As I ponder how OMA blessed me, it still brings tears to my eyes. I was once a drug addict and alcoholic who had lost custody of my children. One night while standing in a bar, a shooting broke out, and I became one of the victims.

I remember lying on the floor, thinking about the words I had often said to Jesus: “Don’t worry, I’ll give you my life before I die.” But at that moment, I couldn’t even say His name—I was so shocked. I had been shot with a .45 caliber gun, and to this day, that bullet capsule still lies within me.

At that moment, I also remembered the words of my mother—a praying momma—telling me, “Come back to the Lord.” When I woke up, there stood the woman I had rejected for so many years, holding a Bible in her hand and asking me, “Are you ready to serve the Lord yet?”

A few days later, I called OMA and spoke with Jim Summers. I told him my story and even shared that there might be a contract on my life. I can still hear his voice as he laughed and said, “They are no match for Jesus. Come on.”

That was July 18, 1981. From there, God opened the door for me to come to OMA, where I was able to soak in the Word of God and receive the help I so desperately needed. Through His grace, I was reunited with my children. Today, I hold a Doctorate in Education and serve as an Assistant Principal at a middle school.

It’s almost ironic—my first time getting locked up as a youth was after fighting with an Assistant Principal. Yet today, God has placed me in that very role. Life hasn’t always been easy, but it was at OMA that I received the foundation I needed to discover who God created me to be and how I could help expand His Kingdom.

Best of all, every one of my children was restored to me, and I was able to raise them. OMA was truly divine destiny—a place God used to change my life forever.