How did The Radiate Grace Project begin?

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to help pregnant mamas and their babies. God put the desire and passion in my heart from a young age to serve  Him and help young women facing unplanned pregnancies. 

I grew up helping friends who were pregnant and worked as a nanny. I then began to do photography and capture special moments of those around me.. I was helping in ministry in the church and going on mission trips. Always wanted to serve in another country, but honestly let fear stop that from happening sooner. I finally chose faith over the fear I had and went to Haiti when I was 17. While I was in Haiti, God wrecked my life and put it back together more beautifully then ever.. He showed me there is so much more to life than “getting a degree”, “owning a house/car” living the “American Dream”…I always wanted to do the opposite however I felt that I couldn’t because of the people pleasing part of me and also because I didn’t know how to live different or what that looked like. It felt radical and very hard to achieve, yet I knew that I needed to do it and that that’s how I was called to live. I knew that if I didn’t follow through on living a life of surrender I wouldn’t be obedient to the call God had on my life. I wanted to lay my life down and serve those God called me to. This meant leaving family and friends and stepping out in surrender. I had lots of fears and insecurities (and still do, believe me) BUT GOD! He worked in my life in ways that I could never imagine. He opened up doors that I wouldn’t have chosen to walk through without Him guiding me. He lead me to Mexico to start/plant a pregnancy program/ministry called Embrace Grace. He has continued leading me and I have been doing this for over 2 years now. This past Spring 2023, I was able to help plant Embrace Grace in PG county in the church I grew up in. When I had returned to Mexico in Fall of 2022, my prayer was that there would be an Embrace Grace program where I grew up. I knew it was much needed and that one didn’t exist in the DC area. I am passionate about this program/ministry because I love helping these pregnant girls/women understand that God created them and their babies with and for a purpose- that they are brave and they are loved! I am able to use my gifts of photography and doula work along side of this ministry. 

In the process of all of this- I have always had a burden in my heart for those who struggle with addiction. I just lost my best friend this past year, he died from an overdose. I have lost other close loved ones due to their struggle with addiction. My mom was a director at a rehabilitation center and during that time especially I grew in my heart and passion to help those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. There is a rehabilitation center that I work with in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The couple I live and serve with there run the Centro Vida Nueva Rehabilitación. I help them with administrative work as we try to continue to grow the program/ministry. 

In addition to these passion areas, I love helping build the local church. Wherever God has me planted, I enjoy helping the local church grow by hosting ministry events, doing administrative work for outreach, and more. God has gifted us all with gifts and I want to use my gifts to honor and glorify Him! I want to bring people to know and love Him.