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Testimonies
April 6, 2011 By 1 Comment
Delivered
April 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Hello, my name is David. I was:
- Adopted as an infant
- Molested at 9
- A Drug dealer at 13
- Had my first arrest at 14
- In juvenile detention at 15
- Played drums in a bar at 16
- Had my juvenile record expunged at 17
- Joined the Air Force at 19
- Guarding Nuclear weapons at 20
- Fighting in Desert Storm at 23
- Fighting Cancer at 26
- Managing 100 pizza stores at 28
- Drug addict at 30
- Robber at 31
- In prison at 34
- Both paroled and back in prison at 35
- Paroled again at 39
- Began attending Bethesda at 39
- Played drums for church worship at 40
- Standing in front of you at 43
One day in prison while walking the yard I remembered how I once protected missiles surrounded by fences to keep bad guys out. I now found myself surrounded by fences to keep bad guys in; and I was one of them. What a horrible feeling!
During most of my life I did not have true relationship with Jesus. But now that I was in prison for the second time I had to change! I did not want to be surrounded by fences anymore. With a sliver of faith I went forward. I signed up for every Christian program the prison system had. It was in those programs I was helped by volunteers from several local Churches and Prison Fellowship. I started to see the love of God. It was on the faces of the people who came to visit us. It was in their heart. It was in the words they spoke. They helped me to realize that I was a child of God and he had a plan for my life. While in a 12-step meeting at Bethesda I had this sudden memory of a time when I was on the streets of Detroit and God was there. The realization that God was there during my darkest hour hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in awe! “He was with me the whole time”. I was out there trying to destroy my life, and he was trying to save it.
A friend reminded me that my battle with addiction and my experience on the city streets would not be wasted. I’m a messenger now. I can share with others and let them know they are not alone, and healing can take place. To know you’re not alone is important. But to know you can heal is life changing. Matthew 16 v.25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”. My old life is dead and buried. Jesus has shown me the way. And I really enjoy my new life and the people in it. You are the people I prayed I would have in my life. You are the people Jesus promised he would bring. It was hard to believe that a day like this would be possible, but anything is possible if you believe.
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I Will Not Be Shaken
December 1, 2010 By 3 Comments
When my son, Merik, was about six-months old, God spoke to me out of the blue and told me things would come easier to him than to my older son, Connor. I thought, “great,” but was unsure why God needed to tell me that. About a year and a half later, in the third week of June 2007, God gave me a song that I thought was for the children’s choir which I was directing at the time. The song was entitled, I Will Not Be Shaken by Tony Guerrero. It turns out, the lyrics to the song, and the words God spoke to me about Merik would mean more to me than I’d ever thought.
The following week my life turned upside down. My husband was changing Merik’s diaper, who was 22-months old at the time, and noticed large bumps protruding from his stomach. He told me he found something kind of disturbing and asked me to come and look. I called the pediatrician, hoping it was just a muscle problem, and they asked to see him as soon as possible. That afternoon I left work, picked him up from daycare, and went to the pediatrician. After looking him over, she determined that she believed he had a tumor and sent us straight to the hospital. I immediately called family and friends and asked them to pray.
Once admitted to a local hospital, they ran several tests and determined that he had a hepatoblastoma, a very rare, malignant liver tumor. Surgery was scheduled for the following Monday to remove the tumor. But, after several people recommended we check out the children’s hospital, we decided to get a second opinion.
A friend of my husband’s began to make calls to people on hospital boards and over hospitals, etc. They “pulled some strings” and got us in to see the chief of surgery at Children’s Hospital. We were told to call his office and he would fit us in . . . he’d be expecting our call. Not only were we able to get in, but the doctor then completely cleared his schedule for the next day to do the surgery on our son. This seemed impossible initially, but we know that God is on our side.
That night, my sister prayed over my son’s belly and told that “mountain” (the grapefruit-sized tumor) to be cast into the sea, just as scripture tells us to do in Mark 11:22-24 (NKJV):
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast not the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
We praised and thanked God when we heard that the surgeon was indeed able to remove the entire tumor from my son’s abdomen, along with half of his liver (which is the only organ to regenerate itself). The mountain had been cast out!
