Sharing Testimonies

June Arst

I want to start by saying how thankful I was to grow up in the family I did. I’m thankful that I’ve was raised by a wonderful mom and dad who taught me so much in life and about the Lord and about the Grace of God. Also, I had a wonderful and ornery brother I enjoyed growing up with. I really enjoyed going to church and going to fellowship meetings and also to camp. It was fun for me.

I really can’t complain about my life. I love people that I have gotten to know over my life time. I was a single person for a long time and then, the Lord brought me a wonderful man to whom I have really enjoyed being married. I am so happy that my Dad got to perform our wedding. We went back to our honeymoon spot in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and when we stepped back into Thorn Crown Chapel, I broke down in tears as it brought the memory of our wedding back to surface. 

In 1997 my husband David was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Then, several years later I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It seems like most of my life was medicine free and hospital free and I had pretty good health. 

Last year David had to have half of his thyroid removed. That wasn’t easy and his recovery was rough. Two years ago I had to go to the emergency room and found out that I had blockage in my kidneys. Two years later, on the 9th through the 13th of March of this year, I was in the hospital. Before that, I had gone to my doctor’s and ended up having a lot of shortness of breath. That Monday they hooked me up to an E.K.G. and said I was in A-Fib .and told me I was going to have to go to the Hospital. I chose St. Theresa because the heart doctor that was there was from my doctor’s office. 

When I was done with the E.K.G., David said he was feeling funny. He thought his blood sugars were dropping they checked his blood sugar and got him something to eat his blood sugar was doing fairly good. When I came back to the room, after I went to the bathroom David was talking but I didn’t understand what he said and then his hands started shaking and his body started convulsing and he started to fall forward I grabbed his body and held him back and yelled for help. When they came in the nurse tried to do what she could and David blacked out again. 

When he came to they started to check his blood pressure, and blood sugar again and pulse, and oxygen. More than half the staff was in the room taking care of David. I moved to the hallway to give them room to work on David. We ended up at the same Hospital Emergency room. 

I got out of the hospital on the 13th and have been at home recovering with watching my sodium closely and taking blood pressure and checking pulse taking lots of medications. I Thank the Lord for His love and care over me. My prognosis sounds positive if I make big changes for my health. I thank the LORD JESUS FOR HIS LOVE. 

They also had to reset my heart beat on April 22, which was David’s and my anniversary. I stayed at St. Francis overnight. Since then it has taken me a while to recover. I had a life vest that I have worn since the 13th of March, that monitored my heart and could act as a defibrillator if necessary. 

We had made some serious changes since I was released from the hospital with our sodium intake and making big changes but just took a step further. I do believe that God put that in my head to do that and watching our food closer has also paid off because when I went to the doctor last Monday I had an echocardiogram and this last Friday, 26th of June was my followup with my Heart doctor. He pointed at the battery pack that was part of the life vest and said you can get rid of that thing. He also lowered my medications. and said my heart was almost back to normal. 

I love our gracious Lord how wonderful and faithful he is to take care of his children. God blessed us with all of you and your prayers. Thank you Lord for our spiritual family that has been praying for us all the way through this journey, and for God’s wonderful healing. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. 

(Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name he has done great things Bless his holy Name bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is with in me bless his Holy name!)

Paul Chastain

My Prayer

I Come Broken, Lord, with no place left to go. 

I come broken, Lord, with nothing left to show 

For a wasted life of sin and shame. I come broken Lord, 

For You are my only hope. Yes, I’ve wasted my life on sin and frivolity; for a sinful life was the only life for me. 

Now I know the folly of the sinful life I’ve lived, 

so, I come broken, Lord, full of sin and sickness please 

please won’t You take me in? 

I’ve had no friends nor family to walk my road with me; 

So, now I walk this lonely road with one last chance for me. 

As I walk the lonely road, torn, tattered and filthy, 

so full of sin and shame, I have come almost to roads end; 

hoping that you will accept me and take me in. 

For there is no place left to go, so I come to You, Lord, please won’t You take me in? 

As I near the end of the road I have walked, so full of sin and shame, I look ahead and see a solitary figure, standing, looking back at me. 

It is You, O Lord, I see, looking back at me; 

It is You I see, with arms held open wide, and the love I see shining from Your eyes, I know is meant for only me. 

You call my name and say, “I love you, Paul, please come and live with Me? That you have wasted your life is plain for all to see; Yet only I alone can redeem you, if you will come and live for Me. A life poured out in service, leading others unto Me, 

a life redeemed, and lived in liberty.” 

I am not perfect, it is plain for all to see, yet Jesus loved me, saved me, that I might live my life for Him, in perfect liberty.