I’m not sure if most of you know my background so I thought I’d share a few things.
I’m a middle child of 5.
I really loved my dad.
We would spent time together under the hood of his beloved 73′ Ford Gran Torino Elite.
We would go on long car rides till dusk.
We would go fishing.
We would watch the Diamondbacks play while eating sunflower seeds.
He would carry me to bed when I’d fall asleep on the couch.
In my eyes he was a great dad.
For as long as I can remember, my dad drank.
He had that red and white Budweiser can in his right hand almost every night.
He wasn’t violent from what I remembered, he actually liked handing out money when he was drunk and I liked visiting the ice cream truck, so I happened to be there when he handed it out 😉
He would come home at 1 or 2am after being out with his “friends” and I would stay up and wait for him.
I thought this was normal, most of my uncles did the same thing.
It wasn’t till the 4th grade that I realized my family was different.
I came across a book that talked about alcoholism and how it affects the family and everything I read applied to my household.
It was then that I found out my dad was an alcoholic.
I had no idea what that would do to my family.
Fast forward a few years later.
My dad woke up one morning with no vision in his left eye.
It was then he finally decided to visit a doctor.
After running every test in the book, the results left us shattered.
Cirrhosis of the liver from years of drinking.
Hepatitis C from an infected blood transfusion in Mexico.
Liver cancer.
There was no hope for survival and my dad lost the battle a year later.
I’m sharing this with you because I was reminded of my dad this week.
My team and I were asked to visit with people of a small village we’re currently living in.
We met a man named Martin.
As he greeted us I smelled the all too familiar stench of liquor on his pores and the morning drink on his breath.
We sat in his front yard and he started questioning who we were and why we were visiting him. We opened up with basic answers like, “we’re traveling the world”, “we’re racers”, “we’re missionaries”.
He then proceeded to ask tons of questions about the Bible. I wouldn’t say he was defensive but he also wasn’t open to receiving what we had to say.
This went on for a about 30 minutes and I slowly started getting irritated, so I thought it was time to get to his heart.
I said I wanted to talk about our families and he jumped in and asked me what my parents did for a living and I bluntly said… “They’re both dead.”
His jaw dropped and he quietly said he was sorry for my loss.
I quickly started telling him about my dad and the reason he died at such a young age.
I finally got him to a place where he could receive the sorrow I went through.
Not the sorrow of growing up with an alcoholic but the sorrow of not knowing if my dad was saved when he died.
I don’t know if I’ll see my dad again.
I could see in his eyes that his heart shifted.
“Do you want to be saved, right now” I asked.
He shifted in his seat and started to justify his drinking habits. I cut him off and asked him again.
“Do you want to pray now?… Yes or No, it’s your choice”
He stared into my eyes and said, “yes.”
The team and I got up and surrounded him to pray.
He prayed, right there, in his front yard to receive eternal life.
So if I could change what happened, the pain, the sorrow, the wondering if my dad is in heaven, would I?
No.
I wouldn’t have been able to reach this man without it. I wouldn’t have been able to lead him to eternity. I wouldn’t be able to see him in heaven when our time on earth comes to an end.
We will overcome by the Blood of the Lamb
and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.
Share your story, it’s powerful beyond belief.
To my supporters,
Thank you for generously giving to me and giving me the opportunity to share my story. My heart. I love you.
To my future supporters,
Thank you in advance for breathing life into people through me. In order to make things right with AIM I need $1,821 to be fully funded. Please prayerfully consider donating to help me knock that out. I love you too 🙂
-Christina
