8/24/2003

"Sunset, Kings Mountain North Carolina"

A TESTIMONY OF FAITH.

In January of 1981 my husband and I received the news that I  had third stage cervical cancer. We were told that they must operate, but that the outlook was not good. The doctor told us that I would be in the hospital for about two weeks and then I would have Chemotherapy for quite awhile after surgery. At this time in our lives we were young Christians trying to serve the Lord. We had just joined a new church after yet another move. We had no jobs, no insurance, no home and our car had just broke down. The following is my testimony for the glory of God

Its hard to explain the feelings we felt after leaving the doctors office. I remember nothing about the return trip to our friends house where we were staying. My mind had just shut down. Dick called our pastor from the church we just joined. We prayed with him and our friends that the Lord would give us the courage and the faith we would need to face the days ahead.

The days passed and the time approached for me to go into the hospital. It was a Sunday morning service and my pastor preached from Matthew 9:20-25.. It was about the woman with the issue of blood. We knew it was a message from God and we just needed to touch the Lord and all would be well. I remember the ladies came and prayed with me.I felt so strong when we left the church for the hospital. It seemed though that the closer I got to the hospital, the more the devil tried to take the peace from me. I prayed and asked God for grace. At the next stoplight a car pulled up beside us in the right hand lane. A man got out of the car and knocked on my window. When I rolled my window down he said, " I don't know why but God wants me to give this to you." He said, "God Bless You" and then he drove off.

He handed me a Gospel Tract and it was from Matthew 9:20-25, about the woman with the issue of blood. I cried and I knew in my heart that my God was in control. We arrived at the hospital and for the next three days I went through every test known to man. God was with me and gave me the grace to do this. I should explain that at this point we had no insurance, but God took care of this also. I went into a teaching hospital But because it was a teaching hospital I probably received better care and more extensive testing. The Lord answered our prayers again when the tests came back and the determined that the cancer had not spread as far as they had first thought. Still of course they would not give us a positive outlook, they still wanted us to keep in mind that Chemotherapy would be necessary. But God was in control and knew just what I needed.

The day of my operation arrived and my pastor and Dick prayed with me. I had the easy part, I just went to sleep. My poor husband had to do the hardest part, that being waiting for the outcome. He went to the hospital chapel to pray. God was not done. The original doctor who was scheduled to do my operation was asked to step down. It seems that a well known surgeon who was the best in this field of surgery had come to this hospital. He decided to take over the operation so that he could teach his students.

When the operation was over he called my husband in the waiting room. He said," Mr. Preston I am Doctor Nuss, Give God the glory, We have gotten all the cancer." My husband replied, " Praise the Lord," and The doctor said, " Yes, praise the Lord indeed." 

I never saw the doctor, never spoke to him and never heard from him again. My God was in control. I remained in recovery for three days and then was taken to my room. I was supposed to be in the hospital for two more weeks, but I returned home in just one week. I need to say that God didn't stop there, In the meantime Dick got a job, an apartment and the car was fixed. All given by one man who we had never met, though he was a member of our new church. All this had happened before I was discharged to go home.

I am now 55 years old, it has been 23 years since this has taken place. It has happened just as I have written it. I pray that my testimony will help someone in their time of need. I pray that my Grandchildren will read this someday and know that their Grandmother loves the Lord and was chosen to live this experience and was able to write it down for them.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and with all your might, for we serve a Mighty God!

Rewritten, August,24,2003

Nancy J. Preston

Jesus is Lord