#2023GivingThanks 2

Testimony 2023:

Praise God and His name alone will be glorified.

It's been a year after my surgery and where I was taken into hospital in emergency after the surgery. God has been my Healer. I was asked to travel to U.K. and I was wondering rather than doubting will I be able to manage. Though it was short term I was just out of my health issues. When we checked with our Doctor, she asked me not to worry and say Yes stating I will be alright. The same day, I was someone on lift with me in office that day suddenly appearing. He was wearing a formals with coat suite and tie. I shouted being afraid of someone appearing to you suddenly in a closed lift. But no one was hearing me but security watched me over camera and came to my floor when the lift was opening asking me if I am alright. They said suddenly I started shouting and no one was with me in the lift. Not to make myself to put in a situation where no one will believe me, I said I am ok and left to my place. This started happening often but later I stopped shouting and this person will simply smile at me. Though I felt some peace when he was near me, I didn't have the guts to ask anything. It went for 3 days and at last I had a courage to ask who are you? But ended up with no reply and later I didn't see Him. And I didn't hear anything from my management as well on my on site plan. I didn't put my mind on it as from the start I didn't have any plans going outside of India. With prayer and giving it to God's will, myself and my husband prayed on this. Suddenly one day when I was at my house working, I saw this person again who spoke to me at last stating He came to announce something and I will be getting a call from my manager now to get ready and I have to say yes. In 2 mins I got a call and I said I am ready to go. Visa interview was His grace and we went to the wrong station and was waiting for train for a longer period realizing before 30 mins that we were in a wrong station. Then booking the cab, and in the traffic of Chennai, I was 100%that I wouldn't be able to reach on time. But what happened was a miracle. Because the driver suddenly went into so many streets stating he is avoiding traffic. And I was about to get tended but suddenly I saw the same angel sitting in the front row and smiling that everything will be ok. I went in before 5 mins and no questions were asked. When they took the final photo and asked me to leave, I was questioning back "was it really over?". I came out in 10 mins and my husband was like, "what happened? You went late? They rejected? They didn't allow you? Or you changed your mind?". I explained him what happened inside and was surprised. 

When the day came to start my trio, I started getting sick due to anxiety but God helped me out and I didn't get a room to stay till the day of my trip. Those who promised that they will get a room for me disappeared and some said sorry at last minute. Then my husband told me you started trusting so much on these people than God. Then I confessed and was about to book a hotel for few days. But, suddenly I got remember of my cousin and I gave a call to him who invited me to their house for that week. In a week, with the help of his church pastor, by God's grace I got a seperare room with an Indian believer family with the low cost than my other colleagues whobtravelled with me got a shared room with a common toilet for more cost. 

Also, I was not allowed to cook stating they will provide food for me. I am a picky eater so first I was hesitating but God helped me to eat healthy food without any issues. 

The best part was for the first two month my client manager was so harsh on me. I was not knowing why. Meanwhile I was spending so much time with my colleague on weekends roaming around. Later two months I started questioning myself 2 months gone and I have only 4 months and what is the purpose I came here. I started attending so many churches untill I found one which I found for me. Then last four months were alone time with God. I stopped spening time with others. Weekend, I will just go to parks with a back pack which will have a book, a bible and my pens and notebook. The whole day I will be there studying, watching the nature, talking with Him. He started changing me. I started sensing the change on me which reflected in my workplace as well. For eg I am not a person who initiates conversation.  My work was to manage stakeholders where I have to talk. But I am not that person. However, He gave me that courage to interact with everyone in office and take initiatives. One complaint that my client manager had was I didn't go and introduce myself to everyone which I felt odd. I will wait till they talk but she saw the change happening and God started giving favor in the eyes of my stakeholders especially my client manager. 

Even one house keeping lady will not clean my desk and stated that she hated me. I thought once it was because of my color but she was so ok with my colleague. Once when I asked her, she said I am a Christian. From that day, I started greeting her and will say God loves you everyday. She started getting irritated with me and said that she is going to complain. But I never withholded. I was continuing.  When I was about to leave from there she hugged me :). I am still praying for her.

