Becky
Hi, my name is Becky. I am 51 years old and have been married to my husband, Jim, for 31 years. We have lived in Houston , Texas for 27 years and have 3 children. Our oldest is our son, Matt (25), who is in the Air Force and currently in Iraq . When at “home”, he is based at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City , OK . Our 2nd child is our daughter, Sherrie (22), who is a single mom with a two year old son, Alex, and they live with us. Our youngest is our daughter, Amanda (20), who also is still living at home. My children and my grandchild are and always will be my most precious treasure.
I was raised in a wonderful Christian home. My father was a Pastor and my Mom is a very godly woman. I was saved at a very young age and have known the Lord for 45 years. My parents taught me to be a good wife/mother and how to walk uprightly before God. None of that, however, prepared me for the trials I would face with my own children. They were raised in a Christian home, homeschooled in their early years and brought up in church. Through it all my true testimony remains, God is Faithful! He has walked with me through all the circumstances my children faced through wrong choices; gambling addiction, divorce, pregnancy outside of marriage, drugs, drinking, smoking, and thoughts of suicide. It seems like a short list, but represents many years of pain, distress, much weeping, prayer and asking, “where is God, how had I had failed?” Through it all I have learned to rely on Him and each year of my life He becomes more precious to me. He has also revealed, through each of these trials, things about my own heart as well. Today I see things very differently, for I am a changed person. What began in a pit of utter despair ended with God leading me through the fire, out of the pit and into the arms of God. He had never left me, but had walked with me all along the way. My hope is the path I have walked, the struggles I have faced and my ongoing victories will help encourage other young Mom’s, who may be faced with similar trials.
Email Becky: beckytx@comcast.net
DeAnna
(Honorary Member, DeAnna went to be with the Lord on March 17, 2008. Some of her writings can be found at WOW Moments our WOW Mentor’s Blog along with posts of some of our other WOW Mentors.)
DeAnna Lynn Brooks was many things to many people. She was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, teacher, mentor, prolific writer, devout Christian and good friend. And yet, if you were to ask her what she did in her lifetime, she would probably say, “nothing” or “not much.” Another thing about DeAnna is that she was unaware. Unaware of the impact she had on those around her.
DeAnna graduated from Southern California Christian College (which is now known as Vanguard University). She had attended S.C.C. for three years. It was here that she met James Ronald Brooks, the man she chose to marry. On November 16, 1974, shortly after graduating, DeAnna Lynn Pomeroy and James Ronald Brooks got married. Shortly thereafter, they began a family.
There are two things that DeAnna did extremely well. She was a talented writer and an incredible mother. Nobody ever expects to be an unemployed, pregnant, single parent with three other children all under the age of 6. But this is exactly where DeAnna wound up.
These were some of the toughest, and yet, most precious times of her life. It was here, that she learned what faith really meant. This is where she truly learned the concept of “relying on the Lord.” And she modeled it beautifully for her children. I am sure that DeAnna was overwhelmed at times. She most likely cried out to God on more than one occasion, however, she seldom let her children see this side. Instead, she took every opportunity to point out the numerous blessings God had provided. DeAnna was the first to point out God’s great tender mercies and unfailing love. The most important thing to DeAnna was her Love for Jesus Even as a child she was consumed with HIM. It was imperative that she share that Love with her children and that they too, learn to love and embrace Him as their own Lord and Savior. Christ was most definitely the center of her home.
One of the greatest joys of DeAnna’s life came in three beautiful packages named, Elyse Eden, Isaiah Justice, and Elijah Christopher Brooks. She was known to many as DeAnna, Mrs. Brooks, and Mom, her grandchildren called her Noni. There is no question in anyone’s mind how DeAnna felt about her grandbabies. Not only did she love them, she adored them.
DeAnna was in Love with Jesus Christ and this love was evident to all who came into contact with her, no matter how brief it may have been. When it came to sharing her true love with others, she wouldn’t hesitate. All who knew her are blessed and will continue to be so.
(Biography was provided by DeAnna’s daugher)
GG
My name is Shirley aka nana, grandma and GG. I was married 48 wonderful years to a pastor, my best friend and now I am a widow. We had four children, three sons and one daughter. Two of my sons are pastors and one is the director of a children¹s home. My daughter is a praise and worship leader in her church. I have 12 grandchildren and 18 (at last count) great grandchildren.
At the age of seven I was placed in an orphanage, because my alcoholic father, abandoned us. He was abusive when drunk and caused great fear in my mother and us children. Later, my mother removed my brother and I from that orphanage and brought us home. I was not raised in a Christian home, in
fact, my mother and brothers did not attend church until many years after I married. I was saved at the age of nine, because God sent a stranger to take me to church and introduce me to Jesus.
I met my husband at church when I was fourteen years old and married him three years later. I had many emotional hang-ups from my childhood, but God has caused me to triumph over them. We also faced many trials as pastors and faced them with faith in God. At the age of 74, I would not trade the
choice I made as a child to serve God for all the riches of this world.
