Testify
by Dianna Brown

I gonna testify. Sometimes you just have to shout the glory of God from the rooftops. Today is one of those days for me.

As some of you know--I have four children.
Allen - He is 35. He came to me when George and I married. I am so proud of this fine man-child of mine. He worked 40 hours per week at Walmart from the time he was 16. He also played football, and graduated a scholar athlete with a full scholarship for academics. He is now manager of the new Dunlap Walmart.
Franky - He is 28 years old. He has four children, lives in Florida and is a roofing crew chief.
Amanda - the baby. She is working her way through the realization that she is an adult.

Missy - She is my oldest daughter and the one this preacher is really about. She is 26 years old. At 14 months she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The doctor told me that she would never walk, talk, sit alone, be continent. Basically she would be a vegetable all of her life. Not true. She will graduate from Middle Tennesse State University this year with a degree in Journalism. She graduated High school, 11th in her class and a member of Beta Club. She gets around in a power wheelchair and her speech is slurred. She has only taken three steps in her whole life. When she was 12 I made the decision to make a good sitter out of her, because it was pretty obvious whe would never walk.

What I want to share with you about Missy is her spiritual walk. When she was 14, my church had a "Wailing Wall". We put up requests for different people for salvation. Missy was not saved at the time, and I was begining to get worried about it. I put her picture on the wall. Well, every night for about three weeks, Missy wanted to know exactly what salvation was and how did someone "get saved". I explained it every way I could think of and finally one night (I had a migraine and felt really bad) I just told her--"God, gave you a brain. I have told you all I know about it. YOU figure it out!" I flipped her on her side and cut out the light and left her room.

I no sooner got out of her room than God nailed me--"HOW dare you tire of telling about salvation?" I repented explained to Him that I didn't know anything else to tell her and HE would just have to take over.

About three a.m., I heard Missy yelling. I went tearing into her room--I just knew she was hurt--the urgency in her voice was that sincere. I flipped on the light and she was just "dancing" and glowing. I asked her what was wrong. She leveled off, looked at me and said, "I'm saved!"
"HUH?"
"I'm saved!", she replied.
"Exactly how did this happen?", I asked.

"Well, Mama, I was laying here thinking about every thing you had said about salvation and all at once I was in the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The sky was so blue and full of fluffy, white clouds but there wasn't any sun, but it was so light and airy. I saw a "Mama Lion" babysitting a lamb. I saw a Christmas tree next to a banana tree. And the grass was long and soft between my toes. AND MAMA I WAS WALKING. There was then man walking with me. He was saying"...like you walk with me now."

"Okay, this means you are saved, because????"

"Oh, Mama, don't you see. The man was Jesus. He was walking with me."
"Cool, Missy." I said. "I am so glad, you are now saved. When you get to heaven--You come find Mama and we will fly around together, okay?"
"Oh no, Mama," she said."You can fly if you want--but I am going to walk--with Jesus-just like HE walks with me now."