Healing Hope Newsletter
October, 2009
For a year after Theresa found her husband Doug dead, she thought about killing herself. “But my husband’s death had devastated my mother. If I committed suicide, she’d be completely destroyed.” (See Healing Hope Newsletter September 2009 at www.marionduckworthministries.com)
Although she wasn’t a Christian, Theresa began meeting with her sister-in-law to pray for her sixteen-year old son, Harry, Theresa’s nephew, who’d gotten into drugs. When someone told her about a church in the next city they thought she’d like, Theresa decided to try it out. “Six months later, I gave my heart to Christ.”
About that time she pulled into a gas station and a scruffy kid walked toward her “It was Harry, whom I knew had been living on the street. After we exchanged greetings, he ran to catch the city bus.” Later she learned that after Harry sat down, the bus driver—who was a stranger—turned and told him all the things he was doing wrong in his life, including his drug habit. “If you don’t get right with the Lord,” you’ll be dead in a year.” That scared Harry badly.
He got off the bus, went immediately to see the man who’d been his youth pastor and told him what had happened. “Harry fell on his knees and asked God’s forgiveness. Miraculously, he was completely delivered from his drug addiction with no withdrawals.” The family tried to find the bus driver to thank him, but were told that no man who fit that description drove that route.
When Theresa thanked God for saving Harry, she clearly sensed these words: “But I want you, too.” “I dissolved in a puddle of tears right there in bed and surrendered to God.”
Theresa had attended Bible studies faithfully and was very active in her church. But watching couples share the bond of Christ in the pews Sunday after Sunday, devastated her. “I found my place by helping others.” When a friend’s father developed Multiple Sclerosis and then Alzheimer’s Disease, Theresa adjusted her work schedule so she could help. She also made several mission trips to Mexico, volunteered to help people find low cost housing and gave block parties in their neighborhoods.
Often, she went to prison and talked with families standing in line waiting to visit a loved one. Always she wore two colorful bracelets designed like the wordless book so she could use them to tell the Gospel story while they waited. “Now tell the story back to me, so I know you can tell it to someone else.” she’d say when she finished, Then she’d give them the second bracelet. “Often the women were poor and delighted to receive a handsome piece of jewelry.”
Twice her ministry has come to a screeching halt. The first was when she had a heart attack in the shower. “Lord,” she prayed, “if this is my appointment with you, I’m ready.” When she arrived at the hospital, the doctor told her that if she’d been one minute later, she would be dead.
Then, early in 2008, Theresa developed diabetic retinopathy—a condition that causes bleeding in the back of the eye. “Suddenly I couldn’t be active because my vision was practically zero.” Although she’d known for years that she had diabetes, she admits she hadn’t taken good care of herself. “I wasn’t a good steward of my own body.” Recently, with treatments, she has been gradually regaining sight and is eager to return to ministry.
What has she learned from her experiences? “Our faith is measured by how we react when life takes a downturn. But we can be sure that God will never abandon us.”
*Names have been changed
Websites:
http://www.marionduckworthministries.com
http://www.healinghopeonline.com
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