“Love each other, pray for one another, and come together as a whole as the body of Christ,” advised Sharon McLendon. “God is calling us to come together with what is going on in the world today. Give people a smile. A smile may say a lot, so just be happy, take one day at a time, and enjoy life. Enjoy being who you are.”
Sharon McLendon always has a smile and desire to uplift those around her.
Growing up, she was one of nine children and loved being able to spend time with her grandmother and learn as much as she could.
“Growing up, I’d be at my grandma’s house, and we’d go up the hill and make slides of cardboard and would slide down the hill. We just had fun doing that,” Sharon reminisced. “I’d watch my grandmother out sweeping her yard with a brush broom. It was amazing to watch her do that. I’d watch her cook in the kitchen making tea cakes and rice pudding. You could smell the aroma all through the house. I remember when we moved from the country to the city. That was amazing for me.”
While she cherishes and focuses on the good memories she has from going up, she has also suffered different tribulations as well. Despite silently bearing the pain those events caused for years, she eventually found peace through following what she felt God calling her to do. It wasn’t easy for her, but she obeyed and found her healing through obedience.
“I wrote a book called Tearing Down Walls in 2016,” expressed Sharon. “In this book, I talk about my life journey. I’ve gone through some strongholds in my life. I didn’t want to write the book, but the Lord laid on my heart to write it and share my story. I didn’t want anyone to know my past. The Lord laid on my spirit that it wasn’t about me but about helping others overcome what they have in life as well. I wrote the book, and it’s helped some people overcome some things in their past that haunted them. I thought I was over my past, but when I started writing that book, I had to relive some things that I still had not gotten over. Since I’ve written the book, the pain, agony, and unforgiveness have all vanished away. I was healed from being obedient to the voice of God.”
Now, her book is available for purchase on Amazon, and she is thrilled that her testimony is able to help others overcome the trials they face each day.
She’s held numerous jobs over the years, and one of those jobs was at HeadStart. She worked there for 11 years and truly loved each child that was in her care. She has a heart for the children and still prays for teachers to be able to provide the love and care that children need as they go through their classes.
“I was a caregiver for the toddlers for the last six years. I loved my babies, and I miss my babies,” stated Sharon. “I pray for the teachers—that we have good teachers who are compassionate. I pray they prepare our children for jobs and motivate our babies to let them know they are somebody and that they can do whatever they want to do and be whoever they want to be.”
Now, Sharon is retired, but she still stays busy. Not only does she take care of her father, but she is involved in various ministries to help uplift and encourage others.
“I serve in different ministries,” informed Sharon. “I serve with Chosen Vessel of Honor where we do a prayer line every Thursday night. People call in prayer requests and we pray over those requests, and then we have a retreat with that every year. I’m also involved with the Morning Glory Intercessor Prayer Ministry that we do every Monday morning at 5:30. It’s a prayer line where we call in, pray, and read scriptures. I’m the head of that ministry. I also send out devotional messages every month to groups and individuals. Since I wrote my book, I’ve become the founder of Girl’s Talk Women’s Ministry. We’ve had our fifth anniversary. It’s through our church and is a small group. Since the pandemic, I asked the Lord how I could keep the ministry going, and we use a conference line. I have over 20 people on that conference lines from different states: I have people from Ohio, Texas, Alabama, and California who call in on that line. In that ministry, I try to empower and encourage women to step out of their comfort zone and discuss God’s Word on a deeper level.”
She also volunteers her time doing some community service in the area.
“Since I retired, I volunteer with Clarke Assistance for the Needy (C.A.N.),” continued Sharon. “I also help with the Clarke County Community Prayer Service, which is held on the courthouse lawn. I’m part of the Mission Ministry at my church. We make Thanksgiving boxes and give WalMart gift cards for senior citizens in the community. We also do gifts at Queen City Nursing Home at Christmas time. I’m part of Women of Excellence, and we do food baskets for ICU families at Rush. My passion is just doing all the women’s ministries and helping others and serving.”
Sharon has a heart of gold and desire to minister to others. With each day that passes, she does everything she can to continue to uplift and inspire others.
