Bryan Alan White: Welcome back. This is the Father's Proxy where we are, Pro XY. We're your host. I'm Brian. This is Jamie Z. Last week we had Chris Nelson on the show and he gave his testimony. he talked about how how he came to the Lord and how he wasn't really following God to begin with. Until one day he finally said, Hey, God, what is it that you want me to do? I'll do it. And he surrendered his life to Jesus. God was really tugging on those heart strings. And then he talked about his Struggles that he's had and then and throughout those struggles God has had protection over his family, his whole family. and then they've received the Lord. He's a he's a very humble man. and he works in the background. He talks about working in the background. I can play in the background in any video. And he wants God to receive all the glory. he's a true leader in his church and in his home, which men, that's what we should be doing. So today we have a first again. On the Father's Proxy. We have our first female solo testimony. You're you've been our youngest guest. And our youngest we have two first today. Yes. so it's our special guest, Winter Great House. she's accepted the challenge to share her testimony. So then, I'd say if she can step up, you can step up. So, with that, Winter, welcome to the Father's Proxy. So where are you from? Are you originally from Bonham or Fanton County, Trenton. Trenton. Yeah. I was born in Greenville and then moved to Trenton, I guess, when I was younger. That's where my parents were. When you were younger, I feel like you still are younger. Okay, yes, I am. And you were born in when? I'm just kidding. just for you guys out there, I graduated high school before she was born. If that gives any context. Thanks for the old reminder. He graduated before I did. Wow. We're old. Anyway, so you're a senior in high school, you said? Yes. Okay, and then do you work? Yes, I do. After school. After school. I get off at eleven thirty and then I go straight to work and I work at a daycare. And it's fun. How's that treating ya? I'm exhausted, I will say that. That is what I every time I'm like it's tiring. They love it, but they're it I love the kids. I do. I get new connections and like I get to share my love in God and like thewesome. And that's kids need they need mothers, okay? And if you can be that mother figure for them, that is fantastic. And it's really cool to see that right now. Yes. That's that's pretty cool. Assuming you're not married and you don't have kids even though you watch them. No, I don't. Okay, good, good. And so when or when did you actually give your life to Jesus? Wow. I need date, time. You need it? No. No. Okay. I don't know the date and the time, but like when what I mean, how old was I know. Yes. Yeah, when was it? I was seventeen and it was on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday, okay. Yeah. And I walked up there. You walked up And I here at Seventh and May like walked up to the altar and did the altar call. yes, and it was a lot. Like I had this feeling that I could do it and that I'm gonna I'm gonna do it. And so I walked up there and I c I talked to Kathy Whiteside and I just melted into her and then she melted into me and then It was kind of overwhelming but then it's like and then I I just felt better like Like a weight was lifted off shoulders. Yes. Yep. It was I think everybody I've felt that. Have you felt that? Absolutely. So and and I I think any new believer has that. And I don't know what it is. Well, I know it's the Holy Spirit. So I know what it is, but I can't describe that feeling to anybody. I don't think anybody can describe it unless you actually feel it. And once the Lord talks to you, it's like, man, it's it changes you. It's like absolutely. So how did you okay? So you got saved when you're seventeen. how did you get involved with Seventh and Main? When I was younger, my grandmother, she always said gone to this church so I used to go to Iwanas here and like all that stuff. And I don't know, I went through some things with my stepfather and I decided that it was my time to leave the house and go with my grandmother and it was a lot of change but it definitely was a good change. So what changed? I mean okay. back in twenty twenty four I had been homeless with my mother for about a month or two in the summertime and it hit me like I have all these siblings that are not getting to know me anymore because I had moved with my mom. And my stepfather at the time he was just like either you stay here with us or like you can go back with your mom. Like we're giving you that decision. But just always kind of like an ultimate Yes. And like just know that you're always welcome. And so I was like, okay, well I'm staying and I had told them everything that I had went through with my mom, the The houses I was staying at that it was not good, drug houses, all that. And so then the cops and CPS got involved and so it was like, Wow, okay, here we go. And so then my stepdad, he got married to this girl. She basically didn't too much like my mom already as it is. And so she told me, Well, you have to drop contact with your mother if you're gonna live here. That kind of ultimatum. That kind of ultimatum. She