Our Testimonies

My upbringing was pretty different than most. My parents were just kids when they had me and divorced shortly after I was born. They both remarried when I was around the age of 6. My step dad was from South Carolina, where we later moved to when I was 8. South Carolina is not a place that I have always called "home."

My mom and step dad started their divorce when I was about 14 years old. Life turned into total chaos after that. I became a rebellious demand and my mother no longer had any control over me. That's when i was shipped back to Seattle to live with my dad, his wife, and kids.

The two years I lived in Seattle were the two most crucial years of my life. I was so angry for being forced to leave my home town during my junior year of high school, but I can't imagine where I would be today if I hadn't have made the move. My dad and his family (of course I mean our family, it's difficult referring to everyone. They are all "my dad; my mom; my brother; my sister; my parents." So I am trying my hardest to explain my story and referring to the important people in my life without offending anyone.) are God fearing Christians. They had just recently joined First Baptist Church of Arlington before I moved there. So they were new members.

I was invited to youth group on the first Sunday that I attended church, then I was invited to a party on the first Thursday that I attended youth group. I instantly connected with the kids at that hang out. I mean I felt like I had known them my entire life.. Not just a few short hours. I had the most fun with that group and my goodness, I'm going to get emotional as I write about them. They hold such a special place in my heart, even still to this day.

I was exposed to a new kind of fun. "You can't have fun at a party with no alcohol!? That's just crazy!" But yes we did. No alcohol, dirty tv shows, swear words, etc. That night we watched a Disney movie and ate loads of junk food. And we had a blast! We got together and did the same thing many many times after that. This was such a special chapter in my life. I just have to pause and say that again. It's some of the most fun I ever had and they all had a huge impact on my life spiritually.

I was totally transformed within my first year of living in Seattle. My parents were so touched by the impact that our church family had on me that they threw me a "one year" party on January 7th 2009 which obviously marked my one year that I had lived in Seattle. Sure, it was kind of silly but it was something that needed to be recognized. They needed to be recognized. I remember after everyone left, my dad came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, "This was the best day of my life. That is the most fun I think I have ever had. Just spending it with those people."

My step mom and I were talking the other day and she said she doesn't see any of them at church anymore. I guess we have all graduated high school and moved on to bigger and better things than what our little town of Arlington had to offer. (Well except me, I'm in Saint Matthews, South Carolina for crying out loud!). She mentioned God's timing. "Taylor, it had to be them. It had to be that group of kids. You couldn't have come the year before or the year after because it would have been a different round of people. God needed it to be them.

How special? Maybe that's why I get so emotional when I look back on the many memories I made while I was living in Arlington. God had created a group of people for me. I know He did.

Unfortunately, the summer of 2009, I strayed away from the church. School parties and school friends started looking a whole lot more fun. When my parents found and read my journal with entries of the many adventures I had been going on, I moved out and got a place close to my new job in Marysville. I was so far from God and I knew it. It didn't take long for me to make the decision to move back home to SC.

Making the decision to move back felt like making the decision to leave God. My relationship with Him truly began in Seattle. I seriously felt like I was choosing to leave Him by choosing to leave Seattle. If I ever wanted to repare my relationship with Him, my friends, and my family, I would have to move back to one day. However, I was going home for now.

I immediately got a job at my friends family's sports store and that's where I met Harrison. He was working there with his brother while attending school. Within 5 months of my working at SMS, we had hit it off and started dating. He was different from any other guy I had ever met: Responsible, hard working, determined, caring, kind, thoughtful, clean, neat, etc. I laugh at some of these characteristics now because some of them drive me nuts! It's nice to look back on the things that made me fall in love with him and realize how much I appreciate him though.

God was still in my mind every single day, even though I was now living a life apart from him. I went to a visitation for a family friend one night and was caught off guard by their pastor who was their speaking with them. I listened intently to his words and advice to the couple who had just lost their loved one. I agreed with everything he said. Just because I wasn't making good choices, didn't me I didn't know the difference between right and wrong. I shook the preachers hand and told him, "I will see you in church on Sunday."

"I need to get back to church." I constantly told myself. I drove 45 minutes every Sunday to listen to that preacher. I knew my behind needed to be in that church listening to what that pastor had to say because he was so honest.

The more and more I realized my need for God, the more and more I was realizing what my feelings for Harrison were turning into. I was falling in love with him. Caring for a person in such a way is a scary thing to come to terms with. He was becoming the most important thing to me. My prized possession. I cared for him so much. I wanted what was best for him. A life without God was not what was best for the person who meant the most to me. It was time to put God first in our lives.

I wanted the best for Harrison and I wanted the best for our relationship. I fought hard to put God first. In order for Harrison to do the same, I needed to prepare myself for any questions he might have and I needed to be a good example for him. I was making changes and drowning myself in God's word. Then that little thought kept coming up in my head. "You can't do this here. You can't live in South Carolina, and put God first. It's bad here. You have to be with your church, and your family." I wrestled with this thought and was seriously considering making the trip back.

One night it got to me so bad that I went to Harrison hysterical and told him the feelings and the thoughts I was struggling with. "Hold on," he said. "You're telling me that you can't have a relationship with God in South Carolina? You have to be in Seattle to do that? That doesn't make any sense?" He was right, it didn't. God and Seattle were one thing in my mind and I couldn't separate the two.

After that, we slowly started making changes. I joined Mount Tabor Baptist Church and got baptized. Then, Harrison got saved. We were fighting to keep God first in our relationship and both in our separate spiritual lives with Him. We did everything we could to keep boundaries between each other and no I'm not just talking about what you're thinking about. I struggled with the fact that I couldn't want Harrison more than anything in the world; the fact that he was not my first priority. I didn't go to him first for advice, I went to my heavenly father, then my earthly father, and then Harrison. I could feel it in my gut every time he put gas in my tank. My boyfriend is not supposed to be taking care of me. That's the duty of a husband. We had to make these boundaries because these were the best decisions we could make for our relationship in order for it to prosper. It was hard but I was going to do whatever it took to keep him. I was hopelessly in love and I wanted him for the rest of my life. God needed to come first in order for that to happen.

These are our testimonies. I love to look back on this because I see every area where God had pushed me to get me back on track. I couldn't see it back then, but it's crystal clear now. I look back at these stories and can't help but noticed how intricately orchestrated they are. It's so amazing when you let God write your life's story.

Harrison and I are so blessed in every aspect of our lives because our lives belong to Jesus. The first song at our wedding was, "His Eye is on the Sparrow." For if His eye is on the sparrow, then I know He's watching me. With God in control and number one in our lives, we're in pretty good hands ;)