God Knows Your Name, Linda Znachko’s Story

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Hey friends, welcome to the Her God's Story podcast where you will always hear a great story to

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encourage and inspire you in your walk with the Lord. I am so glad you tuned in. I'm your host,

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Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares America, an international author and

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traveler on this journey with Jesus. Have you gotten your free six week devotional on Women

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of the Bible yet? If not, simply go to hergodstory.org where you can download it for free.

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We are confident that God will use it to minister to you in so many ways. Then let us know how God

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spoke to you or suggest other women of the Bible you would like to explore by emailing us at

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hergodstory at somebodycares.org. We just might include them in a future devotional.

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God knows you, dear friend. Psalm 139:13 tells us that God created our inmost being. He knit you

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and me together in our mother's womb. In chapter 1 verse 5 of his namesake book, the Lord tells

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Jeremiah, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I

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appointed you as a prophet to the nations. God knows each and every one of us from before we

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were born and He sets us apart for His divine purpose. Not only that, but we are so valuable to

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Him. 1 Peter 1:9 says that we are called God's special possession. And in Ephesians 2 10,

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we're told we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared

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in advance for us to do. God has given my guest Linda Znachko a unique revelation of those truths

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and he has prepared a unique work for her to do. Linda is the founder of He Knows Your Name

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Ministry and author of the award-winning book, He Knows Your Name, how one abandoned baby inspired

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me to say yes to God. He Knows Your Name Ministry strives to ensure that every child receives a name

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and dignity and honor in death. You will hear through Linda's story how God prepared her for

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this special calling and leads her day by day. You'll also be amazed how God is using the work

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she does to draw people to Christ. Linda believes we have all been qualified by God to promote and

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protect life, that walking in our identity is foundational to everything else. Linda is a

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popular speaker at conferences and retreats and has been interviewed on many local and national

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shows including The Steve Harvey Show, Fox 59, Life Today, In the Market with Janet Parcell,

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and many more. Her ministry has also been featured multiple times on various news outlets.

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She and her husband Steve attend Antioch Church in Indianapolis where they raised their four

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children. One of Linda's greatest joys is being called Honey by her grandchildren. Welcome, Linda.

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Thank you. It's so good to be here with you, Jodie. I love all those verses you chose. You're just

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like singing my song over here. Well, Linda, you had a yearning to know God when you were young,

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but you didn't really understand how to do that until you were in your mid-20s. So share a little

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about your early years, how you met your husband, and what eventually drew you both to Christ.

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Well, I was raised in a loving family, middle child of seven kids, went to Catholic school,

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lived in a community that was very parish-centered in our Catholic community, which was really such

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a blessing because I felt really known by my parents' friends and known in that area where

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we lived is a suburb of Chicago. I just yearned for God. When things got crazy at my house,

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I would just walk two blocks away by myself because we were allowed to do that in the 60s,

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and just go sit in the church because the doors were always open. I would just sit in there and

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be still. We didn't know at the time what it meant to be an introvert, but I knew I needed

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solitude. That was a place where I could go sit and be quiet and rest, and I was really grateful

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for that. Then I went to high school, public school, and met my husband, who was my high school

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sweetheart. We were not believers at the time. We were both raised going to church, traditional

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families of faith, and had the values of the Christian faith, but no understanding of God's

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word. Off to college, we went to separate schools and had no idea what was going to happen with our

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relationship. We had no conditions on it at all. I went to a public school, Northern Indiana, and

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went on a gymnastics scholarship, which Steve and I were both gymnasts, and loved that. But then I

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had an injury. Then I decided to move home and go to a small school in Chicago, which was now

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Mundelein College and is now connected to Loyola University. If you know where Loyola is, it's

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right on the water in the Chicago area, and it's got a beautiful campus. I loved being there,

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but I didn't go to church those years. I just was like, I didn't have a faith of my own,

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but I, as a little girl, had a longing to be near Jesus. That's the only way I can put it,

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and yet I could never find him. I would ask the nuns about him, and they would give me really

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random answers. I just wasn't satisfied with them, but I just had a longing, and I didn't know

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where to find him. I didn't know who to ask. I didn't hear anybody talking about Jesus,

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and certainly not his word. I just kind of wandered, I would say. Steve and I got married,

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and we both wanted to go to church, but it was like, which denomination should we go to?

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Doesn't really matter. Then by some different circumstances, landed in a Bible-believing,

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Bible-preaching church here in Indianapolis. I heard the gospel for the first time. I felt like

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I absolutely came alive, because I was like, that's what I've been waiting to hear my whole life.

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Really, the part of the gospel I never really grabbed hold of was that I was a sinner,

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and that I was saved by grace. I believed all the tenets of Jesus that I had heard all my life

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growing up. That he was born from a virgin, born in a stable, like the wise men, the whole school

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story of all of his birth in Bethlehem, and that he came from a virgin. All of that, I was completely

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fine with and accepted like a child. Then here I was at 26 years old, sitting in this church as a

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new mom, and I heard the gospel, and I realized, oh, I actually need Jesus. When I understood that

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the Holy Spirit could live inside of me, the longing just was like this thing that I was

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experiencing. The longing just was like this aha moment for me, and I accepted the Lord, and

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everything was different after that. So how did life change? You said everything was different,

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but give us some examples of the change that happened when you made Jesus Lord of your life.

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I became aware of people around me that were reading the Bible, and I never knew a person that

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read a Bible. I had people around me telling me they were Christians, and I was like, I never

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heard anyone say they were Christian. I only heard growing up people saying, I'm Catholic,

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I'm Episcopalian, I'm this, I'm that. So I was just this hunger for understanding, why do you call

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yourself that? What does that mean to you? Why are you reading the Bible? I thought only certain

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people could read the Bible, and it was then held under glass, and you only did that on Sundays.

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You know, and I all of a sudden was around a community of women as a new mom who had just

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left the workplace, found myself as a stay at home mom, like with all this time on my hands,

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and the fellowship of sisters in Christ flooded my life, and I just sat at their feet and listened

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to them talk. I went to Bible study, I went to women's conferences, I started reading all

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different books, listening to all different music. Everything that had been a part of my life, kind

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of on the outside, was completely changed, and I had like a hunger and thirst for it, and I remember

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thinking, oh my goodness, I'm 26 years old, I've wasted my whole life listening to all this other

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stuff and reading all this other stuff, and never really praying and all the things, and I was like,

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oh my gosh, nothing I've been doing has eternal value, and I want every single thing I do to have

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eternal value and to matter, and that passion rooted in me at 26 years old honestly has not

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stopped, and now I'm 63 years old, and I still feel like the chase, I'm chasing after more of God

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every day. So you mentioned that you really immersed yourself in the Word of God. You started going to

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Christian fellowships and Bible studies, and that changed your perspective on the world.

