The Joel and Michawn Story - Part 2

That was a very difficult time for me. It was a hard time, but also SO AMAZING as far as spiritual growth. After I graduated from college (May '97), instead of returning to Louisiana to live and work, I went to Longview, TX. I had done clinicals in school there at one of the hospitals there and really liked it. I knew nobody in Longview and other than going straight to the hospital and back, I had only been to Longview once or twice (with other people...never driving there myself). I also interviewed at a hospital in Texarkana, TX where I had many friends and was also a little involved with a church there during college. But, I went to that interview knowing that I wouldn't be taking the job...there was absolutely no peace there. Longview...total peace. Didn't make sense, but God knew exactly the right way of course.

I got involved in a church there in Longview called Church on the Rock. AMAZING. Such a wonderful church. The teaching there is phenomenal. In fact, if you ever want to check it out for yourself, just go here for their podcasts. Anyway, I had never heard teaching like this before. It was just SO relevant to everyday living. I mean, I had heard somewhat relevant teaching before, but never so powerful. It just seemed to catapult me. I loved it...and of course needed it so badly. There were great relationships teachings (all kinds of relationships) in "big church." And then in the fall of that year, there was a college and career group started...later to be called Life Challenge. Life Challenge did just that...challenged my life to the core. The teaching...again...phenomenal. The relationships formed with the leadership, friendships made, etc...just incredible. It was life-changing.

I became a part of the leadership team. Did I mention that it was just such an amazing time? :) Anyway, things like accountability groups formed after John Graves, the main leader of Life Challenge, did a teaching on it. He had been really involved in an accountability group and saw the importance of accountability. I was approached by John's wife (Nicole), who I LOVED, but didn't know all that well. We had had lunch together once was all, but I think we just seemed to click. She felt like she should ask me and two other girls that we didn't even really know to join in an accountability group...then also one other girl that she knew pretty well. So, I had a solid group of girls that held me accountability at all costs after that.

Meanwhile, Joel had gone to the states when he was 17 ('94) to finish out high school and then go to college. He went to Longview to go to LeTourneau University (a great Christian university known mainly for engineering, but also aviation) in the fall of '96, which would have been the fall before I moved to Longview. He was very involved in all the great university activities there as well as another Longview church.

Sometime in the spring of '99 is when I first saw him. I walked into Life Challenge and there was a guest band doing praise and worship that day. It was the praise and worship band from LeTourneau. I saw the guy playing keyboards (that would be Joel by the way). I immediately went over to Nicole and said, "Who is that? He is beautiful." Her reply to me was, "Whoa. Settle down girl." So funny.

During this time between my junior year of college and 1999, I had undergone a total transformation basically. Like I said, I was never a big dater or anything. I was never one who "needed" a boyfriend...almost the opposite even. My heart's desire, though, was to be married and have children. That's what I wanted to do with my life. During this time, thankfully, I just began to see that there was such a better way to go about doing that whole "hooking up" thing. John and Nicole and others that I had come to know and admire had such awesome stories of how they got together...how GOD brought them together supernaturally. No dating the world's way, not even courting to see if you mesh with someone Josh Harris' way (I Kissed Dating Goodbye was a popular book at the time)...just purely, simply, explicitly GOD. I expected no less for how it was to happen for me.

And more to come in Part 3.

And because I like to provide visuals and love pictures...here are a few more fun ones from that time...

Me and Alisha (Ali in the comments). She is my best friend from college and was at the time going through training to be on staff with Campus Crusade. I flew to Florida to visit her for a few days during her training. How fun is that!
I lived in an apartment by myself for 2 years after college. Then, I moved in a house with these incredibles chics. It was so great!
Friends from Life Challenge.
Friends from college. Some of them I had gone to high school with too. SO FUN.
Out to eat with friends from college/high school again. SO FUN. "Everybody say sex" (inside joke...that's what the lady taking the picture told us as she took this picture...in a REALLY country accent).
A Life Challenge party and baptism at John and Nicole Graves' place.
The church youth group Joel was involved in (at Fellowship Bible in Longview) in his early days of college.
With some friends from LeTourneau. He is still in touch with these guys. In fact, the 4 in the middle and Joel went on a camping trip together right before we left to come to Brasil.
Such a fun guy.
A couple of summers during college, Joel went to work at a Christian camp in West Virginia. He was a guide for white-water rafting, hiking, rock climbing, and caving. He LOVED it of course. Here he is with a couple of friends at the summit of a hike.
Taking a break...West Virginia.
White water rafting the New River in West Virginia.
A Wal-Mart trip gone bad with friends in West Virginia.