Quiet, shy, soft-spoken, these are only a few adjectives that comes to mind when one looks at Denise Mather, known to some as Elsie. However this soon changes when she steps behind the pulpit and begins to speak about her God. The soft, lady-like voice now booms like a trumpet as she speaks with the authority of one who truly believes what she says and has a relationship with the one about whom she speaks.

Elsie accepted Christ into her heart at age fifteen. She preached her first sermon at age 18 and has never looked back. Elsie has traveled extensively throughout the Bahamas and in parts of America preaching the gospel. When asked if she found it difficult being a christian in High School, Elsie spoke of her best friend deserting her and being shunned by her classmates.
"3 O' Clock," she said, "felt like it would never reach."

Don't even begin to feel sorry for the young Elsie though. She feels it was well worth it. According to her during her last year of High School two of her classmates became christians. Also most of them became interested in hearing about Christ and many are now christians today.

"What kept you from giving up?" I wanted to know. She replied
"My convictions and my attitude. I always liked to prove people wrong. I like a challenge and I don't believe in losing. I was told I wouldn't last two weeks. I have now been a christian for fifteen (15) years."

Do you ever feel like you missed out on anything because you were a christian?, I asked her. "Yes at times", she answered honestly. "I played basketball in High School", she continued, "I actually only had to repeat a year for a basketball scholarship. I had always said that I would be the first Bahamian woman to play in the NBA. At the time I said it there wasn't even a WNBA. So yes sometimes I do think about what I may have missed out on." However she added, my love for Christ does not decrease", "and" she continued "love for Christ keeps me in the field I'm in. So would I trade my life with Christ?" she questioned rhetorically, "Never! she answered."

My final question to Elsie was what advice do you have for christian and non-christian teenagers? Her advice was, "to the christians I say, seek to please no man only God. To the unbeliever I say, realize what life you want to live and where you want to end up. You may say being a christian is boring but it is only boring if you don't understand it.