ILI: History Makers Leadership Podcast
Explore the transformative journey that is leadership. In each episode, we will dive deep into strategies, stories, insights, and the core values that shape and inspire effective Christian leaders who make an impact - all around the globe. Get ready to unlock your leadership potential.
When leaders are equipped, kingdom impact multiplies. Equipping leaders and spreading the Gospel. Let’s change history together!
This podcast is brought to you by the International Leadership Institute.
ILI: History Makers Leadership Podcast
Ep. 62 | A Leader's Story of Overcoming the Impossible
What happens when your past is marked by trauma, your present is shattered by tragedy, and the future seems impossible? In this powerful episode of the History Makers Leadership Podcast, we sit down with Pastor Kayla Countryman, a woman who embodies resilience and a profound sense of purpose.
From a childhood marked by learning disabilities and a broken home to surviving a devastating accident that nearly took her life, Kayla's story is nothing short of miraculous. After being told she would never walk, speak clearly, or live independently again, Kayla defied every expectation—relearning how to walk, talk, and lead with courage.
With raw vulnerability, humor, and bold faith, Kayla shares how God used her greatest weaknesses to reveal His strength. This episode is a beacon of hope for anyone who’s faced insurmountable odds and wondered if there’s still a purpose on the other side of pain.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- The early struggles Kayla faced growing up with dyslexia and abuse
- The miraculous survival from a near-fatal car accident
- Her journey of healing and rediscovery at the nation's leading rehabilitation center
- A look into how she leads today as a pastor and mentor
Whether you’re a leader, a ministry builder, or someone simply navigating life’s toughest seasons, Kayla’s testimony will leave you inspired to trust the process—and the One who carries you through it
When you begin ILI training, you will discover how the Eight Core Values will lead to the Seven Outcomes in your life and the lives of those you lead. Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. Discover more at ILITeam.org/connect.
Hey guys, welcome back to the History Makers Leadership Podcast. I'm excited to have you joining us today for this really special and unique conversation. It's a pastor that goes to church with me. She's a friend and a ministry partner of mine and she shares her story of how she's overcome obstacles throughout her life and with ILI we have eight core values, one of them being visionary leadership, and as leaders with vision, we know that as we're living out the vision God has shown us, we're going to have to overcome obstacles, and so, in this session, it's encouraging to hear how she's overcome so many obstacles in her life and how she continues to overcome someone who is in leadership or you're growing in your ministry. I want to encourage you, as you're watching today, to have an open and safe space for the people you have influence with. Maybe they have something that they're in the process of overcoming and they don't know how to share that. So I want to encourage you ministry leader, person of influence as you're watching today make sure you have safe spaces for those people that you care about and know, to have an open door policy where they can share their struggles and the obstacles that they're in the middle of overcoming. I hope you enjoy today's episode. Please like, share and leave us some comments letting us know how it's impacted you. It's impacted you Well. I'm excited to have a pastor from my church joining us today. Before I let her tell you who she is, I want to introduce her. As I know her, We've shared previously in our podcast about the curriculum that we have here called Christian to the Core.
Speaker 1:It's a discipleship material that you can do in your small group and I'm currently doing that in my small group, and last night at group we talked about Passion, of the Harvest, and we all had to kind of share what does a passionate person look like and how do they impact our lives. And several women in my group mentioned Kayla that, her passion for Jesus and her excitement and her boldness. They all talked about how she's bold and how encouraging and inspiring her life is to them, and so you guys get to meet her today for the podcast. So welcome, Kayla. I'm excited that you're here. So, before we kind of get into our conversation, why don't you share with us? Who are you? Where do you work? Why are you here? And then I'll kind of ask some questions to keep us going, All right, so my name is Kayla Countryman and I work at Chapel Church Bremen.
Speaker 2:That's a church in West Georgia. I'm a next step pastor and so with that is a discipleship pastor. So I people that are coming to know Jesus Christ Savior, walk through the celebration of water baptism to join in a small group in our growth track classes and being in just plugged in serving, being a part of the body of Christ. I feel like I'm a connection of discipleship and teaching people how to be friends with other people. And then I lead a nine month discipleship program called Women of Valor, and I do that at Chapel Hill. We go through intense discipleship study, and so I've been doing that for seven years, almost eight years now, and I've been on staff for about that long. I feel like I've been doing ministry since a young age, but I've really been operating ministry since I was 18.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Well, we're happy to have you. You're a mom and a wife, so how long have you been married? How many kids do you have?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, so I have been married 17 years to Philip. Countryman. We met at a young age and married super too fast. Met at a young age and married super too fast. We have a 12 year old almost 13 year old son, zach, and we have a 10 year old daughter named. Nora. And then we are actually in the process of adopting a three year old little girl right now.
Speaker 1:Right, that's awesome, yes.
