I was born on January 2, 1990 to Emanuel and Sylvia in Jackson, MS. My hometown is Bolton, MS where I lived my entire childhood. I am the third of five children and the only boy. Most of my family is from the small towns of Bolton and Edwards. Although these towns are located in the country, I couldn't have picked a better place to grow up.
My childhood was pretty good. I grew up learning the value of hard work and I also was a very good student. My dad was a logger so I would work with him on the weekends and in the summer. I learned how to work for what I wanted and I also learned valuable life lessons as well. Not many people can say that they know how to drive a tractor trailer, operate a chain saw, and use logging equipment. These skills will always be beneficial to me. Academically I did well also. I started off slow in my early years but once I got rolling I made A's and B's all throughout grade school.
I grew up in a Baptist church and my family attended church frequently. I was baptized at an early age but I don't think I knew the importance of this then. At church I would sometimes sleep or play with my cousin, but I can't say that the relationship with God was there. I didn't spend any time outside of church studying the Word but I do thank my parents for raising me in the church and teaching me right from wrong, because when I got older I remembered this foundation and I had something to turn back to and seek that connection with God.
I would like to think that I was a good child. Throughout my academic career I made honor roll, didn't stay in a lot of trouble, and helped out at home. My personality could best be described as introverted. I'm not open to a whole lot of people. Two of my sisters are usually the people that I go to when I need someone to talk to and even then I find it hard to express myself. I don't have a lot to say all the time but there's always something on my mind. I feel this may have helped me and hurt me in some ways growing up. One of the biggest things that hurt me growing up is to not have my dad there for me emotionally. My dad was a great provider and protector, don't get me wrong but I felt like I missed out on having his validation. When I had programs at school he would hardly attend, I wanted to play sports but I didn't have anyone to give me that extra encouragement to try out, and I just wanted him to be interested in things that I was interested in. But all the things that I thought made me a good child weren't enough because I was still lacking spiritually. There were several things that I knowingly did wrong and felt not guilt from it. One problem that I had is that I would steal. I was caught stealing from Wal-Mart one day and I can say that this is one thing that helped to open my eyes.
In high school I continued to make good grades. I had some teachers who had a big impact on my life with whom I still communicate with. I was involved in Student Council, Beta Club, and I played football my senior year. My high school years was pretty good and I can say that they were some of the best years of my life. There is one area that I struggled in during this time. As a teenager I didn't date a whole lot but the few relationships that I did have I took them very seriously. I have always been in the mindset that the goal of my relationship is marriage and I guess that's why I get so hurt when things end. I was dating this girl in the 11th grade whom that I really cared about but we stopped talking. So I just shut down towards relationships for a while. I was open to dating during my senior year but after I made the decision to join the Air Force I changed my mind because I didn't want to have to have a long distance relationship. So I remained single for a while.
I joined the Air Force and left for basic training after graduating high school. This was my first time being away from home and it took me a while to adjust but I handled the transition pretty well. Fortunately for me I was stationed only 10 hours from home so I could visit home occasionally. My time in the Air Force introduced me to all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds. This also introduced me to adulthood where I had to make my own decisions. For the most part I hung out with some decent people. Some of them influenced me one way or another. We went out every weekend, I tried smoking and drinking, all things that were so new to me. This was another time in my life that I had to evaluate my actions. I would go to church but I still lacked the consistency of study and prayer to grow with God.
I separated from active duty and moved back home. My sister introduced me to a church that she had started recently attend in and this church really began to change my life. The words from the sermon seemed to touch me in a way that church had never touch me before and I just wanted to study more and do more. I became more involved in church and joined a ministry. I felt like I was finally starting to have a relationship with God not just because my parents made me attend church or just to do it because seemed like the right thing to do, but because it was necessary.
Not long after attending this church I met this girl. I hadn't dated in about four years but when I met this girl I just knew she was the one. We got into a relationship that pushed me away from God that I failed to break off because of my love for her. I was a virgin and she wanted to have sex so I gave in. That was a huge mistake. I would invite her to church but she never wanted to go with me. I didn't realize that her actions showed that she didn't care for me because I believed in her words. She broke up with me and that left me so broken. That was one of the most traumatic experiences in my life. I can truly say that this experience really helped change my life the most and show me that I need to be closer to God. This is one of my biggest testimonies because I dealt with so much depression from this situation but I held on. One scripture that keeps me going and that I refer to daily is Genesis 50:20; "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." I know that God will allow me to use this situation for His glory and to help others.
I am currently in college pursuing a degree in elementary education. Hopefully one day I will be able to serve God through teaching, but if not I will use whatever career path I embark on to spread God's love. I contribute my attitude and respect towards women to my sisters. I don't like to see them hurt so I want to treat someone else's sister the same. I contribute some of my outlook and attitude towards life to my father. My dad taught me to have a strong work ethic and to always do things honestly. I learned a lot of valuable life lessons from him. I thank God that I had a good foundation growing up and I have something to have faith in when times get tough.
The purpose of your time here on earth is not primarily about acquiring possessions, attaining status, achieving success, or experiencing happiness. Those are secondary issues. Life is all about love- with God and with other people. You may succeed in many areas but if you fail to learn how to love others, you'd have missed the reason why God created you.
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