After the birth of our second child, Anika Tene’, complications of a damaged spine left me immobile and hospitalized. I received a troubling prognosis from my doctor and faced a limited ability to care for my family. I turned to prayer.

A few days after surgery, on a Saturday evening, I awoke to searing heat pulsating throughout my body and the sensation that two giant hands were twisting me. Terrified and disoriented, I alerted the nurses for help. Lorenzo was called back to the hospital.

Amidst the confusion, I continued to pray. I heard the gentle voice of God assuring me that the hands I felt were His and that my discomfort was His healing process. At home, our very young son, Duane, was assuring Lorenzo that “Mommy was feeling better.”

The Lord gave me peace. Then I heard His gentle instruction: “Sit up.”

I sat up, pulled myself from the bed, and stood. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I felt strength flow up my legs and throughout my body. When Lorenzo arrived, he found me walking around my hospital room, praising the Lord. He had also experienced a miraculous encounter with God on his way to the hospital and committed his life to serving Him with all of his being.

We rejoiced together.

Later that night, my mother came to the hospital. She had been unable to sleep and had gotten out of bed to make the trip. She found me praying and praising God. This miracle impacted our entire family.

God gave us a hunger and a longing for His Word. The words of Psalm 42:1–2 spoke to our hearts: “My soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

We began diligently studying God’s Word for ourselves and our children. His Word became like fire shut in our bones. We wanted to share it with others, so we started a weekly Bible study in our home. From that Bible study, the Washington Christian Center was born.

As I poured myself into my family and the children’s ministry, I continued praying to be an empty vessel the Lord could use. In time, He turned my attention toward the women of our church. Through Titus 2:3–5, prayer, and confirmation from a visiting pastor’s wife, the Titus II Women’s Fellowship was born.

God had given me life, strength, and a desire to serve Him. My prayer was that other women would hear His Word and live it out in their lives, their families, and wherever He had called them.

Sister DeLoris McKinney