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When you start listening to different things and you start reading different things, your perspective,

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your outlook totally is transformed. Tell us a little bit about that and what that perspective

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changed in you, how that occurred. Well, you read the Bible and you realize that God is really

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different than you, and you learn a lot about yourself, and I learned a lot about the way I

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was behaving, the things I had spent my time doing, the people I was hanging around, whether it was

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from gossiping to just spending time on frivolous things or money on frivolous things.

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You realize the temporal value of my life really smacked me in the face, and I also started realizing

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that no one in my family talked like that or started knowing the things that I was learning

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and knew from the Bible, and I would go hang around my sisters and go be around my parents,

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and I was like, I don't relate to any of that anymore, and I could see myself in them as being

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very different. I was like, wow, God is really starting to transform me from the inside out,

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and he's impacting me because one of the things I realized was, wait a second, this gospel is for

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everyone. I've never heard it. I don't think my family's ever heard it, and everyone needs to know

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this, and I had to learn. I mean, I had a real hunger for evangelism. I went to evangelism classes,

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and I thought, how can I talk about my faith now everywhere I go because everyone needs to know

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this? And so as the first Christian in my family, it was quite a rude awakening as my family and my

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sisters especially started to see me change. Everything about me was different. The desires

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of my heart, the way I talked about God, the worship music in my car. If you're going to

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drive with me in my car somewhere, then you're going to listen to my music, and they just saw

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that, and the questions just came firing at me. That's just all I can say, and I loved talking

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about the Lord. So you and Steve also realized that you needed to disciple your children

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in the Word of God. You are a very intentional person, and you applied that intentionality

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in raising your kids. Share some of the ways that you did that.

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Yeah, that's so good. I think I remember someone saying to me that the best way to

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disciple your kids is to walk your faith out honestly. And when I had my first child,

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I mean, she was four months old when I became a believer, and I remember having the thought,

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like, I'm an infant like her, and I need to be discipled, and so does she. And we're doing this

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all differently. And she's going to have a Bible with her name on it, and she's going to see my

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Bible with highlights in it, and she's going to see it open every day. And so I realized

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discipleship starts early, and it's really easy. It's by modeling to your children what you believe

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and what's important to you. And it doesn't have to be formal and fancy. You know, I believe that

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every family needs to belong to a church and be involved in community and do life in community

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because we need to know who our people are. Life is hard. And the best thing we did was join a

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church and stay there for a really long time and raise our children around other families that are

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doing a lot of the same things, and not perfectly by any means, but just with this strong, honest

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desire to be honest with your faith and honest with what you're doing and growing and changing.

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And I struggled with fear of man and being insecure and just the regular things of life.

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I did that in front of my kids. I mean, when I saw it in them, I pointed it out in myself,

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and then I went to the Word of God and showed them how God's Word was building confidence in

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me to live intentionally for Him rather than for me. And so I was realizing also that as I said no

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to Linda and said no to things in the world, and even said no to things in my extended family

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because we had other things we were doing or priorities, I was showing my kids that you have

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to say no to things in order to say yes to God. And I didn't realize it at the time, but as a

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young Christian, I started exercising my yes muscles with those little two pound weights.

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And it was like one thing at a time. And then I started meeting God in those yeses, and my kids

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were with me. And we together were walking with God, doing it according to His Word, and also

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seeking Him and finding Him in places that were really satisfying. And nothing else was satisfying

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me anymore in the world. It was more like I need to be a part of what God's doing everywhere,

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like from sharing the gospel. If I'm pushing my stroller down the walk and the Lord, just my

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spirit gets convicted to share the gospel with someone, I stop and do that. And my children sit

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there and watch me and listen to me do that. They were raised around that with me. And I just feel

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like it was the best way for me to teach them in the unstructured ways of life, how to disciple

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people into the kingdom.

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You know, I love that you were a vibrant part of a church, but you didn't leave all of the

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discipleship of your children to the church. You didn't abdicate that. You knew that as a parent,

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that was your responsibility first and foremost. Yeah, you want them to get it from other places,

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too, but the chief place that they're going to receive about the Lord and learn how to walk with

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God is in the home.

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Right. And Jodi, you bring up a great point because the other thing about that is we then

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ended up sending our children to Christian school. And we did that because my husband was on a

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mission trip to Ukraine. And he got on the airplane to come back to America and the newspaper

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headline said, prayer is taken out of public schools. That year, it was like, think about

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1992. And although I was at home with our children for the four weeks he was gone, and our oldest was

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in kindergarten, she was going to a Christian kindergarten headed to public school for first

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grade. And she carried her Bible around and openly talked about Jesus to people. And she came home

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after playing outside one day and just said, Mom, I guess I'm not going to cherry tree anymore.

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Because, you know, they don't teach Bible there. And my favorite book is the Bible and my favorite

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class is Bible. So how could I go to a school where I can't talk about the Bible? And I mean,

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it smacked me right in the face. And I thought, I didn't even ask God about that decision. I went

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to public school, I thought it'd be fine for her. And it was like, what a lesson in like every

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single decision I make about my children. I need to run through the filter of prayer to ask God

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because God still speaks and he wants to tell us how to raise our children. And I learned early

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that our children can hear from God. You know, there's no junior Holy Spirit here, like they can

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hear from God and our daughter actually led us into a decision to send our kids to private school.

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And what I realized even about that was that that too was not the only place of discipleship,

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right? Like the church isn't, the school isn't, yes, it's all, we're all pieces of a pie. But if

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we are not, Steve and I are not the filling, you know, we've got to be the apple cobbler in the

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middle because all the, it takes all the pieces. And I was just really thankful for that leading

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and how God taught me through that. Yeah. And I think it's so, uh, so like God that while

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the Lord was speaking to you through your daughter at home, God was speaking to Steve on an airplane

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home. So you were in agreement when he got home about what you needed to do. Right. He walked

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in the door and says, um, you know, we've got to talk about sending our kids to public school.

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Cause I don't think we're going to be doing that anymore. And I said, Oh my goodness,

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did our daughter Lauren say something to you because you cannot believe what she's been saying

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to me here at home. And yes, you're right. Like Steve and I became believers at the same time,

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just completely different routes. We just found ourselves there at the same time. And the same

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thing was with that decision. You know, he comes home and he feels like God stirred his heart that

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direction. Same with us at home. And we looked at each other like this, these are familiar movements

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of God in us, in our marriage and in our family that God, when we are prayerful and we walk a life

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of John 14 being filled with the Holy spirit and John 15, inviting in him, God will do that because

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the covenant of marriage and the oneness is so important to God that he is building our faith

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separately and together and as a family through all those moments. And then realizing as decisions

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continue to come through our lives, we can lean on God to do that same kind of thing and say,

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all right, how are you hearing God? How are you hearing God? Um, whether even in financial

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giving, sometimes we're like, you come up with a number, no, you come up with a number. I don't know

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what we should give. And then we both write a number on a piece of paper and show it to each other.

