Here is a “Second helping” of my no bologna testimony. Below is my “recovery” testimony detailing a very challenging life experience– but one that I am grateful occurred the way it did with a God who loved me to take my hand and lead me through it!
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My life seemed relatively normal until my senior year of college at Kansas State University. I was really involved in a variety of leadership and service organizations on campus. I was slotted to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 40 days. I had a job offer on the table for a great salary with a major agricultural corporation in a turkey processing plant in Missouri as HR Associate.
I truly felt I had the world by the horns. I had just started to grow the courage to attend church by myself. I had always prayed for God to strengthen my faith and make me a more solid daughter in Christ. It is kind of funny how he answers our prayers. I had remained single throughout college, so when I met Brandon 40 days before graduation in March 2009, I didn’t think much about it. But soon I could tell this was different. He was a soldier with the United States Army, slotted to deploy the third time in August. God had destined us to fall in love.
Brandon and I began to grow in Christ during the first couple of months of our long distance relationship as I had moved to Missouri to start my job and he was still stationed in Kansas. We began doing Bible study on the phone each night, and his August deployment date was growing closer. In the meantime, my dad was having nerve issues and they were unable to diagnose his situation. My “dream” job at quickly turned into a nightmare. It broke my heart. The Human Resource Manager and our nurse were compromising medical records of our employees at the turkey plant, which left several people permanently injured. The HR team treated me terribly, providing no training and no support for me. Some of the employees on the floor would sexually harass me daily. I was alone with no close friends, my family several hours away and my beloved preparing to deploy in a matter of weeks.
I discovered hope and help in Jesus when he led me to Eternity Church. It was a tiny, newly planted church, but just what my heart needed for that rough time in my life. Brandon deployed on August 28, 2009. My job situation continued to deteriorate, as my hours were repeatedly changed with my shift ending in the middle of the night. On September 26, 2009, my little sister called me, hysterically crying to say she just found our Grandma Neva dead in her apartment. Grandma Neva wasn’t ill—it was very sudden. My parents had to “identify the body” because she had died a week earlier. My boss didn’t offer me support or guidance and forced me to take vacation time instead of allowing an appropriate amount of bereavement leave. Mom was so distraught that as the “problem solver” of the family, I took over. I planned the funeral, called the family, collected pictures for the slide show, wrote the poem for the program and sang at the funeral. I couldn’t tell Brandon what had happened for nearly a week as he was in Kuwait transitioning to Iraq and had no access to Internet or phone.
I returned to work after a week of dealing with death. A month later, my supervisor and the nurse finally got busted for their lack of integrity. Both were terminated, and I thought God had delivered me. But He wasn’t done yet. They cut our HR staff in half and took their sweet time rehiring folks, so we were working 12-16 hr shifts and weekends to accommodate for the next 6 months. The army couldn’t make up their mind if/when Brandon was going to get leave to come home, then my Grandad passed away on Christmas that year. Mom was terminated from her job after New Years in January 2010. I cried (ok, SOBBED) daily because of my job —but one thing remained strong—God’s love for me. He would pull me up each day with His word, my Church family and my beloved Brandon’s faith.
Brandon returned for leave in April 2010 and we got engaged. My last day at work with my nightmarish job was May 13, 2010. (No tears on THAT day!) I moved back to Manhattan, KS and got a new job where I did not have to work the night shift, people appreciated me, 40 hrs per week was the max that I was allowed to work and sexual harassment was not an issue. Brandon returned home for good from Iraq on August 2, 2010 and we were married two months later. Today we celebrate eleven months of marriage.
I am glad I have a personal relationship with Jesus today because no matter how sad, lonely, depressed, heartbroken or unsure I was, He was always there with me, to walk with me, talk with me, listen and carry me through my darkest hours. He delivered me from the most painful year of my life. I am a stronger and more faithful person because of it, and thankful to Him that he helped me through it. May I share how something like this can happen to you?
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When has God carried you through a tough time in your life? What does your recovery testimony look like? I would be blessed to hear it… Feel free to comment below. How can you use your testimony to spread the Good News?
Thankful for His Love.
SGK
“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:42-43
