Hi, I'm Dr. Kim and
welcome to Live To Be Well.
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God's undying love, isn't
that just a wonderful statement
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to know how much He loves us?
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Well, today, I'm
blessed to have Pr. Curt DeWitt,
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welcome to Live To
Be Well. How are you?
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I'm doing wonderful today.
Praise the Lord. Thank you for
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allowing me to come
and share my testimony.
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Well I am just honored.
When I received your call
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about what happened to you,
I had to share this story on
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Live To Be Well.
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Now, let's talk about
your humble beginnings,
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where you are from, your family
of origin, and your educational
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background. Ok I was
raised right here in Michigan
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just up the road a little bit,
in a little town called Holly.
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Yes, I went to
Adelphian Academy. Yes. Yes.
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Um, so I grew up and I was
raised a Seventh-day Adventist
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and blessed to have just a
wonderful family and I ended up
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going to Andrews University.
Yes. For elementary education,
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so I was actually an elementary
teacher for five years. Really.
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I love children, I love the
youth, and after that I taught
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five years and my mother was
killed in a tragic car accident
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which flipped my life upside
down, my family's as well.
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And it was the catalyst that
actually started me thinking
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about wanting to
be in the ministry.
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You know, it puts your faith to
the test, to find out how strong
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it is and God used that horrible
tragedy, and my mom and I were
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very close, to turn my
life around and I just praise
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the Lord, I just felt the call
to ministry, possible mission
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service. You know, my wife
and I, Kim at that time where
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debating on going either
overseas or...you know, so I
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put out some feelers and God
opened up the door in Indiana.
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So I kind of came in the back
door...Ok. Into the pastoring
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realm. Wow. And
I've loved it ever since.
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Ever since. How long
have you been pastoring now?
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I've been pastoring over, almost
21 years now. Is that right?
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What's your specialty? Some
love youth, family ministry,
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family life. Sure. What are your
areas that you find yourself
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drawn to? Um, a couple of
areas as I mentioned, the youth,
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tremendously so, I see youth
just reaching out in love and
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drawing them closer to
Jesus. So that's one big passion
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of mine. Another one
is here in district 12,
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this very district, we
began something called fight.
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Um, and it is fellowshipping
God's healing touch.
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What it is is the
Lake Region pastors and the
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Michigan Conference pastors
get together and we are actually
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making plans and being...we're
having a wonderful time,
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we'll have church
services sometimes together...
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We're trying to break
down the wall that is there
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and we can't ignore it, it's
a fact. The way many of us...
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my brothers and I see,
Jesus can't really come until we
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get this figured out and
come together and be united.
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And so those are two of
the big passions in my life,
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along with the passion of
prayer. Yeah. It's just part of
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the story. All right. All right.
Well let's get to that story.
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God's undying love and when we
were talking on the telephone,
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the Lord put that on my
heart and you said that's it,
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so will you please
share what happened?
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Ok, um, I have three children
by the way, I will just start
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off with that, wonderful
children, and I praise God
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for them. My oldest daughter
happened to have come home,
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she was living else ware,
over in Berrien Springs side of
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Michigan and she happened
to be home at this time,
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Kim, my wife was in
Africa on a mission trip,
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and I came in
basically from a bicycle ride.
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I ride my bike six or seven
miles around the city blocks
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if you will, up in
Sterling Heights, and I came in,
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I was told later, I must have
kicked off my shoes and I turned
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in our quad level home, to go
up the stairs and I collapsed.
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Sudden cardiac arrest.
I was told that I dropped,
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everything shut down,
my heart stopped beating...
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My daughter was downstairs
at the time, and she heard the
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big bang and she came up
the stairs and saw her dad
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lying face down and
sweaty from the bike ride
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and everything, and
kind of an awkward position,
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my head was up on the
first step off to the side
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and my face was facing off
to the side, eyes wide open,
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but I was dead at
that point in time.
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You were dead. I was actually
dead, um, they say afterward
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they tried to figure out
the timing, somewhere between
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ten and twelve
minutes I was gone.
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I was without oxygen,
everything had shut down.
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Mercy. So my
daughter, at first she came up,
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she heard what I was understood
to be the gases to be escaping.
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You know when you go
through this experience...
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she thought I was still
breathing and so she called 911,
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she knew that something serious,
I had hit my nose and the back
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of my head and I was bleeding
as well...but she thought I was
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breathing and she
called 911, and she said my dad
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is still breathing and but
he's taken a fall and maybe
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good if someone comes out and
you know, let's check in to see
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what's going on with him, he's
just laying here on the floor.
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And so, she talked with
them for a minute or two and
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they actually told her,
we sent someone on the way
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an ambulance will be
there shortly and I guess they
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actually hung up with
her. They said call us back if
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anything
changes. Stop pastor, NO.
