Joy's Testimony

Sometimes you go through trials for a teaching. My parents didn't teach my brother & I about Christ at all because they didn't know Him yet. Of course we heard about Him during Christmas and Easter but that was about it. After I had just turned 12 mom & dad's marriage wasn't doing to good. Dad was gone all the time working for a professional drag racer and mom was gone all the time working at the hospital. After a little while mom was gone a lot more even when she didn't have to work. Going out to parties to drink & coming home drunk. I couldn't stand to be around her so I always stayed at my best friends or went to my ex's house. I smoked, cussed up a storm and sometimes stole cigarettes from the store. Keith, my brother, was with my dad most of the time. Until one night mom got arrested and was at the police station and heard somebody tell her to go back to her family. She was drunk, of course, so it scared her. As all this was going on dad was growing up his self. Like I said, they didn't know who Christ was. His marriage was getting so bad he needed help. He would go to my grandma's and she would do teachings on the Bible since he never learned and would pray. Keith at this time was learning as well and would pray in the corner of his bedroom. It got so bad that one day he went to a church he had never went to and burst out in tears asking for prayer. After a while mom finally started listening to the Spirit and went back to her family. As soon as they got back together they stopped smoking, drinking, cussing, all that junk. Because they wanted their family to grow up right which was something they didn't learn at Keith & I's age. As soon as all this happened was when I turned the good ole 13. I was a teenager now! Happiest time of a kids life, not mine. I started having a seizure one day as Keith & I was getting on the school bus. They took me to the hospital and my mom came. They couldn't give her a positive result which was not good. That went on for a while, no positive results. They took me to get cat scans, MRI's, EEG's and I don't know how many blood tests, no positive answer. I had am implant placed over my heart to cause the seizures not to be so strong, never worked. Another hard part was that I didn't get to live my teenage life. You know...going to your girlfriends house to sleep over, going to Sonic with your friends on lunch brake, things like that I never got to do my seizures got so bad. I was in half Sophomore when it got a little too hard on me. I would have a seizure during class or in the hallway and wet my pants while seizing in front of everybody. So, my mother found a online home schooling and put me in. I didn't get to finish my high school years here or even go to my Senior prom. I had to go to work with mom which was at my dads shop every day. Slept most of the time or set and played solitaire. Not a fun life. That went on for 6yrs when we got taught by the lesson. We were at a gathering one night having an awesome time with His presence. As we were leaving I started having a seizure. I got prayed over by the youth of that church and the youth pastor. It was an every day routine so it pretty much shocked us me not having a seizure the next day. We were wondering what was going on cause they happened daily. Well, the next day came and nothing. 10 days came and nothing. We were getting happier and happier and believing God had healed me that night at the gathering! I was telling everybody I was healed and how awesome God was. Until that 22nd day came up, I started having them again. As I went through those 21 days God was teaching me a lesson on how my life would be if I just trusted Him and served. People would be asking, "Why did they come back?!" "I thought God healed you!" Well, He did. He healed my trust in Him. Yeah I was having seizures again but I didn't let that pull me down. I kept living my life for Jesus and gave Him every bit of the praise I could.  In 2003 mom found a doctor at the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City who did brain surgery, Dr. Francel. We got to personally get to meet him and he was a great guy. Loved Jesus and believed I was going to be seizure free. They set up a date for me to have brain surgery September 17, 2004. Now here is when this story comes in. I don't remember anything about my surgery but mom wrote a journal the week we were there and I would love to share it. Here we go =)
It was September 17, 2004. We were told to be there by 5:30am on the dot. Several people came by the shop the day before surgery to see Joy. We went to bed early because we had to get up at 3am. Keith & Bekkah went & got Bobby so they could come up the next day. Of course, I couldn't sleep. Not from worrying but from excitement for Joy. She wasn't scared one bit. We left the house at 4am. We had asked her what trip she would like to take when she got well and she said, "Frontier City". We laughed and she slept most of the way up there. We got to the OU Medical Center at 5:15am & waited until 6 before they took her back to get her IV in. They let us go back with her and after they got it in we all prayed asking God to send His angels with her & to direct her doctors hands & those taking care of her. And we ask God to bless Dr. Francel in a mighty way. They came to get her at around 7:30 so we kissed her by & told her we lover her. They pushed her down the hall to the holding room. Family & friends were with us in the waiting room when we got a call telling us she was asleep and doing fine. Then they called & said about 2hrs into the surgery that the tumor was out. Grandma set and prayed while we all talked & waited. About 2hrs later they called back and said she was done. It was a while later before we could go see her. The first to go was Doug, Keith, Bekkah, mom & I. She could say "I love you". Keith went up to her & told her he loved her & she said, "Love you too bub...where's my sissy?" And Keith said, "Who Bekkah? Joy nodded her head & Bekkah came to her & Joy struggled to pull her hand out & hold it up to Bekkah. And she said, "I love you sissy." It was precious. Doug stayed with her so I could go & take others in. Tom, Jack, Kris & Bob came in. Kris was crying really hard giving her kisses. Then Pam & Mark came in. Pam said, "Do you know who I am?" And Joy said, "Pamaloo". That night we slept in the waiting room & Joy slept fine. The next morning she was having headaches & her eye was big & black. And her face was so swollen. We had a lot of visitors that day bringing flowers & cards for Joy. She had such a bad headache she couldn't stay up. She was sleeping good that night so we went to a motel & the next morning mom called & told us we needed to come back. After about an hour I noticed her eyes looked glazed & weird. We tried to shake off the panic. Her broth came & she was trying to eat & couldn't control her arm & was slurring a lot. I called her nurse & they came in so we put her in her bed. The doctor came in. Doug & I were very scared. It was like she had a stroke or something. He assured us that is was normal & that this day would be the swelling peak day. And that it would pass. It was about 1am she wasn't feeling very good at all. That's when the vomiting started. The second round of vomiting started & she got all upset & scared. She couldn't understand. One day she was perfectly fine then the next she couldn't talk or control her arms. She started crying & so did Doug. I had to settle her down in which she did. But she couldn't keep any food down. Doug couldn't leave her so the kids went home. She would sleep & wake up dry heaving. She couldn't talk very good either. It was about 9:30 & she was sitting up & a little better. I had the tv on and she was looking up. Her eyes were both swollen & blue. Tears started running down her face. I thought she was upset. I asked her, "Are you watching tv?" And she said slurring, "I see the Lord". I asked her if she could sing the Lord a praise song in her mind & praise Him. But she didn't want to think a song, she wanted to sing to Him. So with everything she had she started trying to sing, Trading My Sorrows. The presence of God came into that room in a powerful way. I started singing quietly with her & she pushed herself to get the words out. Doug at this time was crying really hard. I asked her to try, You Are Beautiful My Sweet Sweet Song. And she tried her best then fell asleep. We couldn't hold back the tears & amazement. Doug said, "That was the best church service I've ever been in." During his visit Sunday, the doctor said her MRI looked great. She was running a fever all day until 3am. Monday she felt better but really sleepy. They had medicated her for the vomiting, headache & the fever. At 7pm she set up & ate some jello. It was funny cause it was red. She hadn't talked that much but the first thing was, "Where's that green stuff?" I was dripping broth on her & Doug said, "She's makin' a mess huh?" She remarked, "Like Keith". Wednesday we got moved onto the 4th floor which was better. About 4:20 Dr. Francel came in & said the tumor came back benign. Thursday was when Dr. Love wrote us an order for us to go home since she was better. We left the hospital at about 10 and headed home. When we got home she took a long warm bath & went to bed. She was exhausted. She had a whole lot of gifts from everybody. It was so sweet.