was not treating us nice. She would just avoid us and like I couldn't do sports anymore 'cause it didn't go with our schedule when there was no schedule. So basically it's almost like she ran the house. She ran everything. She ran everything. He went to work at five in the morning, came home at six that night, literally went to the couch, started drinking and not interacting with his kids, like just being not a good father figure. And she in the middle of the night she left. And didn't say nothing to nobody. And I had a four year old brother at the time and he thought that was his mom. He was fully dependent on that's my mom. Mom, mom, mom. Like he didn't know our real mother. He and then like he he thought that was his mom. Yeah. And so when she left, he was like, Where's mom? Why's mom not here? And I had to be the one that stepped up and was like, Look, this is not th this wasn't ever your mother and And how old were you? This time. Fifteen. That's a lot. Yeah, it was a lot. And so then I took the role of the mother and I started cooking dinner, making sure they had showers, got ready for school in the morning. You were a baby having to grow up. Yes. at a very young age, I actually had to grow up fast because my mom she did drugs and my stepdad, he did drugs at the time too. And when I was like five or six years old, that's when I picked up the broom and started just, you know, doing things, carrying the babies around, like just fully mom mode. And so I take that role in like very fast, like with any kid or any person. Like I wanna be like the top, the mom, the everything gathering. It it was a blessing to be with your grandmother because it was like going from chaos to peace. Yes. And the whole like situation with my stepdad and me staying there, after a while I started doing marijuana and like using that as a way to cope with like the things I was going through, the stress and all that. And then it got to the point where I weighed ninety eight pounds and was losing weight, not good and people thought I was starving myself and it just like affected the role of at school and at home. Yeah. If that makes sense. Like Yes. It's like very, very Any kind of illegal drug would probably affect it. Yes, yes. And so then I hadn't went to the doctor and then they had told me, Well, it's not anything wrong. It's the marijuana. You need to stop. You need to put it down And that's when it hit me like, How? How do I stop? What am I gonna do? And like I've always had God on my side. I have. I've always had him in my mind. I know right from wrong. I know what sin is I know. And it's just like at that time it was like he wasn't even in my mind. Every minute of the day right before I did any big thing with them, like cooking dinner right before then, like, you know, I gotta get through dinner. Like I gotta get through it. I gotta get through shower so wet. Already know. Yes. And that's it affected me terribly. And I had a cavity, actually, and I'd went to the dentist and my grandma had to come and like sign papers or whatever 'cause my stepdad was at work. Well she had hugged me to say goodbye and she had noticed that I was getting so small, like Why could she fill my ribs is what she asked. And I didn't tell her. I didn't I didn't tell her. And then she started, Winter, I know what's going on. What's going on? Like you need to tell me and then I let it out and I just started bawling and she was like, If you need me ever, call me. That Sunday, me and my stepdad got in a big argument. He had been drinking since a lot like the beginning of the morning time, like right morning, just drinking, you know. Dinner comes around and he's got a new girlfriend. None of us kids really knew that he's got a new girlfriend and that he was bringing her over that night. And I had already shows up. Yeah, some lady just shows up and I had already made dinner. I had already made everybody's plate, his plate included, like everything was set on the the table and he goes, Well, what is she gonna eat? And she's walking in the door. I'm like, Well, I don't know who this is. Like, nice to meet you, you know? And he's surprised. Yes. And I'm like, Okay, so I'll give her some of my food, like we can split. He's like, No and it was not good for him. And he's like, Get back in there and start cooking and I told him no. I was like, I'm not doing this. I said, I've done this too much and I've been taking the pain that you've been putting on me and I can't do it anymore. And he was like, Well then get out of here and I was like, Okay And I called my grandmother and my grandpa showed up ten minutes later and then my stepdad came running outside with his drunk self and was like, No, like hold on You know she's smoking, right? Like you need you need to get that. Are you gonna pay for that? Are you gonna be the supplier of that? And I was like, my gosh, now I'm gonna have to explain to my grandmother that I was doing these things and like it really affected me a lot because she didn't know. Like she didn't know that that's how I was what I was doing that. That was your deep secret that nobody knew. It's almost like they were your par it's your mom and your dad. Yeah. Yes. And now you have to tell Hey, I've