Most of us know Jesse and Lisa Hampton, who have been attending Community Church of the Santa Ynez Valley for over ten years. Newer members of our congregation, however, are encouraged to seek out and learn from this kind young couple who sit on the far right side of the sanctuary, distinguished by Jesse’s trademark cowboy hat.

As a child, Jesse Hampton was raised as a Christian with the influence of his grandma.  While living in Texas, he went with his mom and sister to a Baptist Church in the Southern Bible belt.  At 12 years of age, he really started seeking the Lord and received the Holy Spirit through a youth pastor at his church. He walked closely

with the Lord through high school but in college he began to fall away.  A near fatal motorcycle accident compelled him to reevaluate his life and renew his faith.

As a child, Lisa had been baptized as a Catholic, attended catechism, and made her first holy communion through the Catholic Church. She always felt a strong draw towards God, but didn't understand some of the things that were being taught to her.  She always had a lot of questions and wondered why she was taught to pray to different saints rather than directly to God. Lisa came to know the Lord in 1996 after going through several years of losses, struggles, and pain including losing her husband of 12 years to cancer. 

Now in their 9^th year of marriage, Jesse and Lisa met for the first time in 1992 while Lisa was working at Zaca Creek Restaurant and Jesse was attending Cal Poly. They saw each other occasionally when he and his friends came to the Santa Ynez Valley on weekends.  Lisa was not a Christian at the time, but Jesse was, and they remained acquaintances choosing not to date.  Jesse completed his education and moved to Southern California.  They didn't have any contact at all until six years later when they both ended up working for the same Santa Ynez Valley roofing company.  By this time, Lisa had become a new believer and Jesse was in a better place in his walk with the Lord.                

Lisa attended prayer meetings at Blain and Sherrie's house on Wednesday evenings with Colleen Thompson just before coming to know the Lord and she started going to Community Church about a year later.  Jesse began to come to Community Church when they started dating and desired to get to know her church family. He and Lisa were married and have attended Community ever since.  Here they feel like they are being taught the whole truth of the Bible and not just certain aspects of it.  They appreciate the accountability and the prayer support that they receive from their church family and feel at home here.

The Hamptons love being together in the outdoors.  They dust off the fishing poles and go camping whenever they have a free weekend.  Jesse still likes to participate in rodeo now and then and has also started showing his dog, Bindi, in herding events.  Lisa still rides horses and picks up a rope from time to time.  She enjoys showing her dogs in conformation and agility and obedience classes. 

The Lord has been showing them lately just how much their daily lives can and do make a difference to others.  Unbelievers are watching the lives of Christians and are impacted by what they see in ways that we do not know. God is using Jesse and Lisa to witness in their work places, in their neighborhood, in their family, and to people they have met while showing their dogs.  One man from the show circuit came to know the Lord just before he was faced with a health issue, but he is experiencing God's grace and peace through the trial.  The Hamptons marvel that God would see fit to use them in such mighty ways recently and are laboring in prayer for God’s protection as they battle to walk in the Spirit and continue to share Christ with others.  God is showing them they should never give up on prayer. He may not answer when or how we want, but He will answer. He loves us and wants what is best for us, so we must trust Him and wait on His timing.  Jesse and Lisa did not have earthly fathers.  Their Lord is the only Father they have ever known and who they look to for everything!

One of Lisa’s favorite Bible verses is Prov. 3:6 - “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  One of Jesse's favorites is Romans 14:8 – “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we

die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.”

*Interview by Anjie Park