Speaker 2:And let me tell you, Shannon, thank you so much for saying those things. But let me just tell you how I describe Shannon, Like when I tell people about Shannon, I was like she's like a prophet.
Speaker 4:All right, you want her like. If there are prayer people at the altar, prayer partners, you go to her.
Speaker 2:Okay, and so I talked to you and I talk about you with such a high honor to not only serve at the same church that you, but to be your friend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Well. I love you and I'm so happy that all of you watching get to know her and a little bit about her story. We were talking about your life, things that you've went through, and at ILI we have eight core values. A lot of people listening kind of know some of those values or went through the training and to think of the one value that you could really hone in on because of your life and your story and even how you're continuing to thrive in life now and it hasn't been due to a lack of obstacles in your life that you've are so successful. You've really overcome so many obstacles in your life, whether it's personal, whether it's external things completely out of your control, and so I want to unpack some of that with you, and I think probably a great place for us to start is how did you come to know Christ and what type of environment led you to church, and you can kind of share some of that and then we'll see where it goes from there. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I love talking about the things that got together. Um, so at a young age I was born I'm the youngest of three, and I was born by the age of two. My parents were divorced and, um, it was my mom. I was raised by a single mom and, uh, we lived in a little double wide trailer in Villareca, georgia, and it was about eight years old. I had I called them the Richies. That was their last name. The Richies moved next door to me, tina and Lyndon, josh and Kayla. Also, they had a girl the same age as me, the same age, and the Richies were God sent to me.
Speaker 2:The Richies, miss Tina. I say her name like she's, like a celebrity, I say her. There are people that have helped mold my life and Miss Tina is one of them. Miss Tina brought me to church at a young age, about eight years old, it was there. I went to church, a little small, about eight years old, it was there. I went to church, a little small, called Villarica, church of God, and I'll never forget I was in the basement before, like the cool songs about church basement.
Speaker 2:I was in the church basement and it was me and my best friend, kayla Ritchie, and we're about eight years old.
Speaker 4:And Jason told me about the rapture. And we're about eight years old and Jason told me about the rapture and I was like I gotta get saved. Some stuff's gonna go down and I'm not gonna be left behind, right, and you know. People say you know you shouldn't get saved out of fear. Work just fine for me. Okay, I learned the gospel I'll never forget. I went home the next day on the trampoline and my friend, your aunt, told my sister y'all better get it right. Okay, some stuff's going to go down, so anyway, we can go all into that stuff.
Speaker 2:But I, it was there at this church. They taught me about love they. They taught me about the love of Jesus. I was basically my. I went through my adolescence at this church, so crazy hair. You know, I was a. I'm still at 37. Think I'm punk rock, but I'm not.
Speaker 2:But, I went through you know the piercings and all the things that and they told me about Jesus. They I'll never forget working at a vacation Bible school and even though I was a wild teenager, I guess I wasn't that wild school. And even though I was a wild teenager, I guess I wasn't that wild. But as a teenager with crazy color hair and and all of these things, uh, they let me help lead vacation Bible school with little kids and I'll never forget hearing the song, uh, teaching them about, um, my first Bible verse I ever learned, it's Proverbs 3, 25. I mean, uh, three, five. It was trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3.5. And it was there we would teach these kids that move and it was like a seed planting, didn't? It.
Speaker 2:Didn't really know what it meant, but I remember learning about that at this church and you know, I kind of. My home life was hard. I mentioned my mom, just such a good person Like anybody that knows her. She's like one of those people that's like. Her name is like famous. But as raising me, um, there's a lot of my. My childhood was, um, it was hard. There were things that happened and things in my life that were hard. There was alcohol in my home. My stepdad, um, was abusive and um, just an alcoholic.
Speaker 2:There was a my home. For lack of that, lack of better words were um was shattered, glass of beer bottles of the things.
Speaker 2:I learned how to call 911 at a pretty young age. The Richies that I mentioned I would go over to their house often and almost live there, and there's a lot of foundation things, you know, being that I do have a good mom and my sisters were amazing, there was hard things I went through. On top of that, I'm dyslexic. So at a pretty young age I was labeled with a learning disability. I was in speech therapy, so I had a very difficult time talking and pronouncing things. Even now, you know, there are things that words I might have to practice saying, but it was very difficult for me. Schooling, learning to read or spell, academics were very difficult. I had something called an IEP.
Speaker 2:And so this is where they would take me out of class and I would have my all my tests read aloud to me by like an assistant teacher or a parapro. They would come and retest aloud to me, and my mom would have to be very active with the school, going up there several times a year. I would go into these meetings that would usually, I guess, with other people it they would be difficult, but I had a mom that celebrated me. Really. I remember my, my mom, even though I had a speech impediment and learning was difficult my whole life. My mom would be like Kayla, you are so intelligent, you use such big words, you have a such a large vocabulary and I'm telling you it was not until I was an adult that I figured out.
