Greatest Trial You have Endured!

[Falla39]

This is not intended to be a negative thread. If we can
give Glory to God in spite of our greatest trial, it shouldn't
be a negative thread.

Falla39

[Hoovie]

About sixteen yrs ago (we had been married about a two years)... In a space of about two years:

my father died unexpectedly while working with me - massive heart attack,

my wife lost a nursing job after we had sacrificed to get her through college. (partially due to unjustified complaints)

I had to have hernia surgery x 2 - no insurance,

I was hospitalized for two weeks with ruptured diverticulitis,

seven of my fifteen tenants were behind on rent - three had to be evicted,

my wife and I gained about forty lbs

we had just been through some church struggles and changed churches

we wanted Kristin to stay home when we had kids, but it did not seem possible financially

We lived in a small 1000 sq ft house

While going through all this I denied that these trials were taking a toll on us... though I knew it with in. Kristin talked about it a little and it made me angry - like I could not make life good enough for her...

Fast forward a few years...

I am comforted in knowing my father, Elam N Hoover, is with Jesus whom he imitated loved and served here on earth.

My wife got another RN job better pay and better benefits. She willing quit after a few years to homeschool our kids and answer the phones to our business.

We purchased a historic 3200 sq ft home

Our family is relatively healthy and we now have major medical insurance

I have sold most of my rental properties and have focused on my small business

We both lost most all of the weight we gained

We are established in a church and have been blessed with many good friends

Our family/home is not perfect I am sure, but most of the time we just feel exceptionally blessed and undeserving. God has been so good. I know he was good in the midst of our struggles too, yet it was a time that was meant to pass - tyJ!

[Falla39]

Today forty years ago, a teenage neighbor girl, struck and killed our
little five and a half year old daughter, Kimberly Kay. I could add a
lot of details but will not.

I will give glory to God for without His love, mercy and healing to
my emotions, and His Grace, I don't know what I would have done.
It was very hard on our family. God provided grace sufficient for the
need and I so appreciate it today, after all these years. It took time
to find the peace I needed just to survive. I sought it with many
tears, for over a year. Finally, I was SO desperate, I told the Lord,
"If you will give me peace of mind, one day at a time, I will NOT
question, but I will trust"! I may never understand and I won't
question, but I will trust YOU! That decision was a good one. HE gave
the peace of mind I needed, one day at a time and I have endeavor-
ed to trust Him with all of my heart. I found His Grace to be sufficient!

Five years later, to the day, I was experiencing labor pains. I asked
the Lord if He would see fit, to not let my child be born on the date
that Kim was killed. The labor ceased until late the next evening and
then came quickly and in a short period of time, a son was born on
June 26, 1975. I was 35 yrs when our last child was born. David
Brent will be 35 yrs tomorrow, the day after our tragedy. In a couple
of weeks, he and his sweet wife will give us our 21st grandchild. Our
sixth granddaughter, Ella Grace. There are 15 grandsons and one little
Great-Granddaughter. We thank God for these Blessings. Weeping
may endure for the night, but be assured that JOY WILL COME IN
THE MORNING!
I thank God for the peace that passeth all understanding
that has KEPT our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Falla39

[Cindy]

In 1985 we lost our daughter, Amelia Nicole. In 1987 we lost our son, John Michael. I did enter a deep depression, racked with guilt and doubt. One day I looked down on a scale at my Dad's apartment and realized I weighed 88 pounds. And knew something had to change. Somehow by the grace of God we survived this as a family. In 1988 our daughter April Michele was born, and was our last child born. With my body and my spirit worn, I didn't know how I could raise this beautiful girl. She became the joy of our lives, blessed with a beautiful face, an amazing voice, and oh how she loves Jesus. She went through a traumatic medical situation. As they were doing a spinal tap she looked at me and said I am not afraid to die, Mom. I know I will be with Jesus. She did survive and dedicated her life to God. Now she is pregnant with a daughter and I know she will raise her to love God as much as she does. A heritage of faith as I received from my grandmother and mother, now my children and grandchildren have that same faith.