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I was quite in amazement when
I heard later on, but as I...
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after she had hung up, she
went to take the cat downstairs
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put the cat in the back
bedroom, not realizing that
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you know I was literally already
gone, by the time she came
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back up the stairs, she noticed
that I was turning purple
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and then blue fairly quickly.
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And she had realized that things
had taken a turn for the worse.
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what she thought, so
she got back on with 911,
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9:11 the call went through
not even as an emergency,
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they took their time and
went and met with the fireman,
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and they took their time
getting there, they didn't even
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put their lights on...That's
how hard the enemy was at work
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here in this. My goodness.
And so she called them back up,
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they said we've got
to get him turned over,
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we've got to start
the chest compressions,
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and so they stayed on the
line with her and she said,
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you know, told me later,
she said trying to get me turned
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over all sweaty and the
way she is kind of a tiny
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you know, 100 pounds, beautiful
young lady, but she finally got
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me over and started
the chest compressions.
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They said we are going to count
to 200, and just got her going
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until the ambulance
drivers arrived finally.
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Um, long story short, at
that point, they came in,
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they had to shock me twice
to get my heart beating again.
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Umm. And so they of
course put me in the ambulance,
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they raced me to the
hospital to the emergency room
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and began the process of
what they do so wonderfully well
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there at Troy Beaumont.
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And I was in a comma when
they realized how long I had
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actually gone without oxygen.
Usually you don't survive after
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five minutes. Five minutes.
And to think ten to twelve,
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there wasn't much hope. So they
put me in kind of a cool down,
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I don't recall the name of
the machine but it was a machine
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that would bring your
body down to between 91 degrees
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and 93, 94 degrees, because
they found out others have
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stopped breathing...you know
kids have gone under the ice,
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so to speak...They found
out that it actually preserves
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brain damage. Umm. And
so, I was hooked to this
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machine and my daughter
of course started making
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phone calls, she was quite
a trooper, and I just praise
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God, how God worked it out
that she actually was there,
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because I would
have been alone...
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Basically my wife would
have come home, or somebody else
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would have found me days
later, maybe even weeks later
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which would have been horrific,
so I praise the Lord...
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Praise the Lord that she
was there. God is so good.
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So family of course
started racing in and Kim,
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they were trying to
reach her over in Africa,
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she was in the heart of
Kenya, on a mission trip,
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literally far away, her
phone didn't even have service
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where she was...They
were on their way to another
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mission station. And a...so
basically, my elders came,
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a couple of leaders
from the Michigan Conference,
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Elder Mitchiff came, and
of course, you know being
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Seventh-day Adventist, we
believe in the power of prayer
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and the power of
anointing... Yes, yes.
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And so while the doctors and
nurses were racing to and fro
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trying to keep me alive,
they came and had a special
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anointing, and lifted
me up to God in prayer.
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And I believe I have no
doubt that God has the last say.
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Yes. And He obviously...here I
am, I praise the Lord for this.
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Um, so five days later
when Kim came back from Africa,
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about three day it took
her to finally make it back,
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and my other kids came, and
I'm of course oblivious to all
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of what's going on. And
five days later, they began...
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They took me off of
the cool down machine...
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And, you know, during that
time, I remember hearing later
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from my sister...my
sister, that's Aleciano,
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my oldest sister, she came
down, she's up in Charlotte,
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near Lansing area and she
raced down with her husband.
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Her and Gene and Pr.
Hall, they were wonderful,
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she stayed by my side
three days and three nights,
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and never left.
Your sister never left.
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My sister never left.
Umm. What a sacrifice,
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she just wanted to make
sure I had the best of care...
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I just praise
God for her and Gene,
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and all my family as well.
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So they took me off the
machine, doctors were coming in
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talking to my wife and
children, and letting them know
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that we need to consider when
we can't keep him on machines
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you know, forever. They
didn't have much hope...Umm.
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Because you got 10 to 12
minutes without oxygen...
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If I came through it all,
it would have been heavily
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brain damaged. I was told later
that all through the five days
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of being in a coma, that I
was showing all of the classic
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signs of having brain damage.
I was what they call posturing.
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My limbs would kind of
turn inward instead of normally
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outward in a resting position.
The EEG was showing abnormal
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burst suppressions, which
means a state of inactivity
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and then electrical kind
of jumping and then back to
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inactivity, so it
was not looking good.
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I remember my sister
told me later, she said,
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one of the nurses...a
number of Christian nurses there
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coming in saying,
we are praying for him.
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One came in actually in tears
and saying, "I am so sorry,
00:11:02.96\00:11:06.59
he is so young,"
forty eight years of age.
