different.

394
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:37,520
Our son was through an adoption agency and our daughter was actually a private adoption

395
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,680
through one of my sorority sisters.

396
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:46,680
Her parents were fostering what eventually would be our daughter's birth mother.

397
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,800
And so that's how we connected with our daughter's birth mother.

398
00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:56,040
But yeah, and it's interesting enough to Jodi, like our kids, as they were growing up, all

399
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,960
they wanted to know was, what was it like the day that I was born?

400
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:07,760
And so God knowing like, to put us there in that moment to be able to tell the story of

401
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:15,160
you know, the very moment and the whole experience around them coming in into the world is that

402
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:16,720
is really special.

403
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:23,760
Just another way God equipped you as parents to be able to minister to your children with

404
00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:24,760
their questions.

405
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:29,600
You know, friends, there are so many orphans as well as widows all over the world who need

406
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:34,200
to know that God knows them and cares for them too.

407
00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:38,080
Many have special needs that we as a company of women can meet together.

408
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,320
Would you consider joining us with a special gift to help?

409
00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:46,280
Go to the hergodstory.org website and click on widow and orphan tab at the top of the

410
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:47,280
page.

411
00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:53,240
Melinda, so you're now a mom, and you're continuing to work at meter staffing where

412
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,420
you were gradually earning more and more responsibility.

413
00:26:56,420 --> 00:27:00,960
And Rick felt called to seminary so he could go into ministry and that required an out

414
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:06,760
of state move, which at the time you were in a job that you couldn't, you know, that

415
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,760
was in the office.

416
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,760
So it probably meant having to resign from your job at a time when you were going to

417
00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:14,040
be the sole breadwinner.

418
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:15,400
So what did you do?

419
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:16,400
Yeah.

420
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:17,400
Oh my goodness.

421
00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:18,400
Yeah.

422
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:19,400
So that was like forever ago.

423
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:26,400
It seems like but in 1998 is when my husband really felt called to ministry.

424
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:32,000
He was called into full time ministry was like, I've got to get a master's.

425
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,080
And so it was like, okay, well, where are we going?

426
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:43,080
And we, you know, had picked a seminary actually in Wilmore, Kentucky.

427
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:47,640
So that led to a conversation with my dad.

428
00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:52,440
You know, we're moving to Wilmore, Kentucky.

429
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,200
At that point in time, our son was two years old.

430
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,840
We had yet to adopt our daughter.

431
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,880
And you know, the first thing my dad said was, well, what kind of job are you going

432
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:02,880
to get when you go there?

433
00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,880
And I was like, new job.

434
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:05,880
Like, what?

435
00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,760
I can't stay working and doing my job here.

436
00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,920
And he said, I don't know how that's going to work, Melinda, because you manage a lot

437
00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:12,920
of people.

438
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:15,420
You're responsible for so much.

439
00:28:15,420 --> 00:28:18,440
And so I went back to the table.

440
00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:23,560
I prepared a proposal and I said, okay, I said, here's my proposal of how I can make

441
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,000
this work.

442
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:26,000
Just give it 90 days.

443
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,960
If it doesn't work out, then you can let me go.

444
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,160
I'll resign and I'll go find another job in Lexington, Kentucky.

445
00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:40,240
So I was very determined and very strong willed to figure out how to do this.

446
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:47,760
And my claim to fame here at the company is I was the first remote commute, you know,

447
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,560
type of virtual employee.

448
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,280
So we moved to Kentucky and I was on dial-up internet.

449
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:55,920
I mean, oh my gosh.

450
00:28:55,920 --> 00:29:00,960
I look back and I'm like, I thought that was the best technology ever, you know, but, you

451
00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:04,360
know, looking back now, it's like, wow, that was so ancient.

452
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:08,720
But that's when the dial-up internet had just, you know, come into play.

453
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:12,560
So it did allow you to work, you know, virtually or remotely.

454
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:19,200
And I did commit to for two and a half years, I came back to, you know, Houston every month

455
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,680
and would spend a full week in the office.

456
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:28,400
So and then after two and a half years, Rick graduated from seminary and we ended up coming

457
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:29,400
back here.

458
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:37,520
So that two and a half years, that season really prepared you personally and your company

459
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:41,680
for the days ahead and boy, a whole bunch of different ways.

460
00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:46,320
Share a few of them from your personal side as well as from the business side.

461
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:48,440
Oh my goodness.

462
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,680
I think, you know, it's so interesting.

463
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:51,680
I look back.

464
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,040
Okay, that was like 98 to 2000.

465
00:29:55,040 --> 00:30:01,360
And I think how it prepared our company, I think it really set the path for opportunities

466
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:06,680
for other employees that might have the same type of experience.