Speaker 4:My vocabulary was just the same as every, but I had almost like a false confidence because my mom just spoke these affirmations over my life as such.
Speaker 2:I would go into these meetings and my mom and the teachers would celebrate me. Kayla would look around the room and use whatever is there to learn how to do things and you know I wasn't in special ed to learn how to do things and you know I wasn't in special ed, but they test me every year just in case I needed that, and so it was something, you know, I mentioned. You know, there I was raised by a single mom. We lived in a small trailer, and so I was mentioned. There was a lot of things in my life that, like I would be ashamed of you know, I would have to hide my abusive stepdad.
Speaker 2:I would have to hide, like this, learning disability. I would have to hide that I maybe I might not have, we might not have as much money as somebody else I would. There were things that, like I, was natural at like hiding whereas, like I was ashamed at a pretty young age.
Speaker 2:I remember being in pre-k so this is before you're even in kindergarten at First Baptist in Villareca, and I remember sitting at a table and I remember thinking I'm not as smart as everyone in this room. I remember looking around and be like I can't read. First of all, I was four. Nobody can read at four.
Speaker 4:I for right, right, but.
Speaker 2:I. I really feel like this was a attack from the enemy of developing my character. That, honestly, my mama counteracted with speaking these things that I don't even think she realized she was speaking prophecy over me by speaking these, these words or these things that made me feel different about myself and taught me how to have a joy. My mom's name is joy about my life, regardless of the obstacles, right, regardless of these. Because there was mountains, nothing was easy. Home life wasn't easy, learning wasn't easy, school, like just nothing was easy. And so, at 17 years old, I was a senior in high school I'll never forget. My stepdad died in a motorcycle wreck. He was intoxicated. The last words that he shared were not words that I shared with him, were not words of hope. I hated this man. Even though I was taught the gospel, I had a difficult time because of the violence in my home. There are memories after memories of being a small child praying don't let Mark murder my mama or my sisters.
Speaker 4:Don't let him.
Speaker 2:Hurt us Lord. Just crying out to the lord, dare I say before I even really knew god right, I knew how to cry out to him. Does that make sense? Yeah, that's good these things before I really even knew the greatness of god, right, I think I learned how to talk to him by crying out to him by crying out to him in, by crying out to him in the hard things.
Speaker 2:And so Mark died. Things in my home life were even harder at times. I was ready to move out. I was about to graduate high school, I was going to go to West Georgia College and University. I was going to go and thrive, move out. I didn't need my family and I just wanted to pull away from anything that had to do with that.
Speaker 2:And I'll never forget a man. His name is Josh Doolittle. Um, and I'll never forget. Yeah, okay, josh was in a hardcore band. I didn't know all this, but Josh, in this stage of his life, I'll never forget. I worked at Johnny's Pizza in Villarica and I was a waitress and Josh Doolittle came in there and opened his Bible and I'll never forget looking at him and I was like that's what I need. I need Jesus. Last time I had any kind of peace, hope, in my life, it was when I went to church with Tina Ricci, kayla Ricci and Lyndon. It's when I was at Biller. It was when I learned about Jesus. That was the last time, and so I remember I told my friend Michelle and I was like well, I'm going to go to church this weekend. I got my own car saved up my graduation money. I'm going to go to church. This weekend. I got my own car saved up my graduation money. I'm going to go to church.
Speaker 2:And my friend came with me to church and we went to church and I'll never forget going up to the altar and crying to this young woman that was a prayer partner. Her name was Lisa and I said I need Jesus and she prayed with me and just invited God back into my life, invited him back in the place where he was at the throne, where I could trust something when I couldn't trust any now because after Mark died, I remember there were my life, I had thoughts of suicide. I could go on here and talk about these dark moments of where, honestly, it's the enemy coming in my life, where I could have taken my life, my own life, I could have gave in. There were times I felt like I was crazy with with darkness and depression and not understanding grief is hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially someone that you didn't like anyway, but now you got to grieve them yeah.
Speaker 2:So understanding grief, especially at like a young age of 18, it's just like there's no way I could do this right.
Speaker 2:Just dealing with the guilt. I didn't know where my stepdad was heaven or hell. I dealt with so much grief and so I thought, okay, well, let me get out. But I remember seeing Josh Doolittle at that table reading his Bible and I was like, okay, I'm going to go to church. Went to church and went to that girl at the altar and I remember leaving that day and I told my friend, I don't know, but I'm definitely going to go back. It was LifePoint Ministries.
Speaker 1:It was Assembly God Church in Douglasville.
