Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction
Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
MY TESTIMONY OF GOD’S AMAZING GRACE –
Before I begin my testimony, I feel it is important to give you some information on my childhood, so you will be better able to understand some of the decisions I made in my life, however stupid they may have been.
When I was born my mother was only fifteen years old and now years later and after I went through the process of forgiving her and working through a lot of things, I am now able to look at her life through her eyes to try to understand better how she must have felt.
This is some advice from some very wise council, I was told by this person that I could maybe forgive easier if I try to see her life through her eyes and not the eyes of a hurt child, you know what it worked!
I can understand her more clearly now. She was not mature enough to take care of herself much less a baby. So, she would send me here and there to whoever would be willing to take me at that particular time, most of the time it was my grandmother, several times throughout my life she would decide that she wanted me back and she would come and uproot me again. I never really knew any stability in my life, and I always felt as if no one really loved me or wanted me.
Then at the age of nine she came and got me and took me away from my grandmother which really at this point of my life was the only mother I ever know, and I was very attached to her, anyway she took me to Illinois where she lived, by now she had remarried, and she had two more children by this man. He hated me and the only reason I could think of was basically because I was not his.
Now this was not my fault although I blamed myself for years. He started just physically abusing me but then it changed at the age of nine he raped me, and he told me he would kill me if I ever told anyone, I was very young and scared, this went on until I was thirteen and I finally told my mother, she didn’t believe me, actually nobody believed me.
Finally, I just let it drop and I buried all those feelings of anger and hate for years, that has now been dealt with and forgiven and it is under the precious blood of Jesus, Praise God. I told my mother that I wanted to go back to Memphis to live with my grandmother and she said alright because I was causing her to much trouble anyway.
Now my grandmother was now remarried, and I resented him taking my grandmother’s time and I was awful to him. My grandmother finally went to the courts and told them I was out of hand and she just could not handle me any longer, so they removed me and placed me in a foster home, the home I went to was wonderful but at the time I could not see that, all I could see was that I wanted my grandmother no matter the cost, so I ran away.
They called my bluff and as a ward of the State of Tennessee I was placed in a Catholic all girls reform school for three and a half years. Now I look back and I can honestly say it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. But at that time all I could see was that I was totally alone, unloved, and unwanted in this great big world.
Now I will jump ahead some. In 1987 I lost my own three children to their father, and I totally lost it. I turned heavily to alcohol and eventually that turned into crack and cocaine. By this time, I had lost everything including my dignity as I had turned to prostitution to support my drug habit. I was arrested several different times on various charges, but I was never convicted, and I never served any time and I know God was taking care of me even back then in my sin, He saw what I would be one day in Him. I Give GOD all the PRAISE, HONOR AND GLORY for that.
Salvation
Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction, Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
My roaming and my drugs had taken me to many places but on December 20,1990 my life changed and so did I from the inside out, praise God, on this day I found myself at the 76 Truckstop in Little Rock, Arkansas, I was hitchhiking trying to get home to Memphis, Tennessee where I did most of my growing up and where my grandparents live.
I was walking into the Truckstop when I had an inspiration to turn and walk straight to the fuel islands, there were many drivers there getting fuel but I was led to one particular driver, his name was John, I walked over and asked him if he was going east, he said yes so I asked him if he could give me a drive to Memphis, it was only 124 miles and he agreed to help me out. Now I had not eaten in a couple of days, and he asked if I was hungry, and he took me in to the restaurant and bought me something to eat.
The entire time we spent together eating and driving he just began to share Jesus Christ with me. He told me Christ could and would set me free if I was willing, He would give me a new life without all the pain and turmoil I was living in. Of course, being a Christian does not eliminate us from pain, trials, and tribulation but with Christ in our hearts He will give us the strength to withstand even in the worst times.
I began to tell John about my life, and he still said Christ was the answer for it all. So, 124 miles later even before we reached Memphis, I had made a decision and given my heart to Christ and decided to live for Him.
