Wednesday, March 28, 2007

From the past to the present...I found God along the way.... (Pt.1)

I left Hooker Chemical when I got married.  Dr. Hammer was kind enough to lend us the company limo for the wedding and Sylvester did the driving.  it was a wonderful send off.  The plan was to move to Washington state and begin work at Boeing...which we did.

I worked on the 767, before it rolled out.  My job entailed working with the Japanese and the Italian teams.  Talk about different cultures!  I loved working with the Japanese...they were hard working, diligent, polite and respectful.  I lost all femininity in their eyes because I was in the work place and so I was addressed as Cheri-san....Mr. Cheri.

Working with the Italians....well....unfortunately the group I worked with fit all the pre-conceived notions I had of Italian men.  Let us just say that more than one face went home with my hand print embedded along the jaw line!  What they deemed "a compliment" I found highly insulting...keep your hands to yourself became my motto and I learned never to go to the supply closet alone!

It was during this time that I began to feel drawn to church.  I wasn't sure why...but I had a sudden desire to go....so I went.  I visited a little Nazarene church not far from where I lived....although the messages never spoke to me the hymns would make me weep.   I didn't understand at all....it frustrated me so I wouldn't go for awhile until the desire was overwhelming and then it would all start over again.  No matter where I went...I wept.  God was wooing me as the bridegroom seeks His bride.

About this time some women at work approached me to "tell me about God".  Their approach was to tell me all the "things I would get" if I "said yes to God".  Now, this didn't even make sense to me.....sounded like God was a vending machine...put in the right combinations of coins and get your choice of goodies from the menu....even I knew this was wrong.  However there was  a young lady, Jan Ingram, who sat in my area, saw what was going on and brought me a cassette tape of some Christian songs and a small book and just asked if she could tell me about Jesus.  Her message was straight from the Word of God....and I was SO ready and hungry for it!  But wait....she imparted a warning along the way....COUNT THE COST!!

Jan told me not to do anything rash...don't be too quick....don't rush into this....was she trying to talk me out of it when I knew I had finally heard the truth?  She gently explained that my life would have to change...I would have to change...there were things I might have to give up, choices to be made but I would no longer have final say over my life...I would belong to another!  Whoa Nelly!!!  She told me that if I chose God, my life would NOT get easier....it would get harder because I could no longer go the way of the world (the popular choices)...that I would have a cross to carry DAILY!  Hey, I had seen the movies....carrying a cross meant pain, suffering, self-denial...yikes!!!

This was on a Friday...it took me three days to decide .... I chose God.  I knew in my heart the instant I heard about salvation that it was true.  I just needed to decide...was I was willing to give up what the world said was good and desirable....was I willing to seek the paths of God instead?  I am so thankful that Jan told me the truth...it wasn't about what I could "get"...it was about how I could serve!  I believe that the reason I have never faltered in my faith is because I did all the fence sitting during those three days of coming to a decision.  I came to God knowing that it would not be easy, that I would have to change and that I was there not to "use" Him to meet my needs but to serve Him and to be used by Him in whatever manner He deemed would be useful for His kingdom.

I was a different person overnight.  I dressed differently, spoke differently and acted differently.  The change was shocking to those who knew me (especially for my husband) although it was entirely unconscious on my part.  They didn't understand....I WAS different!  How could I be the same when I knew HIM! I found a little church with a wonderful pastor...David Grant...to this day I remember his laugh!  It was infectious!  I left Boeing when Pastor Grant's secretary left and the call went out for a new one.  I was hired and I LOVED being a Pastor's secretary!  To this day, it was probably one of my most favorite jobs ever....I guess I am just a people person!

I found myself pregnant after 4 years of infertility (and all the horrible testing that goes along with that!) and was heart broken when my baby girl died at about 18 weeks.  I cried out to God so often....WHY????....but God was silent.  I said goodbye to my little daughter and slowly life returned to normal.  Once again I found out I was pregnant....and this time delivered a healthy son, 3 weeks late and huge...almost 9 lbs.!  What joy!   This was one of the reasons I was created....I knew immediately that I wanted a dozen of them!  This also began my journey with herbs.  Some of the vaccinations and other things that were recommended for this precious bundle (and for my recovery from a C-section) just didn't sit well with my heart.  I began to read, research and make different decisions.  Not huge ones at that time...but I was cautiously sticking my toe in the water...
..
Another pregnancy,  but alas this little girl also went from my womb straight into the arms of God.  Again, I cried WHY??? but again God was silent.  I knew that God had allowed this to come to me and that somehow in the spirit of Romans 8:28 it was for my benefit....but it was so hard!  It was then that I began to read the book of Job....and I found my life verse...Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. I was so amazed at Job and so inspired by his story.

Another move across country, landing in Florida.  After about 3 years there, my son and I were deserted by my husband.  I was shocked....I never saw it coming...he worked for a church, was attending a Christian college and attended church faithfully but had apparently been living a dual life and the life I wasn't aware of was not compatible with God. I never saw him again.  He returned to the West coast and we very rarely heard from him except to be told he was marrying again. Again the heart felt cry of WHY????  My church at the time was wonderful - we were truly cared for and taken care of in many ways.   I began work again, while my son was cared for by a dear friend from church. She did this until Joshua was old enough to attend Kindergarten at a church school close by.  We lived with a family at church for a year and then were able to find a little apartment...our life was making sense again.

7 comments:

  1. God is good. What a tale... from DC to NW WA to FL; did you ever live in California? :)

    I can't wait to find out if you had the dozen...

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  2. Ellajac,
    I visited California several times but never lived there :)

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  3. Job 13:15 was also a special verse to me during a time a few years ago of deep loneliness and trials. God bless you.

    Diane

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  4. This post choked me up a few times! God is great! I look forward to reading the happy ending.

    We are in TN too. And we are planning on ordering your medicinal herb study soon. :)

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  5. Interesting to hear how you dealt with two different cultures--one so straitlaced, and the other...er...not-so-straitlaced!
    How wonderful to hear of your hungry heart. I remember feeling the same. The Lord is relentless in His pursuit of us, isn't He? Thanks for sharing how He saved you.
    Those tests of His are hard. I'm so sorry for your loss, sorry for the hurt another's faithlessness caused. What a blessing to have your son!
    Is it any wonder that peace in this life can only be found through Christ? Your story is inspiring. :)

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  6. Hi Mamalion,
    I look forward to getting to know you better through the course :)
    Cheri

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  7. Hi Julia,
    I appreciate your encouraging comments. Thanks so much,
    Cheri

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