Speaker 2:And I told my friend. I said I'm definitely going to go back there next Sunday. Well, four days after that Sunday, about two miles from where I live, I passed by the spot no joke probably more than 10 times a week. I passed by this spot and as I was passing by, I stopped at the stop sign and there was trees blocking the way and I should have pulled up more past the stop sign and paused again and I stopped at the stop sign. That's where it is.
Speaker 2:And I went past in a dump truck T-bone my car. It completely crushed my car drove me almost—the highway wasn't super far away with this spot where it could have drove me but it stopped and they had to use the jaws of life to get me out. And my friend Michelle, the same girl I went to church with she was passing by and saw that I was on the side of the road and called my mom. My mom left from her work and we, we went to a villarica tanner hospital and it was there, um, where they're gonna life flight me.
Speaker 2:And I don't know how the mayor of villarica was there, but he was there that day and someone told him hey, her mom just lost her husband six months ago from a motorcycle wreck and everyone there believed I was going to die. And they said hold the helicopter for her mom to say her goodbyes. So my mom drove up, my sisters were already there and my mom said she ran up to the firefighters, the police officers. She said I'm Kayla's mom, I'm Kayla's mom, just tell me she's going to be okay. Just tell me she's going to be okay. And legally they can't say anything. But all those officers told me and those firefighters told me that none of them thought I was going to survive.
Speaker 2:They went home and told their families that night this I was probably 96 pounds and a 18 year old girl probably died today and my mom knew there was no hope in these men to stand in front of her that were standing in front of her and, uh, she touched my hand and then her and my sisters and my the people gathered there that day hit the pavement at Tanner Villarica Hospital as they lifelighted me. My mom said I know what it is like to lose a husband.
Speaker 4:Don't let me know what it's like to lose my daughter. And you know, with these life and death situations, especially as a mom, you can start bartering.
Speaker 1:Like, let me make a deal.
Speaker 4:Take my life instead of and my mom.
Speaker 2:She was like God you have me. She gave up drinking and smoking cold turkey that day.
Speaker 2:That had been something the majority of her life that she took in partaked in and she rode to Atlanta Medicalanta medical hospital and it was there. They had me in intensive care. I I had they dealt with all the traumatic injuries. I had wires. I have three wires in my elbow. I crushed my elbow. I had my ribs broken. I had stitches and staples everywhere. I had this C2 in my spinal cord was broken, on top of my lungs collapsing. It was a miracle that that they were able to shove things down so I can breathe.
Speaker 2:Wow, you know, in a matter of moments they would have done a trach or I would have lost my life, but in a matter of moments they were able to get me to breathe. I was unconscious the moment the car wreck happened and on top of all of this I had a traumatic brain injury, acquired brain injury. My brain hit the front of the skull, the back of my skull and the right side of my skull, and as I laid there in intensive care at Atlanta Medical Hospital, the doctors did not think I was going to awake and I was in a coma, and if I did wake up from a coma, I would be mentally incompetent and handicapped and so, but I woke up hey, praise God, I woke
Speaker 2:up and the doctors tended. They put a halos where they screw five screws into your head so, um, you can almost see the scars. But they screwed that into my school so I couldn't move my neck and it wouldn't break more. And so they tended to all. They put the wires in my elbow, tended, tended all my injuries. And it was Shepherd Center. Shepherd Center is a special spinal cord brain injury hospital. You have to have a certain amount of brain injury or spinal cord injury Like worst case scenario yeah, yeah, to go there, like the famous Superman went there.
Speaker 2:This is like the top of the line, like in the nation, wow.
Speaker 2:And so they came there and, guess what, passed that test because I had the right amount of brain injury to get accepted on the brain injury floor at this Shepherd Hospital, and so it was there that they took me and I had to learn how to read, write, walk. My equilibrium was thrown off. I had to relearn. I had short-term, long-term memory loss. It was there.
Speaker 2:There was a period of my life, a time period of these weeks, where, for lack of better words, I lost my mind. I was not mentally competent, confident, I couldn't understand things, I was not myself. It was a. It's a time period I can't even remember, because it was like that. My mom would say. I would be like are we on vacation? I mean, there was things that I would. My mind wasn't there and you know my mom stayed by my side. You know they didn't have like the wings, were like um, that are built on where family can stay. It was before all of that, and so my mom sat in a price, slept in a chair, just like this, dare not leave my side to be there, um. But I'll never forget. They call this like a medical, like um breakthrough. It's when people with brain injuries start to realize something's wrong with them and I'll never forget this moment.
Speaker 2:My mom parked my wheelchair. I was probably 85 pounds at this. I had lost weight. I was a very small girl and and I was 18 years old I'm in this wheelchair, larger than me, it's not a child's wheelchair and so it swallowed me whole. I had a cast on my arm, this huge halo of metal on me with this vest. That was horrible for life and I never forget. My mom went to the bathroom and this is a time I've here. My brain is not well, so for me to even remember these moments is the hand of God. I remember my mom parked me and I could see the mirror in the hospital room. I remember looking in the mirror and, like I said, it was a medical breakthrough, but it didn't feel like a breakthrough.