00:11:06.63\00:11:08.00
Forty eight. Forty
eight years of age. Wow!
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So, when they took me off the
machine, they weren't holding on
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a whole lot of hope...I pressed
the doctor's to get information
00:11:15.14\00:11:17.84
out of the doctors...later
on it was like pulling teeth
00:11:17.87\00:11:20.54
of course. But they told me
that they didn't have much hope
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I was going to come out of this.
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But you know what, God
knew exactly...You know man's
00:11:26.28\00:11:29.45
extremities are
God's opportunities. Yes.
00:11:29.48\00:11:32.42
And so, on my daughter's
birthday, this was July 15...
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I just celebrated the
three year anniversary here
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a few days ago. But on
the 20th, which is Ashley's
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birthday today, I
praise the Lord, I woke up
00:11:41.73\00:11:46.67
and they began to talk
to me, and at first I wasn't
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responsive, a lot of
heavy drugs and such, but, um,
00:11:49.54\00:11:53.17
after doing some tests...
Of course the family was
00:11:53.21\00:11:55.51
thrilled, we had a
little birthday party,
00:11:55.54\00:11:56.88
we had some pictures, some took
and had little birthday hats,
00:11:56.91\00:12:00.42
I was laying in the bed and they
are all gathered around me...
00:12:00.45\00:12:02.52
But it's amazing, I love
God's timing, you know on my
00:12:02.55\00:12:06.99
daughter's birthday...On
your birthday three years ago
00:12:07.02\00:12:09.46
today. Yes. Today we are
doing this broadcast, today.
00:12:09.49\00:12:13.76
I woke up. You woke up.
Yes, praise be all to God.
00:12:13.80\00:12:17.90
Um, they did some testing,
he was sure that it must have
00:12:17.93\00:12:22.04
been...I would need a pacemaker,
maybe an electrical problem
00:12:22.07\00:12:25.27
with my heart. After some
testing, they actually found out
00:12:25.31\00:12:28.88
that I had five
clogged arteries. What!
00:12:28.91\00:12:31.68
They figured genetic stress,
or maybe a combination of those
00:12:31.71\00:12:34.65
because, I have always been
in to the eight laws of health.
00:12:34.68\00:12:36.52
The last fifteen or so
years, two meals a day,
00:12:36.55\00:12:39.85
I'm eating healthy vegan
food trying to...my cholesterol
00:12:39.89\00:12:42.72
is always a little bit on the
high side. So exercise, biking,
00:12:42.76\00:12:45.79
running, working out
with weights. I've always been
00:12:45.83\00:12:48.33
athletic and you know,
very active. And the doctor
00:12:48.36\00:12:51.53
told me a couple of
times, he said, you know,
00:12:51.57\00:12:54.20
had you not been living
the eight laws of health,
00:12:54.24\00:12:56.91
this lifestyle, you
would not be here today.
00:12:56.94\00:12:59.84
What? He said, I
have not doubt about it.
00:12:59.87\00:13:02.44
So I praise God for that. You
know, one aspect I want to share
00:13:02.48\00:13:06.82
is the amazing power of
God. He showed me an x-ray
00:13:06.85\00:13:11.15
and he said, I want you
to look at this portion here
00:13:11.19\00:13:13.92
and he said, see those two...
And I didn't know what they were
00:13:13.96\00:13:16.36
but it was two arteries of
sorts that my body because of my
00:13:16.39\00:13:22.66
exercise...With five clogged
arteries, I had the widow maker,
00:13:22.70\00:13:25.50
you know, this is...often you
just don't come out of these...
00:13:25.53\00:13:28.27
Two were 100%
clogged. Three 75- 80% clogged,
00:13:28.30\00:13:32.21
but he said, you see those
two lines there on the x-ray?
00:13:32.24\00:13:35.61
I said, yes and he said, those
because of all of your exercise,
00:13:35.64\00:13:39.35
was your body trying
to create two bypasses,
00:13:39.38\00:13:42.92
because I wasn't getting enough
blood flow through the normal
00:13:42.95\00:13:46.49
arteries. I was flabbergasted,
I didn't even know that that
00:13:46.52\00:13:50.63
was possible, but I was in
amazement just praising God
00:13:50.66\00:13:53.83
that, look what if we
follow His guidelines.
00:13:53.86\00:13:57.93
You know I try to live
healthfully in spite of our
00:13:57.97\00:14:00.40
genetics and whatever
may be, I am in amazement.
00:14:00.44\00:14:04.24
I ended up with a five
bypass surgery. Five... You did.
00:14:04.27\00:14:08.31
Five bypass surgery. And
then began my most painful
00:14:08.34\00:14:12.58
part of my journey,
which was a severe depression.