been failing or I'm going down this path and everything's going through your mind. Yes. I know exactly what you're talking about. And that night we had all talked, me and my grandpa and my grandma and I told everything about like everything. And they had told me like, We're here for you. You need to get yourself back together and you need to eat, you need to do all this. Like if we need to take you to the doctor and do this, this and this, like we can. Like we're here for you. And they kinda told me like basically no no smoking, none of that. Like we're going to church, we're doing all that. And I in that moment I was like, church. Wow. No way. These people are not gonna like what I have to say. These people are not gonna like how I am or how I was. Like, you know. I was scared of what other people were thinking, you know. And so then my grandma was like, You don't have to worry about that and I'm like, Okay, come the first Sunday. Everybody's just like, my gosh, like you're her granddaughter that she's been praying over, like, my like I don't know, it was just like really crazy and I felt the love and I didn't feel no, okay, these people are watching me, like what's gonna happen? And I just felt at ease and like I could do it and I got this and so at that moment I had knew like, Wow, God, okay, you're here. I'm You're real. This is it. This is this is this is how it's gonna be. Going from it's like you had freedom reigns to anything and it's like now it's you have structure, you have peace, and most importantly you have love. Yes, yes. Like that's you can see the love of Christ and it sounds like it changed everything. Yes, and like there for a minute I did have that guilty feeling of I left my siblings there and that household that I couldn't even keep going in and how are they going to? How are they gonna do that? And then my grandma was like, look, God's got it. He got you. And look how you've been and what you've been through and now you're here. And like you gotta just trust in him, put your trust in him, Winter. And then I was like, okay. It's like you're going from mom mo to I finally get to be a teenager. And it's like I dn like literally. And I feel so terrible. It's because like I never got to go out with friends and like Go to the mall, you know, like go shopping, you know, enjoy that time. And now that I am, it's like, okay, but I'm missing out on my grandparents. Like I'm not home with them. But they're like totally understanding. Yeah. They get it. They're like, Winter, go have fun. Yeah. Go enjoy it. Go see how it is. Go on that date. Go see what it's like. Like, you know? Yeah. And I really take that for like how it is because like, wow. Yeah. Wow. For long time. For a long time I didn't even know what that was. It's like you're they're not holding you. Guilty. They're not you have to do this. You have to do that. It's like you finally get to be free. But in the back of your mind you're wondering about your little brother, your siblings, what are they doing? Are they okay? Yes. And that's well, that's what grace is, because they're not holding you to these things. That's what God does for us. We don't we don't have to live in that horrible shame because that's washed away. That's gone. We don't have that anymore. So how many siblings do you have? I have five. Siblings. Well, okay. Counting the two step brothers and then my mother, she lost two twins, so seven are living, but the other two we don't talk they're step brothers, so and some things had happened. Yes. Okay. Kind of crazy that you have seven siblings 'cause I've only got one, so that's crazy. Yeah. and are the siblings right now where are they? Are they still with stepdad? Yeah, they are and the thing that I'm picking up on is that like there's not a leader in the home, or wasn't at least. I don't know about now. Again, it may be different, but it sounds like your stepdad is not following Jesus and when he's not and he Jesus isn't the focus, you see how it starts to trickle down it's a ripple effect. Yes. And it and it turns into the worst because you can see how he may not take care of the kids. Yes. And how If he's not focused on Jesus, she's not focused on Jesus, they're not focused on Jesus, it's everybody's it's chaos, is what it is. And it sounds like that's what you were going through is nothing but chaos. Yes, everyday chaos. Yeah. You know? And there's like these little stickers that you can put on your car or like have, or just whatever, chaos, mom, whatever. He was jokingly going to get me one for when I got a car. And I was like, I'm not even mom. Yeah. How are you gonna do that? Why? Why? Like, yeah, no. He's putting that burden on you. Yes. And Taken himself out, which is what we talk about in our men's Bible study about how we gotta step up and lead, but that's that's part of it. He's he's passive. And so he's he's letting you take the reins because he wasn't for lack of a better term, man enough to step up and go, I'm gonna lead this family. I'm gonna put my Where a lot of us men fail is when we come home, we can't just leave the boots at the door and go sit down and watch TV. It's time to Don't bother me. Game's on. Yes, I drink. Leave me alone. That's what we talk about, and