My guest today has not only counseled those 00:00:01.06\00:00:03.96 with adversity but by God's grace 00:00:04.00\00:00:06.04 she has overcome it herself... 00:00:06.08\00:00:08.05 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching 00:00:08.09\00:00:10.74 Urban Report... 00:00:10.77\00:00:12.43 Hello and welcome to Urban Report... 00:00:32.60\00:00:35.31 My guest today is Dr. Magna Parks 00:00:35.34\00:00:37.98 Psychologist and woman with her own interesting story 00:00:38.01\00:00:41.78 of victory in Jesus... 00:00:41.81\00:00:43.34 Welcome to Urban Report Dr. Parks... 00:00:43.38\00:00:46.32 Hi Yvonne, good to be here... I'm so happy you're here. 00:00:46.35\00:00:49.22 I'm going to call you Magna... That's just fine... 00:00:49.25\00:00:50.87 Magna, you are such an accomplished person 00:00:50.91\00:00:58.50 so humble... and you love the Lord... 00:00:58.54\00:01:01.87 and you have... 00:01:01.91\00:01:03.38 you have your own journey... 00:01:03.42\00:01:06.18 everybody has a testimony... Yes... 00:01:06.21\00:01:08.63 you have your own journey... share some of that 00:01:08.66\00:01:11.77 journey with us... Well, Yvonne, you know 00:01:11.81\00:01:15.07 it's interesting how you hear people's stories 00:01:15.11\00:01:18.74 and until you have your own story... 00:01:18.78\00:01:21.09 their stories don't become very real to you... 00:01:21.12\00:01:23.80 That's so true... and I think God allowed me 00:01:23.83\00:01:25.83 to have my own story... I don't even know 00:01:25.87\00:01:27.80 where to start... but... I went through school, 00:01:27.83\00:01:32.37 got my graduate degree taught at Oakwood, 00:01:32.40\00:01:34.66 private practice... but during the latter years 00:01:34.69\00:01:37.87 of that time... even before getting into 00:01:37.90\00:01:40.66 private practice... I always start out with this 00:01:40.69\00:01:43.32 story... I was in engaged to someone 00:01:43.35\00:01:44.62 and a month before... I broke the wedding off 00:01:44.65\00:01:47.32 and this was the big wedding of Oakwood 00:01:47.35\00:01:49.95 everybody was all excited, 00:01:49.98\00:01:52.54 so, I left Oakwood 00:01:52.57\00:01:54.48 because I didn't want to hear all the questions 00:01:54.51\00:01:58.06 you know... moved to Atlanta and a few months 00:01:58.10\00:02:01.62 after I moved to Atlanta... my brother who was a physician 00:02:01.65\00:02:04.44 he was missing... he went missing... 00:02:04.48\00:02:06.17 Oh... you know, we didn't know 00:02:06.20\00:02:08.03 where he was... what happened... 00:02:08.06\00:02:09.82 and for 3 years... he went missing... 00:02:09.86\00:02:12.40 and I met another person, another gentleman 00:02:12.44\00:02:16.22 we got married... a week before 00:02:16.25\00:02:18.25 we were to marry... they found my brother dead... 00:02:18.29\00:02:20.40 Oh... and my father called me 00:02:20.44\00:02:23.73 and told me... because he was thinking 00:02:23.77\00:02:25.39 I'd be able to handle it, you know... 00:02:25.42\00:02:26.79 my family members were like... 00:02:26.82\00:02:27.87 "Why did you call her at that time... " 00:02:27.91\00:02:28.95 and the whole week I was on Ambien... to sleep... 00:02:28.98\00:02:31.27 a psychiatrist friend... I couldn't sleep 00:02:31.30\00:02:33.14 so I asked her to give me prescription meds to sleep 00:02:33.17\00:02:35.91 and I slept that whole week and the next day 00:02:35.95\00:02:38.26 after the wedding... we told my mother 00:02:38.29\00:02:40.48 because we didn't tell her before the wedding... 