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And it's exact same amount. And we're like, God did it again. And so, you know, God loves to just

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teach us and kind of feed us, nourish us along in our faith journey so that we can be, do more

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together. Yeah. Another area that you walked in agreement, which really laid a foundation for

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what God wanted you to do in the future was in your finances. Finances can be such a, such an

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area of tension in families, but early on you all established a philosophy for your foundation,

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for your finances that, that allows you to do a whole lot more for the kingdom now.

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Explain what you guys do. Well, I think, you know, Steve, I believe God, one of his spiritual

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gifts definitely is generosity. And he has, but we didn't like know it at the time, but he has

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shown us that he knows it at the time. You know, really God was still developing everything in us,

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but early on Steve's business was very successful. And we were, you know, really realizing that we,

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we were acquiring a lot and he was doing really well and better than our peers. And here we were,

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like, we're putting braces on our kids, unable to go on vacation and send in private school.

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a glory, you know, that we have this kind of ease in our life.

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And we were starting to become aware of other needs just in the world.

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Steve had gone to Ukraine.

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He had a real desire to support Mission to Ukraine.

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Things were just like showing themselves and we were realizing that, you know, in order

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to give, you have to have the money to give, right?

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And so it was like, but if you spend it all, it's not there.

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And so how do we have the joy of giving and experience supporting ministries and coming

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alongside them and being honest and faithful in that journey?

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Because, you know, a lot of missionaries or people want you to be on their prayer team

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and they want to be in relationship with you and you give.

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I totally get that and it's wonderful.

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But we were overwhelmed with, we can give, but we can't be in relationship with you.

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Sorry.

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Like we're maxed out with all the things we have to do, raising four children and Steve

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traveling in his business and everything plus ministry.

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And so we were realizing that we couldn't almost give enough away in the right amount

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of time we had to give it away in with the end of the year coming kind of thing or whatever.

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And Steve just prayed and prayed about it.

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And the Lord just gave him a revelation of starting a foundation and choosing to cap

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our income and puts a certain amount in savings and then put the rest in the foundation where

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it's safe and secure.

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We can't touch it, but it's already designated for giving.

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And that way when we do have that bigger ask or the thing that all of a sudden is like

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out of the blue, you know, we want to support the money is there to do it.

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And so, I mean, I think probably 20 years ago we developed our foundation and under

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Steve's leadership and vision and his philosophy that he really was so ordained by God, we

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have this foundation and there it is.

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And I had no idea that then when I turned 49 years old, my kids were almost all out

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of the house, but God would invite me into a ministry that was going to take me on the

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road that it's taken me on in the last 15 years.

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But I've never had to fundraise in 15 years.

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And I have been able to say more and more and more yeses to God with every single thing

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that he brings me because I have the freedom because of this foundation we have.

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And I am so blessed that Steve's leadership and just his vision just to obey, you know,

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like we obeyed before we had the eyes to see what God was doing.

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And that's such a characteristic of the Lord anyway.

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But we've learned a lot over the years and we've been able to give generously with joy

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and realize that we would never have probably given away as much if we would have not done

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it this way because it's already set aside.

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And we look back and say, so is there anything we wish we would have had that money for or

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been able to do or whatever?

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And we're like, no, we are so joy filled over the opportunity to support people we love

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and do things across the world.

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And then of course have me have the ministry of He Knows Your Name.

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I just like I don't have words for what God has done in that and how it has shored up

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our faith.

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Yeah.

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And how, you know, you had no idea what would be God would be calling you to in the future

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when that foundation was started, but you knew it was the Lord.

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And so you just in obedience said, okay, we're going to put this aside for God's use in the

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future.

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We don't know yet what he's going to do with it, but we know we're supplied for and God

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is supplying for the kingdom now through this foundation.

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Well, you know, even after you've been believers for a couple, you know, a couple of decades,

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you were still learning more and more about about how to hear from the Lord, honing your

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ability to hear him in particular, learning more about the Holy Spirit.

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And one of your sons really led the way.

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What happened?

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Share that story.

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Our son, Andrew, went to Baylor University and he started going to a church there.

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It was an Antioch Church.

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And oh, my goodness, he was on fire for the Lord and he had a conversion experience there

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that was transformational.

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And I mean, we just watched him and he'd come home and talk about God and talk about the

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adventures he was going on with the Lord and how God was casting vision for him over his

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life for the nations and for church and the importance of the community of church.

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And I mean, on and on.

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And I saw him loving God's word and being blessed with more gifts of the spirit.

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And I was just we were so curious and a little taken off guard, like, wait a minute, what

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are all these people doing to our son?

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Like he's changing so fast we can't even our head is spinning, you know.

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And we just decided that we loved what we saw in him, that I just started getting on

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the phone with his college pastor or the other young adults that were going on missions trips

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with them for spring break.

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And I just was like, hey, I need to get to know you because you're spending a ton of

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time with my son.

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And I'm way up here in Indianapolis and you're in Texas.

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You know, this feels really far away and I need to feel close to what's happening while

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my son is growing and changing at such a rapid pace.

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And we just started going down to Waco, Texas and spending time down there and going to

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their world mandate and going to their church and spending time with Andrew and his college

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ministry.

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And I mean, everything we we wanted to do, we just did to kind of jump in both feet.

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And what I realized was I was learning so much from those people and from their church

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and their just their teaching that I felt so at home there.

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And there were things that I was missing in my understanding of myself with the Holy Spirit

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in me and with the knowledge of like the manifestation of the gifts and having just more language

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for things that I was seeing and feeling.

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And I really understood how prophetic I am because I was going there and I was just around

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other people talking about things just differently.

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And I realized that some of the visions and passion I have been given by the Lord, some

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of the things that I see are actually a prophetic gift I have now instead of just think I now

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I attribute it all to God rather than just think I'm thinking up these things because

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how important that has been in my ministry to understand that the things I started having

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the impressions in my heart for and the things the way I was hearing God about things were

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was him preparing me to do a ministry and do things that no one else has done like no

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one else in this country.

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I have not seen a blueprint for anything like what I'm doing.

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And I but I had that once I was able to say, oh, this is from God, he is telling me something,

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teaching me something, showing me something.

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I can have confidence as unfamiliar as this is as as crazy as some of this stuff is that

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I don't even understand he's showing me.

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I can have confidence that he's with me.

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And that took on a whole new meaning when I started walking with God through he knows

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your name ministry because I started just saying like as long as he's with me, I'll

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be okay as I go knock on this door and ask for this resource or talk to people about

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claiming a baby that's been found in a dumpster.

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Yeah.

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So tell us how that all started.

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You're learning to hear from I mean, you were really had honed your your spiritual ears

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for hearing God's direction.

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And then in 2009, he invited you into something that required a huge yes from you.

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Yes.

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So share how that happened and where it's taken you.

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Well, my mom had just died in June and my daughter had been married the year before.

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I still had two kids at home.

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My husband was traveling and Andrew had just gone back to Baylor for school.

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And honestly, I was not looking for anything to do.

