Shared by Glenda Patterson
Shared by Glenda Patterson
Photo by Bryant Taylor, D.Min.
Glenda’s mother shrieked as a black bird flew into the house. “Someone is going to die today,” she said in distress. She carefully ushered the bird back outside with a towel, then immediately lit a candle and prayed. Glenda’s mother was a Spanish-Native American Catholic, and believed in the superstitious symbolism of death and the need for holy protection.
Glenda watched in the background as her siblings, aunt, and cousins sat waiting for her uncle to arrive. They were preparing to leave for a family reunion at the lake, the hot July day making the children restless. With no cell phones, there was no way to contact her uncle. After waiting a long time, Glenda’s aunt said, “Let’s just go. He knows where we’re going. I’ll leave a note.”
The family piled into their cars and headed down the gravel back road toward the lake. A few minutes into the drive, they came upon a tragic accident, and soon discovered Glenda’s uncle was involved and had died.
Glenda was confused, her mother’s Native and Catholic teachings swirling in her head. “Where was his guardian angel?” she earnestly asked.
“Stop asking so many questions,” her mother replied.
Without an answer to satisfy her wonderings, Glenda began questioning what she was taught.
Growing up, Glenda was taught that everything in nature had meaning. Her grandmother was a Curandera who practiced herbal remedies, rituals, and other customs. Glenda often heard stories of spirits and other superstitious beliefs. At the same time, she was also raised Catholic, attending Mass weekly and engaging in other Catholic practices. Furthermore, she was taught evolution in public school, adding to the complexity of her belief system. Repeatedly, when Glenda had questions, her mother’s answer was always the same: “You ask too many questions.”
Glenda wasn’t the only one who had questions. Her older brother began searching for something different to believe. He went through phases of yoga, taekwondo, Jehovah’s Witness teachings, and Baptist churches. Then he found Adventism and was convicted that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had the truth.
He shared his newfound belief with his family, condemning them for eating pork, listening to the Pope, and other practices. His abrasive approach caused many family members to reject what he had to say.
Glenda listened to her brother’s beliefs, but wasn’t convicted. However, Glenda’s older sister eventually converted. She took a different approach to witnessing. Instead of condemning, she offered Glenda, now 16 years old, an invitation to attend an evangelistic series at the small local Wyoming church.
While initially hesitant, Glenda agreed to attend so she could help watch her nephew. As she listened to the sermon, the topic made sense to her. She began attending the meetings almost nightly.
At the end of each meeting, the speaker made an altar call. As the meetings went on, Glenda was the only attendee who had not been baptized. She would sit through the 15- to 20-minute altar calls, unwilling to go forward. She still lived with her devout Catholic parents and feared they would disown her if she made that decision.
After the meetings concluded, Glenda attended church with her sister sporadically. Yet, the messages she heard stayed with her. She filled a notebook with questions and went to the library to study the answers for herself. She met with the priest to ask why the Catholic Church didn’t teach the things she learned. He responded, “You cannot discern spiritual matters. It’s not your job. It’s my job. You need to stop asking so many questions.”
Years later, Glenda began Bible studies with a local Adventist pastor who answered her questions. One day, she happily announced she had decided to get baptized. Not long after, Glenda became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Glenda and her sister were among a few minorities in their church. Because of their Spanish-Native American heritage, they faced discrimination from fellow church members. Despite these challenges, Glenda remained steadfast in her faith. She understood that people are imperfect, so she chose instead to keep her focus on God.
Glenda also faced discrimination at her job, religious discrimination. Since the age of 16, she had worked for a telephone company. After her baptism, she stopped working during Sabbath hours. Throughout her 16-year career there, she repeatedly had to stand up for her beliefs.
Unaware that the Church had resources available to assist with Sabbath accommodation, Glenda fought the battle alone. Week after week, she navigated scheduling conflicts, often leaving work as sundown approached on Fridays. Several times, she feared she might lose her job because of her faith.
The first time, she was called into a boardroom to speak with a group of leaders. They told her she was an excellent employee but couldn’t act as her own supervisor by creating her own schedule. Unsure what to say, Glenda had asked God to lead her. Glenda spoke with the group, asking them if they had a code they followed which directed how they acted.
They replied they did.
Then she asked, “If you had to lie or steal a few times to keep your job, would you do it?”
They responded no.
She then asked why they wanted her to break one of the Ten Commandments, specifically the fourth commandment, which she followed.
The leaders paused to consider her question and finally responded, “We’ll get back to you.”
Sometime later, she was called into the room again and was informed that two other Adventists at the company worked during Sabbath hours.
Again, Glenda felt guided to speak words she had not prepared beforehand.
She asked a Latter-day Saint employee in the room, “Do I judge every Latter-day Saint by one LDS member’s behavior?”
Once again, they said they would get back to her.
Glenda believes each time she had to stand up for her faith, God helped her organize her thoughts, and gave her the right words to say.
Today, Glenda works in the Southern Union Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department. She assists others with religious discrimination issues, including Sabbath accommodations.
Southern Union | July 2026
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