GT Testimony Tuesday | feat. Kenzie McClelland
Over the last year we have been celebrating 10 years of Girl Talk Ministries! In February 2013, the vision was born and in May 2013, Girl Talk as we know it, little did we know, began. It has been amazing to look back on so much of what God has done and we have not even gotten to touch the surface yet through our Where Am I Now? series of all the amazing ways the Lord has used Girl Talk in the lives of the girls who have been with us from the beginning. Going into our second decade, we want to also share with you testimonies and stories from our girls who are involved with Girl Talk now and also, those who are serving with us now. We are seeing God move in their lives through Girl Talk Ministries in so many ways and we cannot wait to share it all with you. We will call these GT Testimony Tuesdays! This month, we are talking to Kenzie McClelland, one of our GT high school girls, now serving as an intern.
Kenzie McClelland is one of those girls you fall in love with the minute you meet her! Kenzie started coming to Girl Talk as soon as she was old enough, at the end of fifth grade, whose mom was even more excited to get her started. Kenz jumped in, coming to every thing we had and was so ready to lead as soon as able. We love her enthusiam, and most especially her love for Jesus and others! We cannot wait for you to hear from her today!
Girl Talk (GT): Kenz, you have been such a big part of Girl Talk since you were starting middle school and you have had a huge impact on Girl Talk and through Girl Talk. One of our favorite aspects of your GT story is something your mom shared with us at the paint fight your first summer of Girl Talk. How have you seen Girl Talk impact your family?
Kenzie (KM): Girl Talk has really helped to pull my entire family together. After I come home from GT, my family is always so eager to hear what was discussed and what I took away from it!
Girl Talk has brought my mom and I closer as well! My mom initially told me about GT the summer I was going into sixth grade and was just as, if not more, excited than I was! My mom has loved to watch me grow through the years in this ministry and it has brought us closer all together!
GT: We often share the words your mom gave us that first summer. She has always been a cheerleader for Girl Talk and we are thankful for her excitement that led to yours. We love coming alongside moms in discipling their daughters and seeing it impact an entire family. Since being a part of Girl Talk, how have you seen GT impact your life as a middle school girl and now high school girl?
KM: Girl Talk has blessed me with so many relationships that I probably would not have otherwise. Through Girl Talk, I have had the opportunity to be served by girls older than me to then be able to serve those under me! I love that girls from different schools and churches are able to break the bounds of their normal “group” and meet others for the same cause! Girl Talk has helped me grow so much in my faith and I have loved watching some of my closest friends grow as well!
GT: You hit every single thing we want Girl Talk to be in the lives of all girls and moms who walk with us through this with Jesus! Praise the Lord! We have loved seeing how you have been led and grown in your faith and how you are growing in your faith while leading and contiuing to be led, also!
We often think we have to understand every thing right when we hear it but one thing we love about Girl Talk is the gradual growth we all get to walk through together. You have been coming to Girl Talk since the end of fifth grade and have been pursuing a relationship with Jesus, but when do you think you first began to understand Who He is?
KM: I really understood Jesus this past summer. I have always had a really steady, constant, faith; however, something changed for me this summer. Some of my friends really grew in their faith and it pushed me to earnestly want all that the Lord has for me. I started getting in The Word sometimes multiple times a day and really striving to live like Jesus. God has shown me so much of everything I am not so He can reveal to me everything that He is (and more)!
GT: We love that seeing others growing pushed you to do that for yourself. That really is such a big part of our heart for Girl Talk! The John 4 story of the woman at the well going back and telling everyone she knows Who Jesus is and who she was without Him! In coming to understand Jesus more and the way you have seen your family grow, how have you seen the understanding of Jesus change your family?
“Faith is made stronger when under trial and as brutal as the last few months have been, I am extremely thankful.”
KM: My family is very rooted in faith and it goes into so many areas of our family life. This past year and into this year, my mom has been very very sick. This sickness made my entire family have to rely on something bigger than ourselves. Faith is made stronger when under trial and as brutal as the last few months have been, I am extremely thankful. Overall, this has brought my family so much closer together as it has been the biggest testament to the Lord and His Faithfulness and Steadfastness in all circumstances!
GT: You hit it! We could all say in some area of our lives “As brutual as ___ has been” but how do we end that sentence? We so many run, blame God, get angry, get miserable, make excuses to live in sin and live in rebellion. But where does that really get us? Further away from our true purpose and away from who we are in Him. We will never find what we are looking for in any other place but thankfulness. We are so thankful to be walking beside you and your mom and your family through this difficult time and seeing how the Lord has continued strengthening all of you through His Faithfulness and His His Strength.
With all you are walking through, what struggles did you face in middle school? And what struggles are you facing in high school?
KM: I have struggled with comparison so so much. I think comparing yourself to others is so much more than looks or the fact that they are dating someone and you are not. I am also someone who worries about a lot of things (majority of which are not even close to being in my control).
GT: Comparison is something we all struggle with, no matter what other circumstances we are dealing with in our every day. And something we talk about throughout all our Heart Issues Curriculum. Whether it is identity, worship, relationships, fear, and all the other issues we cover in the curriculum, comparing ourselves to others can really go back to the garden.
As you have seek Jesus in these struggles, how long has it taken to see breakthrough in comparison?
KM: It has taken me a long time to look at someone else and not think less of myself. It’s a hard battle to overcome but also something that I have prayed for fervently and an area of my life I strongly believe the Lord is doing a work in. “Her blessing was hers. It’s hard to be jealous when you celebrate your friends well” is something that I have to replay over and over in my head when I start to compare myself to someone else or where I thought I would be. I have had to learn that God has made me for this moment. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. God has placed me here for a reason.
