Mrs. Alabama cites faith in God

The opportunity to share the importance of her family may have meant more to Kirsten Nelson than being named Mrs. Alabama.
   
Nelson, who was crowned June 10, competed against 20 other women in the pageant which was held at the Bessemer Civic Center. It was during one of the pageant’s segments that she had an opportunity to relate how much her husband and son mean to her.
   
“That actually enriches my life — by spending time with my family and doing things with them,” she said in an interview following the state pageant.
   
Now Nelson will have to balance the time she spends with husband, Ken, and her 22-month-old son, Connor, with the duties that accompany her new title — not to mention her full-time job as a nurse anesthetist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham and involvement at Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover.
   
But Nelson said family and church will always remain a priority as she juggles her various responsibilities. That vow is most likely the result of her learning firsthand the importance of growing up in a Christian home.
   
Saved at the tender age of 4  during Vacation Bible School, Nelson proudly went home to share the decision with her parents. She still remembers the change that began to take place in her family.
   
“It really convicted my parents,” she remembers. “They started going to church again and recommitted their lives. It really changed my entire family and from that point on, I was raised in a loving, Christian home.
   
“That made all the difference in the world in how my adult life has been,” said Nelson, who points to the difference a faith in God has made in her life.
   
“It’s the center of my being,” she said. “Everything revolves around my faith in God and my belief in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
   
“I would not have the husband that I have, I would not have the child I have if it were not for my belief as a Christian,” Nelson added.
   
Her platform issue is Sav-A-Life, where she works as a volunteer counselor. Based in Birmingham, the organization is located throughout the Southeast and is described as a ministry to assist women with unplanned pregnancies.
   
“I’m trying to make the community more aware of the services that they offer,” she said. “They really meet some tremendous needs in the community.”
   
Missy Newlin, executive director of Sav-A-Life, described Nelson as a “very enthusiastic and responsible” person.
   
In her role as Mrs. Alabama, Nelson will make appearances across the state and compete in the Mrs. United States Pageant in August. At Hunter Street, Nelson is part of the worship care ministry and involved with her Sunday School class, which supports missions and needy families.
   
So many responsibiltiies may lead one to wonder how she will balance her duties.
   
“By the grace of God,” she said. “I’ve just been praying that things would work out. So far, it’s been a little bit tight but they have worked out.
   
“My husband is the most supportive husband that anyone could ask for and he has helped in making a lot of this possible."