00:02:40.51\00:02:42.65 we told the family gathering, and we told my mother, 00:02:42.68\00:02:44.78 and the week after I got married... 00:02:44.81\00:02:46.58 my brother was funeralized... 00:02:46.61\00:02:48.03 Oh... so what a... that's just the beginning... 00:02:48.07\00:02:51.70 Just an up and down... Yes... 00:02:51.74\00:02:55.09 because you're on a emotional high 00:02:55.13\00:02:56.74 with the wedding and the stress too... 00:02:56.78\00:02:58.96 Yes... of getting ready for a wedding 00:02:59.00\00:03:01.17 but wait... let's go back to Oakwood 00:03:01.21\00:03:03.33 because that's a lot of pressure too... 00:03:03.36\00:03:05.45 Yes... it was... when you have... 00:03:05.48\00:03:07.51 a similar thing happened to me, so I can relate... 00:03:07.54\00:03:10.77 so, you're getting ready to get married... 00:03:10.80\00:03:14.23 and it breaks off... Yes... 00:03:14.26\00:03:16.08 and everybody had known about the impending wedding... 00:03:16.12\00:03:19.31 Hmmm... hmmm... and then it breaks off... 00:03:19.34\00:03:21.26 and then, it's like... "Okay, so what happened?" 00:03:21.29\00:03:23.41 so you got out of there... I did... 00:03:23.45\00:03:25.01 so that you wouldn't have to deal with that... 00:03:25.05\00:03:26.54 I didn't want to deal with the questions... 00:03:26.57\00:03:27.85 Yes... yes... yes... and so then... 00:03:27.88\00:03:30.26 you get to Atlanta... and tell us again what happened. 00:03:30.30\00:03:35.52 About two months after I got to Atlanta, 00:03:35.55\00:03:37.56 we get a call... my brother went missing... 00:03:37.59\00:03:40.10 we didn't know... we got Private Investigators 00:03:40.13\00:03:42.61 they couldn't find him... Two months...? 00:03:42.64\00:03:44.17 Two months after breaking off the wedding... 00:03:44.21\00:03:45.70 so you had that stress to deal with, 00:03:45.74\00:03:48.86 Yes... your missing brother... 00:03:48.89\00:03:50.73 Now, there are only two of you? There were four of us... 00:03:50.77\00:03:53.26 Okay... so, you know, I have my sister 00:03:53.29\00:03:55.10 and my brother left... actually there are others 00:03:55.13\00:03:56.59 because my dad had a few kids 00:03:56.63\00:03:58.59 before he married my mom... 00:03:58.63\00:04:00.52 but those were the ones that we all grew up together... 00:04:00.55\00:04:02.99 Okay... so... 00:04:03.02\00:04:04.39 So your brother went missing, and then a week 00:04:04.43\00:04:07.43 before your wedding, 00:04:07.47\00:04:08.61 Three years later, he was found dead... 00:04:08.64\00:04:10.84 so all 3 years... your family is on pins and needles 00:04:10.87\00:04:14.68 That's right... What's it like for 00:04:14.71\00:04:16.31 because there are programs on television 00:04:16.35\00:04:18.83 about missing children, and abductions, 00:04:18.86\00:04:21.30 what's it like... not knowing? 00:04:21.34\00:04:22.97 It's just... you wake up in the middle 00:04:23.01\00:04:24.76 of the night wondering... where could my brother be... 00:04:24.79\00:04:27.78 what will happen... you know, he was a physician 00:04:27.81\00:04:30.04 he was doing in Infertility Specialty 00:04:30.08\00:04:32.71 at the top of his class... I mean... doing so well 00:04:32.74\00:04:35.33 and you just wonder... was he killed... 00:04:35.37\00:04:37.46 did something happen... it's just... 00:04:37.50\00:04:39.56 like I can't even explain it... 00:04:39.59\00:04:40.65 you just live in uncertainty all the time 00:04:40.68\00:04:42.73 wondering... where that person is... 00:04:42.76\00:04:44.44 Yes... So, even though I was sad 00:04:44.47\00:04:46.08 to find out that he had died, it brought some closure... 