Reg my health,  when I went from here my HB was only 7.5, I was getting allergies sometimes but He covered me under His wings and helped me through out. 

  Last four months, He helped me learn so many things and also helped me enjoy nature and even protected me from a bus accident and a dog which was about to bite me when I was sitting in park under a tree praying. The owner of the dog asked me sorry and said it haven't behaved like this. Best part was it was just barking at me and trying to bite me from 2 feet distance but couldn't reach me. The dog owner was surprised that how it didnt attack me after coming till there. 

I understood that the 6 months was just to get closer with Him. I had so many things in my mind like God is going to use me there for a ministry. But, I heard him Whisper in a service, "Carolin, come back to Bethel - to the altar of your first love.. the place where you started with me. Away from everything and it is only You and Me". It left me with goosebumps. 

I was also appreciated by my clien manager who first thought I am of no use and recommended my management to send me back.

He helped me to return safely without any health issues as well. 

I am not sure what the future holds and what I will do with the learnings but I believe the One who holds my future and leaving it to Him alone!!!

#2023GivingThanks 1

*2023 Testimony 1 -* Gracious protection from Tuticorin floods -

** We didn't expect such torrential rains but God protected our home..

** Water almost was at the brim of our gate and one level up it would have entered portico and the steps..god protected us..

** There was enough food,water and power back up .in fact we had so much varieties like fried rice,pop corn,poori and chapathi thru those days..

**As our area had a electric post fallen,it took  6 days for power to be back but we had a chance to walk thru the water and a relative helped us to be dropped in my sister in law home at kovilpatti and we returned only after Christmas.

women warriors prayer

_*Small testimony about the blessings I got through Women warriors Prayer*_

I joined infy on Mar 2012, I heard about infy fellowship but I'm not interested to join because I thought my prayer life is enough.

During covid, one sister added me to shols chain prayer group. After started to do chain prayer I got soo many blessings like new home in native, promotion.... Later Beulah added me in this group and I started to join Women warriors prayer and I felt very bad why I missed this fellowship and sisters in christ all these years.

When I feel low and I joined the prayer, Holyspirit always strengthen me and provide his council to me. 

And in prayers we started to pray for all my needs like my salary hike/job change, my husbands business,....God answered all my prayer. I got a good offer as I wish, god also blessed my husbands business,....

So small prayer time gave me happiness in my inner soul, strengthen me in christ and also provided all my worldly blessings.

Thank god and all my sisters in christ for your prayers😁

Testimony Anemic

*My Anemic journey with my crazy mind*

Our mind sometimes will behave crazy and it doesn't want to go your way and it happens to me a lot. As we are nearing this year end, by the grace of God, I am writing this small testimony. Years after my daughter's birth,  I started becoming anemic so much and when I started visiting  my gynac first, I was asked to take several tests but nothing came out of it. I was told I might have auto immune disease - SLE which is affecting all my cells of the body. My CRP will show some inflammation sometimes and it would be the last conclusion they come. Then, I came to Madurai for my job and early days were good but later when days went by it started again and I was asked to visit RA specialist to confirm if it is auto immune. but, the report just showed slight inflammation and I was told to come later.

Days rolled by and I started living with a thought in my mind that it might be auto immune as doc said and I just let it go. After CoVid lock down, it was worse because some kind of fear was instilled on my mind about my health. also, I started becoming very tired and lazy. I started opting out of any works I did in ministry because I couldn't do things based on timeline. I blamed it on myself stating I am becoming lazy due to this work from home schedule. Sleeping much in the mornings, as I was not able to sleep at night. I gained so much of weight as well from 48 to 63 kg which added up. Everyone said I have to do exercise, do walking, be active. This would stir up my mind sometime when I would start the walking routine in the morning along with my husband giving a motivational talk to myself - "Carol, you can do this". That would just last for a week.   

But what my mind lead to was, to start losing faith in God regarding my health. It made me to live in the way I am to think this is how it is going to be. it degraded my Bible reading, prayer and everything.  I was on and off in the presence of God. It didn't make me to lose the trust on God because in my mind somewhere it would say, God loves you so much - the unworthy you. He would help me to overcome those thoughts through my writings but that wouldn't last for a week. So, that was my life - trusting God to not trusting Him sometimes every month - fighting with Him and crying to Him then - moving out of Him which led me to stay overnight to watch movies and then coming back to Him and sitting on His presence - told you right - my mind went crazier for the past two years.  