00:14:12.61\00:14:16.18
Coming out of five
bypass surgery, I was told and
00:14:16.22\00:14:19.39
warned about it, you go
through this depressive state
00:14:19.42\00:14:22.99
and I can kind of equate
it to the best explanation
00:14:23.02\00:14:26.59
it is like being thrown down
into a pit maybe 20- 25 feet
00:14:26.63\00:14:30.47
in the ground. A small, like
a well, almost like an old well
00:14:30.50\00:14:33.80
sort of thing. And it was
like I was walking around in
00:14:33.84\00:14:36.67
bottom of this well and couldn't
get out, didn't know how to
00:14:36.71\00:14:40.01
get out...but I want to
testify to God's goodness.
00:14:40.04\00:14:44.61
Because one thing throughout
this, it was about a year
00:14:44.65\00:14:47.88
and a half it took me to get
through this after the surgery
00:14:47.92\00:14:50.09
to recover
emotionally from this.
00:14:50.12\00:14:52.89
I always knew that there
was someone down there that was
00:14:52.92\00:14:56.69
walking that pathway
with me in that well.
00:14:56.73\00:15:00.36
Um, I never lost sight of
Jesus, Jesus always let me know
00:15:00.40\00:15:03.80
you know what Curt, I got you.
00:15:03.83\00:15:06.13
You know, we are going to
walk through this together
00:15:06.17\00:15:08.37
and when it's time, I'm going
to guide you all the way back
00:15:08.40\00:15:12.04
out of this well. It was odd
Dr. Kim, sometimes my friends
00:15:12.07\00:15:16.98
and my family...it's almost
like they were looking down
00:15:17.01\00:15:19.75
in the well saying Curt come on
out, here, just take our hand.
00:15:19.78\00:15:22.45
Yes. But when you are in
this depressive state, you can't
00:15:22.48\00:15:26.25
just take someone's hand and
they pull you out and everything
00:15:26.29\00:15:29.22
is okay. But there was someone
down there that made it ok.
00:15:29.26\00:15:32.83
And He lifted me out little
by little, I know often times,
00:15:32.86\00:15:36.36
He was carrying me in His arms.
Yes. He is a wonderful God,
00:15:36.40\00:15:39.47
I love Jesus so
much... You know this trial...
00:15:39.50\00:15:43.20
My life has been one of
tremendous activity, volleyball,
00:15:43.24\00:15:47.18
basketball...I could run up
and down the basketball court
00:15:47.21\00:15:49.18
for hours on end,
even in my late forties,
00:15:49.21\00:15:52.21
but when this happened, it
turned everything upside down.
00:15:52.25\00:15:55.18
The amazing part is, and
I didn't like it, you know,
00:15:55.22\00:15:59.69
because sure, people,
in fact some of my friends,
00:15:59.72\00:16:01.99
when they had heard what
had happened, they said not
00:16:02.02\00:16:03.93
Curt DeWitt. You know, not him,
the one who runs up and down
00:16:03.96\00:16:06.53
the basketball
court, this can't be true.
00:16:06.56\00:16:08.70
But I praise the Lord, because
He has led me and helped me
00:16:08.73\00:16:13.27
see so much...I
have to stop depending...
00:16:13.30\00:16:17.04
You know, I am in the ministry,
I'm trying to win souls for
00:16:17.07\00:16:20.01
Jesus, trying to help be a
small part, to finish this work,
00:16:20.04\00:16:24.31
I want to get out of this world.
00:16:24.35\00:16:25.68
You know, there is so much
pain in the world. Amen! Amen!
00:16:25.71\00:16:27.88
God wanted me learn a valuable
lesson and that is I need to
00:16:27.92\00:16:31.82
stop depending upon
my own strength. Um!
00:16:31.85\00:16:34.72
I praise Him for this. Even
though I didn't like it in the
00:16:34.76\00:16:37.73
flesh, I don't want
people to know that I have
00:16:37.76\00:16:40.36
Coronary Artery Disease.
You know that's my initials,
00:16:40.40\00:16:43.03
actually Curtis Allen DeWitt.
00:16:43.06\00:16:44.40
Um. CAD, you know, God
gave me a year later after the
00:16:44.43\00:16:48.07
surgery, an eye opener. I
was in tears because He was
00:16:48.10\00:16:51.27
letting me know, Curt, you
have a spiritually wicked heart,
00:16:51.31\00:16:54.38
I need to give you
a new heart every day.
00:16:54.41\00:16:55.78
And I remember it
was an experience that...
00:16:55.81\00:16:58.35
You know, my life has changed
physically, I am not the same
00:16:58.38\00:17:01.18
man I was, I can't run up and
down a basketball court anymore.
