LITTLE HEAVEN

TESTIMONY

By Emma

To all my friends and family

Through this testimony, I wish to share with you how Jesus has touched me and transformed my life.  GOD has his own ways of bringing us close to him.  This was his way for me………

I visited Ahalia hospital on 29 January’01 because of severe headaches I had for the last couple of days. Fortunately for me my husband decided to accompany me on that day.  I was asked to get an x-ray done.  As the x-ray was being taken, I suddenly collapsed.  When I regained consciousness I realized that the whole left side of my body was not functioning.  It was numb.  I could not feel any sensation. The vision in my left eye was affected too. A CT scan was done at Al Noor Hospital.  The result showed a clot in the right side of my brain. All this time I did not know what was happening.  My prime concern was my kids.  Where are my kids? Why do I feel so drowsy?  Am I going to die?  So many questions running in my mind and not a clue as to what was happening.  I could see so many familiar faces at my bedside. But could do nothing about it. I could only cry out to Jesus and Mother Mary to take over, to be by my side.  I did not want to die.  I did not want to be paralyzed and be a burden to my family. My kids are still small and they need me.  My husband needs me.  How will they manage?  Oh God!  Give me a chance to live.  A second chance was all I could plead for.

The next day, I was admitted at Mafraq Hospital and that is when the doctor put it down to a “brain stroke”.  A brain stroke?  I did not even know what it meant.  It was the first time I was hearing something of this sort. ME! Of all people. I just could not believe it! I have not had, any types of sicknesses or for that matter any sort of complications with my health in the past and yet here I was lying in the hospital with a BRAIN STROKE, unable to do anything on my own but totally dependant on others. Simple things like walking, sitting, standing, eating etc was an ordeal. I felt like a complete vegetable. Let me assure you, it is a terrible feeling not to have control of ones own self or to be able to do simple things on ones own.  I went into terrible depression.  I did not know what to expect. I did not know how long I was going to be in bed. All that the doctors could tell me was that it could have been worse and that I was fortunate to have the use of my right side and more so to have the ability to speak and recognize people (the clot was on the right side of my brain and not the left, this has an opposite effect on the body).

It was this that made me realize that the Lord was merciful to me. It was the love, support, prayers and constant encouragement that I received from my family and friends that filled me with hope. Prayer requests went out far and wide. There were so many people interceding for me, many of them I did not even know. Members of the  Prayer Group’s, came and prayed on me. 

Slowly I started regaining my strength.  I could now walk and sit and eat on my own.  But the left side of my body was still heavy and my movements of the left hand were still restricted.  I was discharged from the hospital on 6 February’01.  I was given medical leave for 45 days.   There is no sickness or trouble so great that prayers cannot soothe. I fell ill at a crucial time. My children’s final exams were approaching and soon after that we had to transfer them to a new school so admissions had to be done etc. Initially, I used to just sit and think and feel sorry for myself. But my mom-in-law kept telling me to stop thinking and that its only prayers that will help me. So I used to sit and pray most of the time. I started reading the Bible every morning and I used to feel so much at peace and be surrounded in a kind of warmth as though I was being enveloped in someone’s arms and the words “Cast your burdens unto me” kept coming to my mind and I then started to surrender all my afflictions to him. Through my family and friends he took care of my children and their studies.  They did well in their exams and got the admission in the new school and everything went smoothly.

As the days went by, I experienced inner healing.  I forgave everyone in my life.  I thanked God for forgiving me my sins and for making me worthy of calling him Father.  My heart was filled with the Lord’s peace and life became more meaningful to me.  I  began to feel tremendous joy and I started thanking him for my family and friends and everything that I have today.  Till then I didn’t know what was the will of GOD for me and then it was clear to me that HIS will for me was to bring my family closer to him in prayers.  With my Lord’s help I knew we would  grow in faith through his word,  and experience his love in our lives. 

 I realized that my family was a gift to me from God. I once took my family, friends and everything else in my life for granted but today all that has changed only because of Jesus.   Today I am grateful to HIM for all that I have had and all that I have.

Many of us have scars of a painful past and some of those scars have caused us deep regret.  But some wounds are because GOD has refused to let go of us. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.  HE wants to protect you and provide for you.  But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations.  But HE will not let go of you.

GOD lives in each and every one of us. HE has his own way of bringing us close to him.  I thank him for my illness.  If it had not been for my illness perhaps I would never have been able to discover him and his Unconditional Love for us.    Today I am able to do all the things which I thought I would not have been able to do at all.  But even though I am able to do things like before it is not the same.  For now, I do it with more meaning, with gratefulness, with love, with humility and a lot more of understanding.

HIS WAYS are mysterious… But do not despair for HE is there LOVING, PRAYING & WATCHING out for us all the time.

With Love & Prayers.

FOR SUGGESTIONS  PLEASE WRITE TO :-    littleheaven2000@hotmail.com