A Life that Spoke Boldly for Jesus Christ
In Loving Memory of Sandy Ratliff
My mother was one of the bravest and most faithful women I have ever known. Her body was often weak. She lived in constant pain. But her spirit was strong, stronger than most people will ever understand. And no matter what she faced, she spoke boldly for Christ. She didn't whisper her faith. She lived it out loud.
In her home, in our church, and in her community, she made sure people knew about the love of Jesus, not just through her words, but through the way she lived every single day.
A Heart Big Enough to Hold the World
Even with her disability, my mom had a heart that could embrace the world. She helped bring refugees from Cambodia and Laos to safety, welcoming them into her life as though they were family. She gave them comfort, dignity, and the message that in Christ there is always hope and a new beginning.
At church, she was our choir director. When she stood before that choir, you could feel her faith in every note. She believed that music could reach hearts in a way words never could, and she used every song to glorify the Lord.
Over the Rainbow Kenya
But her ministry didn't stop there. My mother started a mission called Over the Rainbow Kenya. Through that mission, she helped build churches, fed the hungry, cared for orphans, and brought the hope of Christ to some of the poorest communities in Kenya.
She and my dad traveled there several times, even though her health made every trip a challenge. Yet she went anyway, because when God called, she answered.
Through Over the Rainbow Kenya, she helped equip people to become ministers, supporting a preaching school that continues to raise up leaders for Christ today. Her love and faith reached across oceans and continents, proof that when God gives you a purpose, no obstacle is too great.
A Ministry of Presence
Back home, she kept sharing that same love. She spoke at women's groups and Bible studies, telling anyone who would listen about the goodness of God. She never hid her pain or her struggles, because she wanted others to know that God's grace is real, that His strength truly is made perfect in our weakness.
My mother's love reached far beyond her own family. My parents took in foster children, and they taught each of them about Jesus, not just by reading the Bible, but by showing them what His love looks like. They even adopted a little boy named James from an orphanage where I was working.
That's just who she was. Her heart was always open to whoever God placed in her path.
A Mother's Faithful Love
Even though she lived in pain every single day, she never missed anything for her children. Every concert, every event, every recital, every milestone, she was there, smiling through it all. Sometimes I knew she was hurting, but she never let that stop her from showing up.
Her love was steady, selfless, and full of grace.
The Echo of Her Faith
My mother taught me what it truly means to speak boldly for Christ. It isn't always about preaching or standing behind a pulpit. Sometimes it's about loving people when it's hard. It's about standing firm in your faith even when your body and heart are tired. It's about shining light in the darkest places and giving glory to God no matter what life brings.
I miss her every single day.
She was disabled most of my life, but she never let that define her or limit her faith. She used to say that when she got to heaven, she was going to run for the first 10,000 years. And I believe with all my heart that she's running now, free from pain, free from weakness, dancing and singing in the presence of her Savior.
Her voice may be quiet here, but her message still echoes in my heart, and in the hearts of everyone she touched.
Through her courage, her compassion, and her faith, my mother's life continues to speak boldly for Christ.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
— 2 Corinthians 12:9