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You know, I was really grieving my mom.

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She had a battle with cancer for 18 months and I was just worn out and grieving had all

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my kids kind of settled to like I said, to still at home.

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And I'm watching a news story and the breaking news story says baby dough found in a dumpster

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wearing only a diaper.

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And it grabbed hold of me so hard and tight that I I like could not move out of my chair.

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And I thought what what's happening to me right now?

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And I felt the Lord clearly say call and ask your questions, you know, because I had a

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lot of them.

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And so I called the coroner's office and I said, what happens in our city or county or

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state with a baby that's been found like this?

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And they said, well, that baby will just be put in a poppers grave or something if the

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criminal investigation doesn't find the DNA match for a parent.

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And I was so horrified because I was like, this phone call actually took me to the injustice

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of the situation.

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And I realized there were no answers and that was just not good enough for me.

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And I also realized like the burden of, you know, when once you know something, you're

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responsible for it.

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That I mean, that's just something I really feel strongly about.

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Now I know watching the news is scary for everybody because there's so much that is

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so upsetting.

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And how do we impact the border and Ukraine and everything all over the world and the

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crime on our streets?

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Like no, we are not supposed to do it all, but I believe we all have an assignment with

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our name on it.

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And I knew that God was assigning this to me and that it required a yes from me.

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Now the yes started as a phone call.

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And when I called and the coroner said, well, you're the only one that's called.

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I was like, well, that felt like a message from heaven because you know, I know God calls

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us and I know that he assigns us things.

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And I felt like he was saying, this is yours to do something about.

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Now I really thought honestly, Jody, that this was like an episodic once and done situation.

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I was going to take care of the baby, make sure this baby was given a name and an honorable

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dignified burial.

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Because after just burying my mom, I felt the contrast, right?

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It burned in me that my mom was a child of God and deserved to be buried and have a beautiful

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celebration of life.

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And I thought this baby's a child of God.

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Of course this child deserves the same thing.

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And as I was having all those thoughts, the Lord, as he does, rips his economy upside

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down from what we're hearing and seeing.

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And he said, dough is not a name and a dumpster is not a grave and a diaper is not burial

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clothing.

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And it was like, I knew missionally exactly what to do.

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It was so clear to me.

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And when the coroner's office kept telling me week after week when I called every Friday

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for 13 months that no one else had called, that the criminal investigation was not coming

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up with anything, I was getting more and more reassured that this was for me to do.

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What I didn't expect was that the whole 13 months, more and more revelation was going

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to start coming to me through relationship at the coroner's office.

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By calling every Friday, I talked to everybody on the phone and I'm asking them who I can

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pray for and do you know Jesus?

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I'm talking to them, building relationships, and I'm becoming more and more aware of other

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things going on.

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Like there was another baby that they had and they wondered if my organization would

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take care of that baby since I was taking care of the other baby.

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And I just was like, I started weeping and I hung up the phone and I was like, I don't

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even know how to answer them.

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What organization?

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It's just me.

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And the Lord was like, it's us and we're doing this.

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And He told me, and your organization's, it's He knows your name.

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And I would have never thought in a million years back then, 15 years ago, this October,

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that the journey God would have me on would be to be claiming babies from the coroner's

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office, funeral homes, and hospitals that are left unclaimed, let alone the ones that

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are found outside.

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And so just two days ago, I buried, or Friday, I just buried two more babies.

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And so I have claimed 52 babies and celebrated all of their lives at the grave in almost

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15 years and done so much work for bereavement at hospitals for infant loss, advocated for

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the safe haven law.

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I mean, it just goes on and on and I just can't even get over the multiplication of

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what God is doing.

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As we were talking earlier, you shared with me that God taught you how to speak legacy

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over each baby that you buried.

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And as you've done that, God has given you new assignments that actually help fulfill

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those legacies that the Lord has spoken over these children that no life is in vain, right?

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Share a story or two about how God has led you in that because that is also so unique.

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Right.

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So the first baby was baby Nicholas and he obviously is the first one, I believe his

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legacy is he knows your name, ministry.

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And then, so that was in 2009.

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And then December 28th, 2014, a baby was found at Eagle Creek Park here wrapped in a blue

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sweatshirt.

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And she was found outside by a hiker on that freezing cold night.

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Obviously, we all know that no baby infant baby can survive being outside.

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And there was a fire station just two miles away.

402
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And clearly the mother did not know about the safe haven law.

403
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And I, you know, all of it just came to me like there's a safe haven law to protect moms

404
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and give them options.

405
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And yet this abandonment was chosen.

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Abandonment is criminal.

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I had already buried several babies.

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And so I called the coroner and I said, you know, I want to take care of this baby.

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And she said, you know, we're probably going to do a quick discharge on this baby for a

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lot of circumstances surrounding it.

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We're not going to find DNA on this baby.

412
00:34:52,700 --> 00:34:57,000
And so I saw the sweatshirt that this baby was wrapped in and it said, Vincenzo University

413
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,840
Aviation Department.

414
00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,880
And so I knew I would name her Amelia.

415
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:08,320
And I just went to the computer and Googled what does Amelia mean?

416
00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,320
And it means defender.

417
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,840
And I was like, Lord, what is she going to defend?

418
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:14,840
Like what's this legacy?

419
00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:19,880
You know, so to your question, it's like asking God that question and saying, I believe our

420
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,760
names are on purpose.

421
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:28,680
I mean, I feel like the book of Isaiah, studying it early in my Christian life, was like it

422
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:34,240
was like a movie reel coming in front of me, like all the verses about I've summoned you

423
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:38,080
by name and I bestow upon you a title of honor.

424
00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,180
That is our name and the Lord knows it.

425
00:35:40,180 --> 00:35:45,100
And I believe our legacy and our purpose is rooted in our names.

426
00:35:45,100 --> 00:35:49,400
And so I just kept asking God and he told me the safe haven law.

427
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:51,560
And I thought, well, we already have that.

428
00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,800
I don't understand that because, you know, in talking to God, you know, it doesn't mean

429
00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:57,680
I do it perfectly, but I do argue with him sometimes.

430
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:03,080
I said, you know, I don't understand this, you know, and it was just like, that's what

431
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:04,080
it was.

432
00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:09,120
And at her funeral, literally, I was looking at the casket down in the grave.

433
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:13,480
I'd handed it to the groundsman and he set it down in the grave.

434
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:18,400
And I'm just standing there where everyone is throwing flowers on the baby grave.

435
00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,500
And I get a tap on my shoulder and it's Monica Kelsey.

436
00:36:21,500 --> 00:36:26,040
And she is the founder of the safe haven baby box ministry here in Indiana.

437
00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:28,800
And she said, that's the problem and I have the solution.

438
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:34,220
And she told me about the boxes that she was in process of creating and also getting legislation

439
00:36:34,220 --> 00:36:35,880
for.

