I'm 27 years old and God has brought me a long way. When I was 16 I got engaged to a great guy. We talked about getting married after I got out of high school. We went to church together ever Sunday and Wednesday. We thought we had it all together. On May 11, 1997 on our way to church which feel on a mother's day that year we got into a very bad car wreck. My mom was a few cars behind us. I got banged up pretty bad and looked over and he was killed on impact. We were at the scene for 2 hours. When we were finally taken to the hospital my family was already there and my dad was a fire fighter at the time so he left work and met me there. He already knew my bf had died. I was checked out and finally released. Finding out he had died was very weird for me. I never had someone so close to me die. The following weekend I was raped by the guys friend. I prayed that God would make it all go away. A couple of years after I got out of school I met another guy and after 2 years of dating he asked me to marry him. I did not know what I was suppose to do. A few months later he started beating me. I was scared to leave. I was affraid for my life. When he would beat me I would pray that God would go ahead and bring me home. Three months before our wedding God gave me the strength to leave. The following weekend God brought me to my now husband. We began to hang out and just be friends. My ex came back at the end of that weekend asking for me to come back and God gave me the strength to stand up to him. My husband and I got married two and half years ago and I am loving it. He is so similar to my ex that died. It is like I got a second chance in a way. But my husband is more loving. I never thought that was possible. My husband was called to preach 3 years ago and I am now a Sunday school teacher and God is blessing us so much. And I want to give God all the Glory for what he brought me through. GOD I LOVE YOU!!!

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Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

God bless you all.

WOW! What a story? Praise Jesus. God Bless

Ditto with hope4me...WOW!!! What a story! Still very young at 27; so much has happened to you since the age of 16. My nephew became a missionary at 21. He was never interested in the girlfriend/ wife setting then, but that was only a few years ago. He is so knowledgable in the WOrd of GOD it makes me feel as if I was stagnant at that age. He learned fluent Spanish at his first missionary field in Mexico. You have journeyed far, Friend, and are now one of the many who work vigilantly and diligently for Christ and for souls. It takes a very different kind of spirit to literally take up your cross to follow Christ and forego the things that people of the world covet.... marriage being #1, then the house with the white picket fence and the 2 vehicles and the cat/dog for the icing on the cake. In American society, it's so easy to sail onto the winds of least resistance and slumber into the comfort zone. We find it easier to be Christians when we have all the creature comforts around us. That's what saddens me a little bit about the prevailing views of Christians. In America, there really isn't much to test our faith...whether we really have it or not. In other countries where Christianity is the minority, the enemy doesn't take you out, they take your loved ones out. Still, third world Christians remain in the faith and go underground to continue planting the seed of the gospel and harvesting souls for Christ despite entire families being tortured and murdered in the most inhumane ways. It's like being in the Twilight Zone when you see that some have distress over a boyfriend walking out on them, but in other countries they keep on going for the sake of the Kingdom and for harvesting souls for Christ even knowing that their entire family was killed or being pursued to be slaughtered. I guess it is so paramount in my mind because I have lived in another country for 13 years and CLEARLY see a difference in different cultures of Christianity. It would be funny if it weren't so serious that the country of Africa is praying night and day for the country of America because much of America has denounced Jesus Christ, removed GOD from everything, only go to church when the feel like it, have removed prayer from schools, have allowed young teens to get abortions without parental consent, etc., etc., etc. So the country of Africa prays for the spiritual state of the country of America. Whew! Talk about role reversals! Anyway, I think I said too much. It is an honour to meet you, BHarrison. We will be talking again soon, I am sure.
PROVERBS !!:30..."The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."