Testimonies

Fred and Janet: Surviving a Terrorist Attack with God’s Help

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The painting Fred and Janet’s daughter made for them after the bombing (photo provided by Fred).

Compiled and edited by Ali and Elton Streyle

Fred and Janet asked that Psalm 23:4 serve as an outline for this testimony.

The Bombing: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4a)

Tuesday March 22, 2016 marked the second day of spring, “but it didn’t feel like springtime yet,” remembers Fred. That morning, he and his wife Janet were waiting in the Brussels Airport Delta check-in line for Fred’s morning flight to the United States.

Fred is the director of an organization that specializes in player development with basketball camps, summer leagues, and college scholarship trips. The events also share the good news of Jesus Christ and teach youth how to achieve life goals.

Authorities report that on March 22, 2016, at 7:58 a.m., a bomb exploded in the Brussels Airport, killing 12 people. Fred and Janet were a mere 15 feet away from the blast. They remember hearing a loud explosion and seeing a ball of fire flash between them. Before falling unconscious, Janet recalls thinking she was going to die. However, she had real peace because she knew where she would be going (Heaven) because of her belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. John 3:15 “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Several minutes after the explosion, Fred regained consciousness. He realized instantly that he had awakened in a terrorist attack. There was carnage all around him. “My soul quickly responded,” he said. “My bloody right hand reached confidently toward the ceiling and I yelled loudly, ‘God help us! Help us, God!’”

“Immediately after I called out to God, He gave me a list of objectives. These purposes replaced any panic that I felt: calling for Janet, finding Janet, and fleeing the building.” It was a scene he would never forget. “I called her name several times, but she didn’t respond. Then I recognized her silhouette in the haziness to my right. I crawled to her, put my hands on her shoulders and asked if it was her.” It was.

The Sidewalk: “I will fear no evil, for you oh Lord are with me” (Psalm 23:4a)

Once on their feet, Fred and Janet made their way through the rubble strewn across the floor out to the sidewalk in front of the airport. Another scene of horror and chaos awaited.

There were many people outside, injured worse than they were.

“God, we felt, gave us a level of composure. He helped us to the point that we could help others. The Lord is the Good Shepherd. God’s grace accompanied us in the valley of the shadow of death. We feared no evil. We just felt compelled to stay and comfort others until the professionals arrived,” Fred recalled.

Janet’s mind was also filled with objectives to obey that day: to comfort people and pray for people, but don’t physically move anyone. Together Fred and Janet prayed for these victims of the bombing and others who would appear minutes later.

As Fred and Janet continued to care for the people around them, a paramedic arrived and hurried to the group on the sidewalk.

Fred thought his face, height, and lean frame looked familiar. When he went to help him lift the medical equipment over a fence, he asked, “are you a basketball player?” The man replied without hesitation, “yes! You’re Fred! I played in your Summer League last year.”

After this unlikely meeting, Fred was encouraged, saying he “felt like a teammate just arrived on the scene.”

The Recovery: “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4b)

The Good Shepherd gives deliberate direction to His sheep during difficult times using His rod and staff. In a similar fashion, the Word of God gave direction and comfort to Fred and Janet.

Fred suffered from burns on his head and was peppered with shrapnel from the blast. Shrapnel also cut the back of Janet’s head. The pressure from the bomb caused both of their eardrums to shatter, and they have been prescribed hearing aids as they continue to suffer from hearing loss. Fred’s eardrums melted due to his proximity to the bomb’s severe heat and he has undergone 4 surgeries to repair them.

The Direction, Hope, and Impact of God’s Word

“In the first few days after the attack, we had a lot of really warm comments on Facebook. There’s a lot of kindness out there. Romans 15:13 was posted twice, and that verse has been super encouraging.”

Roman 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (NIV).

As Fred dug deeper into this passage, he began to see what he calls echoes, because of the prayer’s symmetrical structure. “Paul frames his prayer with the God of hope at the beginning and ends it with the Holy Spirit’s power. Hope is coupled at both ends too. The core of this prayer focuses on the primary task for those in need: trust in God to produce hope, joy, and peace.”

Romans 12:12 was very impactful for Fred, so much so that his daughter made a hand-painted sign for his office with the following words: “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV).

More Answers to Prayer

After the attack, Fred and Janet prayed for and wondered what had become of the people they had cared for on the sidewalk. They soon had an answer about one of the people they had met that day.

