How it began…
I was listening to testimonies on different subjects, and I could relate with two testimonies. The first one I could relate to was the Prodigal Son. In my life, I became the Prodigal Daughter, only it was with my own finances at my own expense. It was a difficult and hurtful situation when I left home. But God. He kept me safe through the months I was away through the prayers of my parents and others. This showed me the power of prayer. God has since shown me, on and off over the years, how he took care of me through it all.
What pieces were in place?
When I returned, it was with a sorrowful heart, because I was truly sorry for what I had done. I caused this mess and said hurtful things, but my parents took me back and helped me move forward. While I didn’t deserve such a gift, but God happened, and had it all in place for healing to begin. The help I received was through the Artemis Domestic Violence Center. If anyone is in this position, you can call them for resources or advice at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.They will accept you as the caller being anonymous. Their website is https://www.artemiscenter.org if you would like to look at information available. They even provide a safety exit link to click on so that you can be off the website in an emergency. Such as the abuser coming towards the computer when you are on the site.
What help was provided?
Through them, I was able to get help in court, attend counseling one-on-one and in a group. It was quite the process. It was time for me to take care of me for once. They highly suggested that I wait 90 days to date again after being in this type of situation. I heeded that advice because I felt it was sound and they knew what they were talking about. I was around 19 years old at the time. They also had us write ourselves positive messages on sticky notes and place them around the house. At the time, I was not good at that, but I am making up for it now, 20 years later. This reminds me that the radio station, Hope 100.7, has been asking for positive messages to be written on a post-it note and stick them around town for people to see.
The second testimony piece…
The other testimony that I related to was on healing. Almost a year ago, there was healing for my dad. Which brings this full circle. The full circle is that they prayed for me in my situation, and I was freed. I was blessed to have the same result, with different circumstances. This happened where I was on the praying end and they were on the receiving end. My dad hit his face. He could have died. He had to have surgery. They talked about plates and screws, but God. By his grace, they were able to do a simple surgery and fix my dad with no added metal. This is somewhat ironic as I type this, because he works with metal at work. It was the day I was leaving for a trip and all had been taken care of in time to give me peace of mind.
What is emergency mode?
I had just finished watching a movie with my kids. The credits were near the end, when my phone rang. I answered it, not knowing what to expect. My mom was calling to tell me that my dad fell and she needs me to come and get the other passengers in the car and take them home. Her emergency mode calculated and knew that I was the closest to her location. Can I help? I said yes, got my shoes, grabbed my purse, and went into emergency mode myself. This is where I strategized what was needed to be done and get hyper focused on that task. I think through all the pieces that need to take place. Stay calm, drive carefully, get the map up for the shortest way to her destination, make sure to get purse and hand over keys, etc.
What happened next?
When I get in the car, my first instinct is to send a text to the prayer chain. This is taking place right now, and we need God’s help covering our situation. Then, I began to drive and prayed for guidance and covering along the way. On my drive, a loud bang noise occurred nearby and a flash of light shot across the sky. There was not a storm, so I am unsure what caused this, but continued on. I get onto the highway and to the exit, when my mom calls again. She asked for a change of meeting place. Can you meet me at the hospital? Sure, I agreed. I did miss the turn to go where I needed to get to the emergency parking, which made me take a detour, but the timing was perfect.
Perfect timing…
Soon after I parked, I watched my mom pull into the lot in my rearview mirror. She pulled around and was stuck behind a vehicle backing out of their parking space. I had gotten out of my car, walked over to her, handed her my car keys, and pointed to where I was parked. Then, she was able to go in an focus on dad. The ambulance had already brought him to the hospital and she needed to be there to help. I got in the car and took the other three passengers with me to where they needed to go. I dropped off two of the passengers with their car and keys. From there, I took keys to mom’s van and drove home with my brother. We sat there and waited to hear any updates while trying to get some sleep.
All those keys exchanging…
It was late in the night when my sister went to visit my parents at the hospital. She then left her car and keys there and drove my van to me. Since she lives at home and so does my brother, she was able to leave from my house with mom’s van and take him home. God orchestrated all of these pieces together just so. Everyone had a car and keys were where they belonged. This was for us to see Him work in our situation and grow in faith. It was a-mazing. Every step on what they were going through outside of the part I played moved just as smoothly. He was there a couple of days, so my other 2 sisters sat with dad at separate occasions while mom came home and rested. It was orchestrated like a smooth and beautifully played symphony. God is so good.