Titus 2 Men And Women

So that you can get to know me a little better, I am going to give you a short testimony of my life.

I was born and reared on a farm near Findlay, Ohio. I am the second of five children and the oldest daughter. My parents did not get saved until I was in high school, but my mom tried to have us in the local United Methodist church every Sunday morning.

When I was in the sixth grade, I remember making a decision for Christ during a revival meeting at the Methodist church, but I continued to have doubts as to where I would spend eternity.

On October 31, 1971 an event took place that would change the course of my life and the lives of those in my family. It was a beautiful, warm, fall day. A neighbor had come over to go horseback riding with my dad. My mom had taken my three younger sisters to a midget football game. (One of my sisters was a cheerleader.) Dad and the neighbor man decided to have a little race with the horses. The horse my dad was riding was very flighty and near the end of the race veered sharply left because something frightened it. The cinch on the saddle broke and threw my dad into the Methodist Church sign and a telephone pole. The horse drug my dad across the road where it stopped in our front lawn. It was obvious that my dad was seriously hurt. He could not breathe and he was bleeding from the mouth indicating internal injuries. The neighbor man decided that he could get dad to the hospital faster than waiting for the ambulance, so he and my brother got dad on to a board and loaded him into the back of a station wagon. God was in control (as always) and right after they left for the hospital my mom drove in. For some reason mom could not find where the football game was being played so she came back home.

My dad nearly died because of his injuries, but God spared him. A Godly neighbor saw an opportunity and took his pastor to visit my dad. The pastor led my dad to the Lord and then made a visit later to our house and led my mom to the Lord!

After several months, we began attending Bible Fellowship, our neighbor's church. I continued to have doubts even though I followed the Lord in believer's baptism (I had not been baptized when I made the decision in the sixth grade.). The Lord continued to work with my family and we grew spiritually. I was faithful to all the church services and after I graduated from high school moved from the Teen Sunday School Class into the College and Career class. During the Christmas holiday of 1979 our class had a Christmas party at our teacher's house. One of my sisters and I attended the party. We played a game at the party called "Fruit Basket Upset". We each had to pick a fruit name, and I was a cherry. There was another young person at the party whose name was Ken DeHass. He noticed the "Cherry" and he also noticed another fruit the "Strawberry" (my sister). After the party he spent several weeks counseling with the class teacher about which one to ask for a date. If you all knew my sister you would agree with me that he should have asked her, but again God was leading, and you guessed it Ken asked me!

Our first date was the Valentine Banquet in February of 1980. Things moved along quickly after that and we were engaged in July of 1980. Ken went off to Pensacola Christian College in September and we were married in August of 1981. We moved to Pensacola in September of 1981 so that Ken could finish his college education. During the opening revival services at the college in September of 1981, I went forward to get assurance of my salvation. I was baptized the following Sunday.

On July 15, 1982 the Lord blessed us with a precious little boy that we named Joseph. Joe looked (and still does) just like his dad! As Joe grew, he began to spend lots of time with his dad. Ken would take him with him whenever he was able. As I look back, I know that God put in Ken's heart to spend as much time as could with his son.

Ken graduated from college in May of 1983. In September of that year we moved to Berne, Indiana to work with Pastor Doug Rogers at Faith Baptist Church. We loved being in Berne and enjoyed working with the people there. Ken was an assistant pastor as well as a Christian schoolteacher for the fifth and sixth grade, choir director, and Sunday school teacher. He also was always available to do whatever the pastor needed done. As a family we worked and served together until May 20, 1990 when another event took place that would drastically change our lives.

After church on the evening of May 20, 1990, a couple invited us to come over for some fellowship. About 10:45 PM we headed home, but we never made it. A quarter of a mile from our house a car went left of center and hit us head on. Ken was killed instantly. Joe and I escaped with minor injuries. The days that followed Ken's home going were difficult for Joe and I. We missed him so much! We continue to miss him, but God is gracious and merciful and helps us through these times.

God took good care of us and guided us through two major moves that led us to our current home in Michigan. Again God allowed another trial to come into our lives. On Sunday, September 5, 1999 Joe was driving back from Berne, Indiana where he had been visiting some friends. He was to meet me at my parent's home near Findlay, Ohio in time to attend the Sunday evening church service. When 5:00 PM came and went, I became a little concerned. I called the home of the family whom Joe had visited and learned that he had left several hours earlier, but that he might have been on his way back since he had left some of his clothes there. Joe still had not arrived at my folks' home by the time it was time to leave for church, so I went without him. I kept watching for him to come in during the service, but he never showed up. I was very worried by this time. I hoped all the way back to my parent's home that my car would be sitting in the drive and Joe waiting at the house. When we were close enough to see the house, there was no car. My dad called the State Police to see if Joe had been involved in an auto accident. He was informed that yes, Joe had been involved in a serious accident and that he had been flown to Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, Ohio with head injuries. The hospital was fifty minutes away. I called my Pastor in Michigan and left a message for him to call my brother and then we headed for Toledo. When I arrived I was informed that Joe was in a coma and that he also had a broken vertebrae in his lower back. Joe remained in a coma for 17 days, but again God was merciful and allowed him to come out of the coma.

Joe was not able to sit up, walk, talk, or do anything that a teenage boy should be able to do when he came out of the coma, but with God's help and lots of hard work Joe has made a complete recovery and is in his sophomore year at Bible College. He is currently planning to travel with the "Sons of the Prophets" male ensemble from the college this summer.

I am employed as a church secretary for a local church and I also have several piano students. I attend Landmark Baptist Church in Davison, MI where I am the church pianist.

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