467
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:14,560
You know, after I went to Kentucky and came back to Texas, there were multiple people

468
00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:22,840
who for some reason, be it their spouse was relocated, had to move to different areas

469
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:30,880
of the country and their roles that they had here at the time allowed them to work virtually.

470
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:35,320
So it really did open the door for others to do what I did.

471
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:42,720
It definitely prepared us for COVID way in advance where, you know, you can have people

472
00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:48,960
go remote, work virtual and still be able to get the work done that needs to be done.

473
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,640
I think it opened the door for our company to be, and I would definitely say this, I

474
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,620
think my dad is definitely a visionary.

475
00:30:56,620 --> 00:31:03,680
He got us equipped him to build things, to create things and to become really supernaturally

476
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:07,340
just innovative with how to do things.

477
00:31:07,340 --> 00:31:11,840
And so I think that's what our company has become known for is just innovation and to

478
00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,800
be pioneers and forward thinkers.

479
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:22,880
It's just one of those markers of how we could continue to be just next level and pioneers

480
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,920
at what we do and doing things before anybody else does them.

481
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,520
And you also really grew in the Lord during that time.

482
00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:35,040
I mean, of course, Rick is in seminary, so you know, you kind of expect that his faith

483
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,120
is going to grow.

484
00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:38,800
But God was also working in you.

485
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,520
How was he working in you during that time?

486
00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:41,520
In a major way.

487
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,040
Yeah, he knew he had to do a major work in me.

488
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,080
Like he was like, oh, Melinda, we still got to work on Melinda.

489
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:55,920
And so he just really partnered me with an amazing group of women who were also in Wilmer,

490
00:31:55,920 --> 00:32:02,040
Kentucky, because of their spouses who, believe it or not, they were all in the marketplace.

491
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:07,800
So they were all working for these Fortune 500 companies, felt called into ministry.

492
00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:13,560
And at that point in time, marketplace ministry wasn't a thing.

493
00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:18,160
And it was well, if you're going to be in ministry, you have to be a pastor and be behind

494
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:19,160
a pulpit.

495
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:25,560
And so they literally uprooted their families in a major way and came to seminary.

496
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:27,880
And Rick and I hosted a small group.

497
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:33,600
And so I was just able to connect with so many amazing women and a couple of women in

498
00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:41,200
particular that really took me under their wing and taught me things that I'd never heard

499
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:42,200
about.

500
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:50,360
And sadly enough in the church about who the Holy Spirit really is, prophetic ministry,

501
00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,440
healing ministry, you know, miracles.

502
00:32:53,440 --> 00:33:03,080
It was a really sweet time for me personally that, and I look back, Jody, at those years,

503
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:07,040
while I thought my husband was going to seminary, it was just about him.

504
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:12,880
I really look back now and it was about me too, to equip me for the things that I had

505
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:21,300
to go through in the last, I mean, 20, 25 years, that if I would have not been at seminary

506
00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:26,720
and been connected with the people I was connected with, my story would be completely different.

507
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:27,720
Yeah.

508
00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,500
So you really learned so much there.

509
00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:36,680
You had always had conversations with the Lord, but now it was really a whole lot deeper

510
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:44,760
and you saw God moving in new ways and knew the power of God in a much more experiential

511
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:45,760
way.

512
00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:53,120
Not just what you hear or read, but you had experienced some of that, which is transformative.

513
00:33:53,120 --> 00:34:00,880
So finally, Rick graduates from seminary and it was getting ordained and what happened?

514
00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:06,840
Yeah, a lot happened those last few months while we were in seminary and at the end of

515
00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:10,840
our journey in seminary, the Lord was like, Rick, I think you're supposed to start a

516
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:11,840
church.

517
00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:14,440
I was like, okay, here we go.

518
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,000
Something else very unique and different.

519
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:17,080
What does that look like?

520
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:23,720
And so we did feel called to come back to Texas and when we moved back here, we ended

521
00:34:23,720 --> 00:34:27,840
up putting our roots down in Pearland.

522
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:37,400
Of course, I came back into the office, working full time still with matter staffing and Rick

523
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:44,600
started preparing his roadmap for starting the church, which was called the river.

524
00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:46,800
It was basically a house church.

525
00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:53,520
One of the ladies that I had met at seminary when I had first come back to Texas had called

526
00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:59,440
me up and said, Hey, Melinda, why don't you come to Kansas City and we can get together,

527
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:04,040
but I want you to go to this conference with this group called IHOP.

528
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:08,000
I'm like, IHOP, like you think the pancake place.

529
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:12,960
She said, no, it's like this man by the name of Mike Bickle who started this international

530
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:13,960
house of prayer.

531
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:18,560
It's like this 24 seven, you know, intercessory worship stuff.