Janet is good friends with an intensive care nurse in Brussels, and the nurse called to see how she and Fred were doing. Janet expressed her concern about a specific woman she had helped. The nurse recognized who she was talking about, and it turned out that he was the nurse caring for the woman Janet had helped.

The woman remembered Janet’s help, and she has since become close friends with both Fred and Janet. “She’s finding hope and healing. She followed a Journey from Creation to Christ study with us. These discovery Bible studies led her to faith in Christ” Fred shared.

Despite the evil and darkness Fred and Janet experienced that day, they have found hope and peace through their relationships with God. Their perspective and attitude about what happened that day can only be described as God-given. In a letter posted on Facebook just eight days after the bombing, Fred and Janet wrote the following:

“In the midst of the chaos, we feel it was helpful for us to understand the unthinkable. We are familiar with the first pages of the Bible that paint a picture of the predicament of our world: humans tend to turn away from God’s goodness and sometimes do terrible things. We humans so easily follow the evil one. His ways are evil, and he rules in this world. He does it daily in small ways, and at times in horrific ways. Tuesday in Brussels, we were reminded of this truth.

Nonetheless, we are convinced that God is love, peace, and the light in this dark world… More than ever before, we want to keep learning from Jesus Christ how to be peaceful, loving, and lights in our marriage, in our family, wherever we are, and whatever we do… In the coming days, we’ll need to hold on to what Jesus says to anyone who wants to learn from Him and receive His help: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John 14:27 [NIV].”

Christ’s Example of Service

After five months, Fred and Janet were still very fatigued. In a stressful situation, Fred said “I was at the end of my rope physically, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually. I went to a sidewalk café and began to pray. “God, show me how to serve, because I am at the end of my energy.”’

God showed him that Romans chapter 12-15 would be the best place to look for answers about serving God, so he read and reread those chapters. According to Fred, the pivotal segment is found in Romans 15:1-13. “During the days I was reading [these verses], I discovered afresh Jesus as our example of service. He lived to please others rather than himself. [Romans 15:3a “For even Christ did not please Himself…”] I needed to adopt His attitude with the measure of energy God gave me.”

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 15:5-6 (NIV).

As teens, Fred and Janet each put their trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They praise God for the peace that comes with the promise of eternal salvation. Had they not survived the terrorist attack, they know they would have entered the place Jesus prepared for them. John 14:1&2b “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me… I go to prepare a place for you.“

This experience has confirmed to Fred and Janet the urgency of sharing the Bible and the Good News of Jesus Christ as Savior to all people.

“God is good all the time, and He wants us to imitate Christ and keep serving. Some people don’t believe that because Satan blinds people and wants us to doubt God’s goodness. Don’t get caught in that trap. One day everything will be rectified,” Fred says.

He continues, “Janet and I haven’t felt bitter about the attack because God is the God of vengeance. He repays evil.” Romans 12:19b “’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

“We have a new appreciation about the importance of forgiveness and praying for anyone who hurts people,” Fred says.

Fred and Janet are thanking and praising the Lord that in spite of the horror they went through, they have been experiencing Romans 12:12 through God’s protection and the absence of the anxiety and fear that normally comes with this kind of traumatic event. “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”

Conclusion

Fred says that spending time in God’s Word, praying, “and trusting Him in whatever state you’re in leads to finding hope. That is His identity. He is the God of hope who wants us to overflow with His hope.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”

If you would like to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ like Fred and Janet have, and experience the hope that He brings, visit the Salvation tab on our blog.

**Fred has produced a New Testament study Bible titled, The Parchment Project. Its unique format and summary charts help readers see the big picture of each of the 27 New Testament books. Learn more about it at parchmentproject.com **

 

 

 

 

Clive: Choosing Joy

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Clive

Clive plays drums in worship bands and played with the CCU band. Photo provided by Clive.

Anyone who knows Clive will tell you that they have never met someone whose relationship with God is so evident and whose positive attitude is so genuine. He has such a close relationship  with God that he even calls Him Dad. His faith is an inspiration to many, including me.

Clive grew up in a Christian home in the Cayman Islands, and has since journeyed across the globe in pursuit of God’s will for his life. He left home at age 18 to study medicine in Jamaica, and after a year of college, he traveled to Costa Rica to continue his studies. He then came to Colorado, where he attended Colorado Christian University studying worship arts.

