One Woman’s Testimony of a Transformed Life: A Book for the Hungry, Hurting, and Healing Heart
An Attestation of Christ’s Work in My Life
by
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Preface This book contains the various experiences that led me to learn about life and God as I faced many challenges and struggles. It also shows the blessings I gained from my relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, through these times. These experiences have been a great inspiration to my transformation process and journey. This book shows how the help of the Holy Spirit, reading the Bible, and the guidance and mentoring of others have helped me. Through it, I would like to help you through the struggles that you might be facing. Although the ultimate help is to know the Lord Jesus Christ, above Him there is no other way to be saved, free, and whole. Accepting, believing, and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior is where the journey began for me. This book is written and expressed through four parts/themes or sections. The first theme is the most of my life story, while the second is expressed through Bible-based poetry. The third theme consists of a few sermons the Lord laid on my heart when I first discovered God’s calling me to share the gospel and my growth journey. There is also a series of personal poems of dedication to my family. It all began back in 1997 after I joined my first church as an adult. I will explain my road to salvation: becoming a Sunday school/Bible study student, a youth Sunday school teacher, an intercessory prayer warrior, and experiencing God using me in many ways I never imagined. Furthermore, I will highlight some of the areas I struggled through as God was transforming me. This is not to say that God is finished with me, or I am perfect. I am far from it, but strive for it daily. I will also shed some light on the mental and emotional issues I suffered, as well as trauma, trials, and tribulations I survived. This book shows the ways I embraced God during the transforming and healing process of becoming whole in my soul. It will conclude with theme four: my most recent endeavors of embracing and seeking, and ways and methods of my healing and growth to help others understand my journey with God. This will include a class assignment on the divorce epidemic. I pray that you are encouraged, blessed, and inspired to face life challenges with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and let the work of the Holy Spirit take control of you.
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About the Book
This book exemplifies the many things that God used to transform her own life. Darlene went back to school in 2006 at the age of forty-two during some of the most difficult times in her life. In her younger years, she was quiet, shy, an average student, a slow learner, and not very enthusiastic about school. However, God blessed her with the opportunity and desire to participate first in a program at Montgomery County Community College for adult students. This course, New Choices/New Options, helped her to reinvent herself. This was not an easy road for her. She had to take remedial classes before she could even begin college courses. It took six years for her to complete the associate’s degree program. Immediately following, she entered a bachelor’s program which took less than two years to complete. After that she enrolled in a master’s program, which took all of seven years to complete, while stopping and starting again, and changing her program several times. These things are highlighted because they were part of her struggles, journey, healing process, failures, and accomplishments. She dropped out a few times, failed some classes that she then repeated, and made numerous changes while on this path. By God’s grace and strength, she diligently kept going and maintained an average of 3.08 to 3.56, and sometimes higher and or slightly lower. One part of this book in Part 2, “The Heart of Me/a.k.a. Straight From My Heart,” is a book that she wrote and completed at the beginning of this journey in 2008. Now, fourteen years later, it is finally being published. According to the Bible Study website, the number fourteen means “Double measure of spiritual perfection of God’s people.” The number seven is completion and rest in the Bible. According to the Bible Study website, the number six represents “Man and human weakness, sin and Satan.” This symbolism is significant to understand because while finishing this part of her life’s journey, it allowed her to see God’s plan more clearly. On her path, Satan was always trying to stop her from walking in the way of the Lord. However, God is faithful and has given her the courage and strength to go forward with a mighty testimony and do His will for His glory. We are never too old to go back to school, to start a new journey, or to dare to hope and/or change our paths. Despite the struggles, she finds complete joy in this journey and is looking forward to what is to come. Her prayer is that in these pages, others will see Jesus, and find strength, hope, encouragement, and joy in their journeys too.
About the Author
Darlene Lorraine Gibson is a woman on a mission for God. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a postal worker/clerk for about fifteen years prior to going to college and has since held various other roles. She is an alumna/student at Liberty University, but more importantly a disciple of Jesus. She recently finished a postgraduate certificate program in military resilience in community care and counseling in behavioral science. She earned an associate’s degree in human services from Montgomery County Community College, her BS in human services from Chestnut Hill College, and her MA in Christian ministry from Liberty University. Darlene is currently a psych rehab specialist (PRS) at PATH (People Acting To Help, Inc.) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the founder of a non-profit, Divine Healing and Wholeness Ministry, Inc., and owner of Becoming Whole in Your Soul, LLC. She is a grateful mother of three extraordinary adult children: two tenacious sons, Caleef and Marcelo, Jr., and one phenomenal daughter, Darcela. She is also blessed to have one exceptional daughter-in-law, Sara, and one amazing step-daughter, Marcela. She is a loving grandmother of nine amazing grandchildren, and she takes great joy and delight in spending quality time with her family, studying the word of God, and ministry.