But, God works in a mysterious ways :). We got a contact of Pediatrician in Madurai through a fellowship friend for my daughter and who introduced us to another believer doctor - a diabetologist for my mother. So, we were visiting her often as my mother had diabetes and every time we go she would speak to my mom about praying which sometimes stairs me as well. This was a regular routine and one day changed everything.  For the past few month there was a drastic change on my hb count - it went down to 7 and when my mom was visiting her doctor, one talk lead to another and yes, as every parent my mom insisted her on checking my report when we went for her health check up. Seeing my report,  she was shocked and stated "Even a person who is not eating properly will have a hhb count of 10, this should be taken care immediately". She asked me to take several blood tests to know the cause of this and as usual nothing came out of blood results. it just showed iron deficiency and my body didn't store much iron. She was cancelling one by one what all would result in low hb. They checked for any internal bleeding which came as negative. But, sometimes our enemy will play tricks in our mind to divert us from the right path which we were going. Suddenly this SLE came to my mind and I told the doctor and she said that might be also a reason and asked me to take some tests for that as well. Now, the voice came as "See, I told you. We cannot do anything. you have to live with this", but something told me that Doc was still searching for something else. She asked us to go for iron sucrose drips every week to check if there is a change. And, we also felt like not to for the ANA test for auto immune. I took drips and again went for a blood test for hb count. from 7 it went to 8. Actually, I was happy but the doctor waqas not because she expected it to be more. She was repeatedly asking me questions about my menstrual cycle which I ignored as I thought I have a normal one. 

Suddenly I remembered having umblical hernia after  my daughter was born. My mom told that to doctor and she asked me to take a scan for it but the report came stating there is a fibroid in uterus of size 8x8 cm. Then she asked the questions again about  my cycle, and I told her it used to be heavy and I felt it normal as I have that from the start with so much pain. Then she said this is the reason for hb being low and not getting increased and we were asked to go to the gynac immediately and she said it is big and that's the reason you look like 4 months pregnant:) Then I realized, my mind was tricky and it always said,  you became lazy and due to that you got a belly :p. The gynac suggested to go to open surgery to remove it stating it is big and that would be a best option to remove it. However, she asked me to have a consolation with senior obstetrician there and we went to her. She saw the report and suggested that we can go for laproscopic surgery to remove it and that can be done on Saturday itself before my next cycle. 

For some reason my mind was peaceful that day and we agreed for it immediately without second thoughts. we were relieved that a reason was found and God has been reminding me through everything to trust Him alone. So, we didn't go for second opinion even when others insisted us stating we made the decision without thinking. But, myself and my husband were in the same thought not to ask anyone and I was taken into surgery theatre on 10th of December and I was laid down in a preparing room when another girl was taken for a surgery. I was just claiming the blood of Jesus the whole time and that girl came out in half an hour and she woke up back in 15 mins. 

I thought in my mind, "So that's it.. only one hour" and I was taken into the theater around 10 am I assume and the anesthist was talking to me asking me random details while sweating me. I was smiling so much it seems and he told everyone, "Someone with a smile in a surgery theatre"  and the last statement I gave while I was conscious was, "I am seeing Jesus standing here". 

When I woke up, I saw a nurse with a blood pack in her hand and I tried to get up but couldn't and I slept again. (The nurse on my discharge day told me that during that time I was talking much asking her - are you an vampire? why are you having my blood.packet in your hand! and then I told her I am dancing with Jesus :))

I was brought down to my ward only after a long time. I was unconscious for sometime. Fibroid was removed but I also lost blood resulting my hb to go down after surgery and I was done blood transfusion during surgery which increased my hb to around 6. I was brought back to my room at 3, due to my blood loss and unconsciousness. I felt better but I was so dizzy. Then the doctor said it might be because of anesthesia and as well I am anemic. The next day I was given another unit of blood which increased my count to 8. Doctor said, surgery is fine but only thing is she is anemic and now it is 8, we can increase it by taking iron tablets. I was into drips for.the next two days continuously and I ate little and I thought I am better and said the same to doc and I was discharged the next day asking us to come for.review after few days. 