00:04:46.11\00:04:48.38 Yes... and to this day... 00:04:48.42\00:04:50.35 we're not sure how he really died... 00:04:50.38\00:04:51.84 there are a lot of questions... So, his body was found... 00:04:51.87\00:04:55.20 Yes... Right behind Dodger's Stadium 00:04:55.23\00:04:57.32 in LA... because that's where he lived... 00:04:57.36\00:04:59.03 And you still don't know... 00:04:59.07\00:05:02.07 No, we're not sure... 00:05:02.11\00:05:03.38 there are a lot of theories, but we don't know 00:05:03.41\00:05:05.81 for sure... what happened... Oh... so then... 00:05:05.84\00:05:08.21 so you had the wedding... then you funeralized your brother, 00:05:08.25\00:05:12.57 so then... what happened? Six months later, 00:05:12.60\00:05:14.84 my mom had a stroke, due to the stress 00:05:14.87\00:05:18.03 of losing her first son, and then... 00:05:18.06\00:05:21.18 a year and a half after that... 00:05:21.21\00:05:23.59 I started feeling some tingling in my fingers... 00:05:23.62\00:05:27.77 and my girlfriend had said, "Oh, sometimes when you eat 00:05:27.80\00:05:30.64 too much salt... it causes tingling in your fingers, 00:05:30.67\00:05:33.44 and I didn't take it seriously, then it started to kind of 00:05:33.48\00:05:35.63 go through my whole arm, and one day 00:05:35.67\00:05:37.56 I was baking something and I put it in the oven 00:05:37.59\00:05:40.05 and when I took it out, it just fell and splattered, 00:05:40.08\00:05:42.25 and I called my husband crying, I said, "Al, I just lost, 00:05:42.28\00:05:45.63 you know, I broke this dish" 00:05:45.67\00:05:47.08 and he says, "That's it, we're going to the doctor... " 00:05:47.11\00:05:49.12 so, I had a girlfriend who was a Nurse Practitioner 00:05:49.15\00:05:51.12 she said the quickest way to get testing done 00:05:51.15\00:05:53.88 is to just go to the Emergency Room 00:05:53.91\00:05:55.09 so I went to the Emergency Room, they did all the testing 00:05:55.12\00:05:57.62 and the doctor came back and says, 00:05:57.66\00:05:59.00 "I'm sorry Ms. Parks, you have MS-Multiple Sclerosis 00:05:59.04\00:06:01.89 and I said, "Are you kidding?" he says, 00:06:01.93\00:06:04.07 "No, we've seen all of this stuff in your brain and 00:06:04.10\00:06:07.71 in your spinal cord and... " so... 00:06:07.74\00:06:10.46 So on top of everything else, now you have a diagnosis 00:06:10.50\00:06:17.34 to deal with... through all this... 00:06:17.37\00:06:20.32 are you practicing... Yes... 00:06:20.35\00:06:23.48 you're doing the counseling and all the psychological testing... 00:06:23.51\00:06:27.06 Yes... that's right... testing and all that? 00:06:27.09\00:06:28.62 Yeah... yeah... yeah.. Yes, I'm going through 00:06:28.66\00:06:29.98 all of that... during that time... 00:06:30.01\00:06:31.39 and then you found out that you had MS... 00:06:31.42\00:06:34.06 How did you respond? Initially, I thought, 00:06:34.09\00:06:36.66 "Well, that's it... I'm going to be an invalid 00:06:36.70\00:06:39.41 a disabled person for the rest of my life... 00:06:39.44\00:06:41.70 my husband will have to take care of me, 00:06:41.73\00:06:43.92 I have to... go into... " I mean... my mind just went 00:06:43.95\00:06:45.84 Right... then the Holy Spirit just 00:06:45.88\00:06:47.23 stopped me and said, "You know, 00:06:47.27\00:06:48.55 you don't know if that's the route it's going to go" 00:06:48.59\00:06:50.35 so He just kind of stopped me, 00:06:50.39\00:06:51.80 I went to the Neurologist 00:06:51.83\00:06:53.34 and the Neurologist said, "You need to get on steroids" 00:06:53.37\00:06:56.06 and at that point... I didn't want to do that... 00:06:56.10\00:06:57.88 I'm not saying that everyone should follow this 00:06:57.91\00:06:59.53 but my husband and I decided 00:06:59.56\00:07:00.84 we wanted to do the natural treatment... 