He could have placed someone else in my family or in my classes or on a team but He placed me.
You are alive in the season God has called you to and in Him, you lack nothing. This struggle by no means is something I have mastered or no longer struggled in but I have learned to place my identity in the Creator of the Universe, not a trend that will fade in a few months.
GT: That is so good! “Not a trend that will fade in a few months” is such a good mindset to keep because the Bible tells us the earth and everything in it will pass away. We can get so focused on the things around us that we forget we were made for eternity.
Just being able to see that learn to place your identiy in the Creater of the Universe Who loves you so much is such a WIN! What other victories have you seen?
KM: I have truly seen the beauty of living in the moment and not being held captive by the fear of the future. I have learned to open my Bible and get up early for the quiet times even when it is hard and now it’s no longer a chore, it’s a joy.
GT: At your age, and really at any age, that is a HUGE victory! It is so easy to look around and see all that we can complain about it. But it truly is when we make that decision to get up and have our time with Him, it sets our focus on being able to see His Beauty all around us and truly know Him in our every day lives. We see what He wants to show us. It is really only there we can see where God is at work in our lives. How have you seen God at work in your life recently?
KM: One of the most unexpected places that I felt so moved by the Lord was my summer job. I worked at the pool for a country club in Montgomery. There were many days where it was raining and slow and something Jesus would just get brought up. It got to a point one day where my coworkers were sitting in a circle around me just to hear what I had to say about my faith. I talked for close to an hour and a half while they all just listened. It reminded me so much of Paul when he was in prison turning his mess into message. In that moment I just knew that God was going to do big things I just had to be obedient to Him.
GT: Kenz, that is amazing! We have for sure seen God at work in your life in this very way through Girl Talk and we are so thankful for your obedience to Him by leading not just in Girl Talk but in an atmosphere like the country club to share your faith and Who God is to you. So amazing! He used you in so many amazing ways this summer and we know He has been using you in so many ways since, with your mom, family, friends and the people around you. Now it’s February of your sophomore year of high school, how do you see God using you now?
KM: I lead Girl Talk small groups and currently serve on the FCA leadership team at school and I lead Bible studies with my friends. I have seen first-hand what it looks like for God to move so diligently in someone, they only have to be still.
GT: You serve people so well, Kenz! What do you think serving the Kingdom looks like?
KM: I think serving someone does not have to be this big elaborate thing. I believe that just being obedient to what the Lord has called you to and rely on Him in all things is serving to the Lord. God continues to absolutely amaze me with every new opportunity!
GT: So so true! Something we love to say is God is just looking for the next yes. The next step. Just do the next right thing and He truly is the best Daddy, the best coach, the best teacher, the best leader… the best boss. Whatever His next thing for you, He is going to equip you to do it. We love that our Dad is never surprised! He is always ready to toss us the next pitch and see us swing. He’ll take care of the hit.
We love you, Kenz! And we are so proud of you. We love how the Lord is leading you, teaching you and using you and we are so thankful you and your precious mom, and your family, are all part of Girl Talk. We have been praying for all of you and we will continue!
This testimony is special to us for so many reasons. One being Kenzie’s mom, Stephanie McClelland, has been sick for almost a year. Read Kenzie’s account on what is happening with her mom and how the Lord has continued encouraging her through it. We love you Mrs. Stephanie and we cannot wait for the day you have your strength back to tell all the world how Jesus has healed you!
I never would have imagined my past year would look the way it has. March 31, 2023 is when I first saw a change. I was riding home with my mom after my grandmother's birthday party. I knew my mom’s eye had been bothering her but I didn't know how bad it was. It wasn't until later we found out that she could barely see five feet in front of her while driving that night. That night is when everything changed. She continued to get worse and worse not just with her eye but problems quickly spread.
Days turned to weeks when my parents were in the hospital. They would occasionally be at home but most of the time it was UAB. My summer was filled with a few surprise day trips to UAB to visit my parents and that always made me so so happy. In the meantime during my weeks at home, I always loved looking forward to my tuesdays at 4pm. This is when I met with my incoming 6th grade Girl Talk girls. My girls always brought me so much joy and encouraged me to continue to be the best version of myself despite my circumstances.
I vividly remember at MOTION conference wrestling a lot that weekend knowing I was just a few blocks away from my mom without being able to visit her. The Lord met with me in a new way and surrounded me with a supernatural peace. I came home from conference completely surrendered to the Lord and abounding in joy despite my situation.
My mom was in and out of UAB usually for a week and a half or two weeks at a time until November 15, 2023. She was home until November 20, 2023 when an ambulance had to come get her from our house and took her to a local hospital. She was on and off of the ventilator constantly until February of this year when she came out of the ICU and is now on the floor in a regular room. There were many low moments over the last 12 weeks, hard decisions, and many tears but the Lord has remained steadfast just as He promises. I have been so blessed to actually grow so much in my faith over the past four months and have seen the Lord in bigger ways than I ever have before. I have held Deuteronomy 2:7 very close to my heart during this process.
I do not have many answers but in Christ, I lack nothing. If you are needing any encouragement, please remember your faith lies not in the hands of your circumstances but in Christ!
Are you a girl? Do you know other girls — your age or younger? While we are all gifted and called differently, we are all called to lead, if you would like more information about leading a Girl Talk small group in your city, visit our Start Girl Talk in Your City! page. If you are a mom, we would love to come alongside you and your girl to build your relationship with Jesus together and with each other while building Christ-like community with the girls and moms around you! Get In Touch With Us for more details and we cannot wait to connect with you! Read more about Girl Talk Ministries on our main page. We would love for you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share with your friends!
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