Genesis’s life has consistently been about what she can do for others. When she was a senior in high school, her mom suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized for several months. Since Genesis’s dad wasn’t present in their lives at the time, she became her mom’s primary caregiver at the age of 17.
Genesis went on to attend the University of Tennessee to study pre-medicine, but the stress of being a full-time caregiver and working three jobs to pay bills was too much, so she left school to work full-time and focus on caring for her mom.
Now, Genesis is building her future with her soulmate, Craig. Together, they are raising Craig’s daughter and are excited for their new baby’s arrival later this year.
Genesis is a massage therapist, and Craig is a tattoo artist. They are both extremely passionate about their work and how what they do can impact people’s lives so deeply. They see their work as their ministry opportunity because they make it a priority to touch people’s lives and provide a safe haven in their community. Coming from families where they have seen people struggle with mental health, it is incredibly important to them that they create a space where people can come in, let go of their stress and feel worthy of love and rest.
In addition to working each day to help others, Genesis and Craig are also working hard to build their future home together by investing their time into becoming homeowners. In 2020, they took homeownership classes to prepare for taking that next step, but when the housing market boomed it became absolutely impossible for them to find an affordable home.
“The cost of houses skyrocketed,” Genesis said. “Rates were crazy, and availability of houses was insane. The second I would look at a property, it was already sold.”
On top of the rising cost of buying a place, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on their income as well. Genesis and Craig were forced to shut down their businesses and stop working during the pandemic since their jobs require close personal contact with clients. Eventually, due to the financial instability caused by the pandemic, Genesis and Craig moved in with Craig’s mom to save money. While it has been a blessing to stay with her, as they prepare to welcome a new baby into their family, they desperately need a space to raise their children and call their own.
Through Knoxville Habitat for Humanity and the support of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, Genesis and Craig will now be able to build and purchase an affordable home for their growing family. Having been renters their whole lives, they are grateful for the opportunity to have a home of their own and provide strength and stability for their children to grow and thrive.
