My Testimony

Last night in one of our Africa Meetings, we each shared our testimony. I went first and gave a real brief spill on how I came to know the Lord and what he has done in my life, but as I listened to others expand on their own I realized I left so many significant events of my own testimony out. Things the Lord has done for me things in which I need to give him praise. I want to share my own testimony with you all.

I was raised knowing Jesus I come from a long history of generations and generations of knowing and fearing the Lord. My momma would drag me to church and threaten me with you can't watch TV for a week if you don't come. Or what I consider my favorite now... (then it just annoyed the fire out of me) You're too tired to go to church what if Jesus had said he was too tired to die on a cross for you. As you might expect this usually got me out of bed and into a Sunday Dress.
I was baptized from death to life at an early age maybe 6...? From then on I learned a lot of stories about Jesus and other characters in the Bible. It was not until my high school years that I really begin pursuing a REAL and authentic relationship with the Lord.
I can remember one year going to summer church camp and in the middle of worship I just started bawling my eyes out. I didn't know why I couldn't think of any reason for it and it really wasn't the song or what the preacher had said but I just could NOT stop crying. All throughout worship and even into the sermon I just could not stop weeping. At the end of the service David Nasser the preacher for the camp came up to me and prayed with me. He said I really don't know what to tell you but I think God has something he's trying to show the best thing you can do is just go get alone and hear him. So I did.
After sitting by myself for awhile on the side of a path I got up and returned back to the group still not understanding what was going on or why I had cried enough to fill up a lake. My youth minister came up to me and said, "Keri, perhaps God is calling you into Ministry." I laughed at this idea because at the time my only exposure to women in ministry was either A) preacher's wife with floral print dresses and puffy shoulder pads who were always so timid and quiet. or B) a missionary who wore socks with their sandals and pulled their pants up to their armpits living out in the depths of AFRICA... (NEITHER ONE OF THOSE FIT ME!)
I did however, start the devotional that David Nasser was preaching at camp which was "A CALL TO DIE" great title huh makes you really want to jump right in.
Throughout the book David's main message comes from Gal 2:20 crucified to Christ I no longer Live but HE LIVES IN ME and Romans 12:1-2 "Present your bodies as living Sacrifices Holy and pleasing to the LORD." Throughout the book I kept feeling God urging me to let go of something. Things, which were not bad necessarily but things that could prevent me from living out my fullest life for Christ. I can remember one night sitting up on my waterbed holding that book in my hands my bible in my lap and just reaching out my hands palms up crying (of course I'm always crying) saying take it Lord I give it all to you. I surrender my life fully to be used by the Lord.
After this night I started seeing changes in my own passions what I use to long and desire for Family Suburban life white picket fence golden lab... Typical American Dream.. Starting changing and I wanted Africa I wanted to help those who were hurting and dieing and needed God the most. I wanted to be like Mother Teresa was to India. I wanted to be that for Africa.... I still wasn't real sure about the whole nun thing but hey I surrendered my life to GOD whatever he saw fit RIGHT?!?
Going to College I knew I was suppose to be a nurse but this really scared me when I finally surrendered that too Life seemed to fall in place at least career wise. My Freshman year was an adventure that 1st semester I just couldn't get enough of God and studying his Word I was apart of a Bible Study every Night of the week. I look back on it now and I see God was preparing me for the storm that was about to hit.
