Elkton resident Emma Waters went through more in her childhood than some people will face in their lives. But instead of losing faith, she’s only built it stronger.

Waters will give a speech at 9 a.m. Sunday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Elkton to explain the trials she has faced during her 18 years of life. She invites the public to attend and hear her story, which starts at birth, and continues to when God found her and she found God.

“She lays out her lifeline,” said Gina Grundmeier, Waters’ mother.

The motivation for sharing her story came to Waters when she was participating in the Southern Minnesota Teens Encounter Christ program.

“I went through my first TEC retreat during my sophomore year,” Waters said. According to the organization’s website, it strives to enrich the spiritual lives of teenagers and get them involved with their religious communities at home.

Teenagers will come and talk about who they are and how they came to grow with God, she said.

“It’s just a place to find out more about God and how other teenagers have been affected by him,” Grundmeier said.

Waters heard others relay their tales and decided to stay involved with the program.

“After that, and listening to those stories, I decided to go work,” she said.

Waters told people at the retreats her story, and they encouraged her to share it with others. She gave a speech at Southland, and later at the Lions Club in Adams.

“Emma has had more trials in her 18 years than many adults will ever even think about going through,” Grundmeier said.

Waters was diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia when she was 10, which Grundmeier said is not a common occurrence. She was hospitalized in psychiatric wards three times following her diagnosis. Then, at age 11, she overdosed. Grundmeier sent her to the Twin Cities for a year to receive professional help. Although she had been religious before that, it was there Waters cemented herself in what she believed.

“We’ve always been very faithful,” Grundmeier said. “But being faithful and experiencing the faith are two different things.”

Waters’ trials hadn’t ended, though. Her newfound faith helped brace her at the age of 16 when tragedy struck again. She and her family lost everything in a fire that consumed their home in November 2010, Grundmeier said.

Not long after, Waters had a seizure while driving in Dexter Township one morning. She lost control of the vehicle, which was going 55 mph, and it rolled several times. Waters was taken to the hospital for injuries to her head and arms.

“Our lives are not lacking events,” she said, adding some of the more trying moments in people’s lives were Satan’s efforts to make people question God.

Grundmeier said she thinks many adults tend to dwell on their misfortunes. They get wrapped up in how horrible things are sometimes and why they had to happen. But having a good outlook can make a difference for people. The message Waters gives helps give them that view.

“Seeing the impact of how I really affected people made me want to keep doing it,” Waters said.

And while Waters was glad she was helping others, she said telling her story also helps. It makes it easier for her to grasp the difficult events in her life and become stronger in her faith.

“I honestly can say that my daughter is my hero,” Grundmeier said. “What she’s been through and her outlook on things and how she continues to get through things has always amazed me.”

Grundmeier said Waters’ talk is geared both for teenagers and adults. It’s open to anyone who wants to see it, she added, not just congregation members at St. John’s Lutheran. The talk is meant to share Waters’ experiences and faith.

“We’re not looking to extend our church membership,” Grundmeier said.

Waters hopes to reach out to other churches in the future. In fact, she’s already been asked by several.

“People tell me they’re amazed at how strong my faith is,” Waters said. ‘It’s very fulfilling to know that they’re impacted by my story.”