The Lord has been working and sharing some amazing
blessing in our lives this year. We have have made some many changes in just one year that
this may make this update a bit lengthy. I
will do my best to cut it down. I'm sorry I didn't think to do this sooner....
This is what that the Lord has been in the lives of the
Stinnett’s.
After a year of praying and seeking wisdom, It was June
of last year (2014) when Dianne and I felt as though the Lord wanted us to be
obedient to His will, and that His will was to have us move north for our
little girl and her health. So I can now official say
I am an Illinoian.....not sure if I even say it right..
From the time Brielle was born she has suffered from
these “migraine seizures.” She would have one of these episodes once a month
and the episode would last 6-10 days. These episodes would cause her
excruciating pain and discomfort, and at times would put her in the hospital.
During these "episodes" she would not respond to normal interaction,
and would at time cause bruising, or even open wounds, elsewhere on her body so
as to compensate for the pain she was feeling in her head. It was always a
struggle to see her in this state, but Dianne and I believed that the Lord had
a plan and we were to stay faithful. At times we didn't know how or what to do,
but the Lord always provides.
Since we have made the decision to move, Brielle has had
only 2 episodes… For 4 years she suffered monthly, and after moving the
episodes suddenly stop. Coincidence? By no means! We could give credit to the
new Dr. she has, but we have only met with him four times since January of this
year. We could say it is the new treatment she is receiving from the local
hospital in Peoria, but we have only been there twice, and those times were fro
pneumonia. We could lean on the new medication she is taking, but she is only
on one medication. Which is the first time in her life she has been on only one
medication!
How would you explain a sudden, and miraculous, end to 4 years
of cyclical health issues? My answer is, the Lord has healed! God has not only
healed our precious little girl, He has also increased her muscle strength, He
has increased her vocabulary, He has increased her fine motor skills, and He
has increased her ability to eat by mouth! Brielle is currently in a mainstream
classroom where she is interacting, and learning, with children her age. In a
nut shell, she is pretty much doing everything the Dr.s said she wouldn't be
able to do! Brielle still has some motor and
physical delays but it does not put a damper on the abundance of joy that is
found in this little girl.
God not only has shown us His work in our little
girl, but He has also shown us His work in the local community. When we
made the move we did not know what we were supposed to do. It was scary and
confusing, but we knew that this was what He wanted. 2 months after we had
moved up here a Minister, at a local church, moved away and there was a need
for a new Pastor. I had been praying that the Lord show His will to Dianne and
I, regarding this possible opportunity. After much prayer, and a little bit of
wrestling, I submitted my resume to the church. After meeting with the search
committee, Deacons and Elder’s I was asked to come and share the Word with the
church congregation in September. Later that month Dianne and I were
recommended, by the committee, and Elder’s, to the church board as a candidate
for the Sr. Pastor Position. We were then recommended to the Church
congregation, on October 4th. Long story short, the church voted on October the
4th in favor of my family and I serving full time as their Sr. Pastor at
Vermont Christian Church in Vermont, IL!
This joy, that the Lord has given her, is a joy I have
never seen in anyone else before, I may be a little biased. But if you were to
randomly ask her how she is doing, she seems to always respond with; “I’m
Happy.” It’s not anything her mother, or I, have taught her, that’s just the
way things are, happy!
As I sit here and share all of this, I look back at the
time I spent struggling and seeking the Lord in prayer about what to do. I
honestly had no idea why the Lord was asking us to make such a huge change in
our lives. What I did know was that He was asking us to be obedient. It was
extremely difficult leaving our church family in Carl Junction, it was scary
not knowing what was ahead; but I sit here praising God that even when I
couldn’t see what is beyond the hill ahead of me, He is already on the other
side, preparing and waiting.
