Rejected But Not by God

Mama was an old-fashioned Christian who had faith in Jesus that would move mountains. She prayed about everything, and as I grew up I watched God answer her prayers. One of those prayers was answered while I was in kindergarten. During recess, I went outside with all the other children and began playing on the monkey bars. I was at the top, and some others were below me, when my foot slipped. As I opened my mouth to yell, my jaw came down on the bar, and my top teeth went right through my tongue. The principal called my brother, Vollie, who was in the sixth grade. Vollie put me on his back and ran all the way home. My oldest brother, Leonard, was home. He and Mama took me to the church office, where the ministers prayed for me. The bleeding stopped.
Then she took me to the doctor. He said, "I'm sorry, but we can't sew up her tongue. She has cut and severed all the main tendons. She’ll have a lisp to her speech. She won’t be able to form her words and will not be able to sing or whistle."
Thank the Lord! He healed my tongue. I still have the teeth marks to remind me of what God did. Before my healing, my mouth was sore and I could only chew small bits of food at a time. To this day, I form my words with precision without a lisp, sing high soprano, and whistle bird calls. God did a wonderful and complete work on my tongue. I’m sure this healing came in answer to our prayers, especially Mama’s.
Another time, our next-door neighbor, Mr. Weins, burned the field behind our barn because it was overgrown with weeds, blackberry vines, and morning glory flowers. After he put the fire out, we children went to play ball there. I was barely six years old. Being the first one out on the field, I didn't know that the fire hadn't been completely put out. With bare feet, I stepped right onto the hot ashes. When I realized the coals were hot, I couldn't do anything but just stand there and cry. My feet were badly burned. Vollie picked me up and carried me to the house. Both of my feet were covered with blisters. I could not wear my shoes. For months, I had to crawl wherever I went. Today, I have no scars on either of my feet. They were totally healed and have never bothered me since.


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During October and November of 1949, when I was fourteen and beginning eighth grade, Mama and I visited my brother Leonard and his family in California when he was in the Navy. One day I went with some other children to a public swimming pool to play in the water. Like many swimming pools, this one was shallow at one end and deep at the other end. Someone threw a ball that went into the deep end of the pool. I hurried after it even though I couldn't swim. I went down to the bottom and came up three times.
The fourth time I stayed down, a total calmness came over me. I kept my eyes wide open and could see others swimming around above me. I wanted to be up there with them, but I couldn't move. Finally, someone saw me lying down there and called for the lifeguard. When he pulled me out, everyone thought I had drowned. But the Lord had His hand over me and helped the lifeguard revive me. Mama's prayers were with me that day, and I know God spared my life.

There is no question God answers prayers! One Christmas, Mama asked the Lord if He would supply toys for us children. My dad came home that Christmas Eve just to bring us a doll bed and a doll buggy. I can still remember that Christmas. The buggy was covered with brown leather. It had black rubber tires with silver hubcaps and a hood that folded up and down like the big buggies. We put our dolls in it and pushed them around the house. Sometimes we put the cat in and pushed him around, too. We had so much fun with that buggy and doll bed. I remember that as my best Christmas. I was eight and my sister, Lavelda, was ten. What we didn't know was that those toys had belonged to the children of my dad's girlfriend. When he told Mama where they came from, she never said a word to us. She knew God had sent them as an answer to her prayer.
Another time, Mama asked the Lord if we could have a Christmas tree for Christmas. Shortly after that, a knock sounded at the door. There stood a man. Mama didn't know who he was, but we children went to school with his son and knew he lived around the corner from us.
“Would you like to have a Christmas tree?" he asked.
“Yes,” Mama told him.
It was a beautiful Christmas tree. It even had handmade ornaments on it. Mama thanked the Lord because she knew God had sent it. God's goodness was showcased throughout my entire life.