My testimony includes a struggle with alcohol and the daily challenges of living with multiple sclerosis. I know what it means to need hope, to face limitations, and to have parts of your story that are difficult to share. But those struggles are only part of my story. God has transformed my life, brought me into sobriety, and given me a purpose that reaches beyond my circumstances.
When I read about the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one, I see myself in that story. I am the one.The one who needed His grace. The one whose struggles never made her less worthy of His love. The one He did not give up on.
Jesus said:
“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?”
—Matthew 18:12, KJV
That scripture is the heart of 99 Over One. It reminds me that no individual is insignificant to God, and that reaching one person is always worth the effort.
Living with MS has changed what I can physically do, but it has not taken away my ability to love, serve, and make a difference. Through my own journey, God has deepened my compassion for others. There is so much we cannot see when we look at someone—what they are carrying, what they have survived, or how desperately they need to know they matter.
I want people to experience the love that has transformed my life. I want them to know they are seen, valued, and loved, right where they are.
We are called to love all of God’s people. That love must include people whose lives, beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences differ from our own. We are not called to love a select group of people. No one should have to prove they belong before we offer kindness, listen to their story, or meet a need.
The church is not the building. We are the church, and we carry it with us everywhere we go. Our calling to love does not end when a service ends. It continues in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and every encounter where we have an opportunity to show someone God’s love.
Through 99 Over One, I want to put that calling into practice: showing up, sharing a meal, offering practical help, listening without rushing, and building relationships that continue beyond a single event.
My story is still being written. I am still growing, still learning, and still depending on God. But the love He has shown me has given me a passion to love others.
I am the one—and knowing how deeply He loves me moves me to reach for someone else.
That is why 99 Over One exists: to carry His love beyond the walls and be willing to go wherever the one may be.