While in Colorado, he felt God leading him to leave school and get involved in Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a Christian missions organization. Trusting God to provide the funds he needed, he bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii to participate in the music track of  YWAM’s 21 Project. The experience left him feeling “disappointed and discouraged,” unsure if becoming “a musician that spread the gospel” was really his calling. He then decided to attend YWAM’s 6-month Discipleship Training School (DTS), where he finally found his purpose: he would become a missionary.

Clive started our interview with a prayer. “Thank you that Ali saw something in me that made her want to do this interview, but whatever she saw, she is seeing You,” he said. He grinned widely and laughed out of pure joy and gratitude at being able to talk to God, the Maker of the universe, his Dad. 

Q: How did your relationship with God change your life?

A: “In my mid-teens I was a really angry kid. I took to heart all the things that happened to me and I became bitter. I visited some friends of mine in Colorado and they explained things about God to me, like that He actually is a great Father, and that changed my life. Finding out that God is my Father, and not just the God who created the universe from dust, kickstarted the kind of relationship I have with Him now. I grew to love Him because He is a great Dad, the lover of my soul, the One I can be most intimate with.”

Q: You have done a lot of different things trying to find God’s will for your life. How did you deal with God completely changing the plans you had?

A: “I wanna tell you that I was like, “Yep, Jesus, I’m gonna follow You,” the first time [He changed my plans], but that was not the case. My reaction at first was not happy. I wasn’t blaming Dad, but I was trying to figure out why things weren’t happening the way I wanted them to. But now I realize that [all the changes in my life] were exactly what needed to happen. Now I have so much peace, joy, and fulfillment. Everywhere I go, I’m in Dad’s hands.”

Q: How did you start to develop a strong prayer life and vibrant relationship with God?

A: “I became serious in my relationship with Jesus [when I told Him], “I want to be like You.” I started focusing more on Him in my day. I started doing more worship stuff and started singing things to Him. [I thought,] “wow! I can say these things to Him too,” and started doing that [through prayer].”

“The main thing He taught me [as I grew in my relationship with Him] is how to have joy and be who He made me to be- a joy bomb so to speak. There is nothing in this world more important to me than Him. My biggest aim is to be just like Jesus and concentrate on heavenly things instead of worldly things.”

Q: How does prayer impact your life?

A: “Prayer is literally everything. Every single day I pray. I talk to God about everything- money, food, girls- everything! There’s nothing too insignificant to bring to Dad. He wants to be our best friend. A big part of my prayer [life] is bringing Him everything.”

“I get to talk to Jesus. He makes time to talk to me because He created time. He wants to talk to me and He’s making Himself available to me, so why would I turn Him down?”

Q: What is your prayer life like?

A: “I just start talking and He’ll respond. [For me, prayer can be] having a question, asking God that question, getting His answer and being grateful to Him for it. I talk to Him like He’s my dad. You can call on Him anywhere and everywhere, He loves talking to His kids.”

“God wants relationship, not religion. In my relationship with God, I see Him as a Father who is worth being respected, and I speak with Him candidly. When I remember that He is God of the universe, the transcendent Being over everything, and I remember just how big he really is, [to know] that He lives inside of me… What an honor! He could have chosen to live anywhere else. It’s so humbling to think [of the fact that] I’m not a servant, I’m a son.”

Q: How do you approach praying for others?

A: “[I love praying for others] because I get to talk to Jesus. I get to see Heaven come to earth in that situation and I get to become more like Him. The more I communicate with Dad, the more I become like Him. I get to talk to Jesus on others’ behalf.”

Q: Do you pray Scripture back to God, and if so, how do you do it?

A: “[Praying Scripture back to God] is a great thing to do. In the Bible, people like Moses and Abraham would say to God, “remember, You said You were going to do this.” They were quoting Scripture to God even before the Bible was written. [When I pray Scripture], I say, “Dad, You said this, so I claim this. You said You would take me there.” And when God does take me [where He promised], I tell Him thank you for taking me there.”

Q: Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

A: “One that hit me hard recently was the last part of 1 Corinthians 13:5, which says that love holds no record of wrongs. [This verse reminds me of] the power of forgiveness and why God wants us to forgive. [This verse also] means that once we accept Christ, everything we did is forgotten and we now have the ability to become sons and daughters of God. It qualifies us to receive the inheritance of Christ.”

