Our Faith Journey

 Jeff was saved in 1972 at the age of 10 and has been studying the Bible—our “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”—ever since. As his faith grew, he began sharing the gospel and evangelizing through his business. Lisa was saved in 1992 at the age of 25. That same year, we began attending church together, and our shared journey of faith has continued ever since. 

Our church journey began in Chauvin, Louisiana, where we first lived. We attended Word of Life under Pastor Dwayne Bland, who is now in Thibodaux, Louisiana. After moving to Garyville, we began attending Jesse and Cathy Duplantis’ church. We prospered during that season, and within one year, we were blessed to purchase our first home in Livingston. Even after moving, we continued attending for about another year, although the drive was approximately one hour each way.

We later began attending Freedom Church in Livingston, where Bud and Yo Blake served as pastors. We attended for about a year while also participating in Bible studies led by Sister Tottie McDonald and Brother Earl Rae McDonald. Over the years, we visited many other churches and Bible studies, but these leaders and seasons made some of the greatest impressions on our lives.

Before Bethany Church opened its South or Livingston campus, we attended its Baker campus, which was about a 45-minute drive from our home. When the South campus was built, we began attending there because it reduced our drive to approximately 25 minutes.

Bethany Church became an important part of our family’s story. It was where we raised our two sons, Jeff and Justin, and where we faithfully worshiped for 20 years. During that time, we also hosted Bible studies in our home. Those gatherings were filled with prayer, fellowship, food, bonfires, wiener roasts, and many wonderful memories with our church friends.

Every Friday evening, Lisa prepared gumbo and potato salad for the Bible study group. One week, she thought everyone might be tired of having the same meal, so she made meatballs for sandwiches and prepared several other dishes instead. When everyone arrived, they immediately began looking for the gumbo. They told her, “We were looking forward to that good gumbo!” From that night forward, gumbo and potato salad remained the Friday-night tradition.

 While attending Bethany Church, we participated in Bible studies at the home of Brother Fred Mack and Sister Brenda Mack. They faithfully mentored us for 20 years, and over time, they became some of our closest friends. We also had the opportunity to travel to many places and participate in ministry together. Their teaching, friendship, and spiritual guidance had a lasting influence on our lives. 

After our sons were grown and it was once again just the two of us, we decided to visit Jesse Duplantis and Pastor Cathy again after being away for approximately 20 years. Once we returned, we never left.

Brother Jesse travels extensively, evangelizing and ministering throughout the world. He is usually at the church for special occasions, including Christmas, the church anniversary, and yearly conferences. Simply looking at his travel schedule can be exhausting! His wife, Cathy, serves as the pastor and is an excellent Bible teacher. She teaches directly from Scripture, which is one of the things we appreciate most.

After attending Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, for one year, we were blessed with another new home—the home where we now live. Both times we attended Covenant Church for a year, we experienced growth and prosperity in our lives. We now travel approximately 90 miles each way to attend, but the journey is worth it to us.

Throughout our spiritual journey, we have each been water baptized at least five times. Baptism has remained a meaningful part of our faith, obedience, and desire to follow Jesus.

We also love reading and studying together. Some of our favorite times are spent going for a ride, finding a place to read, and studying God’s Word. We have read many books over the years and continue to look for resources that will help us grow in wisdom and understanding.

We especially enjoy the books of Dr. Mike Murdock. We often describe him as a modern-day Solomon because of the wisdom found throughout his teaching. His church, The Wisdom Center, is located in Texas.

Another book that has deeply influenced us is Pastor Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gems from the Greek, a daily devotional that explores the meaning of important words and passages from the original Greek. It is one of the best Bible-study resources we have found, and we have learned a great deal from it.

Pastor Cathy once told Jeff, “You are going to start hearing God differently.” Not long afterward, Jeff believed he heard God say, “I’m putting you here.” We accepted that word by faith, and this is where we are today.

One morning, Jeff woke up feeling led by the Holy Spirit to research the Pool of Bethesda. As he read about it, he knew in his heart that this was our God-given assignment. We believe God has entrusted us with this property for a special purpose and has given us a territory in which to serve others. Our mission is to offer water baptisms while praying and believing for changed lives, healing, miracles, signs, and wonders.

Our long-term vision is to create a beautiful, clean pond with a sandy beach where people can be baptized in a peaceful outdoor setting. We already have the land needed for the pond. We are trusting God to provide someone to help us dig it and the financial resources necessary to complete it.

However, we are not waiting for the future pond before beginning the work God has called us to do. For now, we use a large water tank for baptisms, and it allows us to serve people today. We believe the pond will become a reality at the right time, but until then, we will faithfully use what God has already placed in our hands.

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
— Acts 22:16, KJV

 Once the baptism pond is completed, our goal is to open the property on weekends so people can come and be baptized. We already have a dressing room and a bathroom where guests can change before and after their baptism. As the ministry grows, we also hope to provide food and create a welcoming place where people can gather, pray, and enjoy fellowship.