I have decided to do something a little different for my "About Me" section. Instead of writing the basics about myself, I thought I'd let you hear how the people closest to me see me. I've asked some friends and family to help me out, and I'll update this section as I get their responses. Enjoy!
"Being Kaleigh's mother makes it difficult to write an entirely unbiased account about her…I've seen her chase God without abandon and I've seen her fall mightily along the way. She's not perfect. But I can say that she has always had a heart for God and she's always chosen to "do the hard things." I remember hearing a message preached about that one time; about how the Christian walk is most often about choosing to do the hard things when faced with decisions, big and small, on a daily basis. Time and time again, I've seen her chose to do the hard thing, often facing ridicule or pain because of those choices. I have complete peace that God has called her to The World Race and yet, I am humbled at the sacrifices she is so willing to make for this journey. But for her, He is enough. And He will be enough for me as well as I bless her to go…" -Lisa Ward, Mom
"It's so hard for me to let my sister go for 11 months, but I know it will be rewarding and life-changing. I'm so proud of her for making such a huge commitment; I know she will change a countless number of lives during her trip. The packing, though.. the packing may be the area in which she needs the most prayer. I can't wait to hear stories, see pictures, and watch God burn even stronger in her heart. If anyone will do amazing things for God's kingdom, it's my sister. I love you, Kaleigh!" -Maggie Ward, Sister
"Kaleigh, as your dad it is hard to let you go. Before you were born I promised God that if my baby would be healthy when born that I would raise her in a Christian home and keep her in church to learn all she needed for a successful life. Then I dedicated you to God and told him that when you left home he could have you back to do whatever he needed. That is why I am so excited to see what God has in store for you on this World Race!!! The devil is trembling!!!!!!" -Billy Ward, Dad
"Kaleigh Ward is a daughter of the Most High. I could stop there because the purity of her heart merits the ease of such a description. Kaleigh is a brilliant and broken vessel that, in the time that I have had the pleasure of walking beside her, has pushed to know the Lord more and more. She has become unsatisfied with complacency in her walk with her Father and, in beautiful harmony, is only satisfied by her walk with her Father. Kaleigh is broken for her Father’s children, the orphans, the widows, the homeless, the beggars, the lepers, the sick, the dying and the dead. If there is anyway to describe Kaleigh Ward, it is by her relationships, and first and foremost, she is a daughter of the Most High. Kaleigh is also brilliant as she is passionate for the Lord’s will. She sets herself apart from most of our generation in her appetite for prose. She reads and she understands and she longs to read more and to understand more. And if these are not Christian authors then they are certainly writing about our fallen world. She also knows her family to be a gift and values time with them more than she is sometimes able to communicate. This includes her church family, as some of the very few people with which she has the utmost confidence helped to raise her up to be a strong and godly woman from within the church.
This may not be of the greatest importance in understanding who she is, but it would be slanderous for me to write about Kaleigh Ward without making it known how beautiful she really is… [Here he wrote about how beautiful I am, but I was too shy to put it up! Sorry!] Her Father has blessed her and He has blessed me with the privilege of knowing her for the last two and a half years. Kaleigh is as lovely as she is bold and as brilliant as she is kind. Above all she wishes to see the will of our God be done and is ever ready to be His hands and feet as His work plays out before her." -Grant Cox, Boyfriend
"Kaleigh and I became friends before we even started school at Furman and now, during our senior year, I’m blessed to share an apartment with her. One of the ways that Kaleigh has witnessed to me is through her clear mindedness and determination to give her life as a living sacrifice for our Lord. She shared a verse with me during a particularly difficult time in my life – 2 Timothy 1:7 – which says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” This gift is so apparent in Kaleigh’s life: the love of Christ pours forth from her everyday actions, her self-discipline is apparent even in the small acts of exercise or school work, and the power of the Holy Spirit propels her prayers. I have been amazingly blessed to have Kaleigh as a friend and example of a godly woman and I am confident that, as she goes onto the mission field with World Race, her godly lack of timidity will lead others to Christ." -Rachel Shelbourne, Apartment-mate