Q: How are you able to love people so well?

A: “You have to receive love from God, not just give love to others. When you receive love from the Father, you won’t be giving love from a place of “I have to,” but rather “I want to.” When you realize how loved you are and how everything you have has been given to you by God through grace, the devil can’t touch you. The Bible says that we love because He first loved us [1 John 4:19], and that’s the only way we can love others: receiving love from the Father. You are loved by God. Nothing you can do will make Him stop loving You. His love for You was there since the beginning, it will be there in the end, and it’s there now. His love for You can’t stop because it would contradict His infinite nature. If God loves you, I love you.”

“I speak truth [to others] because I am free to do so. The verse that says life and death are in the power of the tongue [Proverbs 18:21] is so true. What you say about a situation or a person shapes them.”

Q: How are you able to be joyful no matter the circumstances?

A: “I believe that joy is a gift that I’ve been given. I wasn’t walking in joy [when I was younger], but the chains of anger were broken off of me through the power of Jesus Christ. Be wary of what the enemy will do; he’ll take something that you’re meant to do and make you afraid of it. You can change the world [when you are doing what God made you to do].”

“Joy is more than happiness, joy depends on Jesus. If God is joy, I will be joy. I ask God to give me joy. I choose to be consistently positive. I don’t always get it right,  but I choose to speak life and truth.”

“People quote Romans 5:8 a lot, which says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. But they sometimes ignore the first part, which says that this is the love of God for us that He died for us. I have no excuse to see anything in a negative way because God sees the positive in every single thing He made [even us, when we were still sinners]. I don’t have it all right, and that’s okay. Whenever I fail, I get to learn more about Jesus.”

 

Written by Ali

 

Sheli: A Journey of Obedience

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Prayer Through a Divorce and Weight Loss Program

sheli2

Photo provided by Sheli.

Written by Ali

Sheli became a Christian at a young age and “grew up in a Christian home with a very solid, loving family,” but it took the unthinkable for her relationship with God to become more personal.

Not only did she go through a divorce, she was also faced with the daunting prospect of losing over 100 pounds.

Her story is one of discovering the power of prayer and grace of God, trusting Him in the hard times and choosing to obey Him in all things.

Q: When did you begin to develop a stronger prayer life?

A: “Prayer had always been important, but about a year before I was separated from [my ex-husband] was when it became more personal. [A friend] reached out to me and she really challenged me to start praying for [my husband]. She also asked me to read The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I don’t really enjoy reading, and it was the last thing I “felt” like doing at that moment in time, but it was powerful.

I think I had to be in a valley before prayer became really personal and real to me. Praying for [my ex-husband] didn’t change the outcome or what ultimately happened with our marriage, but it changed my heart.”

Q: How is your prayer life different now than when it first began?

A: “I finally understand the power and importance of prayer in so many ways; it impacts the physical journey, the spiritual journey and the emotional journey. [When you don’t understand the power of prayer], you don’t look for God to work. You’re comfortable and you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing (sort of).

I discovered on this journey that God really does bring just what you need right when you need it. It has been amazing to see how God would give me the verse or the song that I needed that spoke to what I was struggling with or what I was celebrating. Sometimes, it was a simple verse like “Be still, and know that I am God…” [Psalm 46:10], or “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” [Philippians 4:13], but it was always timely.

There were many songs that spoke to me and that I prayed through during this time. ‘Blessings’ by Laura Story was probably what I would call my journey song.

“‘Cause what if Your blessings come through rain drops, what if Your healing comes through tears, what if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know You’re near? What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?” -‘Blessings’ by Laura Story

I saw God’s faithfulness sustain me through a storm I never dreamed I’d face. He showed me the blessings of His faithfulness in ways I may never have seen apart from the rain. I truly learned to praise Him through the storm.

There have been so many circumstances [that God has orchestrated] that were a direct result of my prayers; I’m not just throwing words out anymore. I know that God is hearing me, which is still kind of mind-blowing to me sometimes.

I don’t let my feet hit the floor in the morning before I have my quiet time and pray, which was not really a thing in my life before. It’s a huge part of my day. I started journaling [what I was experiencing] and praying through [it].

Another special part of this journey for me has been my time spent at the Monument [a local hiking trail]. It’s become a symbol to me personally of obedience, physical and spiritual discipline. I listen to praise and worship music while I’m out there and I pray some of the lyrics of the songs and some of the Scriptures that I’ve read. It’s super effective.

