A Small Child Leads Her Family to Christ

Story by Kim Hamilton

It all started one Sunday in May 2023, when Katie King asked her mother, Amy Perdue, to go to church with her and Brayleigh Lafferty—King’s niece/Perdue’s granddaughter. As Perdue agreed to go with her daughter and granddaughter, she had a feeling that God was calling her back home. Perdue, King and young Brayleigh attended services at the Summersville (W.Va.) church the Sabbath before Mother’s Day.

Later that evening, Perdue was going through an old Bible and found a 20-year-old bulletin from the Summersville church. It touched her heart, as she felt God’s calling again. She had not attended the church for 20 years, but she was still a believer.

Perdue, King and young Brayleigh started attending church weekly, and one Sabbath young Brayleigh requested prayer that “Pawpaw”—her grandfather—would come to church with them. Jackie “Pawpaw” Purdue was not spiritually ready to go back to church; he was in a very dark place and did not want to hear anything she had to say about church.

One evening, as Jackie was passing young Brayleigh’s room, he heard her singing “Even If” by Mercy Me. She had lost her father recently and was by his side when he passed. Knowing what she had been going through since the loss of her father, Jackie was moved to tears. He broke down as he listened to her sing, and he attended church with the family the following Sabbath.

God used a little child to bring Jackie and the rest of the family back to Him. They began Bible studies with Jaime Rodriguez, pastor of Summersville, and attended church services weekly. Rededicating their lives to God, on July 22, Rodriguez baptized the Purdues and young Brayleigh. Two weeks later, Rodriguez also baptized King and Rhea Perdue—young Brayleigh’s other aunt.

Since their baptisms, the whole family has become active participants in church service and other church-related activities. Young Brayleigh has shared her gift of singing during special music, King has volunteered to do the children’s story, Amy has joined Women’s Ministries, and Jackie and Rhea have volunteered several times to carry the microphone around to church attendees who have comments during Sabbath School. Plus, young Brayleigh’s mom, Dinah Perdue, is currently taking Bible studies and volunteers at the church school.

Young Brayleigh plans to become a teacher and a pastor when she grows up. With her focus on God and with the support of her family and church, she believes without a doubt that she will achieve these goals—a perfect example of how “a little child shall lead them.”

Read articles from the November/December Visitor Magazine

• Editorial: The Painful Reality of Abuse 
• Feature: Hidden Harm of Emotional Abuse
• Dig Deeper Into Adventist History
• Share the Love This Christmas