By NJ Clausen

Hello and Happy Fall! The leaves are changing… something we humans can do as well. Let me introduce you to a woman who made a positive change…Amy Burton.

The oldest of four children, Amy was born in California. Her first job was at the age of 7 when she became the acting parent for her younger siblings, as her parents both worked and were rarely home. When Amy was 13, her father had her start working at McDonald’s to contribute to the family and to learn to work hard. Amy loved to read and was good at math, and as she worked many hours she would be at school only to take the tests, which she passed. Just a few months after she started work, Amy was promoted to swing manager and was Employee of the Month. One of Amy’s co-worker’s shared Amy’s story with her mother, who offered Amy a home with her. When she told her parents of the offer, they told her to go…and at 14 her life changed. Amy went from not having anything to abundance. She feels that experiencing both worlds has helped keep her grounded.

Amy was introduced to a new environment, and worked behind the scenes for commercials, game shows and did some modeling. She also worked in a department store, and fondly remembers when she bought her first new dress! At 16 she took an assessment test for City College, where she was accepted and took core classes. When she was 17, Amy gave birth to her first child. She introduced him to music early, and by the time he was 3 he was reading. Although she received offers of marriage, trust issues prevented her from saying yes. When her car broke down, they briefly moved in with her father who took most of her belongings and left them with an eviction notice on the door and no utilities. They endured the situation, and her son stayed with a neighbor as Amy worked to get her car fixed. An opportunity arose with a new job in a transmission company, and there Amy did extremely well. They had moved in with her brother which was near the new job, and Amy and her brother enjoyed having philosophical debates. One of them was, ‘Is there a God?’ Amy said she thought there might be, and if someone asked her to go to church one last time, that would be it.

There was a man who she met from work, who asked her out, but she did not want to date. One day this man, Doug, asked her out 8 times in one day and she finally said yes. On the date she was asking him different questions, and he mentioned he had been to church. Amy asked what church, and Doug responded Baptist. Amy went to this small church with him, and although she did not initially receive the warmest of welcomes she continued to go. There Amy learned about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and discovered a love and trust she had never encountered before. On June 11 she answered the call to serve Him. The people of the church accepted Amy and apologized for their earlier behavior, teaching her to not judge people, to be nice to everybody, and to let God mold her.

Amy and Doug married and added 3 children to the family. They moved, and the church they joined was very mission minded. The family went on a mission trip to Mexico, helping at an orphanage, painting and worked on the garden. Amy also taught at the high school. Her pastor always stressed the importance of, “Be encouraging to the encouragers.” If you see a problem, what is the solution? They also traveled to Papua New Guinea with their youngest child to be an encouragement to the family that was there. It was very remote with no running water, electricity or nearby store, and there was a tractor that had been shipped in and was broken. They brought the needed part, and Doug was able to fix it. They returned to the USA, sold their home, and with their 3 youngest children went back to Papua New Guinea. The family was adopted into the remote community where they stayed despite serious physical challenges, and Amy was allowed to start teaching the women of the tribe. Prior to this mission trip, the family had come to Kernersville at the urging of a friend, and the friendliness of the people and the town had made a big impression. The marriage came to an end, and Amy returned to Kernersville, a place she felt she could call home. She spoke to her pastor, and they both agreed that she might be able to help people.

Amy currently has different jobs, including counselor, manager and loves being able to help people. She believes that there is always hope, and a way to use your story. There is always a choice—you can push through or be pulled down.