By Roselyn Ellington God's Brave Women - Roselyn's Story Every one of us meets failure, but none of us gets to choose the time and place. It’s been over eight years, and it’s still hard not to be overcome by emotion when I reflect on the summer I worked for a missions organization. In the spring of 2011, I was set to finally graduate from seminary. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where God was calling me. However, I felt ready, willing and excited to use my degree to imp

By Erin Boado God's Brave Women - Erin's Story My most vivid memory of the birth of my second son is his first lusty newborn cry. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It stands as an ebenezer, a stone of remembrance in my mind, of the loving and powerful God I serve. There in the birth pool, I clutched my chubby, healthy baby to my chest as tears poured down my face. Birth is an absolute miracle, a blessing from God. Unfortunately, birth isn’t always so beautiful

By Rachel Lee God's Brave Women - Rachel's Story Growing up, I had fond memories of hot, summer days spent at the local lake, learning to swim at the instruction of my father. My dad loved to swim, and he was a great teacher too! He offered patient assistance, affirmation and the occasional correction, when I was in need of further guidance. He gave me the knowledge I needed and the kind of confidence that comes only with practice. I was not afraid to go out into the deep end

By Rachael Adams God's Brave Women - Rachael's Story “Mom, I’m scared.” Kate whispered this to me as she reached for my hand. We were on a girl’s trip in Savannah, Georgia. Oak trees draped with Spanish moss lined the cobblestone streets we walked while exploring the city together for the first time. The unfamiliarity made Kate nervous and if I’m being honest, I felt a sense of uneasiness too. Navigating unfamiliar territory can be scary. After souvenirs, sunsets, and sweets,

God's Brave Women - Michelle's Story As a young child, I always knew I was different. This "knowing" wasn't coming from an external world, it was coming from the inside. This "difference" inside of me was a powerful force that intrigued me to cultivate. When cultivated and nurtured, that force took me to places beyond what I had hoped for. Places where good overcomes bad and benefits many – very HAPPY places! I wanted to keep going to those places as a girl! Those places were

God's Brave Women - A Missionary's Story If you had asked me in 2009, when I was single and teaching pre-school, where I saw myself in 10 years, the answer would NOT have been “in North Africa.” And then there’s God. I have been living overseas almost two years, attempting to learn three different languages (each in part; none fluently!) and, I have to say, I never saw this coming. And I don’t think anyone else who knows me did either! I have always been the close-to-home/ in

God's Brave Women - Ashley's Story I live my life like I’m in control, but really it's the illusion of control. I want to be in control; I have plans I want to accomplish. I realized I was living in this illusion when, in one quick day (over the course of one night), I went from a healthy, high energy, go-getter to laying in a hospital bed, nauseous, exhausted, unsure about what was going on in my body. My life screeched to a halt, and all I could do was wait. Wait for more i

God's Brave Women - Rachel's Story It was yellow. I had prayed for yellow. Moving day was set, our boxes were packed. A new house, a new marriage, a new job. The future was looking bright. And then it happened. Something didn’t feel quite right. Over the next few weeks my energy faltered and my knees swelled to the size of cantaloupes. It hurt to stand, it hurt to walk, it hurt to move. Severe fatigue, brain fog, night sweats, insomnia, incessant pain and inflammation suddenl

God's Brave Women - Anessa's Story “We don’t know why she is not in a coma right now,” the ER Doctor told my mother. “What do you mean? She was coherent enough to give me directions to this hospital,” was my mom’s reply about me. Bravery is found even at moments you least expect, especially when facing a critical health crisis. This was January of 2013. After years of being sick with random symptoms, my body had finally had enough and started to go into “crisis”, also known a

By Marisa Muhs God's Brave Women - Marisa's Story I watch my 5-year-old boy with awe and wonder. He uses his short fingers to communicate through sign language, all of which we have learned alongside one another. He would let me sing the “Wheels on the Bus” and read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt repeatedly all day long, his current favorites. He loves to watch Wheel of Fortune, and he squeals with excitement when Mickey and Minnie make their guest appearances during Disney week.

When I was little I dreamed of having a family of my own, which naturally included me being swept off my feet like Cinderella. I imagined ho

The moment he told me he was leaving, I faced my most-feared scenario. I was the abandoned spouse in a marriage that had disguised itself as