My full name is Katherine Alice Hughes and I was born on February 24th, 1987. Yes, that makes me at the young and vibrant age of 24! I was born in Atlanta, Georgia to the parents of Mike and Karen Hughes, who are quite the funny pair. I know that I get my sense of humor and crazy personality from the combination of both of them, even though they would say I am nothing like them; I know that I am because I have a habit of looking at old pictures for hours and hours, and I have discovered some things about them that don't usually get told at family gatherings:) I lived in Atlanta with my parents and two older brothers until I was four and then we moved to Nashville, TN, where my parents and brother still live.
You could say I was a tomboy growing up with two older brothers. I was always trying to keep up with them. My brothers seemed to use me as a lab rat at times, some of the stunts they pulled were as follows: when my parents left they put me in my chest in my room and wouldn't let me out, they would practice their wrestling moves on me and rub their ring worm on my face, they would tie me up in the knots they learned at boy scouts and tickle me until I thought I would faint, but the funny thing was I loved every second of it. I wanted to be just like them, I even went to the extent of wearing their "bugle boy" shirts and sometimes trying to use the bathroom standing up, I know it is scary to look back on. At one point my dad had even signed me up for little league football, but to this day I am so gracious for my beautiful Mother who put her foot down on that one. I owe many thanks to her because I really don't know where I would be if that one would of been played out, but sometimes I use my imagination and it doesn't take me to good places.
Even though I didn't play football, I grew up playing every other sport a girl could play. I loved competition and still do! All my friends were on my sports teams as well so that helped too. I had a great group of friends in high school who really began to show me what Christ's love really looked like. They loved me unconditionally, through all of my failures to be a friend back to them. They were always asking me to come to Young Life with them, and they would write me notes and encourage me with the Word of God. I ended up going to Young Life Camp in the summer too, and I remember wanting to know more and more about this Jesus that they talked about. Although I wanted what they had I never felt that I would measure up, and I had already marked myself by what others were saying about me and turned my back on a forgiving Savior.
I went on to play soccer at the University of Kentucky (You know the CATS who are going to be the next National Champions here in a couple weeks…sorry shameless plug). Anyways, I knew when I got there that I wanted to become involved with something like Young Life because I was so attracted to the Love that they had inside of them and the Love that they gave out. I didn't find Young Life, but I did find a group called Athletes in Action (this is a branch of Campus Crusade for athletes). Again, I was attracted to the people there and went to a summer camp to try to learn more about God and how I could glorify Him through my sport, but I could not get past the deeper issues in my heart, and the lack of commitment I felt to giving ALL of myself over to Christ. At the end of my Sophomore year after trying really hard to be a "good Christian", I lost all hope and ran from the Lord in every area of my life. This was the darkest time of my life. I didn't know who I was and was covering up my brokenness with every substitute I could find, and all the wells that I looked to fill me, were just broken cisterns, and at the end of the day I was so alone, and so empty.
When I think about this time in my life it brings a cloud of darkness over my heart, to know that my Father in heaven was watching the whole time, watching His daughter run from Him, oh how this must of hurt Him so deeply. By His grace and His grace alone, He opened up my mind to see His gospel clearly at the beginning of my Senior year. Within a week, I read a good friends testimony, a friend called me out on who I was becoming and how I had hurt her, and I started reading the Gospel of John. God used these next couple of weeks to show me how much He truly LOVED me, and how this LOVE is worth dying for. That His LOVE is all I needed in this world and for eternity. This is when I decided to die to myself and live for Christ, totally and completely. This was so clear to me that I was willing to go wherever God wanted and do whatever He wanted me to do. This was one of the best periods of my life. I was experiencing an overwhelming grace from my Father and was so hungry for His word. I think I read 100 books in a month, and studied the bible and prayed whenever I got a chance. I was fighting against who I used to be and who I am in Christ now. I am still doing all of these things, I am still fighting the good fight, and living in the JOY and POWER of the Risen Lord. I am still hungry for more of God, and the more He shows me and does through me the more I get to know Him as my first LOVE.
After my Senior year I ended up interning with Athletes in Action, and am now in my second year at Wake Forest. I am currently spreading The LOVE in Winston-Salem, NC, and God has used my testimony for good, as He does in ALL things, for those who LOVE Him. I have grown in crazy ways over this past two years and have learned with growth and healing comes a lot of tears, but through those tears and messy times I have experienced no greater JOY!!! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything." -James 1:2-4
I still stand in AWE of what God has done in and through me. He has truly saved my life. I am now owned by Christ and I owe Christ to the world!! I want God to explode His heart of compassion, for ALL nations, tribes, and tongues, into mine! I know that the World Race is the next step in following and getting to know my Lord and King, and I can't wait to see what He has for me there.
I want to end by quoting a great pastor that I know:
B/c Jesus was strong for me, I am free to be weak;
B/c Jesus won for me, I am free to lose;
B/c Jesus was Someone, I am free to be no one;
B/c Jesus was extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary;
B/c Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail
