"God has Restored the Years"

Restored:
I can’t read! I could not understand what I was trying to read. This was caused by a Traumatic Brain Injury that affected my memory so badly that I could not grasp the meaning of words. How did I know how to do the things that would make it possible for me to learn how to read again? It was the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

So this is the part I wish to share: It was on March 30, 2011, as I was writing my memories on paper when I first realized God had restored the years the locust had eaten.

And it all started with, me learning to read again, with understanding. I started reading the psalms out loud for they are rhythm; and then I realized that I could not read anything with understanding.

Through this writing I will give God the praise for I know now that God, through His Holy Spirit, began my healing by leading me to the public library.

I had been using the public library ever since my daughter at about four years old started going to the Saturday afternoon story time at the Luverne, Al. Library.

She had been invited by a friend she played with whose grandmother was the Liberian. One day when I was at the local branch of the Mobile Public Library, I was led of the Lord to check out children books (with mostly pictures and few words).

Although I have no recall of the first books I attempted to read, I vividly remember the first book I was able to read and understand. I was Sitting on the back patio, and the name of the book was:

• “The Velveteen Rabbit:” With tears in my eyes I realized and understood, that this book was about the love of a boy that had made the rabbit real.

  And it was God’s unconditional love for me that made me real again. Because of personality and behavior changes (that often happens with TBI), the person I had become was a stranger too me, but God’s unconditional love and acceptance of me made me real to myself. To this day, one of my favorite stories is "The Velveteen Rabbit.”

  Then, trying without success to read an adult book and not having understanding, I retrieved my Webster paperback Dictionary looking up each word I did not comprehend. It took many months to read that book one line or two at a time, and looking up all those words that I no longer had memory of. But as I learned, and relearned the meanings of those words, the story began to make sense to me.

  I recall three other books that were meaningful and helpful to me:

• “Hiking The Appalachian Trail” is about one man’s personal experience of walking the Trail From Georgia to Maine. It was a wonderful read for me; because at the time I had a severe Walking defect and problems with dizziness and balance, (which was later helped with learning to Line Dance).

  It also brought much sadness, for walking the Trail had always been a dream of mine; but the positive is that I could read and see it through his eyes and observations.

  But God is good and merciful, and one morning I took the Amtrak north from Atlanta to NYC. As we were leaving I was in the dinning car having breakfast. The waiter was telling the ones onboard that this stretch of track would run along side of the Appalachian Trail.

  Though I never got to walk the Appalachian Trail, I got to ride along side it for a while satisfying this deep need I had. (God shall supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus)

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• “Depression and I,” is a very small book written by a writer who tells of his personal struggle with depression. O,! Could I ever relate with this! For there were times when, due to my memory loss, I was in a severe deep depression. The changes in my brain’s chemicals; all those losses I was trying to deal with; my profession; the ability to care for myself both physically and financially.
• “Hope for the Flowers” is a book I can highly recommend. It tells the story of a caterpillar that wants to be like everyone else but finds he can’t; so he decides to surrender and place himself on the branch of a tree and wrapped himself in a cocoon. After the appointed time he emerges into a beautiful butterfly able to fly with freedom becoming what he was created too be, (a Pollinator for the flowers).

  It was recommended to me by a bio-feed back technician when I was receiving bio-feed back for anxiety and panic attacks, and to help with headaches and neck pain and sleep disorder.

  If you are alive and breathing God has a purpose for you; one that is unique, just for you to fulfill Ecclesiastes, 3;1—To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

• My Bible was the most important book that I was able to read and understand. The Bible is God’s Holy Word, his love letter to me.

  In Joel 2:25 there is a verse that says—"and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten." KJV. So God restored to me my ability to read and understand.

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Part Two

In 1994 I changed to a different psychiatrist, and when I saw him for the first time in his office he gave me a book to read. As I read the forward I realized that this was a book that was required reading when I was in collage studying for my nursing degree. Rational Therapy Behavior you are who you think you are. The Lord brought to my mind the verse in Proverbs- "as a man thinketh in his heart so is he."

My thinking had been stinking and negative. God’s word says that: I was fearful and wonderfully made; was chosen by God; He had given me power love and a sound mind; that God would never leave me or forsake me; that I could do all thing through Christ who is my strength. God’s word was full of great and wonderful promises to me.

So my thinking changed (it lined up with the word of God) and I changed, I was wash by the water of the Word. God was restoring my mind to right thinking according to his Word.

Part Three

Before the accident I had made a medical mission trip to Haiti. This was the time the Lord placed the desire in my heart to do mission work. As my daughter was still at home I knew that for the present I was to just be a mom.

After my daughter’s marriage I changed jobs so that I would have more time for mission work, working seven on seven off. but less than two months into this schedule I was Injured on the job.

In the early part of 1995 I was serving as a helper in Vacation Bible School at the local church that I was attending when I was ask to go with the Singles group to Flower Mount, Texas to do a Bible School mission trip.

As I look back this I can see that this was when God started restoring the years the locust Had eaten; because by going with them I learned that I would be ok away from home. So because of this trip I went to see my son in Virginia in the Spring of 1996, Giving me the courage to go on a Senior trip to Colorado Springs(Glen Eyrie) In September of 1996 .

"Glen Eyrie," The Valley of the Eagles Nest - there was an eagle’s nest at the start of the valley and other birds also used it for nesting. We were there for a week attending a Senior’s conference and the staff would take us on sight seeing trips.

The day before we were to return home we had been at the "Royal Gorge" and was having supper and the volunteer coordinator was at the same table with me. When she found out that I was a nurse she shared a story about a nurse from Denver that had come there and volunteered for a while.

I found out the next day that they would welcome me to come and help prepare for the Christmas presentation of Madrigal. Since my heart was yearning to be a part of Madrigal I took the forms home with me. All the way home I had been thinking "I will come next year in November and help get ready for their Christmas Madrigal," "The Boars Head," not knowing at the time that would be back in less than two months.

But God had better and different plans, and on Sunday my Pastor preached on Peter getting out of the boat and during the preaching said that God wanted us to get out of our boats and to go on with God. I realized that I was to get out of my boat and go to The Glen now; so I got all the paper work in and was accepted and started checking the airfares to Colorado Springs.

This was a God Thing. I called a local travel agency about the cost of a round trip ticket to Colorado Springs and was told they had a ticket $198.00 if purchased today, but would have to purchase it today by 5 PM, (and it was then 4 PM). I was able to make the drive and purchase the ticket by 5pm before they closed.

I went and because it was a Christian place they understood my limitations and accepted me and loved me with the love of the Lord. Many wonderful things happened there that helped me with the healing of my self-esteem and gave me the opportunity to be accepted for who I am. I also returned in the fall of 1997 for a month.

I had known for a long time that my destination was to go to Israel as a helper, even before the accident, but I am getting ahead of myself

In the Spring of 1996 I went, as a member of the Senior Adult Choir of my church, to a Senior Adult Choir conference in Nashville. On the day we left(Sunday) I went to a early Ladies Sunday School Class. The teacher that day was a missionary, and she ask me to go with them to Tanzania in June to do a Bible Conference and to show the Jesus film.

Note: There was at the time a Singles Mission Trip planned for Honduras and I had held a yard sell to help raise money. Not planning to go myself... As we entered Birmingham, Alabama on the way to Nashville late that Sunday afternoon I had been struggling about the trip to Tanzania, for God was dealing with me, and I told him that I had been, (just like He did not already know this)!

I Never thought of going to Africa of all places (always thought Israel), but I realizing now that Africa was my needs to go by the way of Samaria on my way to Jerusalem. Note: God’s ways and thought are higher than mine or yours. Isaiah;55;8 "For my thoughts are not you thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD..."

So I ask the Lord to give me a diffident word about going to Tanzania and as only God can, He did. Arriving in Nashville we sang and listen to teaching but the one I remember was that of a member of the Sunday School Board finishing his talk this way:

"We need to pray for the people in----,---- and Tanzania," ok God I hear and will obey and go and I did, and saw the Spirit of the Lord work mightily and many souls released from the power of Satan and birthed into the Kingdom of God. They were having revival in that country; so Praise the Lord and thank you Father for allowing me to see the power Of your Spirit as it convicted many-many-many of the judgment of sin and to be a part of the harvest.

At one showing of the Jesus film at an apartment complex about 6-7 children came forward to receive the Lord. Doing a follow up the next afternoon with a school teacher as my translator I ask that after I said a few word for her to go over a track about accepting the Lord in her language so that there would be no misunderstanding. There were other children there also listening when she got to the part about who wanted to pray and accept Jesus in their hearts as Lord and Saviour Praise the Lord all the Children desired too.----

The missionary in charge of the trip to Honduras on Wednesday night after church told me that he believed that I was to make the trip with the group. I told him that I would but that God would have to provide the money.

The next day Thursday we left to go to New Orleans for the plane trip to Tanzania. He came to see us off and to tell me that there were funds for me to go and be part Of the medical team In July 1997. I went with just enough money given to me for my meals and other personal expenses.

In the Fall of 1997 I was reading a newsletter from the International Mission Board Southern Baptist and read that different states were partnering with countries to send Mission teams. Alabama if I recall correctly was working with Spain. So, I called the Mission’s Board in Nashville for information and they send me a newsletter; and there listed By Ohio was Israel.

So working thought the Mission Board in Tennessee and the Ohio Baptist State Mission Board I had the awesome experience of going to Israel for two weeks in February and March of 1998, staying at the Baptist Village and helping to clean and Prepare for their Summer Camp. Also had time for some sight seeing with our missionary

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As our guide the last night in Israel was spend at Christ Church in the old city just inside the Jeff Gate. It was Spring in Israel and the flowers were blooming. I had gone to Israel as a helper. God restoring the years.

Have I finished my course as a missionary? Maybe as far as overseas trips, but I believe that all Believers can be missionaries, in their homes, work places, and neighborhoods, Apartment complexes, and retirement communities

Jesus Is Lord!

Faye Nunnelee Byrd

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