Speaker 4:It felt like heartbreak. But I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, oh, something's wrong with me. Wow, I can't think or understand things clearly. I'm really confused and I remember being so scared. I remember looking in the mirror thinking, wow, what's wrong with me.
Speaker 2:And that same seed that the Lord planted at Villarica Church of God it was as verbal as you are, and I are here and we're here today, but I heard the Lord say to me Kayla, trust in me with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Speaker 4:Because I couldn't, because I couldn't understand, and he said it won't be this way forever, and it was just like God, just told me it's going gonna be okay and I I cling to that moment.
Speaker 2:I remember after that, you know, every morning they would come to my hospital room and they'd be like what's the date, who's president, who are you, how did you get here? And then finally it's like you're, you're doing good and you know all these things. And I remember them telling me you got hit by a dump truck and I remember laughing.
Speaker 4:I was like of course, of course, like of course. I can't just get into a normal car right, I can't have just a normal learning ability, I can't have just a normal home life, I can't just get hit by a normal car right like almost like I was, like I laughed anyway, I was like go figure, you know, and uh, almost like humor really got me through, like, not like.
Speaker 2:I'm bitter because a lot of people I think this happened four days after I gave my wife invited Jesus to walk with me right and I, I become disabled, right and confused. On top of that's a physical disability and mental disability, but I, I had this hope of oh, he saved me. He saved me. That day is July 6 of 06. He, he saved me more days, ways than one. That day, because I think there was a path that I don't know what I was heading from and there are things that taught me this.
Speaker 2:yeah, at Shepherd Center I had a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and so I had a psychiatrist, I had a brain injury specialist, I had orthoped doctor everything that you could think they were I had.
Speaker 2:And I remember my speech therapist. I remember her telling me she said, kayla, as I started relearning things honestly, a faster pace than other people that were there, and every brain injury is different and she said, kayla, kayla, I think the reason why you're doing so well at relearning walking, speech, reading, spelling, I think the reason why is because you grew up with a learning disability, is because you were dyslexic. So I think these are the reasons why you're excelling. So what I thought was a thorn, what I thought was shame, was a blessing, not fearfully and wonderfully made on purpose, and what I thought made me learn different was a way that it was. Actually. It made me learn well for my life, for the obstacles that were before me. I don't believe that God was upstairs with a dump truck and a little car that I was driving in and made it happen, but I do believe that the cross carried me through it.
Speaker 2:I do believe he rescued me right. I do believe on what the devil intended to kill me with. God saved me absolutely. I do believe that he put people in my life to to mold me, to be more like him through the difficulty, things, that that things were done. I can look back on my life, even the hardship, and it it was like it was done on purpose. You know, like he was always there.
Speaker 1:It's like your weakness got you through. Yeah, yeah. Well, you consider weakness and disability. The Lord used to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he used the least of these. And so, you know, fast forward. You know all of these things are happening. You know I'm healing. About two years after that I still had to go. It was a long. Even after we got out of the hospital, me and my mom had to live in a hotel room in Atlanta where we traveled to Pathways Shepherd Center and did eight hour therapy because the commute back to our home was too far and it was there as a long recovery. It wasn't like that. I recovered faster than most people, but about two years after that I had to go to Shepherd Center often and get checked out with check-ins, and the brain injury specialist met with me. His name was Dr Caleb and he said Kayla, listen to what I'm saying because I don't get to say this often. I don't get to say this to my patients.
Speaker 4:He said when you came into this hospital, I never imagined you would live an independent life. You would live an independent life.
Speaker 2:I never imagined that you would live the life that you do. At that time I was already walking and my calling is being a preacher. He said for you to even speak at the speed you do. Most people with brain injuries the type I had, speak very slow. We can tell today that's not my problem.
Speaker 2:It's not, he said, for you to function independently. He said I thought your mom or the state would be taking care of you for the rest of your life, that you would be in a wheelchair and you would never operate. You know, here I am, I'm a 37-year-old, I'm discipling people, I'm leading people into a growing relationship right with jesus christ. I'm I have two kids with that are just above average, intelligent, operating. It's a miracle that I have them, but soon to be three. Yeah, you know that the things that god put before the tables that he has invited me to, tables that, dare I say, I could almost feel unqualified in a way, not talented enough, not intelligent enough, not spiritual enough not, I don't make enough money to be at this table All of these things that could be obstacles, all of these things that they don't make enough money to be at this table, all of these things that could be obstacles, all of these things that you, that they don't line up, you can't make this stuff up.
Speaker 4:God invites me to these tables and it's because I've got some grit about me. I believe.