440
00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,820
And she said, would you come to the Senate and the House of Representatives and give

441
00:36:38,820 --> 00:36:40,920
testimony about this baby?

442
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:46,440
Because being abandoned, obviously, that's criminal and we want to give moms other options,

443
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:49,800
but we have to educate them and raise awareness.

444
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:55,520
And so I did that with her and we passed the law here in Indiana.

445
00:36:55,520 --> 00:37:01,040
And since that law has been passed and we've enhanced the safe haven law by Amelia's legacy,

446
00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:03,960
her footprint is on the logo of the box.

447
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:09,720
Forty-three or five babies, forty-five babies have been safely surrendered in that box and

448
00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:14,060
they all have been adopted and given medical care and families.

449
00:37:14,060 --> 00:37:20,860
So we are like the adoption of babies who need to be safely surrendered are being done

450
00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:22,840
under the safe haven law.

451
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:27,520
And all of the media I do, I use as education for that law.

452
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:31,840
And we are the only state in the country that can say that we have not had a deceased baby

453
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,960
found in our state in nine years since baby Amelia.

454
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:40,600
She's been the last abandoned baby left outside in our state.

455
00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,880
Abandonment is happening all over our country.

456
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:47,280
And I believe that if we were doing a better job across the country raising awareness and

457
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,660
educating that wouldn't happen anymore.

458
00:37:49,660 --> 00:37:56,120
So just explain briefly how these baby boxes work for people who don't live in Indiana.

459
00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:57,120
Right.

460
00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:01,560
So the law has been passed in about 10 other states and several other states have boxes

461
00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:07,640
and have had safe surrenders, fortunately, from New Mexico to Arkansas to Florida to

462
00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:08,960
Wisconsin's getting a box.

463
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:14,280
So there are about 220 boxes.

464
00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:17,160
Maybe 50 of them are outside of Indiana now.

465
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:18,520
So it's rapidly moving.

466
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:19,520
It's a movement.

467
00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:23,440
So if you don't know what a safe haven baby box is, you're going to hear about it soon,

468
00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:24,440
I'm sure.

469
00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:25,960
But Google it because you need to know it.

470
00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:30,840
The other thing that works really well about the ministry of safe haven baby boxes is their

471
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:32,060
hotline.

472
00:38:32,060 --> 00:38:36,600
So it is a crisis hotline for any mother who needs anything.

473
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,800
So they can tell her her options.

474
00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:40,680
And that's always really helpful as well.

475
00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:42,540
That is saving a lot of babies.

476
00:38:42,540 --> 00:38:47,120
And it's also teaching people about the handoff surrender that they can do in their state

477
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,420
since the safe haven laws in every state.

478
00:38:49,420 --> 00:38:53,060
But the boxes are in fire stations.

479
00:38:53,060 --> 00:38:57,720
And they are they've taken the camera off that side of the building.

480
00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:00,040
It's a complete anonymous safe surrender.

481
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:05,720
Mom walks up to the box, opens the door, places her baby in a climate controlled little tiny

482
00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:07,960
bassinet inside.

483
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:12,360
And then when she closes the door and the silent alarm has gone off, the baby is retrieved

484
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:14,200
from inside the building.

485
00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,880
Most babies are retrieved in under 90 seconds.

486
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:21,200
And the babies are retrieved and sent right to an ER.

487
00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:26,640
And we've had healthy babies be able to be adopted.

488
00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:31,920
And I just I couldn't be more joy filled over the legacy of Amelia.

489
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:33,520
Yeah, that is amazing.

490
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:39,060
So you mentioned that you express the love of God in your community.

491
00:39:39,060 --> 00:39:45,320
As you've done this, the world has taken notice, not just believers, but your work has opened

492
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:46,760
doors for you to talk to the media.

493
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:50,040
You say you talk to the media all the time.

494
00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:54,720
Share some of your experiences with reporters, because we hear so much bad news, but your

495
00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:56,640
experience has been different.

496
00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:00,120
I mean, everybody's looking for answers and God has the answers.

497
00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:04,520
And when we're able to present God's answers to the world, they take notice.

498
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:08,240
So share some of your experiences of how God's used your interviews.

499
00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:13,240
I think that's so great to say because I think even Christians are so sick of the media and

500
00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:16,800
they've just thrown them all into the bus and said, like, they're all terrible, this

501
00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:17,800
is it's not effective.

502
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:23,960
But I have to say that I've not spent a dollar on education, but I've been in the media for

503
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:27,100
15 years talking about honor and dignity.

504
00:40:27,100 --> 00:40:32,060
And I can talk about babies and adoption and coming around them at the grave where the

505
00:40:32,060 --> 00:40:35,560
greatest miracle was performed and share the gospel.

506
00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:40,560
And every single media person who follows me around all the time, you know, hears the

507
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:42,760
gospel from me every single time.

508
00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:44,920
Over and over again.

509
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:47,480
And you know, they never tell me to shut up, Jody.

510
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:49,860
No one's ever told me to close my Bible.

511
00:40:49,860 --> 00:40:54,120
And I know that God has been taken out of schools and churches and monuments are being

512
00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:55,120
removed from parks.

513
00:40:55,120 --> 00:41:00,500
But you know, the only place I believe that it is still sacred and OK to have a Bible

514
00:41:00,500 --> 00:41:02,580
as at the grave for a funeral.

515
00:41:02,580 --> 00:41:03,720
Think about it.

516
00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:07,680
Like no one ever tells you not to mention God at a funeral, right?

517
00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,000
Whether you're in a building or I'm at the grave.

518
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,200
Like I like to do, you know, I live in Indiana, so my weather is what it is.

519
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,480
But if I have to use the chapel, I do.

520
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,040
But a lot of times we just do open grave.

521
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:24,120
And I love to stand at the grave because when we open, we invite the public.

522
00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:27,440
People are coming to church and I say, you're coming to church without walls.

523
00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:28,920
They don't know they're coming to church.

524
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:29,920
They think they're coming.

525
00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:31,200
I mean, but you are you're here.

526
00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:37,680
I'm holding my Bible open and I'm talking about God and everyone is all about it.

527
00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:46,720
You know, and I one time had this one reporter, Julian, and he came with me a lot of places

528
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:50,600
and I knew his heart and he just was so supportive.

529
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:55,440
And I felt the Lord that day give me conviction in my spirit.

530
00:41:55,440 --> 00:42:01,720
Like today you're going to say like every life matters and life begins at the point

531
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:02,780
of conception.

532
00:42:02,780 --> 00:42:06,960
I hadn't said that out loud yet, like publicly in front of a camera.

533
00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,840
I was like, oh, am I really going to say that today?

534
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,240
Because that's like a whole next level kind of thing, right?

535
00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:14,600
It's going to put me in a different arena.

536
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:18,340
And I said to him, this is what I'm going to say today.

537
00:42:18,340 --> 00:42:20,000
And I want you to air it.

538
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,800
It better not end up on the production editing floor.