In that hardest time of my life, I had to choose a direction: do I want to trust God or do I want to stay bitter and miserable? I determined that prayer and trusting God were acts of obedience.”

Q: Do you have a specific method or way of praying?

A: “I’m fairly conversational [in my prayers]. I certainly maintain reverence and I try to remind myself of Who I’m [praying] to. I challenge myself to take that seriously. I like to connect Scripture in my prayers, partly through song.

The song ‘Just Say Jesus’ by 7eventh Time Down says “when you don’t know what to say, just say Jesus”- I do that sometimes if I don’t know what to say [while praying]. I just call out His Name when I’m struggling with fear or anxiety. The key is to just call out and be available.

I keep a list of people I say I will pray for and I use that in the morning because I don’t want to forget and say I’ll [pray for someone] and not mean it. Another part of my prayer is listening [to God].”

Q: What do you typically pray about?

A: “Every single day I ask God to let me shine. I want to be noticed for Him, not for my glory, but for His. I want people to see something different [in me] so I’ll have the chance to share [my testimony]. I also have to make a point to tell God thank you.”

Q: How do you pray for your children?

A: “[I pray] very purposefully and very specifically for each child. Sometimes I don’t know what to pray, so I tell God that and recognize that He knows their circumstances. I tell God I put them at His feet.”

Q: How do you include Bible reading in your daily routine?

A: “I don’t like to read big segments of Scripture. When I’m doing devotionals, I try to focus on the Scripture and pray through that. The Bible verse I claimed the most through all of this was Jeremiah 29:11 ‘”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future“‘ (NIV). Sometimes I don’t feel that that verse is true, but I choose to believe that it is.”

Q: How did your walk with God influence your struggle with weight?

A: “I asked God to help me make good choices about what I ate and what physical activities I did. I knew I couldn’t do it [alone]. A lot of days I didn’t want to [obey] and I had to pray, “God, let me make the right choices today.”

I couldn’t even run ten feet when I started, and I’m not kidding. [When I began losing weight], I had to watch pride because people would tell me “good job” for what I was doing. I had to pray and ask God to help me give Him the glory. Not that I didn’t appreciate the encouragement, but I needed to say “God got me here.” I only lost all that weight in God’s strength.

A lot of this has felt like it would be impossible without Him. I was pretty athletic growing up, but I didn’t see myself as a representative of Christ in that way. [Now physical fitness has] become an opportunity to be obedient to God.”

Q: What is your advice to other believers?

A: “Choose to be disciplined in prayer even if it hasn’t become personal to you yet. Pray before your marriage goes bad, before your parents get sick, etc. [That way] you’ll be better prepared to manage those times.”

Q: Do you have any advice for married couples?

A: “For young married couples, it’s so critical to pray together and to pray privately for each other. That’s one of my biggest regrets. I didn’t know the power of doing that, and it’s real. I’m also not sure I told [my ex-husband] I was praying for him. You can’t show more care than to pray for someone and let them know what you’re doing. I would encourage people to pray for their spouse no matter the circumstances. It might not change their behavior, but it [does change] your heart.”

Q: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned through your divorce and weight loss journey?

A: “Obedience is really big for me. People ask why I’m out at the Monument so much, and it’s not because I’m a fitness freak. Every step onto that path is, for me, a symbolic act of obedience to God. The times I don’t feel like going, I sit there and I pray and then I go.

I had the chance the other day to forgive [someone who had really hurt me]. I told [them], “I want you to know I forgive you.” It was a really tough circumstance but we had a nice conversation and [they were] very grateful for my forgiveness. I thought, if I had to go through all this just to show [them] Jesus, then okay.

Only God could bring me to where I am. The thought that I would ever be standing there [forgiving that person] never occurred to me. God goes before me [and He sees] the big picture. There is no way [our encounter] wasn’t orchestrated.

I spend time every day dealing with forgiveness and still, to this day, I struggle. I think you can be disappointed in someone but still forgive them. God has given me an understanding of the need for forgiveness and the power that is involved in it.

I don’t know if these things happened so I could minister to divorced women, but I think God has used my experience [to help me] encourage another woman going through divorce as best I can.”

Q: Any last thoughts?