we're gonna talk about on this show constantly. So much. As men, we have to step up, even though we're tired. We need to pray that God broadens our shoulders, not takes the weight off, broadens our shoulders so we can bear that burden because Strengthens us. Yeah, that's the whole point is us to be men, that's what we've gotta do 'cause we've got to lead families and when they're not, we can just see how it the it it affects the whole family. you you mentioned that at one point you were homeless. Let's walk through walk us back, let's backtrack a little bit. Let's start with kind of that path, like what you went down, what happened, and how did you get there? Yeah. So Like I mean, when is the furthest back that you remember and then let's start from there and go. I I remember it, but eighth grade year, middle of eighth grade year I dropped out and of school. Yes. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do the fact that my mom was at home doing drugs with my brother there at home. Like what is she gonna she might die, like you know, like there's those thoughts in my head, like What is my baby brother doing at this time on all the little situations that could be happening was running in my You were carrying so much weight. Yes. And my stepdad di then decided that he was going to divorce her because he found her in a bed with the ma another man. It was a whole situation. so he has no like legal rights to me, like on my birth certificate. I have no father, so like he has nothing for me. Like, yes, he was there when I was three months old all the way until I was fifteen, however old I was in eighth grade, he had nothing over me. So he was like, You have to go with your mom. I was like, Okay, well I'm going with my mom either way. That's my mom. Like I love her. I don't care. And so then I went with her and the man that she got caught sleeping with, he was no good. straight out of prison, went back to doing the same drugs, all that sort of thing. Well all she had was a car. All she had was a car and me. in our clothes. And so we then began to start staying at the state park here in Bonham. Or like we could go like drive these back roads and stay and sleep in the car there. Or we had this friend, her name was Kara, and she let us come out there to her property and stay out there and like I could go in the house and like sleep there or whatever. I had then told my mom, okay, look, I'm gonna stay with Kara. I'm I'm going to. I I can't live with you in a car. Let me know when you have your life figured out, like situations where I'm able to be with you. I needed I needed that. And so then I had went back to school and I was living with Kara and Rudy at the time and that had went for about three months and I was like, all right, like this is it, like now I have to go. And I decided that I was gonna go live with my grandma and the same grandmother that I'm living with now. And I'll I had only made it two weeks at her house and I just missed my mom. I missed what I could have. Like I was thinking, okay, I can get my mom out of this. What do you mean? I'm her oldest daughter. I've been here with her since thick and thin. Like this is it. I got this. I love her. I got this. I can do it. And I was determined that I was going to change her. You cannot change a person. No, you can't. You cannot you cannot. Especially when they're set in their ways. Exact exactly. It's the dilemma that God goes through with us. Yes. Exactly. And so then After two weeks of living with my grandmother, I was like, All right, mom, where are you? Come and get me and it was about like four at night, you know, about almost dark time, and she came and got me. I got my stuff out of the house. Like didn't tell my grandma that I was going, like just things, yeah. Crazy, crazy things that I had just not done. And My grandma couldn't stop me from going once she had noticed that I was going. Like sh once she saw me getting my stuff out of the house and like going outside and putting in the car, she's like, What? What no? And my grandpa wasn't there at the time. If he was, he would not have He would have put his foot down. He would have Yes. And my grandma was like, I can't do anything, that's your mom. You love her, I know that. So, you know, even though she knew it was like she couldn't stop me. I was I was determined. Nobody was stopping me that I'm going with my mom. And so then I went with her and that night her boyfriend had came around and he decided that he was just gonna pull out the meth pipe in front of me and just start smoking it and you know, I was like, whoa. I didn't know that this is what was going on. I knew that my mother what drugs she was using, but I didn't know that he was actually doing it. I thought he was just a drinker and was like, I can deal with this. My my stepdad's like this, you know? Crazy to think. And you were like thirteen at the time and you know all these things yes about drugs and I It was be it was only because my mom I'm the oldest so she knew like if I knew make sure the siblings won't come in the room like you know like I'm gonna be that's what I was that's incredibly crazy to me 'cause I didn't even know like what marijuana looked like except for in a