In honor of my Father, Billy Givens
I was 13 years old when I gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ. I didn’t know then how many chapters of my life would be shaped by that single decision—but I knew I was saved. I felt the peace of forgiveness and the assurance that my eternity was secure.
From that day forward, one prayer became constant in my life: that my dad would be saved as I knew everyone else in my immediate family already was. I loved my father deeply. He was my protector, my example, and one of the most important people in my world. Yet I longed for him to know Jesus personally. For years, I prayed. Through my teenage years and into early adulthood, that prayer remained the quiet cry of my heart.
When I was 21, after my dad’s mother passed away, something shifted in my dad’s heart. He later shared how deeply convicted he felt during that time. Not long after her passing, my pastor, Brother Buddy Hood, came to visit my grandfather and my dad. On that very same day, both my grandfather and my father accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Two generations saved in one day. Brother Buddy later told me it was the only time he’d had father and son accept Jesus on the same day. It was the answer to years of prayer—and a reminder that God’s timing is always perfect.
That same year, my dad was baptized on Father’s Day. I remember how meaningful that moment was. Watching my father publicly declare his faith remains one of the greatest joys of my life. From that day forward, he remained a faithful and loyal follower of Christ.
He went on to serve as treasurer at Pilgrim Home Baptist Church in Wicksburg, Alabama, for 16 years, handling the Lord’s work with integrity and dedication. The man I had prayed for as a 13-year-old girl became a pillar in our church family. His faith was not temporary emotion—it was lifelong transformation.
As the years unfolded, God continued writing my story. In 2014, I went on a blind date—not knowing that the Lord was about to give me one of His sweetest gifts. That night, I met the man who would become my husband, Eric Cope. God, in His kindness, gave me someone who would love me deeply, faithfully, and tenderly. The Lord gave me the one who would help heal my heart and love me with a strength that reminded me so much of my father’s love for me. My faith had led me not only to salvation, but to a godly husband and a legacy of prayer answered.
For many years, I worked in retail management, but as my parents entered their later years, I felt the Lord gently redirecting my path. I stepped away from retail and pursued real estate so I could have the flexibility to care for them more intentionally. Looking back now, I see God’s provision in that decision so clearly. He allowed me to pursue something he knew I would love.
On January 2, 2026, my dad went home to be with the Lord after battling leukemia. While the grief is real and deeply felt, so is the peace. He remained faithful to Jesus until his final breath. The prayers I began praying at 13 carried through to the very end of his life.
My story is not just about a young girl getting saved. It is about the power of persistent prayer. It is about generational salvation. It is about God’s perfect timing. It is about a Father in Heaven who hears the cries of His children.
If you are praying for someone you love, do not stop. Even when you cannot see movement, God is working behind the scenes. He is faithful across years. Across decades. Across generations. I know this because I have lived it.