A: “I would never recommend the path I’ve been on for anybody, but I wouldn’t change it either because it got me where I am with God. God showed up. I have absolutely no doubt that God will lead a believer through anything and everything if they will ask and let Him lead. Only God’s grace can take a person through what I have experienced [ “…My grace is sufficient for you…” 2 Corinthians 12:9].

 

 

Marie: The Story of a 105-Year-Old Prayer Warrior

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IMG_8280

Marie at her home. Photo taken June 2016.

Written by Ali

Marie will turn 105 years old on June 22, but she is still as sharp as ever.

“105 years is a long time and you do all kinds of stuff in that time” she says.

That is very true; when she was younger she worked in a fabric store and loved to sew.

She enjoyed making clothes for others, even creating outfits for proms and weddings.

Marie only received an 8th grade education, but she took additional courses in correspondence.

Now, she writes letters to her family, listens to TV pastors on Sundays from seven to noon and up until a few months ago, she rode a stationary bike for exercise.

Out of everything she has experienced in her long life, she says that “the best time was when I accepted Christ as my Savior.”

Her journey to faith began during her childhood, long before she started going to church.

According to Marie, her parents “weren’t Christians, but they were still good parents.”

They believed in God, had a Bible that they read occasionally and prayed off and on at meals, but they didn’t have personal relationships with the Lord until later in life.

It was not until Marie was in her forties that she truly began to seek salvation. At the time, she was a member of a church where the pastor preached the Gospel but “didn’t make it personal.”

He taught that “if we were good and avoided certain things, we were good enough to get to Heaven” Marie explains.

Eventually, she left that church and was introduced to a Bible study at a different church.

The pastor from the new church came to visit Marie at her home one day as she was questioning her faith.

“I thought I’d accepted Christ but I wasn’t sure. [The pastor] told me to go and read John 1:12 [“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”] so that’s what I did” she says.

Soon after Marie read that verse, in January of 1963 when she was 52 years old, her pastor gave an altar call and she and her husband, Phil, went forward to give their lives to Christ. Both were baptized that May.

Marie faithfully attended church until her hearing began to decline and she could no longer hear the pastor’s sermons.

Although church was no longer an option, she found a new way to grow in her walk with God: hosting a Bible study.

For 10 years, a small group of ladies met once a week at her home, where she prepared the refreshments for each meeting.

Even though Marie has been a Christian for many years she still has to “practice His presence”, and one way she does that is through prayer.

At first she only prayed silently at meals, but now she prays constantly.

“I always pray for about an hour before I get up in the morning and when I go to bed the last thing I do is pray” Marie says.

She prays about anything and everything. “When something comes to my mind, even things in the news, I’ll stop and pray. I really pray for my [family]” she explains.

“Every day, I ask God to keep me on my feet both spiritually and physically. Every night, I thank Him that I can go to sleep in peace because He is the only one who can keep me here in this dwelling place.”

Marie suggests starting prayers with thanksgiving instead of demanding things from God. “We have so many things to be thankful for” she adds.

In addition to prayer, Marie uses Scripture verses she memorized when she was younger to stay close to God throughout the day.

“I sometimes have a battle with anxiety about things, so I say Philippians 4:6 out loud. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God”‘ she says, reciting the verse perfectly from memory.

Other times, she uses 2 Timothy 1:7 instead: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Saying Scripture out loud “helps calm me down” Marie says.

One method she uses to memorize verses is to read Christian fiction where Scriptures are included in the story, something she has done for many years.

Marie is a strong example of a prayer warrior who has used, and continues to use her life for the Lord despite her age. “My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life. When you’re 105, God is your only hope” she says.

However, Marie understands that her faith is still a work in progress. “I’m not perfect. I blunder a lot and I still have to ask for forgiveness just like everyone else. I need God’s grace every minute” she explains.

When she was younger, vanity was something she struggled with. In those years, “everything had to match: hat and shoes and gloves and purse. There were a lot of ladies’ shops in Scottsbluff at the time and I was real well known in all of them. I think God has really taken that from me; I’m just as content now without getting a new dress every week. As you get older, you start to realize that this is all just stuff” she says.

Over the course of her life, Marie has continually felt God’s presence and has learned that He “is good and His grace is sufficient.”

But out of everything that has happened to her, she is most thankful for her salvation.

“God has plans for us. He puts us here in His time and He’ll take us in His time too. People ask me what I want for my birthday and I say I would love to go to Heaven on that day and see Jesus face-to-face.”