539
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:24,800
Right.

540
00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:30,920
And I said, because if you guys don't put this in my story, you won't be invited to

541
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:32,520
another funeral.

542
00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:33,520
And so they did.

543
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:37,000
I mean, I just put it to them and they put it in.

544
00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:41,960
And I've done so much work since then with Right to Life of Indiana and been able to

545
00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:46,320
give testimony before the Senate and the House for a lot of different laws, whether adoption

546
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:52,280
laws or the abortion ban law, which the state of Indiana was the very first one to take

547
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:56,320
that on after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

548
00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:57,640
And I was invited to the state house.

549
00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:05,200
I pretty much lived there for two weeks and talked about how life matters.

550
00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:09,600
And that's why I'm giving honor and dignity to babies that were hidden, you know, where

551
00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:10,600
there's an injustice.

552
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:16,200
I'm bringing justice by putting like shining the light on their lives and babies that have

553
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:22,560
been cremated or left at the funeral homes or the coroner's office.

554
00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:26,040
And they're just on a shelf in the basement because no one comes to claim them.

555
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,520
I'm like, no, no, no, no, bring them into the light.

556
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:29,520
I'm naming them.

557
00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:31,640
I'm giving them a celebration of life.

558
00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:34,280
They are going to have a lullaby sung over them.

559
00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:38,640
They are going to be held by me and rocked and loved and known.

560
00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:43,960
And when people come to the grave, I don't think they expect that they're going to feel

561
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:45,580
what they end up feeling.

562
00:43:45,580 --> 00:43:48,720
And that is when you give worth, you receive worth.

563
00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:52,080
And when you give dignity and honor, you receive dignity and honor.

564
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:58,480
And when you choose to come and put identity on a baby that was unclaimed and unnamed,

565
00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:03,040
people I challenge them and say, I know your mortality is right in front of you because

566
00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:05,320
you're sitting at a grave.

567
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:10,040
But please know that you have identity and you have purpose and there's something on

568
00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:11,620
you from the Lord.

569
00:44:11,620 --> 00:44:12,620
What is it?

570
00:44:12,620 --> 00:44:14,080
What's your next assignment?

571
00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:16,920
And I just go there with them.

572
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:23,120
And the media is very, very warm to my stories and to my mission.

573
00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:25,380
And I am very, very thankful for that.

574
00:44:25,380 --> 00:44:31,840
And it has spread way beyond just, of course, Indiana doing a documentary about Amelia for

575
00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:38,560
Russia because they had no safe haven law there and they have an epidemic number of

576
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,040
abandonments and they're wanting that changed.

577
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:45,740
And so they were talking about a different law there, you know, and it's like, it's just

578
00:44:45,740 --> 00:44:49,040
taking notice and people are, when I get on the phone with them, they're going to hear

579
00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:50,040
about God.

580
00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:54,480
And I've just had never any, not had people hang up on me, especially not the media.

581
00:44:54,480 --> 00:45:00,240
When we do what God has called us to do and we show the world his compassion and love,

582
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:02,040
they're very, they're hungry for it.

583
00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:03,040
They are.

584
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:04,040
They're hungry for it.

585
00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:08,160
And when you really believe that, you know, Jodi, like what you said, it's so simple,

586
00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:14,560
but living like I really believe that is what's contagious, you know?

587
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:23,520
And I see a lot of people are so cynical because they've heard all the talking heads.

588
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:27,160
They've heard the people say all the things, but not do anything about it.

589
00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:29,200
And I am not petting myself on the back.

590
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:34,680
I'm just saying it, when I listen to young people, especially in schools or wherever

591
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:39,440
I go speak and I'm like, why, why did you listen to me?

592
00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:44,040
Why did you, like, I'm so surprised that even when you hear me tell them a story, you know?

593
00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:47,320
And they're like, because you're doing it.

594
00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:49,840
I want to do something.

595
00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:52,180
And I'm like, most people do.

596
00:45:52,180 --> 00:45:59,400
Most people want to be invited into the purposes and plans that God has for them because they

597
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:02,500
want to, they want to live on purpose too.

598
00:46:02,500 --> 00:46:04,860
You know, when people say to me, well, that's nice for you.

599
00:46:04,860 --> 00:46:05,860
You have a calling.

600
00:46:05,860 --> 00:46:08,440
And I'm like, please don't rip yourself off.

601
00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,480
You have a calling too.

602
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:12,480
What's your yes?

603
00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:17,320
Practice saying yes, and God's going to start, you're going to start earning the right for

604
00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:21,880
the next two pound weight, five pound weight, 10 pound weight, 20 pound weight.

605
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:27,680
And when God asked me to write my book, that was a huge yes for me, a huge commitment.

606
00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:30,320
And I didn't know if I had it in me to do.

607
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:33,320
And the Lord supplied, you know?

608
00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:40,480
And then in 2020, I got a phone call about a baby that was critically ill in the NICU

609
00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:43,280
at our children's hospital.

610
00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:44,680
And they were like, could you come down?

611
00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:48,440
And like, we need, we need someone's help because we've put this baby's adoption out

612
00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:51,680
there everywhere in the country and no one's calling.

613
00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,960
I'm like, okay, no one else is calling.

614
00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:55,960
You've called me.

615
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:57,400
I'm coming down.

616
00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,200
What word, what do you have for me?

617
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:04,200
The last thing I thought he was going to have for me was to adopt a baby in the, in the

618
00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:09,120
NICU down at the children's hospital that was seven days old and suffering from the

619
00:47:09,120 --> 00:47:11,640
mother's drug addiction.

620
00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:18,840
And they said, this baby's suffering and would you become her guardian and then listen to

621
00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:22,000
us talk about what we need to do next for her?

622
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,480
And I said, yes.

623
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:29,200
And then I, I listened and I realized, oh, what they were really asking me to do was

624
00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:32,720
to take her off life support.

625
00:47:32,720 --> 00:47:38,320
And so I called my husband and I said, this is what the Lord's asked me to do tomorrow.

626
00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:41,800
Like I've got to can't, we had all these plans cause we had people in town for a conference

627
00:47:41,800 --> 00:47:43,200
at church, all this stuff going on.

628
00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:49,240
I was like, I got to cancel everything and be down here for this baby that has no name.

629
00:47:49,240 --> 00:47:51,280
So I named her Amelia or Abigail.

630
00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:52,840
She's an Abigail.

631
00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,320
And my husband said, you're not going alone.

632
00:47:55,320 --> 00:48:01,120
And so together we stayed with her and we baptized her and anointed her with oil and

633
00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:05,320
dressed her in a beautiful garment and saying over her and called her by name and prayed

634
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:09,080
over her and spent the day with her.

635
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,840
And then she died in my arms.

636
00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:17,020
And I never thought that when I turned 60 that year, we were going to adopt a baby.

637
00:48:17,020 --> 00:48:21,720
And then three months later, you know, the attorney calls and says, do you want to posthumously

638
00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:22,720
adopt her?

