Ally Huynh
“For There is Hope, Should Oceans Rise and Mountains Fall, He Never Fails.”
I hope you have time to read a short book. I will hit all the important points and try to make it as short as possible, but trust me, it is pretty neat to see how God has used me throughout the past years. I hope I can shine some light to you.
Once upon a time, I went to a public school. I went there from 3k - 10th grade before I walked into the middle of a gang fight and realized that it was time for me to get out of there! I transferred to a Private Christian School my 11th grade year, and what an eye opener it was. My old school had close to 500 in my student class. Where as my new one had around 45, I believe. Talk about culture shock.
Backstory for understanding: My father passed away a few short weeks before I was born. So, growing up it was always my mom, my grandma, and me. They both worked a lot to provide, even some weekends. I eventually began playing competitive softball when I was 8. And let me explain:
Competitive = Travel.
Every. Single. Weekend.
Anyways, back to the private school. It was really cool to me to hear teachers pray for you and to be able to openly talk about God. Coming from a public school, where during the time they were trying to take church out of the school system, everything was just weird. As I learned more about the Bible in class, I started praying to God.
“Lord, I want more. Use me.”
I played all the sports in high school, I played all the instruments, I did everything I could. I wanted to be the best at absolutely everything. One of my coaches asked me if I could lead a small FCA for our track team. Oh my gosh, I was so nervous. I practiced for hours each time. I felt like I was nothing, even with everything I was doing. And now I felt important and began preaching to a small track team.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
The next year, my school began letting the students lead in chapel worship. I got the opportunity to play and help lead in that. I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
My senior year of high school, I got the absolute life changing opportunity to go to Baja California, Mexico on a mission trip. My heart was filled with so much love as I was able to show God’s love and kindness to the children and families in Mexico. I was able to preach to a whole city of people that I came in contact with. I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a whole city.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
My freshman year of college. Geez, what a doozy. I was a healthy, college athlete. Living with my best friend, playing collegiate softball, and studying what I enjoyed. All felt well in the world.
Then one day, my brain decided to shut down. No reason. I began having full body convulsions. 24 hours a day for 10 days straight. By the time they made me leave the hospital, I had completely forgotten how to do everything- hold my head up, walk, speak, play softball, bathe, tie my shoes. They said it was because of the convulsions. It caused my adrenaline gland chemicals to overflow into my memory glad. Which is what caused me to “forget.” I tell people that it was like being trapped in your own body. I knew what was going on, but I could not speak to tell people. I couldn’t do anything.
It took 8 months to get into Vanderbuilt to get even some type of reasoning to what was going on. (I suggest to plan your body breaking ahead of time, just so you can get an appointment. #protip) (we could go into details about the hospital another day, that’s a different story. Moral of it all, I absolutely would have it happen again, it was the first time I have ever heard my mom pray)
Before every game I played in college, I wrote on my wrist tape some symbols that stood for, “For there is Hope, Should Oceans Rise, and Mountains Fall, He never fails.”
My team sold shirts and bracelets with this on it to help pay for my medical bills. They were able to sell them all over the state to different colleges. They were being my voice when I was unable to speak. Together, we were able to spread a little bit of God’s word to colleges. Even at my absolute weakest, He was still using me. When I physically could not do anything, He used me the most. I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a city, to a whole state of schools.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
That Guy really knows how to listen. At the time, my mom just happened to be working the front desk at a physical therapy place. I spent 8 hours for 5 days week for MONTHS to be able to relearn mostly everything again. It was a slow and frustrating process. You do not realize how much actually goes into having to step up onto a stair, or how to get your fingers to move to turn a stupid bolt (hated that exercise), or the different parts of your tongue to say certain words. It was so much hard work, but I eventually relearned most. I relearned softball to earn myself a scholarship to play at the University of Mobile.
Mom was nervous about me going so far off after everything that had just happened a year ago and all the new and weird things that were going on with my body. But I didn’t want to hold back on life. I knew how easily things could be taken from you at this point. After my grandmama gave me the whole spill about tsunamis, and how I have asthma, and that asthma and swimming in tsunamis do not mix well and that I could die when one comes… I packed up my bags and moved to the beach. I like to think she was secretly okay with it…
While I was at the university, I met so many people and began to realize how much I absolutely loved hearing International students stories and how much I wanted to make them feel at home here in the USA. (thank you Baja) Internationals will always have a strong place in my heart. However, little did I know, that some of them did not believe in Christ or even know what the word meant. I had the opportunity to show them the Lord’s kindness, how good He has been to me, and even share the Gospel to some of them. I like to think of this as getting to speak to all kinds of different countries, because my friends are from all over the World. Little did I know that softball was just the way He used me spread the Gospel. I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a city, to a state, to different countries.
But I wanted more. I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
October came around and my grandmother became sick with Covid and pneumonia. So, I moved back home to be with family. When she passed, I didn’t know what to do. I traveled in my car for a little bit to avoid the grieving stages. It didn’t really work.. When I moved back to Memphis, I worked 3 jobs. I coached softball at Rhodes College, I did media for 901 Soccer and the Memphis Redbirds, and I worked at my church. I became burnt out. Obviously it was really easy. I quit everything and decided to just work at Rhodes and that gave me more time to spend with my athletes.
I started praying to God. “Lord, I want more. Use me.”
At the time I applied for a very prestigious Double Masters Program in Florida, and I got it! I packed my bags and moved to Florida where I earned 2 masters degrees and of course, had to opportunity to work with international students. I finally came to the realization that growing up I thought I needed to play softball in college… when really I was meant to use college softball to spread the gospel.
I also got engaged to Caleb while I was down there! Together we moved back to Memphis, got married, and are now having our first child, Levi, in August.
I went from nothing, to a small track team, to a student body, to a city, to a state, to different countries, to the ones that never believed.
I’m not really sure what is next that God has planned for me here, but I like the unexpected He puts me in. It seems to get bigger and better each time I keep asking. So, I continue to trust Him. I continue to try to be a light to others. I continue to go where He leads me. I continue to want more. I know that There is hope, when oceans rise, and mountains fall, He never fails.