532
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:26,320
So I went and met her in Kansas City, first conference, you know, that we attended.

533
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:30,320
IHOP I think had just been in existence for like a year.

534
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:35,920
So that's how I connected Rick with the house of prayer, which of course, eventually he

535
00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:42,280
connected with, you know, people here in the Houston area and really across the globe.

536
00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:44,640
That was part of this huge prayer movement.

537
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:51,080
So it was like we came back to Texas, started a church, you know, eventually we're part

538
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:55,760
of this huge prayer movement, open to prayer room and prayer land.

539
00:35:55,760 --> 00:36:03,000
And then our life just continued on just after that, just amazing connections with people

540
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:08,680
in ministry, just doing things that we've never, never seen before.

541
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,400
That was just so, just so amazing.

542
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:21,160
So God had Rick really full time in occasional ministry while he had you in marketplace ministry,

543
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,080
which was a new concept really even.

544
00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:30,560
I mean, it's, it's understood much better now that we are all ministers of the gospel.

545
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:34,420
No matter where we are, you don't have to be in a pulpit or be employed by a church

546
00:36:34,420 --> 00:36:35,680
to be in full time ministry.

547
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,200
You know, if you're a believer, you are in ministry.

548
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:43,920
Your career really started taking off at this point while the prayer room and everything

549
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:45,360
else was going on.

550
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:49,360
But when your children were in their teenage years, they both hit some rough patches.

551
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:56,920
So how did you handle the pressures of work, your growing responsibility there, your, your

552
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:03,320
family responsibilities and your church responsibilities on the ministry side, because you know, you're

553
00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:07,080
married, so you're both involved in each other's lives too.

554
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:08,820
That's a lot to handle.

555
00:37:08,820 --> 00:37:11,460
What was the Lord doing and teaching you through that?

556
00:37:11,460 --> 00:37:17,300
That's where I learned that, you know, God can give you great capacity for the seasons

557
00:37:17,300 --> 00:37:19,900
of life when you really need it.

558
00:37:19,900 --> 00:37:26,460
But then I also learned there are seasons where you do need rest because those seasons

559
00:37:26,460 --> 00:37:33,360
of great capacity and outpouring and giving, and it does take a toll and requires a lot.

560
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,560
So I'm super thankful for seasons of rest as well.

561
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:44,940
But yeah, our kids, both at different times in their lives, went through some pretty trying

562
00:37:44,940 --> 00:37:46,640
times and challenges.

563
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:56,100
I look back and I really think that's definitely where our marriage grew exponentially.

564
00:37:56,100 --> 00:38:03,360
Because I think you can, you can do one of two things, either kind of, I don't know,

565
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:09,080
get into the world of a pity party or just focus on yourself and lose sight of the other

566
00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:10,080
person.

567
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:16,440
But we really were very intentional about our marriage and keeping that intact and growing

568
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:24,080
and whole and together and on the same page and communicating so that we could go out

569
00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:25,960
and do the things that we did.

570
00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:26,960
Yeah.

571
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:36,280
And my role here at the company was pretty significant, a lot of responsibility.

572
00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,760
I was doing marketplace ministry per se.

573
00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:43,880
We had started a prayer group here at the company.

574
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:52,880
But I really, I look back, Jody, and I'm so thankful for Rick, who had incredible flexibility.

575
00:38:52,880 --> 00:39:01,000
We were both in it together and he really took the lion's share of the responsibility,

576
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,960
especially with our son and when he was going through his challenges.

577
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:11,920
But I do look back and I think it goes back to even me being able to go to Kentucky is

578
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:19,600
that our company had just a revelation of the importance of family and especially moms

579
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:24,760
and dads as well, but a heart for the family.

580
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:32,000
And I did have a lot of flexibility to, at one point in time, I was responsible for picking

581
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:37,640
our son up at school and he was going to a school way across town.

582
00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:45,080
And I had the flexibility to do that because then I could go home and work remote.

583
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:52,520
So that period of time, I would never want to go through that again.

584
00:39:52,520 --> 00:40:01,040
But God's grace was so on us and he really equipped Rick and I both with just capacity

585
00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:11,080
to handle a lot of things at one point in time when our kids needed us the most, especially.

586
00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:17,760
Yeah, you mentioned how you really intentionally protected and built up your marriage during

587
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:25,160
that time and that it is, you know, marriages in seasons of family strife really can tear

588
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:26,720
apart.

589
00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:32,760
Just talk a little bit more about what practically you guys did to ensure that your marriage

590
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:33,760
was strong.

591
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:39,120
Yeah, well, a lot of prayer, you know, and I think that's, you know, looking back, I'm

592
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,760
like, Lord, is that why you brought us to the house of prayer?