639
00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:25,520
And I said, I don't even know what that word means.

640
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:27,760
And he said, well, you're her legal guardian.

641
00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:30,540
You can become her legal mom.

642
00:48:30,540 --> 00:48:35,640
And so Abigail Elise Zanaco is our adopted daughter.

643
00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:37,560
She's our fifth child.

644
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:42,720
And she is at Washington Park East Cemetery buried among 45 other babies, but she's the

645
00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:45,120
only one with our name.

646
00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:48,320
And we've learned a lot about her.

647
00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:55,520
And when I was at the state house giving all kinds of testimony for babies with fetal anomaly

648
00:48:55,520 --> 00:49:00,840
and I mean, she had no brain because of her mother's drug addiction, she wasn't worthy,

649
00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:03,840
according to the world of being born.

650
00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:06,720
And yet she changed our lives forever.

651
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:10,440
And I loved that baby so much.

652
00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:16,560
And in 48 hours, she became ours and mine.

653
00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:21,720
And I love carrying her legacy and being her voice.

654
00:49:21,720 --> 00:49:24,300
And that's all I have from her now.

655
00:49:24,300 --> 00:49:26,240
But it's everything.

656
00:49:26,240 --> 00:49:29,040
And that was a huge yes for me.

657
00:49:29,040 --> 00:49:30,880
And I do it all over again.

658
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:35,680
So Linda, as you look back over your life, what are some of those key truths that have

659
00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:40,400
guided you through the bad times and through the good times that have kept you grounded?

660
00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:44,260
The main thing would be the promises of God.

661
00:49:44,260 --> 00:49:50,880
If you looked at my Bible, wherever it says, I will, he will, he does, I circle it.

662
00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:55,400
Because he is a God of promises and he keeps his promises.

663
00:49:55,400 --> 00:49:58,040
And I cling to his promises.

664
00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:03,800
I cling to the truth of Revelation 19 10 that says worship God for the testimony of Jesus

665
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,480
is the spirit of prophecy.

666
00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:11,280
That if I live my life worshiping him and giving it back to him, and then just share

667
00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:20,440
the testimony of Jesus, which is everywhere, the results are up to him and not me.

668
00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:22,280
And so I can live free.

669
00:50:22,280 --> 00:50:25,860
And I can just do what God calls me to do and let him do the rest.

670
00:50:25,860 --> 00:50:29,640
And that's really lightens the burden.

671
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:34,920
But also, Debbie Williams has a book called praying on purpose.

672
00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:37,560
And it's the ABCs of God's names.

673
00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:44,460
And I've memorized, I memorized A through Z of his name.

674
00:50:44,460 --> 00:50:50,120
And then I've added over the years to it, I think I have 80 names of God from his word.

675
00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:56,960
And I recite them, honestly, every single day in prayer to myself, or when someone,

676
00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:01,720
I'm at the cleaners the other day and this mom starts sharing me that her son was murdered

677
00:51:01,720 --> 00:51:06,320
four years ago and shot downtown.

678
00:51:06,320 --> 00:51:08,920
They have no suspect in how she's living with that injustice.

679
00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:12,400
And I'm just like, oh my gosh, I need to pray for her.

680
00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:14,960
I'm thinking, what do I pray?

681
00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:19,760
And I thought, I just start praying the character of God and his names all over her.

682
00:51:19,760 --> 00:51:23,440
Like those are his promises, it's who he is.

683
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:28,480
And she just said, I started feeling everything you said, I started feeling stronger and stronger.

684
00:51:28,480 --> 00:51:31,760
And I was like, right, because we are weak, he is strong.

685
00:51:31,760 --> 00:51:35,680
I know that sounds so simple, but it's so true.

686
00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:43,520
And if I can lean on him for being the deliverer and being eternal and being faithful and being

687
00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:48,120
the King and Lord of Lords and the light of the world, right, and he's the rescuer and

688
00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:52,240
the provider and he's Yahweh and he's zealous for me.

689
00:51:52,240 --> 00:51:56,680
It just takes me from where I am and lifts me higher.

690
00:51:56,680 --> 00:52:03,160
And it also gets my eyes off my circumstances and puts them on him.

691
00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:04,160
And that is everything.

692
00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:05,920
Well, that's so good.

693
00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:11,200
As we close, Linda, would you share about a woman of the Bible who's inspired or encouraged

694
00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:12,400
or taught you something?

695
00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:14,680
I absolutely love Esther.

696
00:52:14,680 --> 00:52:16,200
I go back to her all the time.

697
00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:23,360
I feel like she modeled for me what it's like to be a woman in our generation who is being

698
00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:25,840
called to save something, right?

699
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:28,180
She was called to save her people.

700
00:52:28,180 --> 00:52:30,960
It was a mighty calling she had on her.

701
00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:36,720
And I love to think about her entering the threshold of the throne room where the king

702
00:52:36,720 --> 00:52:42,560
sat and the guards warned her, don't go in there, like you could lose your life.

703
00:52:42,560 --> 00:52:45,560
You weren't invited, right?

704
00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:49,560
And she's like, what did she say to those guards to get them to open that door?

705
00:52:49,560 --> 00:52:50,560
I would love to know.

706
00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:56,480
But in she goes, and the king just extends the grace of his scepter to her and she enters

707
00:52:56,480 --> 00:52:57,540
in.

708
00:52:57,540 --> 00:53:04,600
And I think we have that boldness before the throne of grace with Jesus and the access

709
00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:06,100
has been granted.

710
00:53:06,100 --> 00:53:10,160
We just have to knock on the door and go in.

711
00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,600
And her courage and boldness speaks to me a lot.

712
00:53:13,600 --> 00:53:19,440
Her choice to be a woman of her generation who thought like I think all the time, not

713
00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:26,160
on my watch is this baby that I now know about going to not have a name.

714
00:53:26,160 --> 00:53:27,600
No way.

715
00:53:27,600 --> 00:53:31,680
And it just spurs me on to say, I know what the next thing is.

716
00:53:31,680 --> 00:53:38,080
And I am a woman who like her, I think, you know, just hates injustice.

717
00:53:38,080 --> 00:53:39,080
I hate it.

718
00:53:39,080 --> 00:53:44,120
You've mentioned so many, so many good things that we can all ponder.

719
00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:46,480
But I just want to touch back on Isaiah.

720
00:53:46,480 --> 00:53:47,480
You read about Isaiah a lot.

721
00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:51,560
And you know, the prophet Isaiah had an encounter with the Lord that changed him.

722
00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:56,400
Isaiah 6:5-7 seven in the New Living New International Version reads,

723
00:53:56,400 --> 00:53:58,360
Woe to me, Isaiah cried.

724
00:53:58,360 --> 00:54:04,020
I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among the people of unclean lips

725
00:54:04,020 --> 00:54:07,940
and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty.

