Transformation is rarely gentle. Often, it begins with a whisper of discomfort, a nudge from the ordinary into the extraordinary. But sometimes, it strikes like lightning, an undeniable force shattering the mundane and forcing us to confront the unknown. My journey began with one such moment—a single encounter that changed everything. In the dim light of a room, staring into eyes no longer familiar, I found myself face-to-face with the stark reality of transformation.
If someone had told me then—in those restless teenage years, still caught between childhood and adulthood—that one day I’d stand in the dim light of a room, staring down the defiant eyes of a woman who was no longer herself, I wouldn’t have believed it. With unbridled hatred, her eyes locked onto mine with an intensity I had never encountered before, as though she were trying to pierce through me with her stare. Then, as if something had overtaken her, it spoke through her lips in a deep, guttural baritone voice that didn’t belong to her. Slowly, deliberately, it said, “I… HATE… YOU.” Her features seemed distorted, her once-familiar presence consumed by something dark and unrecognizable, as though she had become a vessel for a force that exuded pure malice. Her body twisted unnaturally, a horrifying spectacle, and the air in the room seemed to thicken with a presence I couldn’t explain. And yet, in that moment, I felt no fear—only an unshakable sense of purpose. My life had brought me here, shaped by a decision I made long before I understood its weight. That decision? A simple prayer whispered one quiet morning in my tiny motel room. I had no idea then what those words of surrender would cost me—or what they would prepare me to face.
That night, I didn’t understand the weight of what I had witnessed. All I knew was that life as I knew it had shifted, the foundations cracking beneath the weight of something greater. This wasn’t just a moment; it was an invitation—a call to a path I hadn’t yet chosen but could no longer ignore.
Next week, we’ll take a step back to where it all began: the unassuming sawmill where the first whispers of transformation began to stir.