593
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:51,840
Because in that season, we really did learn how to just really pray and pray together.

594
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,320
So a lot of prayer.

595
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:56,760
And that's so key that you say you were praying together.

596
00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:57,760
Oh, yeah.

597
00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:01,800
You weren't just each going off in your own wet place and praying, but you were praying

598
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:02,800
together.

599
00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:08,280
So you were in praying in unity, which is three strand cord is not easily broken.

600
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:10,000
So that's right.

601
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:11,000
Yeah.

602
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:17,640
So a lot of prayer, a lot of counseling, you know, totally believe in that.

603
00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:22,800
You know, of course, you know, our kids were going through counseling, our family was going

604
00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:26,840
through counseling together, you know, and Rick and I as well.

605
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:34,000
So really, I mean, prayer, Christian counseling, and really having mentors, having an inner

606
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:42,400
circle, a small inner circle circle of people to really share every detail of what was going

607
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:51,480
on because we needed them to surround us in prayer to and to come alongside.

608
00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:58,280
And so really prayer, counseling, and an amazing inner circle of people.

609
00:41:58,280 --> 00:42:04,840
Yeah, that's so wise to have trusted friends to that, that, you know, are going to be there

610
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:10,040
and encourage you and, you know, sounding boards that aren't going to blow things out

611
00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:14,040
of proportion when you just need somebody to talk to that are going to point you back

612
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:15,040
to Jesus.

613
00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:16,040
Absolutely.

614
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:17,040
Yeah.

615
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:25,240
So in 2014, you actually became the president and COO of meter staffing, a large company

616
00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:28,520
with thousands of people relying on it for full employment.

617
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,080
I mean, that's a lot of responsibility.

618
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:32,760
How did you come to embrace that?

619
00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:36,960
Because, you know, early on you said you had no desire to be a leader.

620
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:40,360
And now you're leading a company with thousands of employees.

621
00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:43,080
You know, I probably didn't do it that well.

622
00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:49,080
You know, I look back and of course, you know, my dad, still very involved in the company,

623
00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:50,720
especially at that point in time.

624
00:42:50,720 --> 00:42:55,520
And, you know, both of us together, I think, you know, we can admit, oh, we really could

625
00:42:55,520 --> 00:43:00,440
have done a much better job of that, of just a transition.

626
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:03,120
Of course, you know, he's so funny.

627
00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:08,400
You know, he promoted himself to CEO and then I was promoted to president.

628
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:13,600
And like I said, he was still very involved with the company.

629
00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:18,400
We're both very similar in a lot of ways, but very different as well.

630
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,760
Of course, you know, the main differences, he's male, I'm female, you know, different

631
00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:25,080
generations, you know, different ages.

632
00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:29,520
And so, you know, when I first became president, you know, Jody, it's so funny.

633
00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:32,760
I think back.

634
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:36,120
I don't think I really accepted the role, to be honest with you.

635
00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:42,960
I think I still looked at, well, you know, he's kind of still in charge.

636
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:43,960
He's the CEO.

637
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:53,720
And I probably advocated, you know, responsibility or leadership, knowing that I was called to

638
00:43:53,720 --> 00:44:01,160
do more, but maybe a little fearful of, OK, if I'm really in charge, everything kind of

639
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:02,720
rises and falls with me.

640
00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:04,160
But it's interesting.

641
00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:07,880
In 2016 is when everything pivoted and changed.

642
00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:15,640
We had a it was the first one of the first major crisis in the past five, six years with

643
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:16,640
our company.

644
00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:20,600
And we had a massive computer crash.

645
00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:26,760
And it's when I looked at my dad for the first time and he said, Melinda, you've got to take

646
00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,520
the company through this.

647
00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:32,560
He said, you've got to be in charge.

648
00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:36,480
And I said, is it because you really don't know what to do?

649
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,360
And he said, kind of.

650
00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:41,280
And he said, I think you know better than me.

651
00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:45,920
And so that's really the moment when everything changed.

652
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:53,480
And he said, oh, and it was like he kind of it's weird kind of talking this out because

653
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:56,740
I'm having revelation as we're sitting here even talking.

654
00:44:56,740 --> 00:45:04,800
It's when he kind of turned and submitted to my leadership, which is so weird, because

655
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:08,480
again, it's my dad.

656
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:11,800
It's my boss.

657
00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,680
But that's when really everything turned.

658
00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:21,000
And then our company went through just various crisis situations leading up to the global

659
00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:22,000
pandemic.

660
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,560
And the mantle really you accepted.

661
00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:29,440
So I just embraced it with my motto.

662
00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:34,960
What I definitely learned during the pandemic is just do it afraid.

