Testimony
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Emille was raised in a Christian home.
Something she has now learned to appreciate and respect but for a long time was just a
foreign truth that she knew but didn't truly understand or embrace.
She was surrounded
by faith. Not her own, but still faith. Her mom and dad were very diligent in instilling
in her and her two siblings the truth found in the Word of God, the Bible. They made
many sacrifices to make sure their family was held together by more than just a family
tree or a last name. But that they all knew that there is indeed a bigger purpose for
our lives here on earth. One that is rarely centered in one self but centered in HIM,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ!
She accepted Christ as her personal saviour at age 6 at an altar call. But didn't quite grasp that concept until later in life as a teenager. She grew up singing in the children's church choir, then in the youth ensemble that later opened the opportunity for her to join the singing group "The Latin Continental Singers". She was a part of the 1997 tour that traveled through Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the US. During that summer was when she truly felt, maybe for the 1st time, that her faith became her own.
She remembers that summer fondly. "Singing and performing while also sharing the gospel on a daily basis was a dream come true for me." Says Emille. "I only wish I could do this for the rest of my life!" Funny how God reveals things and passions through us at an early age preparing us for what He has in store!
She continued to passionately serve the Lord for the next year or so when all of a sudden, that passion started to fade. She can't quite remember what triggered the change. Bad friendships, curiosity of life outside a sheltered christian community, good ole' teenage rebellion? Maybe it was all of the above. But the story goes that she started drifting away slowly but surely. Until one day she found herself sleeping behind jail bars because a group of so called friends that she was hanging out with one evening decided they needed to carry guns on them while having a pleasant dinner at a family restaurant. Needless to say, that was a life changing experience for her that caused her to go back to her roots of faith and begin searching for the path that the Lord had originally planned for her prior to this unfortunate detour.
Shortly after that, she became active at her home church again, truly seeking God and the plans HE had for her life. Little did she know that those plans were BIG! Bigger than she could have ever imagined! She was offered the opportunity to be a part of a Christian Girl Group signed under Atlantic Records. She went to spend 6 years of her life touring and recording with the group called Chica. During that amazing journey, she met an incredible man of God who is now her Husband, Randy. And together they have a beautiful baby boy Brandon. So, even though her life had some bumps in the road, she realized that following Christ's lead is the only path to take.
Now Emille is hard at work continuing to pursue the adventures God keeps placing before her. Whether she is reaching out to the least of these in her Prison Ministry, or working on her teen girl Conference PINK, she has a zealous spirit that thrives in her God Journey!