My name is Debra Gaddy. I attended my Walk to Emmaus with the Mountain Top Emmaus Ministries community in Hayesville, North Carolina, in 1989. This past March marked thirty-five years since I attended. I recall going there as one person but coming away transformed and full of God's love and joy!
God spoke to me through my Walk to Emmaus and confirmed what I had been fighting — I went back to college and spent the next four years working on a double major in Christian Education and Religion and a double minor in Psychology and Music. My faith journey was greatly strengthened and challenged. After that, I went to seminary, where I was ordained an elder in The United Methodist Church. It has been my Emmaus journey that was truly the catalyst for opening my eyes and heart to what God was calling me to do with my life. My love of learning, study, prayer, and meditation have all guided me in my ongoing journey.
While I am involved in my local Emmaus Community and my church, I find my most significant area of ministry to be the Homeowners Association where I live. There is no doubt God placed me where I am "for such a time as this." I have been working to help people see there are better ways we can communicate — it is OK to disagree — we can be kind, respectful, loving, and merciful. Thankfully, I am seeing results, including non-believers who have started coming to me and asking me to pray for them. It is amazing how God can open the door to allow us to serve in the world!
I pray for all our Emmaus Communities to continue to grow and be strengthened. I pray that we can continue to be a beacon of love and grace to a hurting world. I have been, and will continue to be, a strong supporter of the transformational journey that is Emmaus!
De Colores!
Loading more...