her tightly bound . Recently she had progressed onto a more level plateau of grief but the onset of emotional tidal waves would often threaten to drag her back into the riptide of loss . Her husband was ill with HIV before she met him and she was very aware of his terminal illness . However , her ever-determined spirit had caused her to declare to her daddy and I that she was “ going to take care of him no matter what … so I might as well marry him .” We had been devastated , knowing that caring for someone in his condition was going to present the hardest challenge and deepest loss she would ever know . In just a few short years , he succumbed to pneumonia that often attacks these patients . Our family suffered a great loss that day . My daughter got stuck in a grief so strong , it threatened to pull her under and eventually end her life .
Now , I was standing in my family room facing a daughter who was smiling , joyful and emotionally whole ! Something powerful had taken place while she was away .
“ What happened ?” I asked with wide eyes . I knew she had been a way for the weekend to a revival service in a bordering state . I knew she had gone by herself . I had been a little unnerved by that fact , concerned that her grief might come flooding back to the point of deep depression . She had not really been alone for more than a day or two since her husband ’ s death and she lived next door to us then .
“ God has healed me !” she exclaimed . “ I am no longer grieving !”
And healed she was ! She went on to explain that her visit to Charlotte , North Carolina , included the Rev . Billy Graham Library . She said that from the moment she stepped on that beautiful site , she started weeping . She could hardly take the tour for the tears . The more she tried to hide them , the worse they became until she was just sobbing . The walk through that library brought a cleansing to her soul . Then she attended a revival service in Charlotte where Rev . Todd Bentley was ministering and found more healing during the rest of the weekend .
So happy to see God ’ s blessing , I wrapped my arms around her . What an answer to prayer ! But much to my surprise , the miracle did not end there !
Within the next few weeks , I would see her make decisions that I would have never dreamed possible . She contacted and applied to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City , Missouri . Before she even heard from the organization , she put her house on the market . My emotions went from highest joy to disbelief and back to joy ! Amazingly her house sold in seven days ! Then she began giving away everything , even her wedding dress . Away went hundreds of dollars of china , household items and furniture . When I questioned her she merely said , “ Mama , what do I need with all of this ? It ’ s nothing ! I am going to serve the Lord . He is all I need !
My daughter is now an Intercessory Missionary at Hope City in Kansas City , Missouri . God continues to use her in serving foster families , the homeless and people caught in the cycle of addiction .
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10 | DOZ Magazine | January 2017