Leanne Brown

Years ago, in the small town of Butternut, Wisconsin, there was a little girl who grew accustomed to hearing her mother's daily prayers. She greatly admired her devout mother and wanted to be just like her. She was intrigued with the Holy Ghost and the unknown tongues that she heard her mother speak. One bright, summer day, that little girl went to her bedroom to pray, just as she watched her mother do so many times before, and Jesus filled her with His Spirit! I was that excited little girl, who couldn't wait to share the good news with my hard-working father. The day that he finally pulled his big, green semi-truck into the driveway, I was elated to tell him how I spoke in tongues. I was around nine years old, and got baptized in Jesus' name shortly thereafter.

As a child, I loved to read the Bible. I used to pretend I was a preacher and preached to my two sisters and to our dolls. When I became a teenager, I lost some of my boldness. One church service, during testimony time, I felt envious of a fellow teen who so confidently shared a thoughtful, lengthy testimony. When my pastor called on me to testify, all I could get to come out of my mouth was that I was thankful for the Holy Ghost. I used to be so nervous and afraid to speak in front of people.

Over time, God gave me more confidence to glorify Him in various areas of ministry.