Unfortunately, a damper was put on our excitement when we heard that a chest scan that was done prior to surgery that morning showed that there were two additional spots on the lungs, and when the tumor was removed, some of the fluid spilled into his abdomen. We knew he was going to have to go through chemo to make sure that any trace of cancer was gone, but now there was going to be more to fight. They also soon after determined that he was at a stage 4 cancer, and chemo would begin as soon as possible, three weeks later.
At the beginning of all of this, my mind was full of chaos. There were decisions to make, my boys to take care of, and real life to try to tackle, and I didn’t know where to begin. I couldn’t pray more than the word, “help.” I didn’t know what I needed, or what to look for within scripture for comfort. But then the cards started coming with scriptures I could stand on, and my friend Angel began to email me daily with scriptures that totally applied to the situation—trust, strength, praise, healing and more. It was EXACTLY what I needed. I needed to be reminded of how powerful God is and I needed scripture around to look at constantly.
My sister, again, gave me a scripture in those beginning days that I have clung to more than any other. Psalm 91:14-16 (NIV)
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
— I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
— I will be with them in trouble.
— I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
— and give them my salvation.”
I hadn’t remembered reading that scripture before, but it is full of wonderful promises from the Lord . . . one’s I have learned to live by and believe with my whole heart. He said it, so I believe it!
During that first month, I was overwhelmed by the love and support of family and friends, especially those from church. Meals were made, a freezer was purchased and filled with food, my house was cleaned, my yard was taken care of, babysitters were provided, my family chipped in to pay my salary for the next six months so I could take off work, and cards and emails were sent with wishes of love, and the best part of all —scripture. The scripture is what helped get me through the many months to follow.
After his wounds from surgery healed and he was ready to begin chemo, we met with the doctors and they let us know what schedule we would be facing for the next 6 months. He would start each round of chemo at the beginning of each month on a Monday. He would be in the hospital for 48 hours, and then go for an outpatient appointment for two consecutive Wednesdays thereafter, have a week off to recover a bit and then start all over again. After hearing this, my stomach was in knots. I knew I shouldn’t have let it be, but I did.
When we got home from that appointment, we had received a card from one of my mom’s good friends who said that emotions can deceive us and that we need to hold on to God’s truths — God is still in control. It was a great reminder, and one I desperately needed. I needed to remember the words to the song God gave me before this whole thing started,
“Even when the strongest winds of life may roar, I will stand my ground; I will not be moved; I will not be shaken.”
In other words, I will believe what God’s word says REGARDLESS of what is going on around me. The word says, “By His stripes we ARE healed,” so we are — even when I’m looking at a sick child. Jesus has already healed him. We may have to go through the storm, but the storm is going to end. So that’s what we did. We walked through the storm believing God for Merik’s healing the entire time, even when he looked terrible.
During our stays in the hospital, I always prayed for a private room, but on two occasions, God had other plans. We ended up sharing rooms with two Muslim families. The first family’s son was crying and whining and had a high fever while my son was jumping on the bed. I asked to pray with him and learned his name was Mohammed. I prayed that in Jesus’ name the fever would go down and the Lord would make him feel better. Within a half an hour he was up watching TV and having a snack. Shortly thereafter, we were moved into a brand new, upscale room, and I knew we were in that first room on assignment from the Lord.
The next family was wonderful. The mother and I got along famously and stayed up talking after midnight. It was like a sleepover, but more serious topics were discussed. I wasn’t able to pray with her, but told her about what the bible says about healing and the hope that I have in Him. God knows what he’s doing.
Others friends told me they started going to church more because of the situation and that they felt they needed to get back in touch with their “spiritual side”. I never wanted my son to be ill, but am grateful that through an extremely difficult situation, we were able to minister to others, and many made the decision to seek God more.
On Merik’s last day of chemo, the concierge in the hospital brought us coffee as she did every week while we were down there, and this day she pointed out the total on our receipt. She said that she’s a numbers person and wanted to show us that our total was $7.77. She suggested that we go play the slots. I told her, “No. Seven is God’s number for completion. He just wants to let us know that we are done!”
After Merik finished chemo, the doctors had tests lined up to make sure the chemo worked — blood tests, MRIs and CAT scans to check his status. His alphafetoprotein level was 560,000 to start and it is now 3.7, right in the normal range, and all of his MRIs and CAT scans are completely clear. My boy is healed. He is done, and it’s totally God.
