Growing up I could count on one hand how many times my family went to church, so I didn’t grow up cherishing God or even understand the fundamentals of christianity. I found myself living in the world and trying to survive this dog eat dog world, I will give you a hint..I wasn’t surviving. The harder I tried to fit into social crowds and be accepted by my peers the further and further the grew from, I felt like I was being left in the dust and life was going on without me. I became so desperate to fill loved that I was willing to loose my soul and body for the love I thought my soul needed when in reality my heart was longing for Jesus and he was in the proccess of wooing me and I just didn’t know it yet. After I hit rockbottom, Jesus revealed to me that he had been there all along and when I lusted after the world’s attention and its affection he lusted after my attention and affection. When I finally realised what I had been missing out on all the years I ran so hard and fast after Jesus and I never looked back.
Following Jesus has led me down some interesting roads. I got married at 17 and followed the love of my life, Zach Kelly, around the world to Okinawa, Japan where he served in the United States Air Force for 3 years. When I arrived on island I was asked to volunteer for the Chapel youth program on base, I nervously agreed and my life was forever changed. Not growing up in the military I had no idea what the kids go through on a daily basis and having to uproot their lives every 2-3 years. I quickly fell in love with all my students and desired to tell them everything I knew about Jesus just in case I ran out of time with them, which happened quite frequently. I was just serving in the capacity that I believe Jesus laid on my heart but I had no idea how they would challenge my faith and grow me into a more wise women than when I first met them. Those 3 years were the best years of ministry I have had, yet. I had mentors and friends to walk alongside me, not only sharing the gospel but their lives with me. I soon realised this was my purpose, God called me to the place at this time to show me that I am not stumbling through life but that he was going to mold me into the leader that he needed me to be in order to do the work he needed me to do.
So Zach got his degree in Ministry Leadership and I am currently getting my degree in Women’s Ministry through Moody Bible Institute. Zach finished his contract in the Air Force and we were appointed missionaries with Cadence International in 2017. Since then we have been doing ministry in various churches and mission trips but mainly focusing on raising money to go back overseas and spread the gospel and share our lives with more military students that are in desperate need to hear that they are loved and saved by Jesus.
Kelly Family Ministry 