Alias Blog: Get to know me!

Hi there!

My name is Alias and I am originally from Indiana, born and raised! 

I was saved when I was 17 years old and I have loved Jesus ever since! I am very excited to step into this role and to help Community Minded grow. The mission and passion of this ministry is something that is needed not only in Georgia, but in the world. The need to communicate and combine community is of the utmost importance to me and to be a part of a team that is doing exactly that is a blessing from the Lord. 

How I stepped into this role was a God send! I am a wife to a professional basketball player. We travel the world and I am his full time cheerleader in the stands. This year, we went to the country of Georgia. Yes, there is a country called Georgia. 

I have learned many things while being a first time basketball wife. I have also learned many life lessons traveling to a different country. The Lord has taught me a lot.

As I was being a house-wife and teaching English to Children twice a week in the country of Georgia, I felt like God kind of forgot about me. I felt like I was my husband’s shadow and my only purpose was to be invisible to everyone but my husband. Well, that’s what it felt like. Keep in mind, I met amazing people and had the opportunity to teach English to kids. But the routine of daily life and being secluded was something new. I honestly questioned if God had anything for me during that basketball season or if my purpose was to just cook, clean, eat, teach, sleep, repeat. Cook, clean, eat, teach, sleep, repeat. (Yeah, you get my point. The repetitiveness was becoming redundant.) 

Yes, I got to see amazing things, buildings, people, cuisine, and be immersed in a new culture. I did not take that for granted. But once all the sightseeing was sought, the culinary experience was swallowed, and the acquaintances were acquainted, what was I supposed to do? How was God going to use me?

Oh yeah, to cook, clean, eat, teach, sleep, repeat. (Well, that is what I thought anyways but boy was I wrong.)

I talked with my husband and we decided that when we book our flights back home to visit family, we also need to focus on his training during the summer. So, Georgia (the state) was his best bet. I decided to look for jobs, and I saw this opportunity online. I applied, I competed for a spot to work for this ministry, and I got the job. 

Little ole’ me, got the job to help build a ministry in the STATE of Georgia while I was preparing to move out of the COUNTRY of Georgia. Funny how God works. Am I right?!

I didn’t seem qualified for the position. How could a woman like me that was stuck cooking, eating, teaching, sleeping, and repeating,  get a job to make a difference in the world? 

Then, the Lord opened my eyes. Without tooting my own horn, the Lord revealed to me that I am gifted in many areas and he has prepared me for opportunities to help others and bring them to the Lord. 

I have had experiences in volunteer work in the past, I have been the keynote speaker for fancy events, I was a pageant competitor for a respected organization, I created a popular podcast, I even started my own non-profit. But that was all in the past. I did not think all of that would add value to me. I did not think the boats God placed me in were actually sailing me to purpose. 

But, they were. They did. Every opportunity, mundane job, and connection I made prepared me for such a time as this. 

So here is the real question, how did a goofy Indiana native woman marry a professional basketball player, move to the country of Georgia, be in repetitive routines, and then move to the state of Georgia?

One word and three letters, my friend:   GOD.

Everything I did in my past, God did not waste. Everything I overlooked as a skill, he can use. That cooking routine I was in? That helped my husband gain 10 crucial pounds for his career and taught me to host meals for Christian connection. 

That cleaning routine I was in? That taught me to appreciate the blessing of a home that God gave me and be disciplined to do humbling tasks. 

The classes I taught? According to the Director of the institution, it made a difference in their education system.

The sleep I was granted? It taught me the valuable lesson of Sabbath, that I once did not take seriously. It also gave me the respected time to grieve and rest after the recent death of my mother. 

Sometimes we can’t see the purpose in our tasks. Sometimes we forget what God brought us out of and how he can use it later in life. Sometimes we are blind to the blessing around us. Sometimes we are so used to the motions of life that we feel invisible, like I did. 

But just as David faithfully tended to his sheep before he was king, just as Peter hunted the sea before being a fisher of men, and just before Esther was prepared to meet the king, their repetitiveness became restorative in their purpose for Christ. 

God saw everything I accomplished by his grace, he saw my daily habits I was building, and he knew I could apply them to this position. 

He too see’s you. He sees your job placement, your finances, your relationships, and your experiences. He is preparing a way on how he can use those for his Glory. 

He can use you to give you a purpose. Open your eyes and look for him. Knock on the door and seek him. He will be there. At the end of the day, he isn’t asking for your resume. He is asking for your Yes. And as long as you're willing, he will amaze you. 

Friends, to conclude, I am immensely grateful to go on this ride, help build the ministry, and see what God can do in the tasks of everyday life. Don’t give up. He’s with you.