663
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:42,080
We all have, even though I know who I am in Christ, I know who he's called me to be, there's

664
00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:48,280
still those little voices in your head, those weird insecurities that are like, can you

665
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:49,520
really do it?

666
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:53,200
And I would just shut the voices and just do it afraid.

667
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:54,760
Just do it.

668
00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:55,760
Somebody has to do it.

669
00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:58,040
And Melinda, you're called to do it.

670
00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:04,720
So in doing it, I knew that God was with me.

671
00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:10,400
My faith was just unmovable and unshakable because of all the miracles and things he's

672
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:12,040
already done.

673
00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:20,400
And so I just continue to look back at those stories and those just memories and just went

674
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:21,400
out and did it.

675
00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:26,880
Just share one of those miracle things that you look back on and draw strength from.

676
00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:29,080
Wow, there's so many.

677
00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:34,960
Even like the tornado this week, there's so many miracles.

678
00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:38,800
The one I think about, it was probably the computer crash.

679
00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:48,040
The miracle of, when I say computer crash, it was like all of our file servers.

680
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:54,860
Back at that time, we had a whole lot of servers that stored all of our data, all of our information.

681
00:46:54,860 --> 00:47:00,860
We had backup tapes, all of those things were literally destroyed.

682
00:47:00,860 --> 00:47:09,040
And so there was a moment in time, like a few days where it was like, we have no data.

683
00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:13,880
We run payroll on a weekly basis for thousands of employees.

684
00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:19,340
We have, at that moment in time, you thought everything is gone.

685
00:47:19,340 --> 00:47:25,320
The software company that we worked with, oh my gosh, we were actually about to do a

686
00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:26,960
huge computer conversion.

687
00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:32,800
So we were leaving our existing software company, our applicant tracking system, and going to

688
00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:33,800
a new company.

689
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:40,240
We called one of the gentlemen at that particular company that we were about to leave.

690
00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:44,800
Oh my God, he had so much grace and mercy on him.

691
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:50,920
He actually, we're like, we're praying that you're going to be able to restore this.

692
00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:57,080
And he was able to restore our data up to, it was, okay, so that was 2016.

693
00:47:57,080 --> 00:48:04,620
He restored data through 2014 where we only had to rebuild 18 months of data.

694
00:48:04,620 --> 00:48:05,900
So that was a miracle.

695
00:48:05,900 --> 00:48:14,420
The next miracle was in four days, we were able to manually enter enough data where we

696
00:48:14,420 --> 00:48:19,360
were able to run a payroll and nobody in the outside world ever knew what was going on

697
00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:22,800
internally at Metter Staffing.

698
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:27,500
That almost makes me want to start crying because it was just, it's those types of things

699
00:48:27,500 --> 00:48:33,000
that you're just like, that's just the goodness of God and definitely his hand and just miracle

700
00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:38,680
upon miracle that have really saved us time and time again.

701
00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:39,680
Pretty miraculous.

702
00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:40,680
Oh gosh, yeah.

703
00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:43,280
I could go on and on for days about this.

704
00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:51,040
I truly believe, and I think even Billy Graham might've said in years past that the marketplace

705
00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:57,000
is where the greatest transformation is going to happen and where the greatest numbers of

706
00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,000
people being saved is actually going to happen.

707
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:09,080
And so in 35 years, I've been able to see just lives changed, not just people coming

708
00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:16,000
to the knowledge of who Jesus is, but I think in the marketplace is one of the, actually

709
00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:24,320
one of the safest places, believe it or not, where people are very vulnerable and transparent.

710
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:28,800
And when they are going through really hard times, it's the place where they're going

711
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:31,160
to be open and share.

712
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:37,400
And I cannot begin to count the number of people who have, and these are non-believers

713
00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:41,920
who know what I believe and we are very forthright here at our company.

714
00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:43,680
It's all over our website.

715
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:45,480
It's in our core values.

716
00:49:45,480 --> 00:49:50,680
People know what we believe, but the number of people that have come to me personally,

717
00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:53,480
Melinda, can you pray for me?

718
00:49:53,480 --> 00:49:57,800
I just think that opens so many doors of opportunities for business.

719
00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:04,600
I also, I'm thinking about somebody cares right now, just in a disaster crisis situation,

720
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:12,160
God wants to bless his people and God uses resources such as financial prosperity.

721
00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:19,120
And so I look at Meador Staffing having been a great steward of money.

722
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:23,160
And so even this afternoon, it's on my to-do list after I get off with you.

723
00:50:23,160 --> 00:50:29,120
It's, I have a list of all of the organizations that Meador Staffing is going to be donating

724
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:32,300
to because of the tornado.

725
00:50:32,300 --> 00:50:35,240
So I look at the marketplace.