picture and it's like the leaf thing and that's the only thing I knew of it. And you know, like, hey, keep them away. You know what it is, you know what she's doing. And I mean, it was I would have been in my twenties before I even knew what meth I even Once again you're carrying those burdens. Yes. and were and were your siblings, they were with your stepdad, right? Yes, he's he took them because he's their their father. Yes. we all share the same mom, just different dad. Yeah. And they same mom and dad. And you don't know your biological dad at all. Do you? Yeah. Okay. There's a story about the first time I met him too. So if you wanna bring that up. This is this is after. Okay, so let's we'll get it. Yes, it's in the story of what's going on during the homelessness. But so we he had pulled the Beth pipe out and he was like, All right, so do do you do this? My mom got so livid. She was like, This is my daughter. Even though I do it doesn't mean that she's gonna do it. She will never try this. And that's when it hit me like, Okay, maybe my mom is d She knows. So maybe she might change, you know? So that was my first little glimmer of hope. Yes, right then and there. I was like, all right, this is it. I got it. And so then I was like, no, I got out the car and I started walking away. And he was like, she's not gonna act like this if she's gonna be with us. And I turned around and said, I am her daughter. I will win over you. I will. And he didn't like to hear that. And so we didn't meet on good terms. But mind you, at this time my mom has already taken my phone to use because she has no She had no nothing. So it was like I had nothing. Not nothing at that time. I was blocked from the phone, blocked from everything. Like they that's what they had was the phone. And so then she lost her car. And so then I was like, Mom, what are we gonna do? And she's like, We're gonna walk. We got we got this. We're gonna walk. And so well, yeah, kinda to Dallas. We would get rides, you know, like from some people that we knew of. Like we weren't always walking, but walking was our main source to go places. I was like getting to the point where I was like, Okay, what am I gonna do? And I decided that I was gonna pick up the cocaine and start doing that. And I used that for like two months and thought that like it was just at the moment that high that it got me like I felt like I was over everybody and like, I'm over my mom. So like this is it. I got this. And so like I'd went through my own addiction there. And I had went through that and I hadn't the whole reason that I had quit doing that was because I was walking the railroad tracks and I didn't even notice a train was coming. And next thing you know, it's just like right there. And I'm like, no when I go off and I'm sitting there and I'm just like, Wow, winter, what are you doing? What are you doing? It's like God was trying to talk to you. And Gailey was like, Let's get back Hello girl, get back into what you were trying to do, you know? Do better and so I'd sto I put that down and my mom st still to this day does not even know that I had picked that up. Like she I don't know. I don't know. But May sixteenth was the day that I'd went with my stepdad and that whole story of me living there with him and then yeah. Now during any of this were you starting to miss your grandparents and starting to miss that feeling of what am I doing? No. Honestly no. I didn't think about I didn't I I didn't think about The only thing that was in my mind at the time was my mom changing her, doing better for her. Like, come on, you have to change. That's the whole reason that I even like fully went with her. Was that prior to you smoking marijuana? When you were focused on your mom? I yeah. Actually, So it was prior to marijuana and then you went into marijuana. Yeah I yeah, I th when I went homeless with her She was doing marijuana, so then like she'd share, you know, you know, it was like a mom and daughter, like whatever that's But it wasn't was it an addiction at that point with her? And it was not till after. With me, like being addicted to marijuana? no, I wasn't addicted 'cause I could go without it. And then when I had tried cocaine I couldn't go without it for those month. I was like, No, I can't you were that's when you were hit with the addiction. Yes. Yes. Well, and what it sounds like to me is you were addicted to taking care of mom. And then once that went away, you started getting addicted to marijuana and it seems like there was like a spiral. Yes. And it's going downhill. Well, or you know, cocaine then marijuana, but that is that's crazy. That's a crazy story. So tell us tell us about when you met your biological dad. So we had went to Mesquite to pick up this Little drug That's whatever. That and we actually did not walk that. I would hope we gotta drive there, you know, and so he dropped us off at this motel and it was like, Okay, this is crazy. Well, I'm at this motel and my mom's like, by the way, your dad's here. I'm like Sean? Which is my stepdad. I'm like, Sean's here? No way. Like, why would he be in this motel? Like that he's not good enough, like he would never do that. And she's like, No, Sonny. Your dad. And I'm like, what