Phyllis Isenhart was born in eastern North Carolina to a Free Will Baptist preacher, so during her early life she regularly attended church. After high school, however, she did her own thing for the next ten years. During that time, she married a marine and they had four children. But in time she found herself in a legal separation and, eventually, a divorce, and her whole world seemed to fall apart.
In the aftermath, she went to church off and on, but was never happy with the result. Then, in March of 1978, as a favor to her children, who had been riding a church bus and attending Sunday school, she went, and her life was totally changed. She was subsequently fillled with the Spirit. One day, when she was at her lowest point, Jesus suddenly appeared before her and sang her a love song. That made such an impact on her life that she has never been the same again.