Pursued by Darkness

This book is the word of my testimony of how I am an overcomer through the blood of Christ who, while I was at enmity with him through the works of my flesh, gave his life so that I can walk in the newness of life. At six years old, I became of victim of incest until the age of thirteen. My siblings and I grew up with an abusive earthly father who sexually, physically, and verbally abused us. This trauma led me deep into darkness, where I was pursued by the enemy of my soul. Without receiving the proper mental and emotional support as a child for many years, I thought I was functioning as a normal person until my addictions led me even deeper into the darkness. In 2004, I was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine and arson. While in Union County Jail for arson, I tried to commit suicide to end my misery, but God had another plan. In that cell, I surrendered my life to Christ and began my journey of redemption. Reaping what I sowed resulted in a ten-year sentence. I was required to serve 70 percent or seven years in prison for manufacturing. While in prison, I was blessed by God to be one of fifty women accepted into a faith-based program, the Interchange Freedom Initiative, where I experienced the truth and love of God through the teachers and volunteers that came into the prison to teach us about God. After graduating from the program in 2007, I went back into the general population to serve the rest of my sentence. In 2008, I was sent to the heart doctor for a checkup, and he discovered I needed four pints of blood, which led him to insist that the prison get me the proper medical care to find out why I was losing so much blood. In 2010, with much, much resistance, I was diagnosed with stage-three colon cancer because it had gone untreated for so long. My diagnosis for survival for not good, but God had another plan. In March 2011, I was released two years early to receive treatment for the cancer. Through treatment, God has healed me and I have been in remission for eleven years. Surviving all this, I have been called by God to share my testimony and give others hope.