is going on? And so like I walk in to the motel and we go into the room that we had got and then she's like, Well, he's at the next door. And so I'm like, Okay, well, I don't think I can do that. I'm scared. She's like, Why? Like it'll be fine. Like he's just like me. Like You've never met the guy. I've never met I don't understand. I don't get it. That's like literally I just kept telling I I don't get what you mean. Like, I'm scared. And so then I had told her, I like, Okay, I got it, I can go in there. Knock on the door, open the door, he's got the meth pipe in his hand. He's like, Winter? No way. Like, how are you here? And I'm like, Well, my mom brought me here. Like she said I was gonna meet you or whatever. I didn't know like you were here until I got here. And I was like, But nice to meet you. And it's like, it's crazy how it's tradition here. Like you are going the same thing that your parents went down. And my mom's doing the same thing that her parents went down. Now I I can't do that. I was like, Wow, this is crazy. And You wanted to break that generation. Yes, after I seen that, I was like, Wow, this is real. Because all I had known when I was younger, when I I turned seven years old and my stepbrother was like, dad, he's not your dad. I'm like, Huh, what do you mean? And he was like, Yeah, he had to sign papers in order to get you living here. Never signed those papers, you know. It was just the the he di my stepbrother at the time did not like me, you know. Whatever. And so I was like, No way. So then I asked my stepdad and he didn't want to tell me. So I asked my mom. She didn't want to tell me. That night, they were like, All right, come in here, winter. And they told me, like, yeah, this is your real dad. And so all I had known was that he was in prison, that he was doing time for bad crime that he had committed or something. And I d I don't even know what he even did. You knew he was out of the picture. He was out of the picture. So then it was like, okay, Sean is my stepdad, but he's my dad. He's known me since I was three months old. I've nothing I've known nothing but him. I didn't even know. And so then like It just kinda hit me like, okay, you're my real dad. And then there's my stepdad. He's drinking all the time. He doesn't like fully take care of his kids and then there's you. You don't even care. You don't even care. You didn't even care to know if I was s like okay. Like you you didn't even care. And I didn't ever say like to him like you never cared or whatever. I just walked out, went into our little motel that we had and I called Kara and I told her, I like, I just met my real dad. And he literally does the same thing as my mom. I was like, he's literally a drug addict and like he has a whole girlfriend in there. Didn't even like w she didn't even want to like say hi to me or anything. Like you can tell she was doing drugs too. Like, yeah, it wasn't good. So then we show up to this little underground place with slot machines in there. This whole back room and there was this one guy who was like passing around like the we need to smell it and he was like How old are you? Like, I don't know if I can tell you. And he was like, Get out. And he was like, If you can't even tell me, you gotta go. So then I go to my mom and she's like, All right, so we're leaving. And so we left. And like it was like she left Justin there. And so like she had to go back in order to get him. And so I was like, Okay, I'm here at this motel by myself. And like people were running in and out of this thing, like it's a mesquite, and the bad part, no not good at all. And there's like this Q T right across the street. So I walk over there. And I was like during my homelessness with my mom, if I seen a quarter, I would pick it up. And I would go and like put it on like little different things, you know, leaving it heads up because heads up is good luck. So like the next person that's found it, good luck. Like you got this, you know. And I always kept that in my head and so I was like, God, when I pick this up, if it's heads, you're you're real and I'm gonna stop being homeless and I'm gonna have a way out of here. Like I've got it I've gotta figure it out. I picked it up and it was heads and I was like, No way. No way. And so that night I told my mom, I was like, Look, I'm so sorry if I've ever hurt you or if I've ever done anything to you that was wrong and she just like was basically not caring at what I had to say then. She's not getting the hint. She's not getting the hint. At the time I knew what was wrong for what I was going through. I did. I knew every single bit of it was wrong. And I knew that I had a place to go, either my grandmother's house or I could go to a friend's house that I've known for a very long time. I knew. And we had went to court over like the situation with my mom and me being homeless with her. And so they were like, Well, we're gonna take rights from your mom. That's when that's when they put my mom on the child endangerment, all this stuff. And so she got sent to prison and she wa she was in there for three or four years and she'd recently just got out. Yeah, she just got out on my birthday, December ninth, and I will say she found