Have you ever thought about your life changing over night?

That’s what happened to Donna.

One crisp, cool Friday afternoon in September, Donna flipped off the lights in her classroom. She thanked God for the week, her students, and for the upcoming weekend. She didn’t know that she had just taught her last class— ever.

Donna had been living with chronic lung diseases which caused her to live a life of doctors appointments, medicines, and hospital visits. But with God’s help she had continued to teach.

This time—this episode with her illness things were different. This time her life changed.

Donna had been feeling miserable—but thought a little rest and some antibiotics would get her back into the swing of things. However, instead of a bottle of antibiotics, Donna was put immediately in the hospital. A few days later, her doctor referred her to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO because of their international reputation in treating respiratory problems.

In Denver, while medical evaluations and treatments were being completed, she and her husband, Brian, attended classes to learn how to deal with her daily pain and lifelong illnesses.

At the completion of their time at NJH, the hospital gave them a binder of information about her chronic lung diseases. Within the information, there was an article entitled “Prepare to Die.”

Prepare to Die

That was one of those defining moments in her life. As a Christian, Donna knew she was prepared to die. She knew Jesus Christ as her Savior. She knew she would be going to Heaven when He calls her home. But she wasn’t prepared to leave the people she loves.

As suggested, Brian and Donna set out to get their wills and affairs in order. They were determined to live life in a way where they do not take each other or time on earth for granted.

But God What are Your Plans for Me?

One of Donna’s all-time favorite Verses is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (TLB) She shared that verse with students, scribbled it on napkins for waitresses, wrote it on a booklet for a military guy on an airplane, and preached it to her own son for years. Donna really felt it was “her” verse!

Lying on the sofa day after day—month after month—she cried
“But God what are Your Plans for me?”
“I know you have plans for everyone and I thought I was supposed to be a teacher. Now I can’t do that. Tell me God—tell me. What do you want me to do?”

She began to feel that God wanted her to write stories about His presence in her life. As she began feeling better, she spent more and more time writing.

Later, she became interested in scrapbooking. But she realized that a crucial part of her life was missing from her “regular” scrapbook pages—her faith. At that time, she tried to find a book to help her learn how to scrapbook her faith—but she couldn’t find anything. Still she felt strongly that God wanted her to leave a spiritual message for her son and future generations.

Donna continued her search for a beginners guide even after she started teaching “faithbooking”. While there are hundreds of books written on the techniques of scrapbooking, she could not find one for Christians who were beginners in the scrapbooking hobby.

 Scrapbook Your Christian Faith--The Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Legacy was Born.

Through a series of events over several years, Donna wrote the guide book she had needed. Scrapbook Your Christian Faith was written to help the Christian new to scrapbooking leave her spiritual legacy to the people she loves today and to those whom she may never meet in the future.

Donna did not understand why circumstances changed her life and she could not continue teaching. However, now she has a peace that God had a different job for her to do now. God swapped her middle school classroom for an opportunity for her to teach others around the world (via the internet) how important it is for them to show God’s Presence in their lives for future generations.

Today Donna enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with family and friends, writing, creating scrapbook layouts as well as teaching classes on faithbooking. It is her heart’s desire to inspire and encourage women to create their own Spiritual legacy.