Her husband, Joe, was finally persuaded when she said, “The grandchildren will love it.” Neely and her husband share four grown kids and 11 grandchildren who love the pig – Bacon Bit. Bacon Bit would eventually inspire a message for children that God loves them; a most powerful message of faith. Neely didn’t expect to become an author and book illustrator. She was working as a sous-chef when she lost her job in a Covid-required shutdown. As she sat in her backyard trying to write out a plan of what to do next, Bacon Bit demanded her attention, and soon, she says, the stories about him started coming, “story after story came out of nowhere with the same message: you are loved.” “I genuinely believe this is God-driven,” Neely said, “and I hope you will come along and see where the Lord is leading me to serve Him and share in the incredible opportunity to spread the message that you are loved.” Neely became a Christian after the birth of her now-grown son and was baptized on her first Mother’s Day. Her walk of faith has inspired her life since that time. For decades, she has worked with youth alongside her husband, a youth minister. Together, they have a youth program to guide the next generation to disciple others. Through this program, she has learned to show how to nurture Imagination and fill hearts with love. Neely and her husband minister to underprivileged children and youth in their community and know that the message of God’s love is the most powerful for encouraging and changing lives. She also inherited her father’s artistic abilities and creativity, studying graphic design and then expressing her creativity through interior and exterior design, as well as baking.