If you were to meet me now or see me across the room, you might think there is a happy Grandma and she certainly can't relate to all the stuff in our world today. But I tell you the truth, I actually can and I stand here today alive and joyful only because I was rescued and saved by Jesus Christ nearly 52 years ago!

At the age of 16, I was angry, disillusioned, lonely and rebellious. In my anger and pride I chose a path of drug abuse and immorality. In a fit of anger against my father, I did a 180* turn around from honor society student and varsity cheerleader, and overnight started down a very dark and dangerous path of drug usage and all that goes with that lifestyle. My first drug of choice was LSD. I became a drug dealer in my large East Coast high school. I was a liar, a cheat, very cynical, a protestor, etc. A girl you would not want to bring home let's say. But all the drugs and all the guys never gave me joy or peace or love.

One weekend in March the year after graduating from high school, a former classmate called and invited me dinner and a movie. A real date without drugs or drinking! He invited me to church the next day, brave soul he was. By the drawing power of the Holy Spirit, I said yes and actually showed up, though very "high". During that one service the Holy Spirit instantly sobered me and spoke through the pastor of the love and mercy Jesus Christ had for me. I knew God was offering me forgiveness and salvation and freedom through His Son Jesus.

All the stories I had heard in my childhood Catholic church, were instantly made real and true as the Living Christ invited me to His cross and family. I walked forward at the end of the sermon and thought of this lasts 10 years it will be a miracle! And yes, it is a miracle! I am a walking miracle of the power and grace of God to save, redeem, restore, heal, set free and keep one very lost, very sad, very dirty teenage girl. This is my story and I'm sticking to it. Jesus saves! Jesus is alive!

I was in a dark place for a long time. My uncle asked me if I wanted to go to church with him and I said yes. The first time I was like this isn't for me but then something told me to keep going to church. After a few more times of going to church I asked God to forgive me for my sins and I got baptized.

So, my story begins before I was ready to be born. I was born at 26 weeks in 1976 at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Livonia Michigan. Then they moved me to the children’s hospital in Detroit Mi. I was put in the ICU unit in an incubator with tubes and wires and iVs in me. I only weighted 2 pounds and 2 oz.

My dad said I fit in the palm of his hand when I was born. I was told I stopped breathing a-lot of times per hour so the nurses would flick the bottom of my feet to get me to breath again. One day after I was born the Doctor found out that I had a perforated bowel. I had a pair of my bowels that were blowing up like a balloon and if they didn’t take it out I would have died from bowel obstruction and what ever else goes with it. The doctor told my dad and mom he gave me a negative chance to live even if they fixed the bowel. I have a scar on my stomach from 1 side to the other.

(This is part of my testimony of God working through the doctor’s hands to save me by the name of Jesus and through the power of his blood. The blood never loses power and the blood never gets old. It’s new every morning amen). So, I was told I am in the Children’s hospital book of records. I was the only baby that made it out of all the baby’s that were born around the same time I was in that hospital. In 1976 it was hard to keep premature babies alive.

So, after being in the hospital for months my parents got to bring me home. Bless God. I am going to stop here because it’s important to remember God said I am the same yesterday and today and forever. God never changes and God never lies. God is a God of healings and miracles.

This is where am going stop and encourage anyone no matter what age who is facing the same thing in your life with impossibility and no answers or direction. You seem like your trapped and there is no way out. Look what the Lord did for me. He gave me life and breath and he let me live a pretty much normal life but, not without struggles and pain and suffering. I am most 50 years old and what I can say I was a dying mess (literally) and the
Lord spoke into my life and brought me back to life. He is the God of the living not the Dead.

I say it starts with your relationship with God and mine started in my mother womb and has evolved from there. God knows the heart. ❤️. There are no mistakes that God makes everyone born into this world. Every human being is worthy of Gods love and grace.

I’m God’s mouth piece (led by the holy spirit) being a living miracle and God's life long testimony that there is a God in heaven who loves and wants a personal relationship with you more then you know it. That’s why he send his son Jesus to die for you (John 3:16) so, he could heal and connect with you the same way he did with Adam and Eve before they disobeyed God and ate the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I am living proof again that God exists; you can’t deny argue or dispute this fact. God receives all the praise Honor and glory for ever and ever Amen. I love you Jesus.