October 29th, 2003 My mom has suffered with depression for years sometimes you can't tell at all other times it seems there is nothing you can do to bring her out of the dumps. This year was one of those years. She had gotten off of her medicine during the summer with hopes to fully quit it forever hoping and praying that a new herbal medicine could be her answer. When the last doses of meds were out of her system she hit rock bottom. I was returning from Dallas a big group of us decided to take a road trip down to 6 Flags for the weekend I was coming back when I received a phone call from my oldest Sister and I knew something was wrong despite her, "oh no nothing everything’s fine call me as soon as you can." As soon as I got into my dorm room i called her back and she told me Mom is missing they can't find her anywhere the whole town is out looking for her She was really really depressed today Dad said he laid down to take a nap and that was the last time he saw her. Kristen who was at Texas Tech at the time rushed down picked me up and we flew home together. When we got there we found my poor frantic little sister who knew what was going on about as well as I did. I remember however the whole time having an incredible peace just knowing God was going to take care of everything. Little did I realize that my mom had tried to commit suicide. A few men on horses found her early the next morning. She was still alive a bloody knife and an empty pill bottle was found next to her. We rushed into the woods to see her but were stopped by two women. They brought her out on a stretcher and flew her out to NWTH where she was seen and cared for. I still don't know how to this day she survived through the night but I know that even then in the darkest moment of her life and ours as well God was watching over her not just watching but he had his hand on her.
Such Bad stigma goes with suicide.... My mother is a strong woman. She isn't scared to suffer or struggle through things. She loves God and trusts in him with all her heart. Her faith in him is astounding. She's the one who taught me how to love the lord to tithe my paychecks to love people despite their differences and to always look at the positive things in LIFE. I know that if my mom got to the point where she couldn't take it, then it must have been really bad. She later told me as she was walking out in the field that she fell down on her knees and just begged that God would take it away from her that he would save her. MAN OH MAN... Satan sure did have a tight grip on her that Day but God stopped him he said enough's enough. And God did SAVE my mother. I know there were multiple angels all around I know that was the first time I really begin to see and understand what EPH 6 was talking about spiritual Warfare. I hope some day when we get to Heaven that we get to play a tape back on all the significant events in our life and that God will sit beside us and show us What was really happening behind the scenes the spiritual side of things. I really really hope so.
So we moved on from this... It hit our family hard but Praise the Lord we are a strong family and it only brought us closer together realizing how precious our time with one another really is.
I continued on with mission trips I was a youth intern for the Methodist church. This was the first time I was ever exposed to the truth that corrupt people are in the church as well... sometimes they even run it. Scary thought to me.
Finally got to go Africa fell in love. Felt so fulfilled like this really could be my life calling... and it gave me just enough motivation to finish out nursing school.
And then the big storm hit. The WRECK. May of 2007 I was going to a friend's wedding when I ran off the side of the road and flipped my Ford Escape 5 times. I was suppose to go to Africa that summer but this time I was going to go see Brooke. It was a last minute thing in which God worked everything out PERFECTLY! Even the money was no issue at all more than enough came in such a short amount of time. I was so excited about this trip. And just like that it was taken away from me. I also suffered injuries to my leg, which left my right foot injured beyond repair. I now walk with a foot drop. I was so angry with God over all of this. When in reality I should be praising Him I'm alive... Yet I felt cheated because I no longer could go running and I didn't get to go to Africa. Up to this point my faith had never wavered much but this I can look back on now and see where this took a huge hit on my faith. I realized last night hearing my mother in law speak about her testimony how I hadn't ever gotten over this. I had been hanging on to it and last night for the first time I surrendered it all over to him and said I'm done. I want to move on and I'm sorry. Now I can see how I was allowing those things to hinder my walk I wasn't growing any because I was letting go. I was staying in that one spot anchored to my pain and anger. What a waste of a time! I don't want to spend anymore time there. I'm moving forward. And I have so much to look forward to...
HAPPILY HAPPILY MARRIED to the man of my dreams. AGAIN Another huge part of my testimony. Like I said there were some times in my life where I really thought God might want me to be a NUN. *LOL* PRAISE THE LORD that didn't happen. Met on a mission trip fell in love while reading a book by MCManus the Barbarian Way... Separated for 2 months while Lance was in Indonesia and I was in Wheeler for the summer recovering after the wreck a year full of really rough hard times worked through it all AND now We ARE SO BLESSED AND SO FULL OF God's love and GRACE!!!
Come July Lance and I both will be traveling to Africa. I guess we can call it the make up trip! ;) Isn't GOD Good!? I can't imagine this life without him. I owe it all to him. And I do LOVE HIM SO MUCH. I can't wait to see how he writes the Rest of our Lives.
And that is my testimony....