I also had made another decision, I told John I was going to marry him, we were both single, but he laughed and said the only way you will ever marry me is if God allows it, well about four months later on April 25,1991 we joined our lives together in matrimony in Las Vegas, Nv. I was Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction , Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
The day we met, John continued to tell me all about God and he shared with me that God had called him to drive a truck and to minister on the road to the lost, truckdrivers, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, homeless people, anyone who was down and out. I continued with him in that ministry until July 2000 when God spoke to us and told us to come down to Lincoln, Alabame where we could help Pastor Shirley James in her ministry and church, we are an outreach to the lost and hurting.
John is from Digby, Nova Scotia and we lived up there for almost ten years until we moved here. We have a music ministry as well as word ministry, I will travel anywhere I am asked to give my testimony and we both preach and teach. God has really been good to us, and it is to His glory that I am writing this if one soul is reached it is worth everything.
Voice Restored
I had destroyed my voice by smoking and drugs, and I told God if He would restore and heal my voice that I would sing for Him the rest of the days of my life, and He has done exceedingly and abundantly above all that I could ask or think. I was Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction
Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
He has also gifted both my husband and myself with the gift of writing, we have both written many songs and I continue to sing them for they are God’s songs I only held the pen. It does not matter where you are, Christ will come to you and meet you if you are willing to let your life go and let Him be God of and in your life.
When I first got delivered of the drugs the doctors convinced me that I had done massive damage to my nervous system and to my body, I am sharing this because some of you may be going through this and need help. They had me on nerve pills, pain pills and sleeping pills among others, again I was a walking zombie. I just went from illegal drug addictions to prescription drug addictions, but since coming to Alabama I have now been delivered of that too Praise God it feels so wonderful to be free. This is a process, and it may take some time for healing, but it is worth every mile.
I was Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction, Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
Healed of a Bowel Condition
I have had so many miracles in my Christian life as I am a walking miracle myself, but one really stands out to me, and I would like to share this with you. About three or four years ago I was diagnosed as having an incurable bowel condition, the doctors were not even sure of what it was exactly, but they had come to the conclusion that with ulcers all through my body and many in my bowel system, they said they wanted to do surgery and remove a fifth of my bowel. I said no I am going to get prayer for this, and I believe God is going to heal me. They went ahead and scheduled me for another scope a few days after Christmas.
So, a few days later on Christmas Eve I called a friend of ours over in another Province and asked him to pray for me, he said alright, but he would call me back in a few minutes, he had to get to a phone in private, it being Christmas Eve he had a house full of people. By the time he called back I had got together about ten of the Bibles that were at our house and laid them on the floor in a circle opened and I placed one in the middle of the circle opened and I knelt on that one and I told him to pray.
When he prayed for me the fire of God hit me and went through me, I had such a peace come over me. I went over to the bed and laid down and went to sleep ( now Adam was put into a deep sleep in Genesis when God removed the rib to create woman) God did the same for me, a deep sleep came over me so God could perform healing surgery, I slept for seventeen hours and John came in to check on me he wanted to make sure I was ok, because before this I was bleeding quite badly and he was concerned, he could feel such heat emanating from my body he knew it was God so he left me in the Lord’s hands.
When I woke up, I knew without a doubt that I was healed, and I just praise God again. I had been on $400 a month medication and I went in the kitchen and put every bit of it in the trash and I have not had any of those problems since that day.
Again, I can’t say enough it is all for the glory of God that I am here, and my life is what it is today, for without Christ we are nothing but through Him we are Joint Heirs with Him. He is our Deliverer, Savior, Helper, and Healer and any problem we may have is never too great for Him to help us, we just have to take it to Him and get rid of it.
I thank God for His Power is still healing, still saving, and still delivering, He is good all the time. I have made my mistakes and I have even fell off the wagon a few times, but God loves us and if we truly repent and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If I can help anyone out there you may contact us and we will do our best to help you in any way we can, if you have questions about loved ones who may be on drugs or have other addictions, we will try to answer your questions and if we don’t know the answer, we will find someone who does.
Please always remember we are human, and we will make mistakes but just confess to God those mistakes and get them under the blood as soon as possible, God still loves us, and He will help us in all our situations.
I was Healed from Abuse, Delivered from Prostitution and Drug Addiction, Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALL.