L.Michelle Salvant Presents Stories of Faith: Love … Faith & Restoration

Higher Dimension Church Tallahassee, FL

*Many of us have heard the famous quote saying,

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”-(Alfred Tennyson)

And a look into the lives of Carlos & Nicky Collins shows all the more why this saying is just so true.  Both, Loved and Loved hard, before both Experienced near devastating losses.  Pastor Carlos Collins, losing his former wife of 21-years from a long-term battle with Sickle Cell Anemia…Dr. Nicky Collins losing almost everything, after being in a spiritual, mental and even financially abusive marriage for 7-years.

But this is a story, not of despair, but of Love, Faith & Restoration, that began in both of their lives back in 2011.  In the beginning of that year…Dr. Nicky Collins, who was recently divorced and living in Atlanta GA, heard a Word from the Lord instructing her to move back to the place, where she had experienced so much hurt, pain, and even shame, Tallahassee, FL.  She would come back, with a new perspective a new passion, and even a new name for her Ministry, which she called…”Life In The Now,” based on a Hebrews 11:1 type of Faith that began to push her to move forward from her place of pain.  Pastor Carlos Collins, in the same city, would by the end of the year, be standing by his wife’s side as she took her last breath just hours before the start of 2012. In that moment, he instantly became a single father, having the responsibility to raise three children.

Still, It would be another year before the two paths would cross.  Pastor Carlos admits during that time of grief…he was no longer focused on 25-years he had spent serving in Ministry, believing instead that the prophecies he and his former wife received about Pastoring a church, passed away with her. Meanwhile, Dr. Nicky, who had been in Ministry 10-years, most of that time Co-Pastoring a church, reflects that after her divorce, she became content spending her time doing outreach Ministry(like Prison Ministry and Television Ministry) with no intentions of starting a church.

But God’s Love and His Plan for their Lives was Greater.  The two met in March 2013, and began courting, most of the time, by attending church events together.  This is something Pastor Carlos often says Dr. Nicky made clear from the very beginning of their courtship that it was important to worship together.  The two were married on August 25, 2013, and their families, which included 5-children(together) and 2-grandchildren, became one.

During the next few months…they began to talk more and more about their Vision to help people reach their full potential and become leaders in Ministry, not just get lost in the “pews.” Dr. Nicky, who by this time had been doing a monthly prophetic outreach service on Sunday mornings, was inviting Pastor Carlos to share words of Wisdom and by January 2014…the Vision of Higher Dimension Church Tallahassee was born.

Pastor Carlos often remarks about the Love of God in action when he tells the story of how Dr. Nicky came along and helped him birth out this Vision that had been lying dormant inside of him for 25-years.  Higher Dimension Church Tallahassee, “Where The People Are Great” has grown to include dozens of members who oversee various outreach ministries from Evangelism and Prison Ministry to Collegiate Ministry and two dynamic Mentoring Projects.

Now, the Pastors are entering their third year of marriage, and they say, it was Love, Pure Love, that truly helped them to conquer all.  Love through Loss, Love to have Faith to Believe God again, and the Love of God to bring about miraculous Restoration in their Lives.  To meet them, is to know that Real Love truly exists, and that despite what your Life may look like, the Love of God is powerful enough to ensure His purpose for your Life will surely come to pass.  To have and experience this type of Love, is truly greater than choosing never to experience Love at all.

~Love…Faith…Restoration~

Visit their church online at www.hdchurchtallahassee.org