God in there. She she has she had asked, Can I come see you? And I fell and with God, like, yeah, tell her yeah. So I said yeah and she came over and it was like ten at night and she just hugged me and like just was crying and I was crying and it was just like Wow, okay. She told me winter I don't know if I'm gonna be able to talk about it now because I know I had did wrong, but there will be a time. And I was on a trip to Honduras, our mission trip that we went on, and I was thinking, like, w seeing all the things that those people had gone through in Honduras and like how they had their mom and dads, even though their mom and dads were not doing good, they had them and they were still taking care of them and they were still doing still trying to provide for their kids, like, you know It was really like crazy to see like, okay, Winter, but what you went through is not as bad as what they ha are going through now, still going through. You've got to let ease on it. You've got to know like you're fine now. You you have God now. So I got a phone call from my mom when we hit the top of the hill and I was like, Whoa, this is crazy. No way. That's God. And I answer it and she's like, Okay, well, I think it's now it's time that we need to talk. I said, I don't know if I can do it over the phone. And I'm on a trip. Like this is crazy. I'm amazed you get service out there. Yeah, it was in like the middle of like nowhere. So yeah. And then we got on the bus and then I was just bawling, trying to hide it from people that I was crying, but everybody started noticing. And then my grandma was like, What is wrong? And so I go there and I tell her, I'm like, my mom literally just told me that she thinks it's time for her to talk and I'm rejecting it because I'm here on this trip. And I told her it couldn't be over the phone. I needed it to be in person. Like, am I doing something wrong? And she's No, you set your boundary. And you're going with what you said. Like that's okay. And then I think I don't know, maybe a month after the trip, she came down and I was in my room and she came in there and we talked. And she had told me that she had met some girls in there that were around my age that went through the same thing, but they chose the path to follow their parents and do what their parents were doing. Steal the cars, still all this, do this, you know. And she had realized then I didn't choose that path. I'm not in there with her. You had definitely have God's protection all over you. Yes. 'cause you were in some dangerous situations that it could have spiraled into even worse things. yeah, and there's definitely more. It's just like a lot, a lot, a lot. So it's just like that's how God So when did you get baptized? 'cause didn't you get baptized recently? Yeah. It was recent. I don't know like What what prompted that? So this was after the fact that I this was more to do with me wanting to follow through with Christ like more because I was like I felt like there was something weighing me down, like just weighing me down. And every time that people would bring up, get baptized, you know, it was like, what? Yeah. No way. I I'm gonna do that. Okay. So let me see. And so then I was talking with brother Cody actually. And he was like, it'd be good for you and like he was talking about like just a lot. And it had hit me like, okay, what are you gonna do this? And then when I walked up there to Kathy White side and I child her, I like, I want all this bad away and I just want to see God through everything else, like fully. And she was like, You got it. And we prayed and we prayed the prayer and like she was like, All right, now we gotta set the date. And then we set the date and it was that next Sunday, because I was like, I'm not gonna wait. I'm not gonna wait. I'm not. Like I'm feeling this in my like soul, like right now. Like God is like Sounds like that was the defining moment. You were sitting in church and then it was like boom, here it is. And I I was sitting there and like everybody's praying, you know, and I'm like I look up from everybody praying, and I just like look around and I'm like, Go up there, Winter. Go up there. Go. Like why aren't you why aren't your feet moving? I'm looking down and I'm like, Okay. And so then I finally just stood up and walked and then the prayer had ended. And then I just hear my grandma crying back there and I'm like, no. And then I'm like, This is real. I like this is me, I'm doing it. I'm doing it for myself. I'm doing it. And so I got baptized that next Sunday. Yeah. That's just absolutely beautiful. You see it full circle from where you wanted to fix and then you were fixed. And then you end up fixing. And then that's that ripple effect we talked about of how God uses the most unlikely people to fix and to save. That's that's just a beautiful story. Thank you. It's a tough story. I think I'm thinking I'm amazed that you never had resentment for your law. Yeah. Yeah. And that's that's what we talked about earlier, is grace. And you're you can f see it on It radiates off God. Nothing but grace. and and that's something that only the Holy Spirit can give you. And so give that to as many people 'cause watch what it'll do. It's phenomenal. And