Personal Information

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For those of you who don't know me, I am proud to say that I wouldn't be where I am today if the Lord's hand wasn't upon me. He's brought me so far in what most people would consider a short amount of time.

 

I started college in the spring of 2005 in Dodge City, Kansas. That was my first time living on the mainland after living in Hawaii my entire life.  In 2008 I came home from college for winter break and made an unexpected stay due to an injury. In the following years, I spent my time trying in every way possible to get back to the mainland where I felt I was meant to be. I felt that I had the connections to get me to where I wanted to go in my career and personal life. 

 

Not knowing the Lord at that time in my life, many people told me to pray about it. So I did. Not really knowing who God was or even having a relationship with Him, I prayed. Now you'd think someone who came up through the ranks of High School Rodeo would know who God is, but I really had no clue. I wasn't brought up in a church, so the most I ever got was what my mom would instill in me. Things like, "If God brought you to it, He'll bring you through it", and "Have faith". But to someone who doesn't know who God is, that can be pretty hard to follow. I would try to read my cowboy bible, but I would read it like it was just another book. Because I was always getting confused as I struggled to read it, and feeling like I wasn't getting anything out of it, I'd stop.

 

Back to the injury that I mentioned earlier-- In the winter of 2005 while I was home on vacation, I ended up breaking my right femur and having to finish the rest of the year with online classes. At that time my oldest sister and her family were attending a church in town. I would go with them, but I can't say that I ever left with anything that would change me at the time. Bits and pieces of the message would trigger my interest, but nothing would really grab my attention or my heart. I'd leave the building the same as I walked in.

 

Living in Hawaii, there aren't very many rodeos, and I struggled to get my foot in the door while I was there. In 2011, I felt things really starting to come together. When I traveled to the Big Island I would stay at my uncle's house. On Sunday's he'd invite me to church and I would go just to be respectful. After that first day, something inside me changed. I went back home and while at work during the week I found myself listening to a Christian talk radio station while driving the tractor. After listening for a while, little by little things started to make sense to me. I bought a study bible and started reading. I was NEVER a reader! Even through the years, I was in grade school. As a matter of fact, I probably only read two books that entire time. And only because it was a required assignment. 

 

Traveling back to the Big Island to rodeos throughout the year, I'd continue going to church with my uncle and aunt. But I never had a church on the island where I was living. As time went by, I finally found a church home just five minutes from where I lived called "Hope Chapel West O'ahu" pastored by Mike Kai. After the first service, I was hooked! The messages spoke to me clearly about where I had been in my life. I'd leave every Sunday energized and excited about what I had just heard.

 

In December of 2011, you'd think I would be wanting to watch the NFR like most people, but I didn't. At that time, I had no more passion to rodeo, let alone watch one. Planning to change the station during the bull riding something inside me changed. A new flame ignited with a stronger passion than I ever had before. I tried to ignore it and think nothing of it. As far as I knew it, my rodeo days were over.

 

In February of 2012, I gave my life to Christ and was baptized. In full surrender, I wanted to give up my dreams of being a bullfighter and was open to whatever He had planned for me. After that is when things started turning around. Everything started turning in my favor, doors that I tried to kick down in the past were opening, but all in a direction that I no longer wanted to go. I didn't understand why. Why is it that when I give it up, things start coming together? I didn't realize that that was all a part of God's plan for me. He wanted me to surrender it to Him. After that, every message from either church or when I was listening to the radio at work, would encourage me to take steps of faith back to fulfilling my dream. Which has led me to where I am today, walking in my God-given destiny of a rodeo career. 

 

Today, I am a PRCA and PBR card-holder with a full schedule every year. In 2016, I worked approximately 15 rodeos and fought about 10 freestyle bullfights. Since giving my life and career to Christ, I have received the honor of being the WNFR Protection Bullfighter Champion and the Mandalay Bay American Bullfighting Freestyle Champion. I also have a great handful of sponsors who get me up and down the road each year. 

 

God has done so much amazing work in and through me. He always has His hand of protection on me in and out of the rodeo area. And I pray every day that He always will. I want nothing more than to continue to fulfill only His plan for my life. I have made so many connections within the rodeo world, that no matter where I go I will always have a friend nearby. Looking back on my life, I see that God had His best interests set our for me all along.