A believer in God. A believer in doing good. That describes Taylor Stacy, a senior student-athlete at Lake Superior State University.
A little history of Stacy before getting into the good she is doing.
Taylor Stacy was born and raised in Sylvania, OH. She has one younger sister named Sydney.
The two grew up going to church when they had free time. When they were young, they were more consistent attending church but as they grew older, they had sports on Sundays.
"Overall, I really enjoyed my high school days. During my junior year, I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. This injury pushed me to grow and allowed me to truly appreciate every little thing in life. During my senior year of basketball, my team made it to district finals and we were all super close-knit. I would find myself praying in high school. However, looking back it was more of a one-way relationship with God. I went to Him only when I had requests or needed Him. It was based more on my circumstances, rather than being in complete dependence on Him for all things and fully trusting Him," she explained.
But after high school, things changed.
"I think I truly started growing in my faith and having an actual relationship with the Lord once I got to college. He has opened up my eyes and completely changed my life. I don’t feel like I truly knew God and His Word until these past few years in college." she said.
Before she came to Lake Superior State University to continue to play basketball for the Lady Lakers and to study business, she attended Cedarville College in Ohio.
While at LSSU, she joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
"Being involved in the FCA at LSSU has given me the chance to surround myself with like-minded people who share similar values. It was awesome to see some of my teammates join us and watch their curiosity push them closer to Jesus. Standing firm and being bold in faith has allowed Jesus’ light to be shown throughout campus," she said.
Through her junior year, she prayed to God on how to serve better. She got an answer.
She needed to spread the word of God by donating Bibles to those incarcerated at the local jail.
"I don’t remember exactly when the idea of donating Bibles to jails first came to mind. However, I do remember praying for ways that I could serve God and this was something that He had laid on my heart. After mentioning this idea to Pastor Jeff MIddlestead (E-Free Church - Sault Campus) one day, he helped me truly start this ministry and transform it from just an idea to a reality. I actually did not contact the jail. Jeff has been an amazing help and has done all of that for me! The Bible is God's Word and Truth. I want everyone to be able to hear the hope that the gospel has to offer, so that all may come to know, love, and serve Jesus! While being incarcerated, there is limited access to Bibles. I wanted to provide opportunities for people who didn’t have the ability to access Bibles so they could be made new in Christ. Their past does not define them, only Jesus does and I want them to know that," she said.
So far Stacy has been able to purchase 100 Bibles and will deliver them to the Chippewa County Jail in the near future.
Stacy continues to grow in her faith and is now part of a ministry that shares God's word to those who have never heard it before.
"The ministry is Road To Ten Fourteen. It is based of the scripture in Romans 10:14 which talks about how are people to believe if they have never heard? By raising money to donate Bibles, we are able to share God's Word with those who have never heard before! By providing Bibles to unbelievers, it presents them with an opportunity to seek God and have their eyes opened to His goodness so they may start their walk with Him," she said.
Stacy doesn't have a website for the Road to Ten Fourteen ministry but does have a link to the donation page on the FCA website. All of those donations will be given to the ministry.
Pastor Middlestead praises the work Stacy is doing.
"What Taylor is doing is so encouraging. The Lord put something on her heart and she has been obedient to listen. She went out and raised money to purchase Bibles for people in prison because they need to hear about Jesus, too. What better way than to give them their own personal Bible? Being a student at LSSU and having the courage to start this ministry is a powerful testimony of her faith," he said.
Stacy has this year left before graduating.
"I honestly am not entirely sure of what I want to do after graduation. I will be graduating with a business degree so this opens lots of opportunities for different jobs. I do know that I want to continue serving the Lord wholeheartedly," she concluded.