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.55
I praise God I can
exercise, I'm back on my bike
00:17:04.59\00:17:06.82
by the grace of God, working
out a little bit, trying to stay
00:17:06.86\00:17:10.06
healthy, but I am trying
to focus on doing it for Him.
00:17:10.09\00:17:13.03
Yes. Instead of for me
and God is good. Yes He is.
00:17:13.06\00:17:17.30
He is so good.
Yes, we have a saying,
00:17:17.33\00:17:19.33
Dr Lewis you know,
my... I call her my boss, and
00:17:19.37\00:17:23.51
she is, but on Dare
to Dream General Manager,
00:17:23.54\00:17:25.94
we did a broadcast
"Look at God". "Look at God"
00:17:25.97\00:17:30.65
and what He can do. We
can just focus on His love and
00:17:30.68\00:17:34.42
obedience to Him. Absolutely!
00:17:34.45\00:17:36.42
Um, your members, what was
going on with your congregation?
00:17:36.45\00:17:41.62
Thank you for bringing that
up, I was just getting ready
00:17:41.66\00:17:43.49
to come to them. What
would I have done without my
00:17:43.53\00:17:45.59
church family? Umm. Um,
My church family got work
00:17:45.63\00:17:49.70
right away and they
put on a prayer vigil. Yes.
00:17:49.73\00:17:53.57
We... They prayed...They
opened up the church
00:17:53.60\00:17:56.91
three nights in a row for
an hour or two, I think it was
00:17:56.94\00:18:00.91
a couple of hours, and they
poured out their hearts to God
00:18:00.94\00:18:05.01
asking, pleading for God to
spare this pastor, you know,
00:18:05.05\00:18:09.22
we love him so much...They
told me stories afterward...
00:18:09.25\00:18:12.92
In fact when I came back
and shared my testimony what I'm
00:18:12.95\00:18:16.89
sharing here today with
you...one who had been attending
00:18:16.93\00:18:20.83
for years and came
out and she said pastor,
00:18:21.06\00:18:23.53
she said, when I
heard you went down,
00:18:23.57\00:18:25.60
she said, I told my mom,
if God can let this happen
00:18:25.63\00:18:29.80
to this man, this
pastor that we love so much,
00:18:29.84\00:18:32.54
I will never step foot into
another Seventh-day Adventist
00:18:32.57\00:18:35.84
church again. My Lord.
00:18:35.88\00:18:37.35
She was finished. My
Lord. She was finished.
00:18:37.38\00:18:39.95
She said she hugged
me and hugged so tight,
00:18:39.98\00:18:42.95
and we were in tears
and I talked to her, I said
00:18:42.98\00:18:46.65
that I tried to
strengthen her faith, I said,
00:18:46.69\00:18:48.42
but look what God's done.
00:18:48.46\00:18:50.03
You know, why not me? Sometimes
we want to ask those questions
00:18:50.06\00:18:54.00
why. Why not? Why not!
00:18:54.03\00:18:59.40
Dr. Kim, why not? Why not?
00:18:59.43\00:19:01.50
I'm not any more special
than anyone else in the world,
00:19:01.54\00:19:03.91
God loves us all and
Jesus died for all of us. Yes.
00:19:03.94\00:19:06.94
He can be honored, His
light can shine through us,
00:19:06.98\00:19:10.85
kind of a Job experience.
00:19:10.88\00:19:12.78
I focused a lot on Job,
trying to get through these
00:19:12.81\00:19:16.05
though times. But my church
family, many of them showed up
00:19:16.08\00:19:19.09
at the hospital
when I was there...
00:19:19.12\00:19:20.52
The love that they poured
out, I could not have made it
00:19:20.56\00:19:24.69
through...Even afterward,
you know Kim continued going on
00:19:24.73\00:19:28.46
mission trips...My church
family just stepped it up...
00:19:28.50\00:19:31.57
Umm, you know how wonderful
it is to get those hugs and
00:19:31.60\00:19:35.24
to have a plate of food ready
when I came to fellowship meal
00:19:35.27\00:19:37.77
late, which they did so often...
Wonderful church family,
00:19:37.81\00:19:41.74
the power of prayer, is... When
I think of my church family,
00:19:41.78\00:19:44.85
I think of not only those
who love me but they prayed...
00:19:44.88\00:19:48.28
God heard their prayers,
they got together in one accord,
00:19:48.32\00:19:52.12
in one place, with
the same mindset...
00:19:52.15\00:19:54.32
I remember my elder told me
Ray Cook, he said one of the
00:19:54.36\00:19:58.59
attendee's was crying out
to God in the prayer time,
00:19:58.63\00:20:03.63
God, I need this man to teach
me more about you and about
00:20:03.67\00:20:06.67
Jesus, spare his life. And
it just brings me to tears...