726
00:50:35,240 --> 00:50:42,920
I can't imagine being in any other arena or sphere of influence, but the marketplace is

727
00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:45,800
where Jesus can so shine brightly.

728
00:50:45,800 --> 00:50:52,160
I was actually chairman of the board for the Pasadena Chamber in the year 2020 of all years.

729
00:50:52,160 --> 00:51:00,200
And that's where I really saw the marketplace minister to people and to be virtually on

730
00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:09,520
so many meetings with government officials, with educators, with local businesses, and

731
00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:18,760
just to share the gospel of Jesus in a non-threatening way, but just really a special, special thing.

732
00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:26,760
So I, like I said, I can't imagine being anywhere else except in the marketplace and just the

733
00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:33,080
stories of being able to share the gospel and just bless people.

734
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:38,000
So Melinda, you know, most of us can believe that God looks after us personally and equips

735
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,440
us personally to do His will.

736
00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:46,920
And of course, we can see God's working, hand working in our church, but many probably don't

737
00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:52,040
think, you know, don't think about how God might also look after and equip companies

738
00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:53,040
and organizations.

739
00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:54,520
So what are your thoughts on that?

740
00:51:54,520 --> 00:52:02,520
I definitely learned just for every time you say yes, you have to say no to something else

741
00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:06,280
or else you'll just be worn out.

742
00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:08,700
You won't like what you do anymore.

743
00:52:08,700 --> 00:52:11,720
And that's where I think God is so instrumental.

744
00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:18,880
And what I've done throughout my career, especially the last 10 years, is God, you really have

745
00:52:18,880 --> 00:52:22,720
to show me where do you need me?

746
00:52:22,720 --> 00:52:26,280
What do I say yes to and what do I say no to?

747
00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:30,160
And so He's been so faithful in doing that.

748
00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:36,660
Just everything that I do, even, you know, especially the chairman role of the chamber,

749
00:52:36,660 --> 00:52:38,280
because I really didn't want to do it.

750
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:40,240
I was like, I don't want to do this.

751
00:52:40,240 --> 00:52:41,720
Like my dad did all that stuff.

752
00:52:41,720 --> 00:52:44,600
I don't want to, I don't want to keep doing all the things that he did.

753
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:45,800
And what are the intentions?

754
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:52,920
And so really praying about, Lord, do I accept this role?

755
00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:58,520
The way he speaks to me is so just very kind of matter of fact, yes.

756
00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:01,080
But I really don't want to do it.

757
00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:02,080
I understand.

758
00:53:02,080 --> 00:53:04,840
I don't think I can do it.

759
00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:06,640
But I'm God, Melinda, and you're not.

760
00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:08,600
And so that's just how he talks to me.

761
00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:17,720
And so a lot of prayer about things I'm personally involved with, you know, outside of the company,

762
00:53:17,720 --> 00:53:21,400
huge decisions, even small decisions, you know, that we make in the company.

763
00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:27,480
For example, yesterday I was in my car and I was like, Lord, it's a really busy day.

764
00:53:27,480 --> 00:53:31,320
But do I need to go to the Deer Park office and see the team?

765
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:36,800
I mean, it was like an immediate I just knew, yes, drive over there.

766
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:38,040
They need to see you.

767
00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:39,120
You need to see them.

768
00:53:39,120 --> 00:53:44,640
So it's even those what we deem as like small and significant decisions.

769
00:53:44,640 --> 00:53:49,560
It really is just leaning on him and asking him in prayer.

770
00:53:49,560 --> 00:53:50,560
What do I do?

771
00:53:50,560 --> 00:53:56,120
Because there's many times running a company, everybody thinks you know what to do, but

772
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:57,120
you don't.

773
00:53:57,120 --> 00:54:00,480
And it's like, just give me enough wisdom for the next 24 hours.

774
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:05,480
And that's really what he did, especially during the year of COVID, because it was it

775
00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:06,800
was hard in the beginning.

776
00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:10,280
And it was you didn't know what to do hour by hour.

777
00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:15,520
And I just Lord, just give me enough wisdom and insight for the next 24 hours.

778
00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:16,520
That's interesting.

779
00:54:16,520 --> 00:54:22,240
You say how people are more readily likely to open up with, you know, with their colleagues

780
00:54:22,240 --> 00:54:23,240
at work.

781
00:54:23,240 --> 00:54:28,960
But you think, you know, you spend 40 plus hours a week with those colleagues, probably

782
00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:32,520
more time than you spend with almost anybody else.

783
00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:41,360
So you they really do become your close allies, hopefully, when a business can create a culture

784
00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:49,340
of caring and openness, as believers would, it really does lay the groundwork for some

785
00:54:49,340 --> 00:54:54,680
honest conversations that that can speak truth into people's lives.