again, thank you so much for coming on and telling your story. What's crazy when your story and my story are polar opposites. Like we're we're talking about like I had mom and dad at home and like I had overprotective parents, so you're not going doing this, you can't do that. And like you had the exact opposite of of no Here you go. Yeah, like there's no rhyme, no reason, no, you know, authority figure to say, Hey, don't do that. That could get you hurt. And look at what God can do. Like that's what I th I just yeah, I can't hardly get past it 'cause that's just amazing. It's such an amazing story. But I I will add in that like a lot of people do ask me, like, how do you not show that you're hurt? And I will say, It was God. It like now that I'm fully in with God and it's like I can tell more on my surroundings, I know it was God the whole time because I was feeling the hurt, yes, but I wasn't feeling filling the heart. It's not it's just like you weren't harboring it. Yeah. Yeah. Building it up. Yeah. It wasn't building up or anything. Like it was and, you know, the scars from that pain, scars heal, right? They're still there. You can still see It's just like Jesus. I mean, he's gonna have the wounds in heaven and we're gonna see that. But those wounds will heal. Even though we know that they're there, we know where what happened and what caused that. They're healed because that's what God does for us. So What what an incredible story. Thank you so much again for being on the show. Guys and gals, we challenge you. I don't care who you are. Come tell your story because like I said, you do not know who it's going to affect. So please come share your story. You can you can send us a message on Facebook, you can DM us there, or you can just shoot us an email at the fathersproxy at gmail dot com. Reach out to us. We'd love to have you on the show and to share your story. Guys, please like, share, follow, subscribe to the Father's Proxy. That's how we get the message out. That's how we keep telling people about this. You can see us on YouTube, catch us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Come see us at 7th of Maine. This is as winter will tell you, it's it's one of the best church families, I think, ever. Maybe I'm biased, but you've there's it's just so warm and welcome here. We got two services. We have a 9 a.m. and 1115 a.m. on Sunday. if you can't make either one of those, check out the live stream. It's getting better every week. I promise. We're getting there. and there's there's good sound now. So you guys can watch the whole thing, listen to it, and and be a part of that. And then like I said, come in, come be here and fellowship because that's part of this. It's how we grow together and it's how we keep following Jesus and we do it as a group. Iwana is back. it's on Wednesday nights. Meal starts at five fifteen. That's for the whole family again. Remember that. And it The actual awana starts at five forty five and then ends at seven twenty. And so there's something for everybody here. there's the Romans class for the older adults, there's youth classes. There's there's all of it. Something for everybody here. So many ways to get plugged in. Yeah, absolutely. and then for men, we have the men's Bible study. It's Sunday night, at seven PM. check with us on your message us or just come into church and we have it on the bulletin, it'll tell you where it's at 'cause it it rotates so it's sometimes at the church, sometimes at the house houses of of other folks. So just just get plugged in. That's simple enough, right? And last but not least, we do have, I have confirmed that the second annual Lead Like a Real Man from Colby Rich will be held, I think in February. We don't have exact dates yet, but keep tuned in and we will let you know. His book is Lead Like a Real Man and he hosts the podcast called the lead. So check him out. Read his book. I promise you it's gonna be even better than last year. The Holy Spirit is always in the building, but it's really in the building on that. Because there's a lot of worship and hands raised in the air, and it's it's it's phenomenal. So check it out. I think we're gonna end with a prayer like we always do. So Dear Heavenly Father, God, we thank you so much, so much for your love and your grace and your mercy, God. We we thank you that you you always continue to pursue us. God, we we pray for the viewers that you allow Winter's story to to reach them. We pray for Winter's mother and that she continues her walk with you, God, and that she keeps following you, and that she knows that our sins in the past are in the past and that you have forgiven And God, I pray for Winter's entire family, and her siblings and her stepbrothers and everyone, God, that you just you be with them and you continue to protect them as you do. God, I pay pray for your protection over this podcast, that we are protected from the spiritual attacks, and that you are continually invited into this podcast, and to this church, and to all of us. I thank you. Lead God and direct us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. This is the Father's Proxy where we are. This is the Father's proxy where we are. Pro XY led by the Holy Spirit.