00:20:06.70\00:20:10.41
My church family...Wonderful,
warm church family...Um hum.
00:20:10.44\00:20:14.38
Just, just a special bond
that we formed and it was hard
00:20:14.41\00:20:18.28
leaving it recently...I left
and joined the Baxter church
00:20:18.31\00:20:20.62
family and that's the
hardest thing I've ever done.
00:20:20.65\00:20:22.92
Because there's a special
bond there that's way above and
00:20:22.95\00:20:25.75
beyond the normal bond a pastor
has with a church family...
00:20:25.79\00:20:28.96
How long were you at Warren?
I'm sorry. How long were you
00:20:28.99\00:20:31.43
at the Warren church?
I was in Warren just over
00:20:31.46\00:20:33.96
seven and a half years. Really.
00:20:34.00\00:20:35.33
And you just now transferred
to the Baxter church up near
00:20:35.36\00:20:38.67
Saginaw, MI...Yes. Up in
that area? That's correct.
00:20:38.70\00:20:41.47
How long were you out of
the pulpit when this occurred
00:20:41.50\00:20:45.61
before you returned back
to the pulpit after this?
00:20:45.64\00:20:47.88
I was out of the
pulpit probably about,
00:20:47.91\00:20:51.61
I want to say about two months.
Ok. Um, I may not have been
00:20:51.65\00:20:55.58
ready when I came back,
but all by the grace of God...
00:20:55.62\00:20:58.82
You know, from being so
much thinner of course...Yeah.
00:20:58.85\00:21:03.76
And trying to recover
health wise and moving slowly...
00:21:03.79\00:21:05.99
But the doctor had
released you to go back.
00:21:06.03\00:21:08.10
He had released me.
Ok. He had released me.
00:21:08.13\00:21:10.17
And so I shared my testimony...
And you know of course that
00:21:10.20\00:21:13.34
first time, you can only
imagine when I come up and I sit
00:21:13.37\00:21:16.44
up there and walk in and
everybody...almost everybody's
00:21:16.47\00:21:19.24
in tears and I'm crying, I am
fighting tears because it's only
00:21:19.27\00:21:22.34
by the grace of God I am
able to sit in this same chair
00:21:22.38\00:21:26.11
up front and be able to
get up and share what Jesus...
00:21:26.15\00:21:29.32
what He has done for me.
00:21:29.35\00:21:30.95
I want to testify
about Jesus. Yeah, yes.
00:21:30.99\00:21:33.62
Jesus...His grace is
truly sufficient. Yes.
00:21:33.66\00:21:38.39
Something that He allowed...
It's the, "Though He slay me,
00:21:38.43\00:21:41.66
yet I will trust Him." Yes.
00:21:41.73\00:21:43.57
I know one day there's a spe-
cial quote in faith I live by.
00:21:43.60\00:21:46.63
The nutshell of what it says
in Ellen White, the wonderful...
00:21:46.67\00:21:51.21
Inspired Writings Yes, oh yes,
she says that basically one day
00:21:51.24\00:21:55.14
when we get to heaven we are
going to be able to look back
00:21:55.28\00:21:58.25
and trace our whole
journey from start to finish.
00:21:58.28\00:22:01.58
And she said, when we see
every way that God was there
00:22:01.62\00:22:05.45
and Jesus reached out and
He... we'll see His guiding hand
00:22:05.49\00:22:08.59
and there will not have been
one thing that we would change,
00:22:08.62\00:22:12.23
and that has become one
of my favorite quotations.
00:22:12.26\00:22:16.23
I'm excited because we go
through trials. Yes we do.
00:22:16.26\00:22:19.97
I'm sure...you know, you have
trials, I have trials, we all
00:22:20.00\00:22:22.10
have trials and if we are
trying to walk with Jesus,
00:22:22.14\00:22:24.61
trials are going to
come, we have a bulls eye. Yes.
00:22:24.64\00:22:27.24
But you know with God, if He be
for us, who can be against us.
00:22:27.28\00:22:31.58
It's not about...Dr. Kim,
it's not about how terrible
00:22:31.61\00:22:36.08
the trial is. Yes.
It's not about what comes,
00:22:36.12\00:22:39.05
it's about that we remember
what a great God we have.
00:22:39.09\00:22:42.29
Yes. That He will never leave
us, He will never forsake us.
00:22:42.32\00:22:45.23
Jesus means everything to
me, I love Him more today than
00:22:45.26\00:22:49.26
I ever have in my life because
of trials and tribulations,
00:22:49.30\00:22:53.90
His grace is sufficient.
The things that we...
