Testimony Time

Hey Friends,

This is Odie reporting in. Today is a big day, spring is officially here! We have survived another winter season! Cold weather and snow could still be in the forecast, but I am happy for most of it to be behind us for now. I love warm weather!

Testimony Time
I am rewinding to 2005 for this testimony. Dad and I have both wrote about this time in the past. I feel the need to share this part of my testimony again.  I do not want to forget how God carried us through this valley!

Several of you helped pray us through this rough battle. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will never forget the family and friends that rallied around us during this time!

I had a lot of health problems in January and February of 2005. I was in excruciating pain on several different days. It was an extremely scary time for us. We thought that I was having kidney stones. I could get no permanent relief.

We were in revival the last week of February at Beams of Light in Cantonment, Florida. Pastor Philip Deane and his church rallied around us in our trouble. I believe we were in the right place at the right time. God used His saints to encourage us so much!

The end of that week found me in the hospital in Pensacola, Florida. Tests showed the doctors that kidney stones were not my problem.  The first thing they found was a large mass of old blood. After draining that, they discovered the main problem.

The doctors found that the source of the old blood was a big ugly abscessed tumor had consumed an organ.

In the blink of an eye, we were overwhelmed with the surprising developments. At 19 years old I was now facing emergency surgery and a distinct possibility of cancer. There was a chance that I could lose several of my organs in the initial surgery.  

I never imagined that I would be facing a possible cancer diagnosis, especially as a teenager. My whole life was possibly changing. I was terrified of the unknown!

God was working the entire time. I could not clearly see how He was working everything out. It felt as if I was struggling to keep my head above the water. Now I look back and realize that I was securely in the palm of His hand.

March 1st was the day reserved for surgery. I do not think that I will ever forget that day. I was so scared to have surgery. I had never had to be put to sleep and I was worried about what the doctor was going to find during surgery

I remember Dad encouraging me that day. He stood by my bed and reminded me that even though we do not know how this situation will end, we do know that God is still with us. God was still God no matter what the outcome. We were determined to praise God through it all. 

Dad encouraged me to quote Psalms 23 as I prepared for surgery. I will never forget the comfort that this passage of scripture gave me on one of the toughest days of my life. It was the Word that I needed in my distress. 

God answered multiple prayers related to the surgery. I believe God handpicked the doctor that performed my surgery. We really liked the cancer doctor that was going to be on standby. At the last minute, the surgeon that was scheduled to actually do my operation was nowhere to be found. The cancer doctor had to step in and do the full surgery.

Dad says the doctor assured him multiple times that he was qualified to do everything that needed to be done. My Dad was trying to keep from shouting right in the hospital. He had prayed that morning for God to put the correct doctor in place to do the operation.

The surgery was a success. The doctor only had to remove the tumor and the one organ that was affected by the tumor. The best news of all, the tumor was benign! Sixteen years later I am still praising God for the miracle that he gave me that day.

Current Events
March 1, 2021, passed by a few weeks ago. I was thanking God for what He brought me through in 2005. I was once again overwhelmed with gratitude and praise! 16 years later the full picture is much clearer than it was in 2005. God's faithfulness is very evident to me now more than ever.

As I reflected on this specific incident in my life, I felt a gentle nudge in my spirit. I felt that God was telling me, I brought you through the unknowns of that battle. I am aware of your current life events. I will bring you through this time too! 

I am choosing to hold on to that reminder that God placed on my heart. It puts a smile on my face and sparks joy in my heart. I have claimed that promise many times in recent days! I praise God in advance for what He has planned for me now.

I wanted to share my encouragement with you. Friend, God knows exactly what is happening in your life right now! He will see you through as well. Please remember that God loves you!

I encourage you to praise Him for what He has done in your life in the past. Then look ahead to the future and remember that He has a plan for your life.

Thanks for visiting with me today. I pray that God moves for you this weekend. I look forward to seeing you next Saturday.

Odie