“I think each of us were put on this earth for reasons that exist outside of ourselves,” says Kelly. “I think our true purpose will always revolve around the influence we have on others and not just ourselves. I longed to know my life’s purpose, but it wasn’t until I laid that question down and started serving others, I found my true calling in life.”

 

 

“When I was 16, I was abducted from a parking lot and raped,” says Kelly. “During that time I truly lost myself. I knew I would never be the same. You could say I lost myself only to truly find myself. I didn’t know God. It took a couple of years but after trying to find healing on my own, which only led my life down more wrong roads, I discovered I was not made to carry that weight on my own, and I did not have to.”

 

After an unexpected pregnancy a year after the rape, Kelly gave her heart to God when she was 18 just before her first daughter was born. Kelly and her boyfriend Shane married and completely surrendered their lives to God. They have experienced His blessings ever since.

 

 

Today, Kelly is free from the emotional and physical wounds of her past. She and Shane have five children and just adopted a sixth child from Ethiopia.

 

“It took us 4 years to adopt Nathan,” shares Kelly. “It was an exercise in patience as we switched countries 3 times. During that time, my heart was ready to give and serve. I was constantly looking for ways to give back.”

 

“I encourage everyone to search his or her hearts and ask yourself how God wants to use your life to help someone else. This is where true purpose is found.”

 

“One night when the kids were acting a bit spoiled, I decided to show them something I thought might open their eyes,” says Kelly. “We made pumpkin bread and coffee, then drove around Nashville giving it to the homeless. It wasn’t until we prayed with a man who was sleeping on a bus bench that my kids really got it.”

 

In 2006, as Kelly was leading a women’s Bible study, she encountered a similar experience with the women in her group and delighted in showing these ladies just how blessed they were.

 

 

“It was a cold night so I felt sure we’d find some homeless folks in need,” says Kelly. “We made muffins and started driving around, but we couldn’t find anyone. Someone directed us to the Nashville Rescue Mission’s campus for women. I had no idea this place even existed.” Not only were the ladies’ eyes opened, but so were Kelly’s. “I never thought there might be homeless women in Nashville, much less homeless kids. I was shocked.”

 

 

What started as a Halloween party for the kids living at the Mission has now evolved into much more. Kelly’s ministry Ordinary Hero has gone above and beyond. Their efforts include backpacks filled with school supplies, Easter baskets, gift bags for Mother’s Day, serving food, singing carols and delivering Christmas gifts to the families; they even help individual families with furniture and supplies when they have secured permanent housing.

 

“Kelly is truly a blessing to the Nashville Rescue Mission and the homeless women and children who stay with us,” says Mary Crutcher, Family Life Center Director. “She has brought so much hope and joy into this place.”

 

 

“God uses our own life experiences to mold us into who He has called us to be,” says Kelly. “Our own experiences can make us or break us. The choice is up to us, but if we allow God to come alive in us, then He can use whatever we’ve been through to help others. He brings purpose to our pain. He allows us to experience His divine healing so we can spread the good news and let others know healing does exist, and it is for them too.”

 

 

“A true ordinary hero looks like the logo on my site,” shares Kelly. “They are a little distressed by the way life has brushed across their path, but underneath lies the purpose for their pain and the hero that busts out to help others. That is what makes us ordinary. That is what gives us an extraordinary purpose.”

 

 

Kelly’s story was shared on The 700 Club.