786
00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:55,680
That's right.

787
00:54:55,680 --> 00:54:56,680
Where are we going today?

788
00:54:56,680 --> 00:54:59,960
So how does your faith and you've talked about this a little bit, but I'm just going to get

789
00:54:59,960 --> 00:55:01,820
at it for one little different direction.

790
00:55:01,820 --> 00:55:07,480
How does your faith in God impact and inform your personal and your professional decisions

791
00:55:07,480 --> 00:55:08,480
and your involvement?

792
00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:10,600
I mean, because you're involved, you were involved in the chamber.

793
00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:14,760
But I know you you have to be selective with how busy you are.

794
00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:20,080
Gosh, you know, my another key truth, I actually I look at I have this little thing that's

795
00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:21,080
over here.

796
00:55:21,080 --> 00:55:23,120
It's our company's core values.

797
00:55:23,120 --> 00:55:25,680
And it's Belinda's core values.

798
00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:28,480
And you know, I have a life statement, and then I have three core values.

799
00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:34,440
And you know, what am I true, so I'm looking at it's number three, it's what God says

800
00:55:34,440 --> 00:55:36,000
is true for me.

801
00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:37,680
And it's just it's God's words.

802
00:55:37,680 --> 00:55:38,680
It's his promises.

803
00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:44,080
It's what he says has to be true for me, because he's not a liar.

804
00:55:44,080 --> 00:55:47,320
Everything that he says is, is true.

805
00:55:47,320 --> 00:55:51,640
And so that's really what I just what I live by.

806
00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:53,120
Boy, that's a faith walk.

807
00:55:53,120 --> 00:55:54,800
And that's what God wants us to be like.

808
00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:59,600
But you know, it's also I, I've begun to think of obedience to God as just walking

809
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:00,600
with God.

810
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:05,440
You know, when we think of obedience, it's like, oh, you know, I gotta obey.

811
00:56:05,440 --> 00:56:09,940
But really, it's just walking with God, it's it's seeing him move this way, or seeing

812
00:56:09,940 --> 00:56:12,840
him move that way and keeping in step with him.

813
00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:15,580
And he doesn't show us too far in advance.

814
00:56:15,580 --> 00:56:20,320
So it is that daily walk, God, where are we going today?

815
00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:26,720
One of the catchphrases is live your truth, but we can't live our truth because we don't

816
00:56:26,720 --> 00:56:29,120
know truth outside of God's truth.

817
00:56:29,120 --> 00:56:30,120
That is so powerful.

818
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:31,120
So read it again.

819
00:56:31,120 --> 00:56:32,120
Read that.

820
00:56:32,120 --> 00:56:33,120
Read that key statement again.

821
00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:35,640
What God says is true for me.

822
00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:37,880
Yeah, so powerful.

823
00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:38,880
What God says is true for me.

824
00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:41,040
It has to be true for us.

825
00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:46,360
And you know, I, I see truth when I was in graduate school, one of the first professors

826
00:56:46,360 --> 00:56:54,280
I had, Terry Lindvall, he said, all truth is God's truth, no matter where it's found.

827
00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:58,480
And Satan will try to claim truth in some places.

828
00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:02,320
But if it's truth, it is from God, because he is the author of truth.

829
00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:03,320
And he is true.

830
00:57:03,320 --> 00:57:04,320
Yeah, he is.

831
00:57:04,320 --> 00:57:09,620
Well, I love to ask my guests what women or women of the Bible have inspired or encouraged

832
00:57:09,620 --> 00:57:12,240
or taught you something in your life.

833
00:57:12,240 --> 00:57:13,240
What about you, Melinda?

834
00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:14,960
Is there someone who comes to mind?

835
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:17,080
That's such, that's a really good question.

836
00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:18,680
And there's so many amazing women.

837
00:57:18,680 --> 00:57:24,080
But you know, the first one that I think about, of course, is Deborah, which, you know, was

838
00:57:24,080 --> 00:57:25,980
a judge for Israel.

839
00:57:25,980 --> 00:57:30,920
And I just, you know, I think about her and what I love about her the most is her success

840
00:57:30,920 --> 00:57:42,800
was all based on her faith in God, her wisdom, her ability to, to honor, to come alongside,

841
00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:50,920
you know, to bring alongside a man to go into battle, her courage, her do it afraid, you

842
00:57:50,920 --> 00:57:57,440
know, type of mentality, just her courage to go into battle.

843
00:57:57,440 --> 00:57:59,560
And just a leader of leaders.

844
00:57:59,560 --> 00:58:07,440
And so she always just stands out for me as somebody just so amazing and inspiring.