00:22:53.94\00:22:57.37
that often I have dreaded, you
know sometimes you almost fear
00:22:57.41\00:23:01.14
Lord don't ever
let this happen to me.
00:23:01.18\00:23:02.98
God's grace is
sufficient. Um hum.
00:23:03.01\00:23:05.91
I want to testify that His love,
it's supreme and I will hang on
00:23:05.95\00:23:10.39
to Him until my dying
breath or until He comes.
00:23:10.42\00:23:13.29
I am a little curious,
what did preach on that first...
00:23:13.32\00:23:18.06
Did you preach
that first Sabbath?
00:23:18.09\00:23:19.43
I preached that Sabbath, it was
my testimony, it was the story
00:23:19.46\00:23:23.97
that I'm sharing with you today.
Oh. I'm sharing the lessons
00:23:24.00\00:23:27.10
that I learned, you
know, the power of prayer,
00:23:27.14\00:23:29.10
the power of the health message,
trying to live and remember my
00:23:29.14\00:23:32.11
body is a temple for the
Holy Spirit, I am not my own.
00:23:32.14\00:23:34.94
What we put in our
bodies, how we treat our bodies,
00:23:34.98\00:23:37.55
outwardly, inwardly, we want
to honor and glorify God. Yes.
00:23:37.58\00:23:42.45
Many other lessons, there are
so many that God taught me...
00:23:42.48\00:23:47.56
You know one thing I want
to share...when we were at the
00:23:47.59\00:23:49.62
hospital after we went to
my sister and brother-in-law,
00:23:49.66\00:23:51.73
I went back to visit
and just to thank them,
00:23:51.76\00:23:55.13
thank them for the
wonderful care they had.
00:23:55.16\00:23:57.47
The charge nurse of
the Intensive Care Unit,
00:23:57.50\00:24:02.27
she actually told us, she said
there was something different
00:24:02.30\00:24:06.68
when we were in your room,
we felt there was some sense of
00:24:06.71\00:24:10.78
aura is what she said.
We could feel that there was
00:24:10.81\00:24:13.78
God's presence with you and
some of the family and friends
00:24:13.82\00:24:17.25
that would come in
to the church. Yes.
00:24:17.29\00:24:18.75
And again this is not
nothing to do with us,
00:24:18.79\00:24:21.36
but this is to me a
testimony that Jesus was there,
00:24:21.39\00:24:24.99
His angels were there. Yes.
The power of the Holy Spirit
00:24:25.03\00:24:27.53
was there. Yes. Psalms 91:11.
There we go. "I give my angels
00:24:27.56\00:24:30.87
charge over you
wherever you go." Absolutely...
00:24:30.90\00:24:32.73
They sensed the
presence of God. Yes.
00:24:32.77\00:24:35.04
And we were able to have
prayer, we joined in a circle
00:24:35.07\00:24:36.94
right there in the middle
of the Intensive Care Unit
00:24:36.97\00:24:38.54
that evening and we made a
little circle of joined hands
00:24:38.57\00:24:41.54
and they were wonderful and
gracious allowing me to offer up
00:24:41.58\00:24:45.78
a prayer of thanksgiving and...
So you've been back to see
00:24:45.81\00:24:49.42
the staff at the
hospital... Absolutely.
00:24:49.45\00:24:52.49
Actually Dr.
Tutroni, a wonderful doctor,
00:24:52.52\00:24:54.86
my cardiologist, you know
you could tell he was baffled...
00:24:54.89\00:24:57.96
shaking his head, you
know, you don't eat...
00:24:57.99\00:24:59.83
That's because it
was a "God" thing.
00:24:59.86\00:25:01.20
You don't eat bad things, you
don't drink, you don't smoke,
00:25:01.23\00:25:03.37
What is this? Why...
but whether it's genetics,
00:25:03.40\00:25:07.64
whether it's stress, it doesn't
matter, God is in control.
00:25:07.67\00:25:11.54
He saved you for
such a time as this.
00:25:11.57\00:25:13.38
Amen! Amen! You know, that
young lady who might have left,
00:25:13.41\00:25:17.25
God saw that and in that, your
daughter, she was there watching
00:25:17.28\00:25:23.28
all of this. You know,
two questions, I want to know
00:25:23.32\00:25:26.65
how your daughter is doing
because she saw all of this
00:25:26.69\00:25:28.82
and I know she is daddy,
daddy, daddy, you know. Sure.
00:25:28.86\00:25:32.16
And then the second
question. You know they say that
00:25:32.19\00:25:34.90
the hearing is the last
to go. Did you hear anything
00:25:34.93\00:25:38.90
during this time? I am
glad you brought that up.
00:25:38.93\00:25:41.00
I knew absolutely nothing,
this is what I tell people,
00:25:41.04\00:25:44.71
most people come to me
when they hear my story...