I know now why God spoke to me to let me know that Merik wouldn’t struggle like my older son had. He wanted me to know that I wouldn’t lose my son. With long life, He would satisfy him, just like the bible says. God spoke to me, He gave me a song, and He gave me many scriptures, including Psalm 125:1-2;
Those who trust in, lean on, and confidently hope in the Lord are like Mt. Zion which cannot be moved but abides and stands fast forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from this time forth and forever.
I will not be moved. I will not be shaken, I will stand like a mountain and trust that God’s Word is true. Through this whole ordeal, we have learned not just to believe in God, but to believe in his word wholly and completely, without doubt. We have learned to stand on His Word and not be shaken by the circumstance. We have learned to live an abundant, joyful life no matter what the situation. We will trust in the Lord our God and thank Him for all He’s done. He has proven himself time and time again, and we’ve seen many things to know that what has happened is “totally God,” but we know more than that. He IS totally God.
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Amazing Grace
November 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In June 1999, my husband Scott and I began to try for several months to conceive our first child . . . to no success. We went to a doctor to find out if something was wrong. I had a number of tests including MRIs to see if I had an obstruction in the uterus, HSG’s to test if the fallopian tubes were O.K., and ultrasounds to view the uterus and ovaries. The doctors found that I had eight fibroid tumors in my uterus ranging in size from a walnut to a grapefruit. The uterus would not be able to hold a child with all the fibroids, and it was recommended I have the fibroids removed surgically.
Scott and I did a lot of research on fibroids and on various doctors. After many hours of praying we chose a doctor out of Chicago who could remove the tumors laporascopically. Many of the local doctors in Detroit wanted to do an open myomectomy and if anything were to go wrong with the surgery I would have a hysterectomy. This doctor in Chicago said he would do it laporascopically and the worse case scenario would be an open myomectomy.
Scott and I had a peace in our spirit about the surgery and flew to Chicago on June 29, 2000. The surgery was successful in removing the fibroids however; there was great concern about my fallopian tubes. After a die test the doctor found that the left tube was nonfunctional and the right tube was partially blocked. The doctor informed us it is best to wait a year after surgery before conceiving so that complete healing of the uterus could occur, because the uterus had been cut and stitched in three places.
After trying for six months with no success my ob/gyn referred me to an infertility specialist. The infertility specialist looked at all the tests we had done, and said because of the scarred fallopian tubes artificial insemination would not work. He told us our only option was in vitro fertilization. The doctor recommended we go through a class to learn more about it, and at the end of the class they discussed how sometimes there are more embryos made than can be used at the time. Our options were donating them to research, offering them to another couple, or keep them frozen for us to use later. This scenario gave us such an unsettled feeling in our spirit; we decided not to go forward with the in vitro. The story of Abraham and Sarah kept ringing over in our spirit. Abraham took his situation of no children into his own hands by taking Hagar, his wife’s maidservant, and giving birth to Ishmael. God’s promise to Abraham, the blessing of Isaac, came 14 years later, which was God’s timing.
God’s perfect timing is so much better than ours. I did not want to miss giving the glory to God for the birth of a child. That is why we made the decision not to move forward with the in vitro, and to wait patiently on God.
“While medicine couldn’t help us, we knew who the great physician was.” We continued to pray and go down for healing at church. The Lord was teaching me the obedience of reading His word diligently and spending time in His presence every morning. He also spoke to me about journaling and writing the various steps we were going through in my journal.
The first of many lessons He taught me was, “Leap for joy, and praise Him in your situation” -1 Thessalonians 5:16, however difficult it may be and thank Him for teaching me patience during this time. Month after month I got down on my knees every time I started my cycle and instead of being disappointed I thanked Him knowing that He was in control. I knew He was teaching me a lesson and I prayed I would be open to hearing His Word.
After a blood analysis by the infertility doctor in April 2002, the results came back at a prolactin level of 108, which was quite shocking. The prolactin level in women should be below 20 in order to conceive. The doctor felt that a possible symptom of high prolactin was a pituitary tumor. He sent me to have an MRI to analyze the brain and see if a tumor was there and if so what size it was. He mentioned that some tumors are cancerous, which would need to be watched.
I had the MRI in the beginning of May 2002. It came back as a micro adenoma, which is a very small tumor, one that could hardly be seen on the MRI. The infertility doctor then said a tumor that small could not be the cause of the high prolactin. The doctors were baffled at the high levels of prolactin I had, and still to this day there is no medical explanation.
