Hello, I’m Brandi Sawyer. Once upon a time, I was Brandi Watts. I wasn’t born Brandi Watts, though. My life is a testimony of God’s faithfulness that began before birth. Conceived in the womb of a lost, hurting, and single woman, my life was very nearly aborted before I had even been born. But God. He had a plan for me.
That plan began unfolding when my birth mother decided to carry out her pregnancy. Born in Delaware, God miraculously plucked me out of what would have been a horrific childhood when I was adopted as an infant by Mark and Dianna Watts. I am so thankful for them – through them, God very literally saved my life.
I was such an amazing baby, that my parents decided to adopt 11 more! Or was that in spite of me? Haha, either way, I grew up in a crazy, exciting, and ever-growing and changing family. One thing remained ever constant, though. The love my parents had for God, and for me (and all my brothers and sisters, too).
Because of the lifestyle my birth mother was living, I had extra challenges to overcome in the form of learning disabilities, including dyslexia. Learning from traditional schoolwork was tough for me, to say the least. I discovered, though, that I could learn things hands on much, much easier. At 13, I began volunteering at Hartfield Animal Hospital, a veterinary practice owned by Doctor Skinner (who was also a friend from church). This proved to the perfect environment for me to gain knowledge, skills, and most importantly, confidence. As time went on, I began working there full-time as a veterinary assistant.
In addition to my love for animals, I had another even greater passion. Dance. I started ballet lessons at age 11, and continued all the way through high school, graduating from Digg’s School of Dance in 2007. I never had an interest in pursuing it professionally, but I loved both the discipline and routine of practicing, as well as the challenge of performing.
As I mentioned before, my parents loved God, and they taught us to love Him, too. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God and desire to follow Him. Despite that, though, my relationship with God through my childhood and teenage years was built more on head knowledge than experiential knowledge. It wasn’t until moving to Fredericksburg and attending an internship at the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace that I begin to discover more of God and experience His presence in a more dynamic way.
It was the end of summer in 2009 when I left my job at Hartfield and relocated to Fredericksburg, VA to attend the Burn Internship. To say I was nervous would probably be an understatement. Shy and reserved by nature, my first venture out “on my own” was no small step. I remember almost changing my mind numerous times. I can certainly say now, though, that I’m so glad I didn’t!
Over the following months, my walk with God grew deeper than every before. I began to grow in confidence, stepping out beyond my fears and timidity. What’s more, I met someone by and by. Someone by the name of Phil. But, that’s another chapter ?
As I transitioned out of the burn internship, I had a challenging time finding my footing. I began a job at a veterinary clinic in Fredericksburg, only to find that the work environment was a sharp contrast to the Christ-centered one I left in Hartfield. It was a new challenge to try to stay confident and optimistic in a more stressful and worldly environment. Learning to stay connected with God in the midst of a more taxing, frustrating, and mundane daily routine was stretching as well.
Despite these challenges, I look back on those days as some of the most exciting days in my life. Because it was in those days that I fell in love with Phil, beginning a new chapter in my life (and in this story, too).