Now this is when I started getting better. Dave & Jarrod came out that night at about 11pm & brought me a gift. Then Saturday the 28th we went back to the hospital to have the stitches took out. Mom asked them on a scale to 1-10 how serious my surgery was. And they said it was a 9. If the doctor made one little bad move I could have died. But like my mom said, I wasn't scared one bit. I trusted God and knew He had a plan for me. And if I wasn't here today I would be up in Heaven enjoying my life even more.
To this day my parents pastor our church, THE GATE, which is non-denominational and awesome. God can do amazing work on you if you just trust AND fully serve Him. I am so so thankful! It was February the month of Valentines Day when I met my husband Jared. It was too sweet. We got married April 8, 2006. Then in February 2009 was when we told everybody we had a little bundle of joy coming into the family. Chase Kaleb Linder was born October 7, 2010 (10-7-10). I never ever thought any of this was going to be happening to me when my trust in God was weak.  But everything the devil was trying to take out of my life He poured back onto me because my trust in Him grew stronger and stronger. Now I'm married, I'm a wonderful mother, I have a great house, and an awesome church with crazy Jesus freak family. And all this that I am thankful for came out of prayer. No matter what kind of situation you're going through. All you have to do is put your trust in God & believe in Him. That there is the good side of it :) God bless you my friends!!

"What you pray you are able to receive it. But the first thing He is waiting on is for you to believe it!" -Joy

{John 16:23}
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

September 17th, 2004/Brain surgery at the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Ok.  by Dr. Paul Francel. Many many blessings to that man =)