Hi there! I'm Vernessa Rodriguez, a teacher at heart turned speaker and writer, deeply passionate about helping others through stories of faith, service, and vulnerability. I have taught ELAR for over 12 years and love helping students and adults incorporate reading into their lives for healing and understanding. Reading also allows us to understand the world we live in more deeply.

After many years of teaching, God continued to reveal to me that teaching others wasn't just limited to a classroom, and I have always been passionate about helping others see how God shows up in every season of their lives. I used to teach a girls' Bible class with my sister Anissa, and we based our curriculum around what the Bible says about waiting on God. Years later, I heard from some of the girls who took that class how God continued to use what we taught them in adulthood. It solidified for me how vital it is to plant faith-filled seeds in children's lives so they can flourish as godly adults.

Planting seeds became extremely personal to me when my father passed away. I watched my mother try to find purpose in sadness. I wanted to give her something to do that would help her feel a sense of purpose again and ultimately reach others, so I helped her start an online business, which led to the creation of a Memory Bear ministry. We began making bears from my dad's clothing before moving on to creating bears for people experiencing loss. So what began as honoring my father's legacy transformed into a ministry that comforts grieving families by providing them with tangible keepsakes of their loved ones. My mother no longer sits behind her sewing machine; however, remembering the impact my mother made on others through the Lord's use of her hands blesses our hearts every time we think about it.

Watching my mother heal by finding her purpose again made me realize other women in my church were going through the same thing. From that, I gathered a group of women I loved, and together we became godly sisters who served those in need by cleaning their homes and organizing, and we called ourselves "The Lovely Ladies." We would serve the women at our church by showing them acts of love and showing them Jesus's love through acts of service. But along with serving, we created a weekly sisterhood get-together of laughs and a place of belonging we all craved. If their story encourages you, I challenge you to start your own tribe and experience God's purpose in your life.

These passions and callings have molded me into the woman I am today. I love to combine education, creativity, and faith in everything I do: teaching, mentoring, and writing. If I'm investing in something, you can bet I am looking for ways to serve others through it. I challenge you to look for how God shows up in every season of your story, guiding and blessing you along the way.