Teresa's story

 By Teresa Olive

      I’m one of those GRITS. You know, Girls Raised In The South. I grew up in six towns in North Carolina,  Alabama and Kentucky. I was always 'the new kid'.

     The one constant in my life was my grandmother's farm in North Carolina. It felt like home. My siblings and I played Hide and Seek in the old farmhouse and devoured Granny’s fried chicken and biscuits. 

     After dinner, we chased fireflies and fell asleep to chirping crickets. Sometimes Granny let me sleep in her feather bed. I'd watch her read her worn black Bible and wonder why she found it so fascinating.

     When I was in fifth grade, we moved to Florence, Alabama. My teacher invited Gideons to visit our classroom. The two men offered a little red New Testament to anyone who promised to read it every day. I thought of Granny and raised my hand. Some parts were hard to understand, but I still kept my promise. 

     Near the end of my seventh-grade year, we moved to Montgomery, Alabama.  I felt like I'd been stranded on an alien planet.  Busing had just started and racial tensions mounted. Knife fights often broke out at school. 

     For the first time I got two ‘D’s on my report card. My solution? Change them to ‘B’s. My brilliant scheme didn’t fool my parents. I was a terrible liar and an even worse forger. But my folks didn't confront me. They just let me stew in my guilt. 

     Soon afterward, we drove to Granny's farm for a week. I wandered aimlessly through the cornfields, dragging a ten-ton sack of shame behind me.

     Finally, one day I could stand it no longer. My little red Bible said, "Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved".

     I cried out, "Lord, save me!"

     Immediately, a flood of love and joy washed away my sin and guilt.

     My family moved to two more states after that. Sometimes I felt lonely, but I never felt totally alone again. God met me where I was, and He’s been with me ever since. Now I'm actually excited about another move--the one to my eternal home. 

     I'll always be grateful that God loves GRITS!   

 "In my Fathers house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2 KJV)