Speaker 2:I believe that I there are moments that I've walked through hell, that that the Holy Spirit, that God carried me through, that I could come on this side of that, despite what is in front of me. Almost like when people are like man, you get an A for A plus. That's what you get, I feel like my whole life.
Speaker 4:I got a T for try, Like I'm like a T for try, Right right Kind of girl, you know like I'm willing to try anything.
Speaker 2:I tell this as I lead my discipleship program. When the Holy Spirit's leading me to maybe be bold and minister to someone, or to step out and say these things. I always think, man, I would rather look like an idiot than walk away and not do what God's told me to do.
Speaker 2:Not to walk in a way of where my friend Drew she says it often where it's like do it scared, and I think for a long time I was willing to do obstacles scared until one day this just became a part of my life, almost like where people will look at situations and be like man.
Speaker 4:All of these signs are leading me to not do this. Almost, I see difficult things and I'm like the more difficult, I'm like, oh, I definitely called it the more impossible the situation feels where most people will be like, hey, maybe this is a sign from God that I shouldn't do this, Dare.
Speaker 2:I say I'm like, if it is a fight or a difficulty or a heart where people are repelled, like even dealing with homeless people, dealing with dangerous people, dealing with difficult people and frustrating situations. Where repel others? I'm almost drawn to it, wow, not in a way of like a Messiah complex or like let me be a hero, because my childhood was horrible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but in a way of like oh, I know through my weakness his power is made perfect. Through his glory will be shown in these impossible Whereas. It's like no, I'm not good enough, I'm not any of these things, but I trust in him. Like I trust in him in this way where it's important for me to have a voice.
Speaker 1:I love it, even as you're sharing it. It's like I could just see oh, I'm the least likely, therefore, I'm the one. Yeah, this seems like something. There's no way I can do it and I shouldn't be the one being asked to do it, but I'm least likely. No one's going to look at me and think I can do this. Therefore, it must be God that was able to accomplish all these things in my life you know Um.
Speaker 1:So just to unpack a little bit um, you're still dyslexic, yeah, so when people tell stories like mine, it's like these evangelists like getting people to say amen and it can almost seem like everything's past tense.
Speaker 2:I did have a brain injury. I am healed, I'm not on medication, my brain is healed, I'm whole. I don't have a disability in that way. But I was born dyslexic and, dare I say, I hate using the word because I can kind of be a hippie about it, because I've learned. It's taken me I'm 37 years old and it's probably taken me until the last decade to really walk in the confidence of being fearfully and wonderfully made Maybe longer than that where it's like, oh, this is what I can do.
Speaker 2:And so, talking about these things, everyone can say amen, but I'm not invited to many tables. I've read lots of discipleship books, leadership books, pastor books. I've gone to conferences and this is something that's not talked about often. Being someone that succeeds as a pastor as just really business or any obstacle with an active learning disability Like you'll see people with physical disabilities and that I don't I'm not dislining the miracle work of that, but I dare say people will talk about these things.
Speaker 2:But when you talk about learning disability, I've had mentors in my life that, maybe out of bad judgment, told me you shouldn't talk about that because other people will think you're not intelligent enough, kayla. You shouldn't talk about that you had a brain injury. You shouldn't talk about that you're dyslexic or that you learn different because people won't respect you as a pastor and I've always from a young age because of the way my mama and I've always from a young age because of the way my mama raised me. I've always. If people won't respect me or if I'm not invited to tables because I learn different, then that's not the table for me, right?
Speaker 1:You know their loss.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't mean that disrespectfully.
Speaker 2:And I think because talking about it in past tense and actually living it, because you can almost have a fear of and there were times in my life, man, if my boss knows, I'm a pastor at a very good church. It is not a little church, we have four locations. I'm a next step pastor. I'm not in a position that's just made for women. I sit at a table that usually men fill the seat with higher educations. I'm at this and I can almost be tempted to hide it. But even when I was going through ministry school, when it was time for me to take my credentialing test I'm credentialed with Assembly of God, I'm a certified minister and when it was time for me to take that test, I was young.
Speaker 2:When I took it, I was probably 23 or younger, and I remember I could. Just, you had to write out your testimony, you had to take this long test and with growing with an IEP, I used to get help with this thing and so I could. Just, you know, most of my life I made C's. It was it was summer school that got me graduated, and so I didn't really excel in academics until I was in ministry school, because it was like something I was passionate about was the things of God.
Speaker 2:But I remember I had a choice Either I could go be a voice or I could go to a table and be embarrassed. And so I went to the people and I was like, hey, do you guys have any accommodations? And I remember they're like, well, we've just never been asked that, we've never been needing that. And I could have been scared because there were pastors that they can say amen to me preaching by hiring me on staff is another thing If they feel like I might not be able. This is the real world. You have to meet the requirements for your job that you're getting paid for, absolutely. But sometimes you know that could be like, oh, that somebody might not hire me in the pastor world at these churches that want to be hired at.
