“Put Jesus first in your life, and then all the other things will come together,” advised Lynn Fairchild. “If you put Christ at the center of your life, then all the other things will come together: family, church, school, work, and everything else will just come together.”
Lynn Fairchild has always possessed a strong faith and knows how important it is in her everyday life. It was established when she was just a little girl, and she cherishes the times she had with her family and the role church had in her life.
“A favorite memory of mine is with my mom and dad. We would go to church every Sunday and would come back home and eat lunch and just be a family,” Lynn reminisced.
As she got older, she desired to use a talent in church. That desire allowed her to learn how to play the piano so that she could play at church whenever she needed to.
“I started playing the piano when I was about 12,” recalled Lynn. “I had told my mom that I wanted to learn how to play the piano so I could play at church. I told her I didn’t want to be a classical pianist and do all that, but I wanted to learn how to play the piano to play at church. When I got married and moved, I had a keyboard to practice on just because I wanted to play at church. Now, I do it all the time, and it’s one of my favorite things to do.”
Along with her desire to play piano in church, Lynn has always had a heart for others. Her greatest desire has always been to do what she can to assist those around her. She had an initial plan to help others, but it wasn’t long before she decided that it just wasn’t for her.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be in life; I just knew that I wanted to help people,” declared Lynn. “I started out training as a nurse. I did one year in nursing school because I thought that I wanted to be a nurse. After the first year, I decided that it wasn’t for me. I stopped that and went to work.”
She attained various jobs while trying to decide what career she would really like to have.
“I started out at a little place called Hanson Scales in Shubuta. I was assembling bathroom scales, and I worked there for about five years,” remembered Lynn. “I thought that there had to be something different I could do, so I decided to I’d go into retail. I worked in a couple restaurants for a while. Then, I decided to go into retail stronger and see about being a manager. I worked at the local Family Dollar for about two years.”
After that, she took on a job that revealed what she believed to be her true calling. She finally found a position that allowed her to help others.
“I went to the school, and they had an opening in the upper elementary as an assistant,” informed Lynn. “I went and talked to Carolyn Smith, Willie Plummer, and Janet Forster, and they said that I was hired. That was back in 1991. I stayed there for 16 years working as an assistant with kindergarten-fifth grade. I decided that is where I wanted to be because I love children.”
Once she knew exactly what she wanted to do for her career, Lynn went back to school. She also took on extra jobs and work hours at the same time.
“They told me if I went back to school, then I could be a teacher. I went back to learn to be a teacher even though as an assistant I was learning to be a teacher on the spot anyway,” stated Lynn. “I went to school every night and eventually got my degree. I started in 1992 and finally got my four year degree in 2008. It took 16 years to get a four year degree, but I did it on my own time. I worked at Papa’s Pizza for a while when I went to school, and I went to Highland Baptist and taught the three and four year old class.”
Once she got her degree, she remained at the daycare for many years before taking a job at a different daycare.
“I finally got my degree in elementary education, and I’ve been working at daycares,” said Lynn. “I stayed at Highland for 10 years. I left there and went to Potter’s Wheel where I work now, and I’ve been there for six years. I take care of the babies and two year old class. I don’t have any children personally, but I just love being around kids and helping them with whatever they need help with.”
With each passing day, Lynn does everything she can to help and make a difference in the lives of everyone around her. She has a nurturing and loving spirit and inspires hope to everyone she comes in contact with.
If you would like to nominate someone for Person of the Week, contact Brittney Mangum at 601-776-3726.