I was molested at a very young age, by a family who I was forced to be around almost daily because my Dad was friends with their Dad. My Dad was a drunk and I never really had the Father figure roll growing up since he cared more about alcohol than most other things.

I remember always doing things that would get his attention growing up, trying to be closer to him: fishing, karate, I learned magic because he was a magician, I even learned how to work on cars just to be outside with him. The lack of a Father role growing up caused me to search for love and attention with all the wrong people. Men who were toxic and broken, made me feel like I was the broken one to accept what they were doing to me. I was physically beaten, mentally abused.

I started drinking and smoking at a young age and was partying constantly by the age of 14. I asked to be saved in 2007, when I was pregnant through rape with my oldest daughter. My own mother doesn’t even know I was raped, because I feel like what happened to me was my punishment for the lifestyle I was living. I got married in 2018 to a “Christian” man who was one of the worst men I had been with. The narcissist behavior didn’t start until we got married and I had our child. He turned away from my daughter and made it known she wasn’t his and our daughter was his only kid. My oldest became depressed and hid in her room constantly. He then became verbally abusive to me as well, calling me many names and making me feel like I wasn’t good enough constantly. I would lock myself in my room (I kicked him out to the couch) and just hide and cry because I didn’t want to be another divorce statistic. I finally got the courage to divorce him and save me and my oldest from his toxic behavior. I knew I needed to be the foundation of what a good marriage and good parent was suppose to look like, and this wasn’t it.

I met my now husband who was an atheist for 30 years of his life. We met back in high school and reconnected many years later, by God's timing of course. I asked him to come to Mother’s Day and Easter services with me since they were my favorite, just to get him to come with me. And that led to him asking to be saved last Easter, then our family getting baptized together last November. Since then, we have joined the creative arts team at Connection, took a Be One class, did inner healing sessions, and am now helping Ben with the kids on Wednesday nights. Struggles still happen, but we have God now and the peace that is felt through Him is what saved me.

My story is very hard to share and God is still working on me. Last year my husband and I lost our 3rd baby at 16 weeks pregnant. I have never experienced grief this way before.

I stopped trusting God and would ask many questions on why He would take a child. It’s been a long year of learning how to trust him and lean on him instead of running away from him. I eventually want to share my story and help other moms who go through this. There are so many women who don’t know how to share or don’t have support during these times. I pray for other women who are going through this. I know that God still is with me and his plans for me are good.

My story is how good our God is. His faithfulness rewrote my life story. I grew up as an abused child, a foster child, an adolescent alcoholic leading to having my 1st child out of wedlock.

During the worst years I was blessed with a talent of writing, which at that time had a focus on pain, suffering, and hidden anger. When I finally submitted to Him, I walked into church for the 1st time since I was 5 to the song 'Mercy Said No' by Cece Winans—and like the song says, He declared He wouldn't let me slip away or let my past define me.

Today, I am who I am and where I am only because of the 'Goodness of God' and His goodness running after me, chasing me down even when I was trying to run the other way.

I'm now a stable husband and father of three, one a US marine and two younger ones at home. Last year God kept working as my 12 year old son started playing drums. His spirit talked in my heart to start writing again, only this time for God's glory. So I began to write Christian songs alongside my son's drumming practices. Talk about a 180 degree use of the talent he gave me! God's patience is endless and his timing is perfect, and please believe he will do the same for everyone. What he did on calvary has power over everything for everyone and there is no greater hope than that.

I was born in the Catholic Church, received all of my sacraments, church every Sunday and attended a private Catholic school but never had a personal relationship with God. I always struggled with learning, school and paying attention and in high school changed to public school because I was hanging with a bad crowd and making bad choices.

At 15, I got into alcohol and drugs and that began a cycle of more bad decisions and filling the shame with more alcohol and so the cycle continues. I struggled with anxiety and depression and would self harm myself. After high school I became a very proud atheist and spent the next decade speaking out about God and trying to turn people away from him.

