Hello! Thank you so much for having me! It is an honor.
I have been married to my incredible husband, Brad, for 15 years. We have three kids: 2 biological (Frank, 12 and Kate, 10) and 1 adopted from China (Hannah, 7). I was born and raised in Demopolis, AL. After getting married, Brad and I moved to his hometown of West Point, GA which basically sits on the AL/GA line. We are members of Valley Baptist Church in Valley, AL where my husband also serves as a lay pastor.
Back in 2018, a friend of ours attended a Four Corners Ministries banquet. He immediately reported back to us that he was going to Africa on a mission trip, and we were going to join him! Little did I know, that would be the beginning to a life changing chapter of our lives. We joined that mission trip to Uganda a few months later in January 2019, then again in January 2020. Brad was able to preach alongside some godly men in gospel clarity conferences within the South Sudanese refugee camps near the South Sudan/Ugandan border. Brad and I both were so moved by Four Corners and the work they’re accomplishing for the glory of God in northern Uganda, that we were willing to help any way possible.
Four Corners Ministries is based out of Opelika, AL. It is a Biblically-focused, Christ-centered, gospel-driven, mission organization. They send long-term missionaries and short-term teams to Uganda and South Sudan. Four Corners Ministries exists to communicate and demonstrate the gospel to hard-to-reach people groups. Their ministry includes an extensive pastor training program, women’s refuge center, Living Stones Christian School, and the Life Beads Program.
Life Beads was established in 2012 to empower women and improve their lives and community. Through the creation of jewelry, these women are given the opportunity for sustainable living to provide for their families while being biblically discipled by one of their missionaries, Mallory Corbin. Each piece of jewelry is unique and handmade by Ugandan artists. Every woman who crafts Life Beads earns a consistent monthly income, enabling them to send their children to school, provide food and a home for their families, and pay for healthcare when necessary.
Mallory is uniquely talented in designing jewelry and training these ladies to make each piece. She lives alongside these ladies on Four Corners’ property in Gulu called Abaana’s Hope. Each piece of jewelry is handcrafted out of paper beads. The paper is cut into very precise strips, rolled around a bicycle spoke, strung, dipped in a protective glue, and hung to dry. Each bead is then carefully assembled into these beautiful jewelry designs. Once the jewelry is made, it is packaged, and shipped to sell here in the United States.