845
00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:14,320
In Ephesians 2:10, in the NIV version, the Apostle Paul writes, for we are God's handiwork

846
00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:20,020
created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

847
00:58:20,020 --> 00:58:26,800
And Philippians 2:13 says, God works in you to will and to act on to act in accordance

848
00:58:26,800 --> 00:58:30,480
with fulfilling his good purposes.

849
00:58:30,480 --> 00:58:35,560
God created Melinda to lead a company that employs thousands of people through tumultuous

850
00:58:35,560 --> 00:58:42,040
times, her life of prayer, her integrity, her openness to innovation have helped many

851
00:58:42,040 --> 00:58:47,560
people weather the various storms that we've really all lived through in the past few years.

852
00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:52,800
God equipped her for this time, long before she even knew she needed her unique leadership

853
00:58:52,800 --> 00:58:54,560
qualities.

854
00:58:54,560 --> 00:58:58,040
And dear friends, God wants to do the same for you.

855
00:58:58,040 --> 00:59:03,520
Submit your plans and your future to the Lord and let him work in you to both will and act

856
00:59:03,520 --> 00:59:05,840
in order to fulfill his good purpose.

857
00:59:05,840 --> 00:59:08,280
You'll be amazed where he takes you.

858
00:59:08,280 --> 00:59:12,240
Melinda, would you take a moment and just pray for everyone who listens to your story

859
00:59:12,240 --> 00:59:13,240
today?

860
00:59:13,240 --> 00:59:14,240
Oh, I'd love to.

861
00:59:14,240 --> 00:59:17,680
So Lord, we just we just thank you so much, Father.

862
00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:23,340
Thank you so much for for Jody, Lord, and the conversations, the podcast that she's

863
00:59:23,340 --> 00:59:24,340
put together.

864
00:59:24,340 --> 00:59:28,240
Father, we pray her message go into the ends of the earth.

865
00:59:28,240 --> 00:59:33,760
Father, God, we pray for each woman who is listening and those who will listen in the

866
00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:34,760
future.

867
00:59:34,760 --> 00:59:38,880
Father, we pray just courage and wisdom and discernment over them.

868
00:59:38,880 --> 00:59:44,120
Father, where they are fearful, Lord, just provide unbelievable courage and to do it

869
00:59:44,120 --> 00:59:45,120
afraid.

870
00:59:45,120 --> 00:59:51,240
Father, God, we pray the blood of Jesus over each of them, Father, over their decisions,

871
00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:53,120
over the things that they say yes to.

872
00:59:53,120 --> 00:59:58,000
Father, God, that you would equip and power that you would guide them every step.

873
00:59:58,000 --> 01:00:04,040
Father, we pray over their prayer life, Lord, that they would come to you with unbelievable

874
01:00:04,040 --> 01:00:05,040
faith.

875
01:00:05,040 --> 01:00:10,400
Father, God, and Lord, we just thank you for what we are able to do in the marketplace.

876
01:00:10,400 --> 01:00:12,920
Father, would you bless their marriages?

877
01:00:12,920 --> 01:00:18,400
Father, bless those who are mothers, Father, and we thank you for what you're doing across

878
01:00:18,400 --> 01:00:19,400
the earth.

879
01:00:19,400 --> 01:00:22,560
Lord, thank you in the name of Jesus.

880
01:00:22,560 --> 01:00:23,560
Amen.

881
01:00:23,560 --> 01:00:24,960
Thank you for tuning in.

882
01:00:24,960 --> 01:00:29,720
In our show notes at hergodstory.org, you'll find scriptures and other information that

883
01:00:29,720 --> 01:00:31,100
we talked about.

884
01:00:31,100 --> 01:00:33,280
And don't forget to sign up for our emails.

885
01:00:33,280 --> 01:00:36,960
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886
01:00:36,960 --> 01:00:42,600
Or you may want to purchase a 12-week devotional on Women of the Bible for just $12, knowing

887
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:46,080
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888
01:00:46,080 --> 01:00:49,400
We'd love to pray with you on our 24-7 prayer and text line.

889
01:00:49,400 --> 01:00:57,360
So give us a call anytime at 855-459-CARE or email us at prayer@somebodycares.org.

890
01:00:57,360 --> 01:01:01,120
And now, dear friends, I bless you from Hebrews 13:21.

891
01:01:01,120 --> 01:01:05,960
May God equip you with all you need for doing His will.

892
01:01:05,960 --> 01:01:10,440
May He produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ every good thing that's pleasing

893
01:01:10,440 --> 01:01:15,840
to Him so that all glory is His forever and ever.

894
01:01:15,840 --> 01:01:19,880
Her God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America and international.

895
01:01:19,880 --> 01:01:46,880
To find out more about or support the ministry, go to somebodycares.org.