Jerry's Testimony
I'd like to share with you my testimony that involves me, but is not about me. It is about the power, mercy and saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I was very fortunate to have been raised in a Christian home. I was taught from a very early age to love the Lord and follow Him always. I remember going to Sunday School and church services and knowing what it was like to learn as a child how much Jesus loved me. I learned the old-fashioned gospel songs that I cherish today; Amazing Grace, Victory In Jesus, How Great Thou Art, The Old Rugged Cross... just to name a few. I was saved and baptized in Lexa Baptist Church in Lexa, Arkansas when I was a young boy. I remember the pastor was Bro. Pitman and we had a regular evangelist who visited us named Bro. "Red" Johnson. Brother Red gave me a bible that had a red cover and he filled out the front with my name, his name and one of his favorite verses, Philippians 4:19. To this day, that Bible means a great deal to me because it was given in love.
At about age 16 I discovered that I "knew it all", I didn't attend church regularly and lived like the world. When I joined the US Army at the age of 20, I began attending church again regularly. I married at age 21, fathered a daughter at age 23 and a son at age 28.
But, what seemed like a somewhat normal life was suddenly about to change...
We all take tomorrow for granted. We think there will always be time to get saved, time to serve the Lord later, time to do whatever we want… In the book of Luke, Chapter 12 we are given the parable of a rich man.
"The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'
But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
We are not guaranteed tomorrow! My "tomorrow" was almost taken away from me.
On February 3, 1990 I was at work when a robber came rushing into the store. He came right up to me, pointed his pistol in my face and pulled the trigger. By the mercy of God, the bullet struck behind me but did not hit me! This startled the robber and he stepped back and fired 2 more shots at me, both striking me in the chest. One of these bullets ricocheted off of a rib and struck me in the spine, crushing my spinal cord. I immediately crumpled to the floor.
As I lay on the floor, I knew something was wrong since I could not get back up. I rolled myself onto my back. The robber knelt over me and put the gun in my face once again. I calmly told him to do what he had to do. He took the money I had on me and ran from the store.
I rubbed my hands across my chest and raised them up so I could see them. They were covered in blood. I knew I might bleed to death, so I found the bullet holes and placed my fingers in them to slow the bleeding. I then closed my eyes and began to pray. I asked for forgiveness of my many shortcomings, I gave praise to Jesus and I asked that if I should die today, that my family be taken care of and given comfort. While I was praying, the paramedics arrived and started asking me questions. I just ignored them and continued with my prayer.
Once I finished praying, I opened my eyes and asked the paramedics what they wanted to know from me. "I thought you were unconscious", one said. I said, "No, I was just saying a prayer in case I don't make it". They stabilized me and prepped me for the trip to the hospital.
I was rushed by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. On the flight to the hospital my lungs collapsed. I motioned to the flight nurse that I could not breathe. He inserted a small hand pump and inflated my lungs. I gave him the OK sign as soon as I could breathe again; he replaced the bandages over the bullet holes. When we arrived at the hospital, they rushed me into emergency surgery. They cut me open from my belly button to just below my breastplate so they could assess the damage. As soon as they cut me open, I died. They called in a cardiac surgeon who opened me up all the way to my neck in an attempt to revive me, and he did… 7 minutes later. Many people ask if I saw a white light or a glimpse of Heaven - I didn't. It simply was not my time to die so I never crossed over. This was all part of God's plan.
If you think you have plenty of time before you decide to accept Jesus, think again. Where would I be now if I had not been a Christian and I had not been revived that day? What if you died today? Where would you spend eternity? Once you die there are no more opportunities to accept Jesus.
I was in intensive care for 14 days and I recall only a few brief moments of those 14 days. I was kept well medicated so I would not have to endure the tremendous pain associated with multiple gunshot wounds. On my 15th day in the hospital I was transferred to a private room and was fully conscious. The neurosurgeon who removed the bullet from my spine came in and introduced himself. He explained to me that the bullet had fractured the spine and crushed my spinal cord up against the opposite side of my spine. Due to the damage to the spinal cord, he informed me that I would never walk again nor would I have any use of my body below the T10 section of my spine.