00:25:44.74\00:25:46.47
That's the first
question out of their mouths,
00:25:46.51\00:25:48.48
hey, did you see God,
did you get to talk to Him?
00:25:48.51\00:25:50.58
and they are asking in
all sincerity, and I tell them
00:25:50.61\00:25:53.38
simply this. The Bible was
right, and they say oh yeah,
00:25:53.42\00:25:57.25
what, what, what did you see?
00:25:57.29\00:25:58.62
The Bible says the
dead know not anything.
00:25:58.65\00:26:01.86
I knew nothing, my memory was
erased, it was a time of peace
00:26:01.89\00:26:04.73
I absolutely knew nothing
until I awakened and had no idea
00:26:04.76\00:26:08.56
what had happened.
The Bible is correct,
00:26:08.60\00:26:10.77
I can testify to that ten to
twelve minutes of being dead,
00:26:10.80\00:26:15.14
being gone, no brain
consciousness whatsoever,
00:26:15.17\00:26:18.57
I did not see God, I didn't, but
I sure have felt His presence
00:26:18.61\00:26:21.48
ever since, and His arms around
me by faith. Yes, by faith.
00:26:21.51\00:26:24.91
And your
daughter, what was her name?
00:26:24.95\00:26:26.82
Stephanie.
Stephanie. She is doing well,
00:26:26.85\00:26:30.05
I'm sure that was horribly
traumatic coming and seeing
00:26:30.09\00:26:33.59
her dad like that
but she was a trooper,
00:26:33.62\00:26:35.39
my family, all of my
kids, Steven and Ashley as well.
00:26:35.42\00:26:39.33
What a trial, but the
Lord has His arms around me
00:26:39.36\00:26:42.96
and they are on their
own journey's, each of them
00:26:43.00\00:26:45.33
on a different type of journey.
Do they call you regularly?
00:26:45.37\00:26:47.57
Do they check on
you? Yes, absolutely.
00:26:47.60\00:26:49.30
We talk and call and
now the new texting thing,
00:26:49.34\00:26:51.87
so we are off...and send a
text in between here and there.
00:26:51.91\00:26:56.01
But I am so proud of my
children and my family as well,
00:26:56.04\00:26:59.61
God has blessed me tremendously.
00:26:59.65\00:27:01.75
Pastor this is nothing but God,
I mean, I am doing everything
00:27:01.78\00:27:05.35
I can not to just cry, shout,
just praise Him for your life,
00:27:05.39\00:27:10.63
I am going to come and
visit and hear you bring
00:27:10.66\00:27:15.33
the Word of God. I
recently lost my husband...
00:27:15.36\00:27:18.30
Oh, I am so sorry.
And thank you so much.
00:27:18.33\00:27:20.37
And your testimony to me today,
has strengthened me to go on,
00:27:20.40\00:27:25.77
to trust Him and not question
Him, but to believe that God
00:27:25.81\00:27:29.84
is in control. But I don't know
why but God has spared your life
00:27:29.88\00:27:34.75
in such a time as
this... even to strengthen me.
00:27:34.78\00:27:37.09
I want to thank you so much for
just taking time to be with us
00:27:37.12\00:27:42.82
and you are truly a testimony
of the title of the program,
00:27:42.86\00:27:46.59
Live To Be Well.
00:27:46.63\00:27:47.96
Oh, praise God. Because
you are truly doing that...
00:27:48.00\00:27:50.40
I just want to
say to everyone...
00:27:50.43\00:27:53.00
I want to thank Pr.
DeWitt for coming, we love you,
00:27:53.03\00:27:56.64
we appreciate you, we are
going to walk around the kingdom
00:27:56.67\00:27:58.71
together. Oh,
Amen! Praise God...
00:27:58.74\00:28:01.04
And thank you for
your ministry as well,
00:28:01.08\00:28:02.58
you know if God can be
glorified and honor this story,
00:28:02.61\00:28:05.31
and many others that you
have shared, God is going to be
00:28:05.35\00:28:09.98
lifted up and
continue. Yes He will.
00:28:10.02\00:28:11.39
And you will be in my
prayers as well as 3ABN...
00:28:11.42\00:28:13.09
Please, please
keep us in prayer.
00:28:13.12\00:28:15.02
I want to thank Pr.
DeWitt and we want to thank you.
00:28:15.06\00:28:18.49
God is everything. God is
able, but He has an undying love
00:28:18.53\00:28:23.57
for Pr. DeWitt,
for me and for you.
00:28:23.60\00:28:26.60
I'm Dr. Kim,
continue to Live To Be Well.
00:28:26.63\00:28:29.90
God Bless.
00:28:29.94\00:28:31.27