00:07:00.88\00:07:02.39 Hmmm... hmmm... so we told the Neurologist 00:07:02.43\00:07:03.74 we're just not going to do the steroids 00:07:03.78\00:07:05.02 and he says, "Well, Magna, you'll never get better. " 00:07:05.06\00:07:07.47 that's what he said to me... we ended up doing "Natural" 00:07:07.50\00:07:09.84 we went to Wildwood Lifestyle Center 00:07:09.87\00:07:11.43 which uses natural ways and two months later 00:07:11.47\00:07:14.31 I could fully use my hand... I had completely 00:07:14.34\00:07:17.11 lost use of this arm... it was like... I was paralyzed 00:07:17.15\00:07:20.35 my husband had to help me comb my hair 00:07:20.39\00:07:22.51 I had to eat with my left hand, 00:07:22.54\00:07:24.53 and I couldn't write, so... 00:07:24.56\00:07:27.01 And it came on you suddenly, Suddenly... yeah... 00:07:27.05\00:07:29.14 it didn't take much time, it just kind of... 00:07:29.17\00:07:31.19 Usually, I've read somewhere or heard in a lecture 00:07:31.23\00:07:36.81 or something... that there's an emotional 00:07:36.84\00:07:39.46 component... something has happened 00:07:39.50\00:07:41.99 Yes... that leads to MS... 00:07:42.03\00:07:44.73 Yes... And look at what was going on 00:07:44.76\00:07:48.17 with you... That's right... 00:07:48.20\00:07:49.24 my mother, my brother, so... Yes... yes... 00:07:49.28\00:07:51.91 they also found out that my Vitamin D levels 00:07:51.94\00:07:54.73 were... not low... but deficient... 00:07:54.77\00:07:56.74 and the doctor showed me there's a relationship 00:07:56.77\00:07:59.57 between that as well... so... that's where I was 00:07:59.60\00:08:02.37 but in 2 months... the Lord... 00:08:02.41\00:08:03.69 and it's been 7 years and I've had no symptoms... 00:08:03.73\00:08:06.97 Praise God... Yes... yes... 00:08:07.00\00:08:09.50 See our... and again... 00:08:09.54\00:08:10.88 you're not saying... this is for everybody 00:08:10.92\00:08:12.96 that "Natural Route" is for everybody 00:08:13.00\00:08:15.01 but for some people it works 00:08:15.05\00:08:16.42 for some people it doesn't... but... 00:08:16.45\00:08:18.41 praise God... it worked for you. Amen... 00:08:18.45\00:08:20.37 and... really... how can it hurt... 00:08:20.41\00:08:22.09 we're not saying... "Stop your meds" or anything... 00:08:22.13\00:08:25.45 That's right... but what we are saying 00:08:25.49\00:08:26.57 that eating right... and following the laws of health 00:08:26.61\00:08:29.77 can help... Right... amen... 00:08:29.80\00:08:31.77 and it helped me... And it helped you... 00:08:31.81\00:08:33.78 praise God... Praise the Lord... 00:08:33.81\00:08:35.43 so... you got through that... 00:08:35.46\00:08:37.01 the Lord brought you through that... 00:08:37.04\00:08:38.50 and then what happened? Two years later... 00:08:38.53\00:08:41.94 my mother was diagnosed with Colon Cancer 00:08:41.97\00:08:45.35 and 6 months later she died... 00:08:45.38\00:08:46.57 So now you've lost your brother, Hmmm... hmmm... 00:08:46.60\00:08:49.90 and your mother... hmmm... hmmm... 00:08:49.93\00:08:52.58 Yeah... and the time in between 00:08:52.62\00:08:55.20 were you near your mother, were you helping her, 00:08:55.23\00:08:57.94 or were you far... did live away from her... 00:08:57.98\00:08:59.98 I was in Georgia... she was in Florida... 