726
00:54:07,940 --> 00:54:12,160
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken

727
00:54:12,160 --> 00:54:13,700
with tongs from the altar.

728
00:54:13,700 --> 00:54:18,120
With it, he touched my mouth and said, See, this has touched your lips.

729
00:54:18,120 --> 00:54:22,480
Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.

730
00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:26,040
Isaiah knew he wasn't worthy to represent God in and of himself.

731
00:54:26,040 --> 00:54:28,320
And boy, do we feel that all the time, right?

732
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:33,720
Satan will heap all kinds of thoughts on us about our unworthiness.

733
00:54:33,720 --> 00:54:39,200
But when the seraphim of God touched Isaiah, God made him clean and changed his identity

734
00:54:39,200 --> 00:54:42,240
from unworthy to worthy.

735
00:54:42,240 --> 00:54:47,320
In verses eight and nine, Isaiah hears the call of God and responds and NIV reads, Then

736
00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:52,560
I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for me for us?

737
00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:53,960
And I said, here I am.

738
00:54:53,960 --> 00:54:54,960
Send me.

739
00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:57,280
Well, it's a similar story to you, Linda.

740
00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:01,880
You encountered God, you received a new identity and you've been responding to his call ever

741
00:55:01,880 --> 00:55:03,880
since.

742
00:55:03,880 --> 00:55:06,200
You have come to know God at a whole new level.

743
00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:12,960
You have seen his amazing work and all of us have that same opportunity.

744
00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:17,880
When we encounter God, he says we are worthy.

745
00:55:17,880 --> 00:55:22,520
So have you, dear listener, have you have that kind of encounter with God?

746
00:55:22,520 --> 00:55:25,800
If not, he's eagerly waiting for you.

747
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:30,600
He's calling you and he's waiting for you to respond to Linda.

748
00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:32,520
Would you take a moment, pray for our listeners?

749
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:33,520
Yes.

750
00:55:33,520 --> 00:55:38,720
It makes me think of Hebrews 315 where it says, today, if you hear his voice, do not

751
00:55:38,720 --> 00:55:40,360
harden your heart.

752
00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:47,080
And so God, I pray that for the listeners of Jody's podcast and for Jody and I, that

753
00:55:47,080 --> 00:55:50,560
we would believe again that you still speak.

754
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:52,280
You speak through your word.

755
00:55:52,280 --> 00:55:54,200
You speak to us through your spirit.

756
00:55:54,200 --> 00:56:01,520
And so God, we hold our hands open wide and surrender to you our lives and say, we want

757
00:56:01,520 --> 00:56:02,960
an assignment from you.

758
00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:05,760
I want a fresh assignment every day.

759
00:56:05,760 --> 00:56:11,840
I want to know that the plans and purposes of you, God Almighty, are on me and on Jody

760
00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:17,040
and on all of her listeners, that everyone would have confidence today that they have

761
00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:23,080
an identity and they are known by God and that they are sitting there with a title of

762
00:56:23,080 --> 00:56:26,800
honor on them from the creator himself.

763
00:56:26,800 --> 00:56:28,800
Thank you, God, for that.

764
00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:29,800
Thank you.

765
00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:35,240
And so open our ears to hear you, open our eyes to see you, move in our hands and our

766
00:56:35,240 --> 00:56:41,600
feet to do your work and partner with you so that we can bring the kingdom right here,

767
00:56:41,600 --> 00:56:47,840
right now in our neighborhoods, in our jobs, in our churches, in our schools, Lord, so

768
00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:50,280
that we can see you mightily working.

769
00:56:50,280 --> 00:56:51,720
Let us not be afraid.

770
00:56:51,720 --> 00:56:58,640
God, take away a spirit of fear or comparison or jealousy or competitiveness in the body

771
00:56:58,640 --> 00:57:02,440
so that we can be free to be who we are in you.

772
00:57:02,440 --> 00:57:09,720
Lord, thank you that your word assures us that you are with us wherever we go.

773
00:57:09,720 --> 00:57:15,880
Your favor rests upon every listener today and that they would close their eyes maybe

774
00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:21,520
right now, open their hands and say, I surrender a fresh to you, Lord Jesus.

775
00:57:21,520 --> 00:57:28,520
Make me into something you want me to be and let it be even totally different than what

776
00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:30,320
it was yesterday.

777
00:57:30,320 --> 00:57:33,720
I am open to you and I give you my life.

778
00:57:33,720 --> 00:57:40,520
God, you are the king of the universe and as your children, as the sons and daughters

779
00:57:40,520 --> 00:57:45,840
adopted into the kingdom, we are grateful and we say we love you.

780
00:57:45,840 --> 00:57:48,600
In Jesus' name, amen.

781
00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:49,840
Amen.

782
00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:54,760
If you've not heard, the Somebody Cares Widows and Orphan Fund was developed to help widows

783
00:57:54,760 --> 00:57:58,120
as well as unaccompanied children who have special needs.

784
00:57:58,120 --> 00:58:03,760
James 127 tells us that pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God, the Father,

785
00:58:03,760 --> 00:58:07,400
means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world

786
00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:08,680
corrupt you.

787
00:58:08,680 --> 00:58:13,680
You can do that in part by joining the growing company of others who give to the widow and

788
00:58:13,680 --> 00:58:14,680
orphan fund.

789
00:58:14,680 --> 00:58:19,200
Together, we can be a tangible expression of God's love to those with special needs.

790
00:58:19,200 --> 00:58:22,720
If you haven't joined us yet, would you consider giving a special gift to help?

791
00:58:22,720 --> 00:58:27,560
Just go to hergodstory.org and click on the Widow and Orphan tab at the top of the page.

792
00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:29,200
And thank you for tuning in.

793
00:58:29,200 --> 00:58:34,480
Check out the show notes at hergodstory.org for scriptures, links, and other information

794
00:58:34,480 --> 00:58:35,620
we talked about.

795
00:58:35,620 --> 00:58:40,240
And remember to get your free six-week devotional on Women of the Bible there or purchase a

796
00:58:40,240 --> 00:58:45,320
12-week devotional on Women of the Bible for just $12, knowing that all the proceeds

797
00:58:45,320 --> 00:58:48,320
go to support our Widow and Orphan Fund.

798
00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:54,000
We'd also love to pray with you on our 24-7 prayer and text line, so give us a call or

799
00:58:54,000 --> 00:59:01,080
text anytime at 855-459-CARE or email us at prayer at somebodycares.org.

800
00:59:01,080 --> 00:59:05,760
And now, dear friends, I leave you with a blessing adapted from 1 Chronicles 22-11.

801
00:59:05,760 --> 00:59:11,640
May the Lord be with you, and may you have success and complete the work the Lord your

802
00:59:11,640 --> 00:59:13,840
God has called you to.

803
00:59:13,840 --> 00:59:18,600
Her God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America and international.

804
00:59:18,600 --> 00:59:45,600
To learn more about or support the ministry, go to somebodycares.org.