My name is Angela. I grew up in a christian home. I can't remember a time as a child that I wasn't in church. I remember the ride there, the sunday school classes, and can even tell you the name of the first pastor I can remember listening to. However, I am not perfect. I always knew God loved me. I always knew Jesus died for me. Knowing and believing and accepting are totally diffrent things. I was 12 years old before I completely accepted Christ as my savior and gave my life to him.
I made my life changing decision while at a christian summer camp. It was amazing for me to see the love of God in the eyes of total strangers. I can remember the night that I surrendered my heart to the Lord. The song "I have decided to follow Jesus" was being sung by the entire camp. They just kept singing the last verse over and over. The tears started to fall. "Okay God, I hear ya. If they sing one more time I'll go up." was all I was thinking. Of course they continued to sing. I no longer could stay in my seat. It was kinda surreal in away. I was walking torward the front and I was sobbing. I finally realized what I was missing in my life. I felt so relieved and so free and so very thankful all at once. It was and still is amazing.
I have had so many struggles in my life since that summer night. Things have not been easy for me. Through everything I have fully relied on God to get me through. Some of my struggles I would like to remain private so I am not going to share them all but I believe a big part of healing is sharing. I was sexually molested by a very close family member. I still struggle with this fact yet today. This person passed away in an automobil accident three years ago. I told myself several times that I forgave him. He even sort of apologized once. All though I have forgiven him I find it really hard to get past. I ask God daily to help me move past this horrible thing. With time and the help of the Lord things are getting better for me.
Three years ago not only did this person pass away but my oldest daughter was born. I wasn't able to attend the funeral because it was a six hour drive and I was not allowed to travel being big and pregnant. When my precious baby girl was born it was the happiest day of my life. She was a perfect 7lb 4 oz little girl. The next morning the worst day of my life happened. My daughter started having siezures. At first we had no idea what was going on. My husband was in the rest room. He had just gotten back from doing whatever it is new dads do after a baby is born. I noticed there was something amiss. Well, to make a long story short, McKenna was transferred to a childrens hospital, and placed in the NICU. We spent a week there. It was the longest week of my life. ALOT of prayers went up that week. It took them the entire week to find out just what had caused the siezures. We were about ready to go home when the Neonatalogist(baby doc) called us into a special meeting room. Right away I knew it had to be bad news. They found out what had caused the siezures. My perfect little baby girl had had a stroke.
It has been three years now and she is still my perfect little angel. To look at her and to know her you would never guess what we went through. She is my testimony to God's grace, love, healing, and mercy. I look in her eyes everyday and see how amazing God is. I knew that God was great, looking into the eyes of any baby can show you that. McKenna is special though. Looking in her eyes you not only see the power of God's creation. You see the love and mercy that he offers freely. I can only imagine what it will be like to look into the eyes of God but I would like to think that looking into my daughters eyes is only a small preview.
The power of prayer is amazing. There are no words to descibe how powerful it truly is. I know in my heart that without the prayers from people literally all over the world, McKenna would not be here today.
I urge you all to pray not only daily but minute by minute. There is nothing that prayer can't do.
I made my life changing decision while at a christian summer camp. It was amazing for me to see the love of God in the eyes of total strangers. I can remember the night that I surrendered my heart to the Lord. The song "I have decided to follow Jesus" was being sung by the entire camp. They just kept singing the last verse over and over. The tears started to fall. "Okay God, I hear ya. If they sing one more time I'll go up." was all I was thinking. Of course they continued to sing. I no longer could stay in my seat. It was kinda surreal in away. I was walking torward the front and I was sobbing. I finally realized what I was missing in my life. I felt so relieved and so free and so very thankful all at once. It was and still is amazing.
I have had so many struggles in my life since that summer night. Things have not been easy for me. Through everything I have fully relied on God to get me through. Some of my struggles I would like to remain private so I am not going to share them all but I believe a big part of healing is sharing. I was sexually molested by a very close family member. I still struggle with this fact yet today. This person passed away in an automobil accident three years ago. I told myself several times that I forgave him. He even sort of apologized once. All though I have forgiven him I find it really hard to get past. I ask God daily to help me move past this horrible thing. With time and the help of the Lord things are getting better for me.
Three years ago not only did this person pass away but my oldest daughter was born. I wasn't able to attend the funeral because it was a six hour drive and I was not allowed to travel being big and pregnant. When my precious baby girl was born it was the happiest day of my life. She was a perfect 7lb 4 oz little girl. The next morning the worst day of my life happened. My daughter started having siezures. At first we had no idea what was going on. My husband was in the rest room. He had just gotten back from doing whatever it is new dads do after a baby is born. I noticed there was something amiss. Well, to make a long story short, McKenna was transferred to a childrens hospital, and placed in the NICU. We spent a week there. It was the longest week of my life. ALOT of prayers went up that week. It took them the entire week to find out just what had caused the siezures. We were about ready to go home when the Neonatalogist(baby doc) called us into a special meeting room. Right away I knew it had to be bad news. They found out what had caused the siezures. My perfect little baby girl had had a stroke.
It has been three years now and she is still my perfect little angel. To look at her and to know her you would never guess what we went through. She is my testimony to God's grace, love, healing, and mercy. I look in her eyes everyday and see how amazing God is. I knew that God was great, looking into the eyes of any baby can show you that. McKenna is special though. Looking in her eyes you not only see the power of God's creation. You see the love and mercy that he offers freely. I can only imagine what it will be like to look into the eyes of God but I would like to think that looking into my daughters eyes is only a small preview.
The power of prayer is amazing. There are no words to descibe how powerful it truly is. I know in my heart that without the prayers from people literally all over the world, McKenna would not be here today.
I urge you all to pray not only daily but minute by minute. There is nothing that prayer can't do.
