Led Here for a Reason
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” --Deuteronomy 31:8
In 2011, I was living in Zionsville Monday-Friday and commuting to Miami County on weekends after my job had relocated to Whitestown in 2007. During that time, both my mother and brother passed away, and I had a son struggling with substance abuse. I was suffering and slipped into a depression that I couldn’t manage alone. I recognized that I needed help. At the time, I wasn’t attending any church regularly but felt called to talk with a pastor.
It was a Wednesday night, and I knew that a lot of churches had mid-week services usually on Wednesday nights, so I stopped at one on my way home from work. I was crying when I walked through the doors and up to the welcome desk and asked if anyone could speak with me. A young lady explained that while they were open, no one was available to talk with me because everyone was busy getting ready for the evening service, so I walked out feeling even more lost.
I always take the back way home from work, and I was crying while praying when I saw the shining lights of ZUMC, and I went inside. Marlene Gentry was behind the welcome desk, and when I told her I was looking for some counseling, she told me I had come at the perfect time. She took me into the chapel where they were just getting ready to sit down and eat. It just so happened to be the first night of the new Alpha series, which was being led by Pastor Scott Tyring. She was right; it was the perfect time, and during the next eleven weeks I saw miracles happen within my small group while I grew closer to God. I enjoyed it so much I invited my best friend Merle Clayborn to attend the next series while I volunteered in the kitchen.
While Wednesdays became my favorite night of the week, I felt I still needed individual counseling and reached out to my employer’s assistance program and asked for a referral. When I received the referral, I was shocked that the location was ZUMC and the therapist was Delma Mindel, a licensed mental health and pastoral counselor who had an office at the church. At that moment, I knew God had led me to this church for a reason.
After moving to Zionsville full-time in 2017, I started attending the church on Sundays and bringing my granddaughter, Madison, to Sunday School whenever she stayed overnight. That is when we met Miss Tracy, whom Madison loved and always called her favorite teacher. While she was in kindergarten, in the spring of 2021 during the pandemic, Madison came to live with me unexpectedly. It was spring break for Zionsville Schools, so I had one week to get Madison prepared for a new school. I called Miss Tracy, and she helped me get Madison enrolled in the Children’s Learning Program and the after-school program ROCK.
Here at this church, Madison was given the love and support from her teachers (Jennifer Price and Jill Montgomery) to help her get ready for first grade. Jennifer even tutored Madison over her first two summers with me while she attended ROCK, where Kathy Gibson and her staff helped Madison and me both adjust to our new reality. Madison was always reminded that she was a loved child of God and that He was with her. It is in this church that Madison asked Pastor Dave to baptize her because she wanted to belong. I believe it is the reason that the Holy Spirit led me here that Wednesday night. While I didn’t know then, I know that God was always with me, preparing me for a new life in him.
Today I can share with others what God’s word says and does. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Holy Father, thank you for your love and guidance. Please give me the courage and strength to do your work here on earth while trusting you with my future. Always knowing that your Son, Jesus Christ, has prepared a place for me to dwell in your presence forever.
--Christi Smith