I started to get into the Occult and thought I could find my own healing and be my own God. I tried raki, seeing psychics, doing psychedelics, doing tarot cards, to try to heal the trauma I endured and I truly believed it was helping. Now I know that none of that was of God now, it was all demonic. Two years ago is when God entered my life again. I would watch Christian YouTubers and try to pick apart the hypocrisy and it would make me feel superior but as I would listen seeds started to be planted inside me. I knew deep down some of the things they would talk about was the truth. And it was hard to hear but I kept coming back for more even though I still didn’t accept Christ into my heart just yet.

One weekend two years ago after another weekend of drinking and making bad decisions, my mind was torturing me. I was in a hole of shame, self hatred, and depression. I screamed out to God and asked him to show himself to me if he was real. And that if he did I would accept him and live my life for him. It wasn’t immediately, but over a few months my mind started to change. I started to have discernment and I could see the things I once thought were okay were now unacceptable. I started to pray daily, and I confessed my sins to God and repented. On that day it was like a weight was lifted off my back that I have been carrying for a long time.

I started to attend Connection Church shortly after that and would find myself crying during every service because I could feel the Holy Spirit in there and I just couldn’t believe that I ever allowed the enemy to convince me that God wasn’t real. God is Real. He never gives up on us. He is so good.

I grew up in a Buddhist family and never truly practiced the faith. I knew of God, but I didn’t understand what a real relationship with Jesus was. For a long time, I lived my life picking and choosing when I wanted God involved. I went to church, heard the sermons, and related to parts of them, but I never let God truly change my heart.

During COVID, I fell into addiction. I got out, but not completely. That struggle followed me into one of my pregnancies, and I almost lost my children and my family because of it. I felt ashamed and broken. I questioned why I would even run back to God after only seeking Him when it was convenient, especially when I felt like my prayers had gone unanswered. In the middle of my addiction, I was begging God to save me, while continuing to return to the very sin I was asking Him to rescue me from. I cried out for freedom even as I was trapped in the cycle, feeling torn between conviction and bondage. I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet I felt powerless to stop.

Then there was a moment that stopped me. In the middle of my sin, I heard a voice say, “What if this was your last one, the one that actually kills you?” That question pierced my heart. I was forced to face the reality that I could die, that I could lose everything, and that this might be the moment I never came back from. But I was wrong to think God had turned away from me. God never left me. He knew what I was going through before it even happened. He was waiting for me to truly need Him—to realize I couldn’t do life without Him. I was using drugs while begging God to save me, and it took almost losing everything for me to understand that only He could pull me out of my pit. And He did. God showed me grace upon grace. He forgave me, cleansed me, and rescued me. My children were never taken from me. My husband never gave up on me. I should have lost my children. I should have overdosed. I should have died. But I knew God wasn’t done with me yet. Today, I stand here by the grace of God alone. I will glorify His name through my testimony, because He deserves all the glory.

When I was 8 years old, my father who was an alcoholic, was in a car accident from drinking and driving and ended up being in a coma for 3 months. When he came through, he had to be retaught everything from eating, to bathing, and even talking. He had suffered what I now call a TBI (traumatic brain injury). The part of his brain that was affected caused him to lose his short term memory. So, he couldn't recall things he did 5 minutes ago, but could remember things he did 5 years ago.

Because of many factors, but the main one being his TBI, when he came home, he became very physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive to especially my mother and oldest sister. I tended to be the "protector" even though I was the baby of the family and would find myself getting hurt because I got in the middle of a fight and was trying to protect my family.

I lived my life after this traumatic event in fear and anxiety. Fear of my father killing one of us and fear of losing another loved one. I began to smoke cigarettes at the age of 11, started drinking at the age of 12, and began to smoke marijuana at the age of 14. At the age of 18, I began to seek love from the wrong kind of men and began to be promiscuous. By the time I was 26, I was such a mess. I was sick all the time and had a lot of health issues and literally thought I was dying and that my lifestyle was finally catching up with me and I was going to get the punishment I deserved.

