The Full Story
Legacy: Living Beyond Yourself
Legacy University was established in 2020, but the story began well over 100 years ago. I (Miranda Riser - founder of Legacy U) am extremely grateful for my heritage. I am a fourth generation Holy Spirit-filled Christian from a family of women that has passed down the legacy of, not just recipes, quilts, stories, work ethics, but more importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ, God our Father, and His precious Holy Spirit. I invite you to read the story below to understand the value of legacy and why this school has been inspired.
Bernice
My great grandmother, Bernice, raised three children courageously and primarily on her own due to an alcoholic husband that would leave randomly for months at a time and they never knew when/if he would return. She, at times, would make a home for them out of a chicken coop just to be able to make ends meet. She not only brought up her children, but also looked after her youngest brother who had contracted polio as a child, leaving him blind in one eye, lame in his leg, and an unclear speech impairment. She worked hard to raising a garden for food, and building the very home that they lived in from the foundation up.
I remember as a young girl, she was always singing a hymn, praising the Lord as she went about her work.
She passed away when I was nine years old.
Jeineen
Jeineen, Bernice's second child and my grandmother, raised five children of her own beginning at a time when my grandfather was drafted into World War II. They later bought a 100-acre farm and raised a garden to support their family.
During the "Jesus Movement", my grandma began to provide their home for the youth to meet, sing worship songs, and learn about the Bible. They had an older building on their property that she would schedule revival meetings to be held in. I remember being about five-years old falling asleep to the tambourines and Pentecostal tunes of praise songs, prayer, and people dancing in the Spirit.
Shirley
Shirley, my mom, was the second born of Jeineen and Dewey. She was the ideal mother with a family dinner ready every evening and a ready ear to listen every afternoon when I got home from school. When I was in 4th grade, she began to teach my Sunday School class. A couple of years later, she would take the time to pick up approximately 8-10 of my classmates, bring them to our house and teach the stories of the Bible to us. Much of the Old Testament understanding that I received was through these Wednesday night Bible studies that she held for us.
When it was time for me to go to college, she took on three rental properties to assist in paying my tuition to an out-of-state Christian college.
Years later when my husband, the children and I were called into the mission field, half-way across the world, she supported our calling, as difficult as it was knowing her only child and grandchildren would only be seen once a year. But I clearly remember her saying, "I know if you don't obey what the Lord is telling you to do, you will never be happy." She had found her peace in the Lord and trusted in Him, never making it difficult for us in answering that calling. Both of my parents taught me to work hard and to have a fear the Lord.
Miranda
I was born an only child