Women’s History Month: Grace Ball

Originally from Wichita, Kansas where I grew up in a close and supportive family! I frequently heard about Jesus, but the extent of a relationship with Him was going to church and praying with my family. I began to see a need for God when my mom’s cancer diagnosis hit my family when I was 9, but I still had a false grasp of control on my life. I valued youth group and church activities in high school, but relationships, athletics, and performance were prioritized over a relationship with God. During my freshman year of college, I was playing tennis at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (go roos!) and God began to show me that anything apart from Christ was unfulfilling. In the middle of that year, God saved me from my sin as I trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross. I developed a new hunger to grow and was discipled by an older woman who invested into me, and God used that to cultivate a passion for ministry. Once I understood God’s heart for discipleship, it changed everything for me. I couldn’t believe that we get to be a part of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) as we go and make disciples. I saw God’s faithfulness not only in the midst of suffering, but also through His people and Church. (Phil 4:19) After completing grad school, I craved to deepen my theology which led me to the Watermark Institute and now on staff here. God allowed a young adults ministry to impact me deeply and it’s a privilege to be here and see Christ working in and through the lives of young adults. In my free time you can find me outside playing pickleball, at a coffee shop, defending why Kansas isn’t that bad of a state…or spending time with my three nephews!