Equipped with a Willing Heart

Eight years ago, Stephanie’s son was in a horrible skateboard accident. Although he survived, he unfortunately sustained permanent damage to his brain. Stephanie’s world fell apart as she put all of her personal dreams on hold so that she could stay by her son’s side during his slow recovery.

Her son’s accident made Stephanie realize that she needed God in her life. It was a relationship she’d neglected since childhood, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to move forward in her life without the help of a spiritual family. Stephanie found Saddleback Church, recommitted her life to Christ, and put everything in God’s hands to help her through the tough road ahead. 

“Although this was the most difficult time in my life, it was also the most peaceful,” Stephanie said. “I felt an intense presence of the Holy Spirit as me and my son were navigating these new challenges.”

After seeing God answer many of her prayers, as well as significant improvement in her son’s condition, Stephanie couldn’t help but express gratitude toward God for all he’d done. She felt like God was calling her to move forward with a new purpose in her life. 

Stephanie was now able to get back to working toward some of her personal and professional goals. She re-enrolled in and finished college and continued to attend Saddleback regularly. After taking Class 401: Discovering My Life Mission, she discovered a new passion for living her own life on mission.

Learning how to take her faith out into the world, Stephanie began signing up to join Saddleback Relief trips. Like many first-time trip participants, Stephanie initially felt unsure that she’d be able to help. She wasn’t a certified first responder, had never participated in relief efforts, and didn’t have any type of medical training. 

As Stephanie got more involved, she began to understand that when it comes to God’s calling, all he’s asking for is a willing heart.

During her latest relief trip last December, as she helped communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Stephanie’s faith grew more than during all of her previous trips. She had gone back to school and was right in the middle of completing her undergraduate degree, while still holding down the fort at home with the added responsibilities of being a small-business owner. December was one of the busiest months for her retail business, and she felt  like she couldn’t leave for any amount of time. But Stephanie knew that because it was God’s will for her to go on this relief trip, he would give her everything she needed. 

And just as she expected, God heard her prayer. As Stephanie told the Relief Team leader that she had a conflict on one of the scheduled trip days, another team member had a similar conflict that made it easier to adjust the schedule. Before she knew it, God had opened a path for her to join another relief trip.

Six months earlier, Stephanie had felt God nudging her to complete chaplaincy training in case she needed to act in that capacity on a relief trip. She didn’t have an immediate need to use her training, but on the first day of the December trip, their team leader needed someone to fill a chaplain role and asked if anyone on the team had completed the training. Stephanie was hesitant to step up at first, feeling uncomfortable about filling a role she had never done before in an official capacity. 

“I signed up to do regular relief work — just tell me where to chop or build, and I’ll do it,” Stephanie said to her leader. But her leader felt strongly that this would be a great opportunity for Stephanie to step outside her comfort zone and use her training to bless those around her. With her team leader’s encouragement and support, Stephanie filled in as a chaplain for the first time.

While in Florida, Stephanie’s team was instructed to collaborate and serve alongside the relief efforts of some local churches. One particular home that Stephanie’s team was assigned to assist had a story that touched Stephanie deeply. Two weeks before Hurricane Michael hit, Linda the homeowner was driving through town when she spotted a homeless woman named Kim on the streets and befriended her. Linda ended up opening her home to Kim, and God brought them together before the storm so they could weather it together. 

They hid in the closet, holding on to each other during the hurricane’s fiercest moments and supporting each other through the aftermath. Kim had an unfortunate history of not trusting religious institutions. But after Stephanie’s team spent an entire day helping them put their home back together while listening to their stories, both Linda and Kim were deeply moved by the relief team’s acceptance of them and their heart to serve. At the end of the day, Kim asked the team to say a prayer over her and Linda. 

Another home Stephanie’s team served was owned by a widow named Bobbi. Bobbi’s home was surrounded by trees that toppled over during the storm, trapping Bobbi inside. Stephanie’s team exhausted themselves chopping and sawing, clearing the way for Bobbi to get around her property and tend to her animals again. Eventually, the team chopped down so many trees that the piles covered up most of Bobbi’s property and needed to be hauled away. 

Stephanie’s leader got word that the tractor assigned to pick up the piles was broken. Just as the team was about to leave and come back another day with a working tractor, they spotted another tractor coming their way. As the tractor arrived, Bobbi recognized the driver as the man who got lost in her neighborhood two days ago, and she had helped him with directions. He had offered to come back later to help Bobbi as a thank you, and this just happened to be the moment he chose to come back to see if Bobbi needed help.

Stephanie affirms that anyone, regardless of skill level, can go on a relief trip. 

“You don’t need all the skills — God can use you,” Stephanie said. “All it takes is a servant’s heart. There was a grandmother on our team in her sixties who thought she was too old to serve … by the end of our relief trip, she was using a chainsaw, helping break down the rubble!” 

With tears in her eyes, Stephanie added, “I do it because it’s from my heart. I wish I could go every month … these trips reinforced my love for Jesus and changed my life eternally.”