My Hero

I have been blessed to have so many incredible people pouring into my life over the last 23 years.  God has truly surrounded me with incredible men and women of faith who have helped shape and mold me.  I thank God for the hundreds of people who have invested so much into my life!  I am blessed to have incredible parents who have pointed me to Christ since day one and so many other amazing brothers and sisters in the faith, but this past year God has blessed me with one of the most Godly women I have ever met.


Tonya is one of my heros in the faith! She has blessed my life over the past year and a half in more ways than I could ever explain.  Tonya is my mentor, sister, and dear dear friend.  She has 2 kids in the youth group and twin 6 year old girls as well.  Before I moved to Little Rock I prayed and prayed that God would provide me with a mentor who would speak His truth into my life, pray with me and over me, and share her wisdom with me.  I met Tonya my second Wednesday I was in Little Rock at a youth group girls swim party.  From the moment I met her I knew that she was the woman that I had prayed for.  I knew that she was suppose to be my mentor.  The next morning I sent her an email asking her if she would be willing to mentor me and meet with me, and she wrote me back saying that she had been praying that God would show her how she could mentor and encourage me before she ever even met me.  Crazy how our God works things out perfectly.  


Over the past year Tonya has left me numerous notes in my office, on my car, and at my apartment.  She is constantly encouraging me and speaking His truth into my life.  When things were really hard last year she would take me to breakfast and we would find ourselves crying in the middle of McDonald's as I poured out my heart to her.  She would speak His words of truth into my life and pray over me.  There were days when she would drive up to the church just so that she could come pray with me.  This woman is so very dear to my heart.  


Over the past 3 months my love and admiration of her has grown even more.  A few months back her husband Eric was diagnosed with a brain tumor and cancer.  The way Tonya has taken on these new challenges and still glorified Christ through everything is such a testament to how He works in hard situations.  Even through the past 3 months this incredible woman has found ways to pour encouragement into my life.  The other day I opened up a piece of mail and was taken back when I read her encouraging words.  She is going through so much and she still takes the time to pour out encouragement on me.  She is the most selfless woman I have ever met.  But it doesn't stop there.  Just last week she came up to my office to talk with Casey and me and before Casey got into the office she grabbed my hand and started praying over me.  I broke down.  How can she still have so much to give?  How can this woman who is running from one doctors appointment to another and raising 4 kids still have so much love to pour out on me.  I know how she does it!  Her cup is never dry.  She is constantly seeking our awesome Lord for strength and He is constantly filling her cup, and she is constantly overflowing.  She has such an intimate and constant relationship with our savior that even in hard times He is overflowing through her.  I am so so so thankful to God for Tonya.  I pray that God will mold me to be a woman like her, who even when hard times come I won't be shaken because I am covered in His truth and love.


Please continue to lift this family up in your prayers as they seek to bring glory to God in incredible ways through their trials.  God is good!


I pray that in the same way she has shared her life with me, that I can share the story that my God has given me with my girls and point their eyes towards our father.  I pray that my heart will be so hidden in my Savior that people only see Him.  He alone is good and worthy of our praise!