Sanford's All Souls Catholic Church Parish Catechetical Leader Holly Hooton used “Testimony Tuesday” to share how a special Bible verse helps her get through life’s challenges as she trusts in God’s plans.

On the All Souls YouTube channel, Hooton said the verse is from Jeremiah 29:11.

“For I know the plans I have for you, the plans for prosperity and not disaster,” Hooton quoted from the Bible verse. “And the plans to bring about the future you hope for.”

Then she related to the parish how the verse has impacted her own life.

“And those plans were pretty good for about 17 years out of a 20-year marriage,” she said. “And you know they started off really strong. We built a beautiful family and a beautiful life together. And then it all kind of changed and came crashing down and fell apart in 2016.”

She was upset because God had told her in that Bible verse that he had plans for her to prosper, not get into a disaster.

“And I remember thinking, ‘Is this not a disaster? My entire world and everything I know is falling apart and coming crashing down,’” Hooten said.

She focused on how the church is there to help people through hard times and God is here for us in those times, though you must be attuned to that. That might include divorce, a loved one’s death, losing a job or contracting a serious illness.

“And I can just say that through all of that I hung on to hope and I clung to my faith and I clung to my love for Jesus. That was the one thing that was I knew would never change but only get better and improve if it were to change,” Hooten said.

Hooten said she needed that faith when she moved to Florida with her children, intent on helping her sick father after her parents lost their caretaker. But shortly after they arrived, her dad passed away.

Still, she clung to God’s plan, saying she kept in mind that His plan is greater than ours. Now, Hooten says, if all this didn’t happen, she wouldn’t have come to All Souls Catholic Church.

“It is such a blessing and I truly, truly cannot express my gratitude for being able to work with such amazing people and meeting such amazing people and being a part of the lives of so many people that have brought so much support and love to myself and to my children,” Hooton said.

She advises that all of us, when caught in the middle of a disaster, keep in mind that God has plans for us, He knows best, and His plans will be amazing.