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Cindy

In 1985 we lost our daughter, Amelia Nicole. In 1987 we lost our son, John Michael. I did enter a deep depression, racked with guilt and doubt. One day I looked down on a scale at my Dad's apartment and realized I weighed 88 pounds. And knew something had to change. Somehow by the grace of God we survived this as a family. In 1988 our daughter April Michele was born, and was our last child born. With my body and my spirit worn, I didn't know how I could raise this beautiful girl. She became the joy of our lives, blessed with a beautiful face, an amazing voice, and oh how she loves Jesus. She went through a traumatic medical situation. As they were doing a spinal tap she looked at me and said I am not afraid to die, Mom. I know I will be with Jesus. She did survive and dedicated her life to God. Now she is pregnant with a daughter and I know she will raise her to love God as much as she does. A heritage of faith as I received from my grandmother and mother, now my children and grandchildren have that same faith.

Cindy, bless your heart! We also lost a little premature son
in 1963, seven yrs before we lost Kimberly. He lived 9 days.
No one in our immediate family had ever lost a living child.

I learned to go to my LORD for who could I go to that
would understand but Jesus. My paternal grandparents
never lost a child as long as they lived. My Mom and Dad
had eleven children and never lost a child as long as they
lived. Out of my ten siblings, Bill and I are the only ones
that have lost a living child. We lost our first sibling, a dear
brother, in 2007. In well over a hundred years, no one else
in our immediate family has lost a living child, as long as
they lived. I repeat a living child, as there have been some
miscarriages.
GOD IS GREAT and He is GREATLY to be PRAISED!


When my Lord has tried me and proved me.
I am told I'll come forth as gold.
I'll not question His Plan, for my whole life's
In His Hand,
This promise I have and I'll hold.

Things will be better after while. these clouds
will lift and we will smile, we'll smile.
This long night will end and a new day begin.
Things will be better after while.

Hugs,

Falla39

[Hoovie]

Falla and Cindy, may the Lord bless you, I can understand how it would be especially tragic to lose a child.

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Falla and Cindy, may the Lord bless you, I can understand how it would be especially tragic to lose a child.

Bro. Hoover,
Thank you! There are many trials of different kinds and
although they are not all the same, the same GOD can and
will bring us through. Not everyone goes through the same
trial or testing, but we will all be tried before our life is over.

I worked a brief time back in 1967 at a large plant where
they made circuit boards. Along with others, my job was to
solder small components onto a circuit board. There were
diodes, resistors, etc. After all of the little components were
soldered onto the circuit boards, the boards were loaded onto
trays which would be placed into ovens that would reach high
degrees of heat. After the trays were removed and the boards
cooled down, they would be checked. Checked to see if they
had passed the test of going through the "heat". To see if any
of the components (the parts that made up the circuit board)
had come loose in the heat. One little component that had not
stood in the "testing ", could short circuit the whole board.
But there would be "corrections/repairs made and another
chance to go through the heat. This process of testing was
called QC, Quality Control.

Before every victory there's a battle to fight.
Before every sunrise one must live through the night.
Before the grave burst open on a resurrection morn,
There's a hill to be climbed and a across to be borne.


Falla39

[Hoovie]

Beautiful!

[Esther]

Amazing testimonies!

I wish I was as settled as all of you seem from your trial.

I lost three babies. Two from miscarriages. The first one I nearly hemorraged to death. The third one the doctor "thought" I had miscarried when I had not and accidently aborted the baby. That was my last pregnacy.

I go through the emotions of feeling rejected by God because He is the giver of life. Then I have to try and remember that I asked God to not give me any children that would die lost. Knowing or believing my child would be in hell would be too much for me to bear.

I know God can not do wrong. I have to continually trust God. But it has been a huge thorn in my flesh, wondering if it is because God found me unworthy to be a mother.

Now I am really too old and since I am not Sarah with a handmaiden to see after the child plus the unlikely chance of living to see the child grow to maturity, I have to let this dream go. But it is so hard.

[pelathais]

"The greatest?" Dunno. Most of them weren't all that great.

Cindy's touched my heart. Thank God for the faith of a child!