Remember, I told my mind is a tricky one. as soon as I came home, I was down with fever and it was high and didny decrease even after taking tablets. I suffered fever the whole night and during that time I was attacked spiritually and instead of standing against it,  due to my weakness and tiredness I got afraid. I was vomiting continuously that drained my energy more. The next day I was able to had some food but again at night started vomiting and I couldn't even stand. My husband took me to hospital immediately and I was taken into the emergency ward immediately hooked up with drips and injections. I was admitted immediately and taken to a room and doc started testing my blood for any infection and it was fine. The doctor who did surgery analysed me the next day and informed me might be because I am anemic, I might get infected easily and she was asking me to try eating whatever I like but that didn't happen. Whatever I took, I vomited. even the injection which they put to stop vomiting didn't help. I was asked to fully be in drips that day and it was horrible because, they couldn't find any veins to inject and I was surrounded by nurses to find one. But, God was so gracious enough. I was so much dehydrated and the next day a gastrointestinal specialist was called in to check for the reason on vomiting, even after they trying the medicine which would make me to stop vomit. He asked to take some Liver test to check for any infection but also prescribed another tablet for vomiting and said if this is not stopping you, we will do an endoscopy after two days to check on the stomach. 

Something in my mind was telling me that I would be alright and the blood test for liver came out normal and by His grace that tablet worked. Though I started drinking juice and started eating a little, I was asked to.be on drips the whole day for dehydration and to observe. 

By His grace I was discharged the next day with smile from all the nurses over there. Though the journey started painful, it ended up well with so many lessons. 

1. God works mysteriously and even though if we do not feel His hand, He would be there as in the story of Esther.

2. He brings people and removes people from our lives right time for right reasons. learn to accept it.

3. Sometimes we might feel that there is no answer but God would have been preparing you to accept His plans. 

I am still in the healing phase as my dehydration problem and anemic is there along with tiredness but His grace is sustaining me and yes, the most important lesson that I learnt was - put on your Armor and use it and claim the territory than sitting simply and thinking unnecessary thoughts.

Testimony, Bible reading

Hi friends, 

I would like to introduce myself before I pen my testimony. I am an ex infoscion and had been a part of shols fellowship since 2007 till 2016. All my years never even attempted to read the bible with an intention to complete the book. In the year of 2018, when Thiru came up with one-year/two-year bible readings in the shocker wives’ group, I wanted to give it a shot to read Bible everyday regularly. It was not as easy as it started, the initial few books kept me interesting and started the habit with the smooth flow. Later with Leviticus, Numbers I found it very monotonous and boring and there are some books I never understood a word unless I pondered for the details from internet. 

Finally I completed the entire Book in Dec 2020 for the first time with me literally dragging to complete certain books. Honestly, I did not find any satisfaction apart from completing THE BOOK. Started my next run with a mission to ponder more and listen to His words and there it started again in the year 2021, here now with 10 days ahead I will be completing THE BOOK again for the second time consecutively by God's grace. The catch is I still don’t get His language completely although I have grown up now to teach my kid and hubby on few pages 😊. These 4 years in this GrpBibleReading group had been a ride to be remembered indeed. Thank you Thiru, Prarthana, Jeba Ponmalar and others for being a company! My mission to complete the BIBLE still remains open. I believe in His time I will have find my wisdom.

I thought completing the Bible end to end will make me a proud daughter to my MIL and I can hit on Bible quiz at church and show off a little 😊. But surprisingly it worked in various other ways as it changed my life, my character, my priorities, my values, my thoughts, words, deeds everything completely. Life is so different now. Life is the best now. I can swear to assure that reading Bible regularly has been the only reason behind my changes. The changes work as a promise in you …. Slowly but definitely comprehending.

I end my testimony encouraging all you girls to read regularly amidst all the Goliaths we have face every single day. I believe GrpBibleReading watsapp group will be a game changer to you all. 

Stay blessed!