I was at a point where I was living a double life. One where I was working full time and 2-3 part time jobs and going to college, but in the evenings, especially on the weekends, I was partying so much I was passing out and waking up with a stranger in my bed. I was filled with so much shame and guilt over my past and present decisions and lost in a sea of loneliness, feeling empty and like there was no hope.

Well...God had a different plan. I was currently taking a Religion Course because I had dropped out of Philosophy (I didn't understand one word the professor said in a 3 hour lecture. LOL) One of my assignments was to visit a Buddhist Temple in Ann Arbor (at the time, I was living in Jackson). I really didn't want to commute another day, so I tried to come up with an alternative. The first person that came to mind was my obnoxious uncle who had "found Jesus" and was always trying to get me to go to his church. I had heard crazy stories about people falling out under the power of God and people speaking in another language, and thought to myself, "that'll be a great story". So, I asked my professor and he okayed it and I went there the next week. I remember being so nervous (filled with shame) and scared. I called my uncle and asked him what to wear, what time to get there, etc. He generously invited me to go out to eat with him and my aunt after the service. He was so excited that I was going.

Long story, shorter...I walked into that church feeling so seen, loved, and accepted by everyone I met. I found myself crying during worship. (I couldn't believe they had a full band and singers! LOL) I was drawn back to the church time and time again. Within 3 months, I surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. I knew that I couldn't live the life I was living any longer and that I needed a Savior. I believed that day that He died for me on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead 3 days later and that He lives today in the hearts of all of those who believe and call Him Lord. I have been set free from shame, addiction, fear, anxiety, and promiscuity and now live life to the fullest, knowing that it's not going to be easy or perfect, but He's with me the whole way and promises to never leave. He's done so much for me and through me that I never could have even imagined and I am and will forever be eternally grateful. And just so you know...He'll do the same for you. He loves you with an everlasting love and is just waiting for you to surrender.

I was raised in non practicing Catholic home, though I made my communion and confirmation I had no idea that I was spiritually separated from God. In all honesty, I thought the Catholics were the only ones going to heaven. It wasn’t until middle school a classmate took me to church with her that I first heard the term Born Again.

I didn’t understand it so I pushed it aside. But GOD didn’t give up. Many years later the term was brought up again by an acquaintance who explained a little more clearly. But again I moved on.

Finally in my 30’s a wonderful elderly lady took a few of us under her wing and explained salvation in more detail. And I accepted Jesus Christ and went from darkness to light.

What I really want to share is I never experienced drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse but I was still lost, still separated from God. Had I died I would have still gone to hell. But I had no idea. Being born of a women I was spiritually dead, separated from God. It’s not about what you did or didn’t do. It’s about the state we are born into spiritually. We have been bought back through his shed blood and it has to be recognized and received to be appropriated. I thank God that though it took many years he brought people into my life till I understood and accepted.

A year ago, last December I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  A few weeks ago, without any treatments I had my second biopsy and they found no cancer.  I give all the glory to God for this wonderful healing. 

In October, 2021, my husband Larry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage one with a tumor in his pancreas on his birthday. Two days later we went to his cancer surgeon to find out what can be done. At this time they did an updated CT scan. We were told he needed 3 months of chemo, then the whipple surgery (removing the gall bladder, part of the pancreas and stomach and rerouting the digestive system), and more chemo.

By this time our heads were spinning with all the information coming at us at a rapid rate. A few days later, during a visit to his oncologist the latest review of his current CT scan discovered another mass between the liver and stomach. The Doctor informed us, the cancer was now stage four and the whipple surgery was no longer an option. If Larry did nothing, he had 3-4 months left to live. He decided to try a round of chemo to possibly have a little more time.

We turned to prayer with faith and believing along with all of our family (we both come from large families), friends and the prayer team at Connection Church. We had so many people praying, it made us humble and so grateful.

After two months another scan was done. The mass had shrunk significantly along with the tumor in the pancreas enough for them to proceed with the surgery. During the surgery they harvested 32 lymph nodes looking for the cancer and they could not find any. The pathology report confirmed they were all benign. This is definitely our miracle! There is no other way to explain it.

