Hi, I’m Kendra. It’s June 1, 1989 and I have just been born. I have been born into a wonderful family! My addition made it 4 girls and still not a boy. My mother and father are married and we all live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here’s to life.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am stealing the show at just 3 years old. I have other sisters, but with these chubby cheeks and facial expressions—I demand all the attention. I sure hope that changes when I am older! Here’s to cuteness.
Hi, I’m Kendra, and I am finally 5! I can now hear after numerous different procedures and surgeries. I still can only hear 80% out of my left ear and 20% out of my right. I am now finally able to make sense with my words and hearing noises for the first time has made me just that much more active. I am excited that there was more to that picture on the screen—those cartoons actually talked! Here’s to new discoveries.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I just turned 10. I know have 5 sisters and NO brothers still. Hmm. I wonder if my parents will stop now….a girl can dream. Since there are no boys, I guess I will play every sport that I can and wear my baseball cap backwards and play with the boys. I am currently playing volleyball, softball and basketball. I feel a love of sports bursting inside my soul! Here’s to innocence.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 12 years old at Camp Christian. This whole Jesus and God thing seems to make a lot of sense. I understand that He gave His life for me and I need to give my life for Him! So my dad is going to come to camp with my mom tomorrow and I am going to get baptized. Here’s to my salvation.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 14 years old. I am a freshman in High School and I am not sure how to balance this whole relationship with Jesus and still be cool. I have fallen into a trap where I truly believe that being a Christian is something where I can put on a mask and then later I can wear a different mask of selfishness when I want to. But on Sundays, we polish up my God mask and I put it on tightly, fix the edges and act as if I never took it off. I still don’t drink or party, but I begin to flirt and get the attention of man, and not of my King. I spit out verses and what God says to do and then I turn around and spit on God himself because I don’t follow through with that I am saying. Here’s to learning.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 15 years old. My dad just left. I walked into my Mom’s room and I asked why he was gone. They were headed for the big D and I don’t mean Dallas. It wrecked my world and wrecked my view of love. I didn’t understand grace yet so I became angry and fought back and forth with each one of them. I never saw their side, I never cared about their pain, I just was hurt and I sat in it for far too long and didn’t extend grace. So, I rebelled. I chased attention of boys time and time again. I continued to rock the two masks and hope that no one noticed. I raised my hands and reached my fingers to God and then pointed fingers at school. I played sports but got mad and hateful if I ever was taken out of the game. Here’s to immaturity.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 17 years old. I am graduating High School and going to college. I moved out and made a mad dash toward freedom. The only thing was the freedom I was chasing was putting me more and more into bondage. Here’s to pain.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 18 years old. I have chosen a path that I believe I could carry God on my back and drop Him off when I needed to, and pick up Him when I cried and said I was sorry again. I chose to follow selfish desires and betrayed friends. I hurt people because of my actions and realized that selfishness won’t do anything but tear others apart. I lost friendships this year that I truly will miss. I went off to Mexico City to serve at a children’s home there and began to see that there was something in my heart that burned for serving. That although I had lived for myself, there was something greater in serving God’s people. Here’s to realization.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 19 years old. I am attending Johnson Bible College now and learning more about who God is and who I am supposed to be in Him. It’s making sense but it’s hard to give up this life of anger, selfishness, and pursuit of man. I just met David and I have really fallen for him. I am thankful that He is showing me the love that God has poured out over me. He really is an awesome guy. Here’s to love!
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 20 years old. I just landed at the Tulsa airport and am going to meet David to check out a possible ministry. What? Is that him on his knee? Here is to being engaged! We celebrated and told everyone we could! Let the planning begin! Here’s to wedding season!
Hi, I’m Kendra and I am 21 years old. I am planning this wedding. I am working. I am doing quite a bit on my own, but what I am not doing is pouring into my fiance. I am not choosing him over myself. I am not serving God alongside him. I am not choosing to love Him like God has called me to. I love myself. A couple months go by…. I just called off my wedding and am sitting in a U-HAUL with my mom on the way home from Dallas. I just left years behind me. My life and my future are standing in a driveway waving goodbye to me. My dress is hanging over all of my furniture in its perfect David’s Bridal bag and I can barely breathe because I am crying so hard. Here’s to change.
Hi, I am Kendra and I’m 22 years old. I am back to that searching for completion in man and not giving my Creator the chance to radically change me. He keeps trying to swoop in and save me, and I steal His cape every single time. The miracle is coming and I rob Him of His chance because of my impatience. I am living a mediocre life and just sort of getting by. Here’s to mediocrity.
Hi, I am Kendra and I’m 23 years old and I have fallen head over heel s in love. This like nothing I have ever known. I am thankful for this relationship that God has brought together only to quickly take it in my own hands and leave my God in the dust. I pursue this relationship straight down the road, kicking up the dust causing it to blind me. I have lost myself. I am no longer the laughing and entertaining Kendra. I am no longer the joyful and smiling Love that my family knows. I am not myself, at all. I have experienced hurt so much so that I actually doubt who I am as a person. Pain that I can’t describe has literally numbed me. I am sitting on the couch with my dad on one side and my mom on the other. I can hear them talking but I literally cannot speak to them. They are asking if I am okay and all I can do is listen to my soul whisper, you’ll be just fine, God will fight for you. Here’s to restoration.
Hi, I’m Kendra and I have finally turned 24. I have just survived the hardest year of my life. But this is just how God works, it has been the most beautiful year yet. I have seen his restoration, his pursuit and his passion for me. I have realized that grace isn’t something that is fictional but it is real. It is mine and His mercies are new every morning. I have life in me. I have seen a life of rebellion and two faced living on my part, but on the part of the Lord, I have seen pursuit and love. Blessing and protection. Truth and forgiveness. Life and breath. Homecomings and embrace. I have seen a life that is nothing but the works of the Lord. And that is something I cannot keep in any longer. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And I cannot be selfish anymore. Here’s to sharing.