Email GG: sadear@gmail.com
Granni
Half my life ago I was a mess! Deeply wounded and bitter, filled with hatred, my life was energized by self-righteousness and heaping blame on others. Every thought in my head was negative. Fears limited my ability to make decisions. I was an utterly self-centered and disintegrated person who secretly planned every move for self-preservation in a hostile world from which I was alienated. Darkness was the password to my soul. My meditation was the hurts of the past and my schemes for the future. The only bright spots were my strong maternal love for my two children and my quest, deep in the heart, for truth. My life, I thought, was over. Divorced and hiding from a violent ex-husband, I found myself in a strange place two thousand miles from the home of my childhood. With no hope of any future for myself, I could only imagine my children with a future, not me. No, there was no future, only painful memories and a heart full of hate. I was thirty years old. It was 1974. For my “summer reading” I bought a Bible, but found it difficult. It was a very foreign-sounding translation and I had no idea where to read in it. It seemed like such a hard book. But the hunger in my heart for truth grew and grew. Another summer, 1977, I picked up Charles Colson’s book, BORN AGAIN and found there the path of life that I was looking for. I came to understand the passage in John 3:16 where Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Still I waited longer, wanting someone to take me by the hand. The only Christians I knew were my cousins and they were thousands of miles and many years separate from me. Suddenly, a “blind date” arranged by my sister brought a Christian into my life. He began, unconsciously, to make me envious of his peace. I knew I needed peace with life, peace with the past, peace for the future. Most of all, peace with God. Then, another Christian, a work colleague, appeared on the scene. He presented the Gospel to me on the phone. My heart was so aching for God that I called him in the evening to question him about Christianity. Three times he invited me to yield my life to the care of Jesus. I am so grateful for his persistence! (Somehow I was both hungry and hostile at the same time.) The third time I decisively replied, “Yes. I am ready to pray.” As I prayed on the phone I KNEW that I had found the truth at last…or rather the TRUTH had found me! It was so simple, just talking to God about the Cross of Jesus and my sins. I knew He was listening as I prayed. I gave my life to Him and He accepted me just as I was that night, September 26, 1977. He accepted my useless little gift of me. I slept in peace and woke up the next day a new creature. The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things are made new.”
Today I feel like King David when he said to the Lord, “Who am I and what is my family that you should treat me this way?” I married the Christian guy who told me about Jesus. I had two more children in the second half of my thirties. We were living in a sweet little Colorado mountain town when God suddenly brought a huge surprise into our lives. My husband’s employer offered him an international assignment and being adventurous, off we went. With eighteen pieces of luggage, two of which were filled with Pampers because maybe they donʼt have such things there, we arrived in England 22 years ago this month. Oh, the adventures. We were to have two years to expand ourselves in Europe. But God had other ideas! Next we went to Paris for two years, then back to England to attend Bible College in London and start the church which we now pastor in a leafy little English village. We have raised our four kids as what they call “third culture kids” and Godʼs plans have taken us to Israel numerous times, to many countries in Europe, Russia and Ukraine, and to Mexico and South America. My husband has a beautiful teaching gift and a pastor’s heart…all hidden away when he was a businessman. God has totally fulfilled my little girl dream to be a mom and a grandmom of a wonderful family. I was the outcast of my birth family, still am, but my God has told me to leave all that with Him and live life with a happy heart. Our oldest daughter, Kelley, is a wonderful mom of four amazing kids. She has realized her little girl dream to be a worship leader. Her English husband is our worship leader and she sings with him every Sunday. Their musical children have risen one by one to become worshippers and musicians themselves, some of them participating in a youth worship band. The whole family is at this moment in Mexico with our number two child and his family. Brendan is married to an American girl and they have a daughter, Grace. The three of them left their life in California and moved to Mexico where they serve an orphanage, are opening a medical clinic (daughter-in-law is a PA) and host Americans who come to see the work and get a hand into foreign missions. Spanish language is flourishing among all our grandkids. Son number two lives in Montana with his new wife. John, who grew up in England, joined the Air Force ROTC as a way to pay for his college education and he loves the Air Force. He met his wife, a Texas girl, here in England when they were high school classmates together. Our baby, Chrissie, is back home in England after college studying for a masters degree in International Relations. It is joy inexpressible to have her in our life again. Our church watched her grow up and they love seeing the woman she has become, in love with God and loving serving people. We are all off to join the rest of the gang in Mexico next week for a family reunion/missions trip and my cup is full. Jesus has allowed us to suffer many things in our years of pastoring. People say and do amazing things to their pastor and his family when the enemy gets a hold on their hearts. But He has used it all for good. We love Him more than ever. We love His presence and eagerly trust Him for the future.
Email Granni: mom@themayers.com
Lorie
Hi, my name is Lorie. When I was 18 I met the man of my dreams. Two and a half months later I married him. That was almost 34 years ago.
My husband has been a pastor for over 30 years while I have made a career out of being a wife, mom and now a Nana.
Our 3 children, Jeremiah, Anna and Sarah are all grown and married and we have 10 beautiful grandchildren.
Our oldest Jeremiah (32) is married to Crista. They have 5 children, Emma, Ezra, Seth, Joseph and Eva.
Next is our daughter Anna (31) married to Matt, They have 2 girls Madalyn and Aubrey.
Our youngest, Sarah (28) is married to Jarrod and they are the parents of Elyse, Isaiah and Elijah.
I was raised by a southern mom who talked as easily about the Lord as she did about the weather. I will forever be grateful for her prayers for me. There is no telling where I would be without them. My father, an alcoholic, was in and out of our lives through my growing up years, finally settling down to spend 20 very happy years with my mom before her death.
They say growing old is not for sissies - well neither is parenting. I read a statement the other day The first 40 years of parenting are the hardest and had to agree with it, mostly because I believe once a parent always a parent. Your never stop loving, caring, worrying and desiring to help your children, regardless of their ages or stages. Once a mom always a mom.
Email Lorie: lorena@austin.rr.com