His latest scan on March 16th, 2022 came back clear. Glory be to God! It will take six months for him to heal. We continue to pray for his six month recovery as he prepares for more chemo to help insure this cancer won't return. We know he is in the hands of God......THY WILL BE DONE. Amen.

We are so grateful for all of the prayers! We definitely believe in the power of prayer! We have been blessed beyond measure and thank the Lord always.

"I was diagnosed at 22 with a Colloid Cyst in the third ventricle of my brain. All the Drs were shocked to find it at such a small size, because this type of cyst and it's location is never found early.  They're usually found very large and blocking fluid from draining out from the brain. People either die from this or require risky emergency brain surgery. After seeing Drs for months then years, I was cleared for a 5 year gap between MRI checks.

During that 5 years, my husband and I grew our family and just lived our lives following after Christ. Determined to trust God, I had an experience during a time of fasting and prayer where I felt like the Lord had healed me.  Recently, my time for my MRI came around and I started doubting that maybe I really wasn't healed and telling myself not to get my hopes up.

I'm part of the Creative Arts Team at Connection and during practice I asked Cal Walker to pray for me the day before my MRI and he enlisted the whole Creative Arts team to pray as well. He specifically said something I very much needed. He prayed, "Lord, lend our faith to Hannah to build hers up."   And in that moment I felt it. I had my MRI and the next day was the appointment with my neurosurgeon. He was talking about the mass that I also have on my pituitary gland and how it hadn't really grown and that was really good. I asked him, "What about the Colloid Cyst?" And his response was, "What Colloid Cyst?"  

I was fighting back tears as he explained that there was a small thing in the ventricle but it definitely wasn't a Colloid cyst and whatever it was, it was benign and getting smaller. He said I have nothing to worry about. I was diagnosed with this almost 12 years ago and God has healed me! God is absolutely good and I am so very thankful!!!!"

"When I went to church last Sunday, my right wrist and my back were hurting really bad. I love to worship, but I was struggling that morning because of the pain. I couldn't even clap my hands. But God! I prayed during worship for the Lord to take away the pain so I could enter into His presence and worship freely with nothing hindering me. And He did just that. He removed the pain! God is good and to Him be all the glory!" Margaret V.

"Roy and I were supposed to go on stage at church to participate in the Valentine's Day special celebration.  I was contemplating how I could walk up those stairs because my feet were in so much pain.  Then during worship, Daniel began to share that he believed the Lord wanted to heal someone with arthritis and I knew he was talking about me. My friend seated next to me put her arms around me and we began to pray for one another. And BOOM just like that -- Jesus touched me.  My pain was gone and walked up those stairs pain free.  I'm so thankful, God is so good. " Faye T.

" I am somewhat new to Connection Church.  I wanted to share what the Holy Spirit has been doing in my life since attending. I have had personal challenges my entire life that have hardened my heart.  While attending Connection, I have gone forward asking for people to pray over me a few times.  The result is a softening of my heart.  I have made amends to several people in my family.  I've been hugging them and expressing my love for them.  My father struggled with alcoholism and was abusive to my mother. Through the perspective of the Holy Spirit I have been able to let all resentments go.  I know now my father loved me and was proud of me.  The Spirit is love and love always wins.    -- Chris A.

"During an altar call at church on February 21, 2021 I went forward for prayer for healing.  Nine months prior I had injured my collar bone doing lawn work.  I saw an orthopedic surgeon, had tests done and was sent to six weeks of physical therapy.  My collar bone would roll out of place and relief never came.  Until the Monday, after the altar call. I woke up and my collar bone felt so much better. I thought to myself, "Wow! I think I finally found a good sleeping position, because my collar bone doesn't hurt." This thinking went on for a few days. It wasn't until Thursday or Friday of that week when I realized that it was something more. I was on my walk, thinking about this, "new sleeping position", fixing my collar bone. When a thought popped into my head, "Remember you asked for healing on Sunday." I then put two and two together and realized that I had been healed. God deserves all the glory for this." -- Ruth W.