Throughout this process I continued praying every morning, Scott and I had a “peace that was beyond understanding” -Philippians 4:7. The end of April 2002 during one of my morning prayer times the Lord revealed to me that I would conceive in June. I told only two people that I heard from the Lord — my husband and my best friend. Now at this point my prolactin was still high and the doctors did not know why. We waited patiently for June to come and I scheduled another blood test, this time with an endocrinologist. I asked her to do a complete blood test along with a pregnancy test. My appointment was June 21, and she called me with the results on June 24. The results showed all my blood levels to be absolutely perfect, including my prolactin level, which was at 16.3. The doctors had no idea how it came down, but Scott and I knew it was God, and His healing hand. When I inquired about the pregnancy test she said it was negative, I was not pregnant. I was driving in my car at the time and remember hanging up my cell phone and praying to God, and saying, “You said June; you said I would conceive in June.” God said to me clear as day “Do you believe”, I said, “Yes, I believe, I believe.” Then he said, “The end of June.”
Our God is such a detailed and specific God, and He had a perfect plan all laid out for us, so because I had been trying over a year I knew what date and time I would start my next cycle, it would be June 29. To calculate a pregnancy the doctors go back to the first day of your last period. And I just smiled that day in my car and thought what a mighty God we serve. I am going to conceive in June, what an absolute blessing.
As July came and I continued my morning prayer time, it was then that God revealed to me the whole picture. He showed me why I went through the challenges that I did to get pregnant and during those last two years of my life, how he ordered my steps. It narrows down to “The Word of the Lord is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12.
What the last two years meant for me was spirit surgery. I had to dedicate my time to reading the bible and not just reading it but living it and acting on it, acting out in faith on what it says. The double-edged sword is the division of the soul and the spirit, we cannot let the sins of our soul drag down our spirit, and it’s our spirit that needs to shine through to reflect the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit broke me down and brought me to the lowest of lows so I could see how God can bring us back. We need to completely trust in Him and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us as a gift to guide us. If we do not listen to the Holy Spirit and spend time in the Lord’s presence, we are missing out on the blessing. And in my case the learning is what I needed in my life. I am a different person because of this experience and the most important thing for me at this point is to share this experience with as many people as possible so they too can see what God can do. “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13
The story gets better because God is trying to get people’s attention, and one of those people is my best friend. Because not only did He want me to step out in faith and tell her that I heard from Him, but He also arranged months earlier for my best friend and I to plan a girls shopping weekend for July 27 & 28 which was going to be the weekend I would find out I was pregnant. So when I packed for this fun filled shopping weekend with my friend, I packed all my clothes and a pregnancy test. We spent the day shopping together on Saturday, and if you can believe it my friend’s sister called that weekend to share with me that she was pregnant, and she had been trying for three years as well. I was thrilled at the fact that God was using my friend’s sister and me to share God’s grace with her.
So when I woke up Sunday morning July 28 with my best friend still asleep, I snuck in to the bathroom, and took the pregnancy test. I laid it on the counter in the bathroom without looking at it and got down on my knees on the tile floor and thanked the Lord for what He was about to do. I prayed for my best friend, and all the people God would have me share my testimony with that they will listen with open ears and hearts and have a desire to know God personally and to believe in Jesus the son of God.
When I got up from my knees and looked at the test, it read positive, I praised God and just smiled at the awesomeness of Him. I was pregnant and it was the most glorious experience I have ever had. I immediately woke up my best friend, we were overjoyed and held each other and cried together. I was able to share my testimony of Gods faithfulness with my friend along with many others. I continue to pray for anyone reading this no matter what your situation may be, to surrender it over to God and watch how God Almighty will change your life.
Kennedy Grace was born March 19, 2003 weighing 8 lbs and measuring 20 inches long. She is a true joy and the most incredible gift from God.
My best friend received Christ November 2003, just four months after this miracle.
Two years later God blessed us with a son, Colton on February 2, 2005 weighing 8 lbs. and measuring 21 inches long. When the doctor did the original ultrasound at 6 weeks he confirmed this child was conceived from the left ovary and left fallopian tube. (the one that was completely damaged) I give Him the glory for my beautiful children.
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