Kelly

Today's tribute goes to Kelly Holliday, another friend from my class at SNU. =)  She is so full of life and has such strong faith... I already feel blessed to know her!

(She's the one in the center of this pic... she had breast cancer in 2007 and this is her team ready to run the Race for the Cure with her in 2009 - I love the shirts!)

Kelly is hilarious and outgoing and genuine.  She has a strong, expressive personality!  Wholehearted is really a great word to describe the way she lives - she loves people well and lives her life with passion. :)

She did a photo shoot (including the above picture) when she was bald from chemo treatments... and I love that, because there is so much beauty and meaning in every season of life, even those we wish we didn't have to endure.  She is beautiful and strong and inspiring!

She grew up with 11 brothers and sisters, and is now the mother of 8 children...

Her oldest son, Jaron, was killed by an IED in Iraq in 2007.  (He and two other men were on a rescue mission, and after rescuing some of their fellow soldiers, they drove around to secure the perimeter, which was when the IED exploded, killing all three of them.)

Kelly shared with us that she gave her testimony and invited others to accept Christ during his funeral service, and that she felt the Holy Spirit leading her to sing "It is Well with My Soul."  That is really her theme song, in my mind.  She sang the last verse for us in class one night - she has a beautiful voice and sang with deep confidence.  Her heart for God shines through, and her inner strength and joy reflect God's glory!  She has endured so much, and through it all, she turned to Christ and found deeper strength and healing and peace.  It is obvious in her JOY and passion that God is at work in her life, and I know He will continue to use her story and her faith to help others!

Finally, this was their family Christmas card (their last name is Holliday - cuteness)!  And I love that the kids are all J names and that she's the only K.  Hooray for Kelly!!

"And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul."