testim onies
By God,
For God I nev
er k
new I was par
t of a f
al
l
en wor
l
d. I gr
ew up
t
hi
nk
i
ng t
hat l
i
f
e was about wor
k
i
ng har
d, havi
ng a
c
ar
eer
, get
t
i
ng mar
r
i
ed and havi
ng chi
l
dr
en. I di
d al
l t
hat
I t
hought was expec
t
ed of me but I al
ways f
el
t t
hat
s
omet
hi
ng was mi
s
s
i
ng s
o, when t
hat wor
l
d s
t
ar
t
ed gi
vi
ng
way I began t
o f
al
l apar
t
.
By Br
enda T
emoni
a On J
an 1, 2010, my dear s
i
s
t
er di
ed. Ei
ght
een days l
at
er
,
my s
eemi
ngl
y heal
t
hy hus
band of 27 year
s di
ed of hear
t
f
ai
l
ur
e i
n f
r
ont of my eyes
. I f
el
t s
o hel
pl
es
s
. I was l
ef
t t
o
f
i
ni
s
h r
ai
s
i
ng our f
our chi
l
dr
en al
one.
I s
ai
d t
o mys
el
f
, “I c
an do t
hi
s
”, but s
oon my chi
l
dr
en
wer
e ent
er
i
ng hi
gh s
chool and goi
ng of
f t
o c
ol
l
ege. I
was
nʼ
t needed as much and I f
el
t as i
f I had no pur
pos
e
s
o, I began us
i
ng s
ome s
er
i
ous dr
ugs i
n an ef
f
or
t t
o hi
de
t
he pai
n. I was f
al
l
i
ng apar
t and s
l
owl
y dyi
ng. I r
eal
i
ze
now I was c
ompl
et
el
y mi
s
s
i
ng my pur
pos
e bec
aus
e I was
l
ook
i
ng i
n t
he wr
ong pl
ac
e, wi
t
hi
n MYSEL
F
.
I
n 2016, Apr
i
l s
hower
s c
ame and bot
h my s
weet momma
and mot
her
-
i
n-
l
aw wer
e bur
i
ed and gone t
o heav
en onl
y
days apar
t
. May 21, 2016 my f
i
r
s
t bor
n s
on, Br
ock di
ed
of a dr
ug ov
er
dos
e and t
hat was my f
i
nal day of
des
t
r
uc
t
i
on. My f
ami
l
y, f
r
i
ends
, and t
hr
ee r
emai
ni
ng
chi
l
dr
en k
new I was not goi
ng t
o mak
e i
t wi
t
hout hel
p.
Ei
ght days l
at
er I f
ound mys
el
f c
r
os
s
i
ng t
he t
hr
es
hol
d of
Ma r
yʼ
s Song, s
ur
r
ender
i
ng my f
ai
l
i
ng f
i
ght
. T
hi
s i
s wher
e
I needed t
o begi
n, wi
t
h God, my Cr
eat
or
. I needed t
o
k
now t
hat I was made BY God, FOR God.
“Ev
er
yt
hi
ng got s
t
ar
t
ed i
n Hi
m and f
i
nds i
t
s
pur
pos
e i
n Hi
m.
” Col
os
s
i
ans 1:
16
T
hi
s i
s wher
e t
he r
edempt
i
on s
t
ar
t
s
. F
or t
he f
i
r
s
t t
i
me I c
an
f
eel t
he hand J
es
us has had on my l
i
f
e al
l al
ong. I had t
o
c
ome t
o T
he L
or
d and as
k f
or f
or
gi
v
enes
s and mer
c
y
. I am
changi
ng! I am a mi
r
ac
l
e! I am wal
k
i
ng out t
hi
s heal
i
ng as
T
he Fat
her l
eads me. T
hi
s has al
l
owed me t
o hav
e a
l
ovi
ng and per
s
onal r
el
at
i
ons
hi
p wi
t
h my Cr
eat
or
, God.
Spr
i
ng 2017 { 9 }