Speaker 2:But I remember I was like, hey, I, I need accommodations, I need to go ahead and have my testimony typed out and I'll bring it to you and turn it in that way. I need extended time if that's what is required. Wow, what courage, because I thought about it. My kids neither one of them, my kids don't deal with learning disability, but what if my grandkids, what if one day, at this time, I didn't know that my kids wouldn't have the same difficulties as me? And so I thought, man, what if this is someone that's going to come behind me? Because I've never sat at a table of anyone that was older than me that said that they've had the same difficulty? I've never had anyone.
Speaker 2:I told my husband Philip one day, he's a man of wisdom. I told him one day, and I was like man, I wish I had someone coaching me about just how I learn different, how these things that I could run into, because I've been put in these situations where I maybe I wouldn't bring it up, and I was like I wish I had someone. He was like, babe, it's because you're going to be that for somebody else, and and so I, I, I, I walk with this and and not in shame. I, I, I love learning. I'll read books until the day I die. I want to go to school for a higher education.
Speaker 2:I think academics and learning extends my reach to minister to more people. I'm not against any of those things. Paul was so intelligent in the word of God and people you know, and he had different things that could hold him back, but he was active at telling his Jesus story and so I try to be the same. As, as you know, moses had a stuttering thing. People bring that up. You know, if you look at these people in the Bible, they, they talk about it and I want to make sure that I talk about my Jesus story. So I think about whatever.
Speaker 2:I think that there has to be a young minister out there, a man or a woman or even a young businessman or a young businesswoman or whatever calling God has put on their life and what they're called to do. I think, man, I want to be a voice, an encouragement. Just like my mom spoke those affirmations over my life. I want to speak that over them because I look at it, man, god made us different. I believe I was made on purpose. I believe in academics. I believe in growing, always being a student, I believe in these things that God has called us to do where it's the impossible. He calls us to do the impossible because it's not by us, it is not by my power or my might, that God does these things. He develops my personality, he developed me where it's the power of the Holy Spirit that is active in these things, where I can walk in this boldness, this fire to love people the way that he loved me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. That's really encouraging and I'm sure someone out there watching and hey, while you're watching, hit the like and subscribe. I just have one question for someone who is in your position or you know, maybe someone watching it's not a learning disability, it's just a lack of confidence, maybe in an area that they're trying to tap into and they're just facing rejection after rejection and various other things that this could be, you know, touching people's heart on.
Speaker 1:So there's got to be moments in your life, I'm certain, where you are not encouraged, where you are at the bottom and you feel that you know that sadness or just that sense of needing to know God, help me get through this you know. So how do you encourage yourself? Because I think how you encourage yourself in those moments would be encouraging to other people as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because you know actually, you said a woman of grit. You know, how do you hold on to? You know, how do you hold on to that grit, like, how do you make sure, cause, I know it's God, I know it's the Holy Spirit, but I also know David even said to his own soul why are you? You know, I can't remember the scripture memorized right now, but it's like, why are you downcast? Oh, my soul, you know. So, we know we have those moments. We know we have to encourage ourselves in the Lord. So, as a woman of grit, truly, whose life is remarkable and you've overcome so much, how do you encourage your soul in those moments when it is downcast?
Speaker 2:Well, when life's busy. You know, I'm a mother, I'm a pastor, I'm a wife, I'm a friend. I need to be all these things, as most people are. A friend. I need to be all these things, as most people are.
Speaker 2:And when I run into these obstacles, or even just the reality of some things that are hard and I'm sitting at these tables maybe counseling these people going through these things, or when things are hard for me. It kind of goes back to when I was a child. I learned to talk to the Lord by crying out.
Speaker 2:It kind of goes back to when I was a child. I learned to talk to the Lord by crying out, almost like the same as you're saying with David. If you read through the Psalms, he cries out to the Lord. Where I cry, god, I need you. It could be with Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer, his book, where it says let my mind return to him and so oftentimes in my busyness or the hardship or difficulties and obstacles, lord, let me return my mind as I was, that 15-year-old child, teenager, learning trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Speaker 4:Where I believe in Jesus more than I believe in myself, I believe in Jesus more than I believe in my leaders, more than I believe in my great husband and my great children and the things that God has called me to, that I'm so honored to be a part of. At the end of the day, it's whatever gives glory to God. So in my obstacles, in my hardship, whatever it comes to God, I cry out to you and I give you the glory. In these moments I trust in you with all of my heart.
