I'm in a legal fight with a Giant - Just me and God.
Born into a family of pastors on both sides, I have spent most of my life trying to live with purpose, faith, compassion, and a desire to help others. After the tragic murder of my sister, using my disability income, I founded a nonprofit organization, Born To Be Light, centered around nonviolence, self-accountability, community support, and change. Through faith and my own personal finances, I spent years building resources and outreach efforts designed to inspire hope instead of harm.
In 2018, I made a life-changing decision to relocate from Chicago to Georgia to start a business after being selected as one of the first Amazon DSP partners (Delivery Service Partner). I stepped into that journey believing that hard work, faith, perseverance, and integrity could help create a better future not only for my family, but also for the community of employees (more than 400) and families connected to the business. I incorporated the Born To Be Light mission of being a light into the company culture, encouraging employees to remember that sometimes a simple smile or positive interaction may be the brightest moment in someone’s day.
What followed became nearly four years of one of the most exciting, beautiful, and then, most eye-opening, difficult, and life-changing journeys of my life. I don't regret one day of it; I believe God sent me, covered me, and led me there for a reason.
What started as a business plea for fairness became an ongoing legal journey that forced me into battle alone. Because of this, over the last several years, I experienced losses I never imagined I would face, including repossessions, housing instability, business loss, physical and emotional exhaustion, and an ongoing legal battle that I have fought in court alone pro se.
Because I've had no formal legal experience, the pro se legal journey required me to learn to fly the plane while in the air. I've had to stand on my own in ways I never imagined. I entered this legal journey for truth, fairness, and justice without a large legal team, financial backing, or powerful connections to stand with me against this corporate giant — just God, faith, perseverance, and the determination to continue moving forward one step at a time with dignity and purpose until he says STOP. We (God and I) have already achieved legally, with Him as my counsel, what others believed would not be possible. But with God, all things are possible.
This legal journey has often felt like a David-versus-Goliath battle. At times, all I truly had was faith, perseverance, my voice, the truth, and the determination not to give up quietly. The legal costs, filing fees, transcripts, records, actual court hearings, and ongoing expenses have been overwhelming, but through prayer, faith, and the support of family and friends, I have been able to continue moving forward one step at a time, one day at a time.
Through this process, I have gone from arbitration to the Washington Superior Court, and now the Washington Court of Appeals, continuing to stand on what I believe is the truth. I do not believe this journey is only about me - this is a survival testimony in the making that will resonate with other believers who find themselves facing a wall too steep to climb.
When I stand before the courts, I don't stand alone; God stands with me. I can't stop standing until God says so. This journey is about not being quiet when you see an injustice. I believe what has happened to me during my journey also represents many business owners, other DSPs, and those who may have felt mistreated, unseen, or unable to fight back against giant corporations and a legal system larger than themselves.
At the same time, this legal season deeply impacted my personal life and nonprofit mission. With the heaviest of hearts, last year I was forced to pause the 15-year vision behind the Light Network, a project focused on connecting individuals and families to resources, support, and hope before desperation turns into crisis. Because I was self-funded, I could no longer afford the warehouse or salaries.
However, this will not stop my mission; it is a temporary pause. Born To Be Light is not just a mission, it's a movement. I believe that when people lose hope, support, opportunity, or guidance, desperation can too often follow, creating the pathway to violent crime. The mission behind Born To Be Light and the Light Network has always been to encourage nonviolence, accountability, compassion, and community connection while helping people find pathways forward before they reach their breaking point.
This journey has changed me in ways I never expected. It has strengthened my humility, patience, endurance, compassion, and encouraged a deeper understanding of faith. It has taught me that rebuilding is not always loud. Sometimes rebuilding happens quietly — through prayer, perseverance, and the refusal to give up during difficult seasons.
I do not claim to have all the answers, nor do I know exactly where every part of my legal and life journey will lead; this is God’s story. But what I do know, for certain, is that difficult seasons can produce strength (by exercising my faith), wisdom (if I learn from my experiences), compassion (if I truly listen), testimony (if I am willing to share), and purpose that may one day help someone else make it through their own journey.
I created this campaign as both a step of faith and a step toward rebuilding. This journey has also humbled me in ways I never expected. I have always tried to be the person helping others, carrying everyone's burdens quietly, and fighting my battles on my own with prayer. However, one of the hardest lessons I've learned was that there is no shame in asking for prayer and help when life becomes overwhelming. I must take my own advice when it comes to help. Sometimes strength is found not only in perseverance, but also in allowing others to help carry the weight spiritually and financially.
Support received through this page will help with:
- ongoing legal expenses and court-related costs,
- transcripts, filings, and administrative expenses,
- rebuilding and financial stabilization efforts,
- and the continued development of the Light Network and future outreach projects connected to it.
More than anything, I simply want to continue moving forward with dignity, faith, purpose, and the hope that this journey may eventually help others facing difficult seasons of their own. The race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who stands until the end.
I strive to be a living example that God will walk with you through every step of life’s journey.
He is the reason I can still smile… because I know: “GOD’S GOT ME!” ❤️
Whether through donations, prayers, encouragement, or simply sharing this page or your testimony, thank you for walking this journey with me — one step at a time.
Sheila Edwards Howard