I was just 26 years old when I heard this. Being told you will never walk again is not something you want to hear at that age, or any age for that matter. I had many family members in the hospital room with me and I asked that everyone leave so I could be alone. I was not angry, just deeply saddened by my situation. My Aunt Betty (my grandmother's sister on dad's side) stuck her head back in and asked if she could come in. Of course, I said yes.
Now Aunt Betty loves the Lord like no one I have ever known. She serves Him with all her heart, mind and soul without reservation. She has more faith than anyone I have ever encountered. Aunt Betty sat on the bed beside me and told me "Do not listen to the doctor because all he knows is medicine". She then asked if I knew what the bible said about prayer and I said "I certainly do". And I quoted Matthew 21:22, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Regarding faith, James 1:6 tells us "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." If you ask but do not have faith, you cannot expect your prayer to be answered. Aunt Betty then placed her hands on my shoulders and began to pray. I remember hearing 2 or 3 words as she began to speak… then nothing. I have no memory of anything for the remainder of that day. It is as if time skipped to the next day. Perhaps the prayer was between her and God and I wasn't meant to hear it even though it was on my behalf. Perhaps the Spirit interceded because she did not know what to pray for.
The Bible clearly states in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." This could be the reason I have no recollection of her prayer.
18 days after being shot, they discharged me to go home. They wheeled me to the exit in a wheelchair but when I got to the door I held out my hands and stopped us by pushing against the door jamb. I told the nurse I wasn't leaving the hospital in a wheelchair. I pulled myself to my feet, supporting myself by holding on to the door frame and I walked over the door threshold on my own!
Don't ever let anyone tell you that God doesn't perform miracles anymore! God is just as powerful today as He was the day He created the Heavens and the earth.
Now I still have many problems and painful side-effects from my injuries but I am able to walk on my own and be a testimony to others. I am considered disabled due to many physical limitations, even though I am not in a wheelchair. I put a lot of effort into concealing my physical problems and I try to always have a smile on my face!
I used to wonder why God allowed all of this to happen to me and why I was allowed to live. Why did I have to endure so much? What did I do that was so bad that this was allowed to happen to me? Turns out, it was simply the devil trying to keep me from God.
James 1:13 tells us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one." Maybe this was my test, my turn to be Job. But no matter what evil befalls me, God makes good of it. In Romans 8:28 it says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
So I asked God to show me His purpose. I believe that all of this happened so that I can share my testimony and be a witness to others. I prayed and asked God how He wanted me to go about this. He laid the idea of the RV Outreach ministry on my heart.
The RV Outreach program is where Cynthia and I live full-time in a small travel trailer and visit RV Parks, campgrounds and churches across America sharing this testimony. At the campgrounds, we provide Christian fellowship, we lead Bible studies, we offer Bible study materials to adults and we host activities for children. We also provide free, personalized bibles to anyone who will accept it. Maybe that bible will mean as much to them as the one that Brother Red gave to me.
We knew that we would need an income and a place to live. God made everything fall into place as my $1422 per month Social Security Disability check is the income and the 19' travel trailer we own is a place to live. We can freely travel as the Lord directs us and always have an income and a roof over our heads!
With all that being said, do I think it was all worth it? One day when I am in Heaven and someone walks up to me and tells me that they are there because of me, then yes, it was all worth it. If you don't yet know Jesus as your personal savior and you'd like to be that person in Heaven one day, then visit this page and learn how you can be saved right now!
My Social Security check is what Cynthia and I live on as we pursue this ministry. It is just enough for us to get by day-to-day. In order for us to be able to travel to more campgrounds so that we can reach people for Jesus, we need your help. If you would like to be one of our sponsors, you can find out how to make a one-time or monthly donation of any amount by clicking here.
May God bless you!
Jerry
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