Speaker 2:So I tell young women or women that are going through difficulties, men that are maybe women that are going through divorce or men that are going through divorce, it won't be this way forever, whatever hard thing I have before me because there are tables that I've set out I did a podcast with my pastor, pastor Drew, you know, and he's such a gracious pastor, but I remember I did this podcast and this material. I wasn't with the timeframe that I was given. I was not able to study it as well as my pastor could. Just like look at it, read it once, go, he's killing it For me.
Speaker 2:It does take me a little bit longer from the time I got the material and the time I need to produce the podcast with my pastor. As a discipleship pastor in him, I was having a hard time reading the material and studying. I needed more time and I remember I went home. My husband is I'm 37. This is probably when I was 35. I remember sitting in my car crying. So this is not like a past testimony this is not that far long ago.
Speaker 2:But I remember sitting in my car. I'm like I'm not intelligent enough, like I can't do this. And I remember going home to my husband. I remember going to my friend Allison Adams and I'm like I just don't know if I could do it, because sometimes I'll write papers, I'll write these things and I'll read over it a hundred times and I don't see any errors or anything wrong with it. Praise the Lord for grammarly and things like that.
Speaker 2:But I would do these things. And my friend Allison, she was like maybe that's a gift you don't see imperfections, kayla.
Speaker 4:It's a gift. People need that, as you're a pastor, they need you to not see all their imperfections.
Speaker 2:Then you still see the good and my mom taught me that. But I remember going back to the story of Pastor Drew. I went home and I was crying to my husband and I was like Phillip, I don't think I can do this. And he said, hey, you need to sit down, you need to talk to Pastor Drew. And I was like man, I want this man to let me preach on Sundays. Just, you know, we have a church of 600. I want, I don't want opportunities to be taken away from me because they've heard me preach about being dyslexic in a brain injury, heard me preach about these things. But seeing it up close is a little bit different than talking about it in the past, yeah, and I remember feeling like what I do.
Speaker 2:Phil said you need to talk to pastor drew about it, and I I know the character of this man, but still, the fear meets you where you are, and just like the lord meets you where you are.
Speaker 2:If you let it, the fear will meet you right where you are too, that that's right, and so I remember I was like man, I feel like maybe you'll be like, okay, it might be easier for Pastor BJ, our youth pastor, is so talented, it might be easier to pull somebody else in, pastor Matt, to do this, because you can't meet the requirements. Honestly, like that's what I was scared of, and I sat at a table with Pastor Drew and I was scared of and I sat at a table with Pastor Drew and I was like Pastor Drew and I had tears in my eyes.
Speaker 4:I was like I can't do some of this.
Speaker 2:It's hard for me to read this material on the spot and I need more time. I think I can do it if I'm trying to talk like Kayla Countryman talks.
Speaker 4:But trying to talk like somebody else talks is difficult for me, and I remember he just covered me with love, wow, and he's just like Hila.
Speaker 2:Well, let's just go through it, and the parts that you can't read, I can read. Or.
Speaker 2:I can help you. If you can't, if you don't know a word, I'll help you. And it was like I did that and it was like I didn't have one problem with the podcast after that. It was like it's excelled. It was like, well, I had to have that freedom, because who the sun sets free is free. And so in that trust, not in my own self, not in my pastor, not in anyone else, but in that trust in god, hey, I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. I'm gonna trust him. It brings a victory. You know, my friends say often that that's my word victory.
Speaker 2:I would say so and so it brings this victory. Not that I identify with being hit by a dump truck. Not that I identify that's not my identity that I have a I'm dyslexic. My identity is I'm a child of God. Amen, and he can use me and do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I just have a heart that's going to be bold and willing, with the power of his Holy Spirit, to do whatever he wants whenever he wants.
Speaker 1:That's so powerful. I love it. And when you're not feeling it, you cry out to God yeah. You know, and encourage yourself and encourage in God's word, in God's word. Well, I'm so grateful for your story, for your life, for bringing awareness to something that is not talked about.
Speaker 1:I want to say enough, but I don't know hardly at all people who talk about ministers or people called to something when their intelligence or they have a disability, or even physical issues that they cannot accomplish unless God's grace covers them and gets them to the finish line. So I appreciate you being vulnerable, sharing with us, and I hope all of you that have watched today are encouraged by her story. We have the eight core values, which one of them is overcoming obstacles. We talk about overcoming personal obstacles, knowing who we are in Christ, being strong in our identity, as Kayla was sharing even with us today and then those external obstacles that we have to overcome, things that are outside of our control. I know many of you deal with that personal and external obstacles and so I hope this has encouraged you and given you hope.
Speaker 1:Again, like subscribe to this. We're encouraged by all of you who are watching and growing with us and learning some of these leadership skills and traits with us. And again, thank you, kayla for being with us. Let us know in the comments what part of her story touched you. If there's any questions you have or you want to follow up, just let us know. We'll get back in touch with you. Thanks, guys.