00:09:00.01\00:09:02.29 so it was about 7 hours away from each other 00:09:02.32\00:09:04.56 but then they moved... closer to me... 00:09:04.60\00:09:06.44 Uchee Pines was just two hours away... 00:09:06.48\00:09:08.25 they moved in that area, so I was able to see 00:09:08.29\00:09:10.84 her a lot... for those 2 years before she passed... 00:09:10.88\00:09:13.69 Yeah... that's good... And a year after that... 00:09:13.73\00:09:17.50 I lost my husband... Oh, this is... you know, 00:09:17.53\00:09:21.23 as you said before... when you're talking to people 00:09:21.27\00:09:26.25 and you haven't had your own 00:09:26.28\00:09:28.56 hardship and adversity, 00:09:28.59\00:09:31.13 it has a different feel... from when you have been 00:09:31.17\00:09:34.94 through it... Yes... yes... 00:09:34.97\00:09:36.78 just all of these losses back to back... 00:09:36.81\00:09:39.90 What happened with your husband? 00:09:39.93\00:09:41.23 Well, he had something called AV malformation 00:09:41.26\00:09:44.04 which they say is a congenital brain disorder... 00:09:44.08\00:09:46.91 the capillaries and veins are kind of confused or 00:09:46.95\00:09:49.75 twisted or mixed up or something... 00:09:49.78\00:09:51.32 I don't know the exact way to describe it... 00:09:51.36\00:09:53.19 but he was born with that, and people... typically 00:09:53.23\00:09:56.40 the only reason they may find out 00:09:56.44\00:09:57.76 is when they're younger and they could do something about it 00:09:57.80\00:10:00.04 or when they're older and they get rushed 00:10:00.07\00:10:02.13 to the hospital with an aneurysm 00:10:02.17\00:10:03.42 that's what a physician told me 00:10:03.46\00:10:04.73 and that's what happened to him, 00:10:04.76\00:10:05.97 he had some symptoms going on... 3 weeks before 00:10:06.00\00:10:08.16 and then he was rushed to the hospital... had an aneurysm 00:10:08.20\00:10:11.14 and 2 days later... he died... 00:10:11.17\00:10:12.37 49-years-old... Oh... 00:10:12.40\00:10:15.58 what was going through your head, Magna, 00:10:15.62\00:10:18.70 right after he died? 00:10:18.73\00:10:20.23 Why me? Why did God allow this? 00:10:20.26\00:10:23.06 we had started a ministry 2 or 3 years earlier... 00:10:23.10\00:10:26.56 3 years earlier... and during the year that he died 00:10:26.60\00:10:30.03 the ministry really started to take off... 00:10:30.06\00:10:32.00 and I was just saying... "Lord, we were just doing 00:10:32.04\00:10:34.37 all these wonderful things... we had come here 00:10:34.40\00:10:36.70 and done some cooking programs 00:10:36.74\00:10:37.86 I had done some things with "Issues and Answers" 00:10:37.90\00:10:39.63 why now? Why would you take him away now? 00:10:39.67\00:10:41.55 He's a man who loves you... all kinds of questions 00:10:41.58\00:10:44.63 were going through my mind... 00:10:44.66\00:10:46.06 but, one day the Lord said to me... 00:10:46.10\00:10:47.48 "Magna, you're so concerned about your ministry... 00:10:47.52\00:10:49.40 but I'm more concerned about salvation... " 00:10:49.43\00:10:51.17 Hmmm... just as bold as... 00:10:51.21\00:10:53.65 I could just hear the words... and it just... 00:10:53.69\00:10:56.91 we don't understand sometimes 00:10:56.95\00:10:59.77 why things happen as they do, but, I guess the key is... 00:10:59.80\00:11:07.05 and this is what you have found 00:11:07.08\00:11:08.65 because you are a woman of faith... 00:11:08.69\00:11:10.19 that the faith comes in... after you've asked 00:11:10.23\00:11:13.85 the questions or whatever... trusting that God knew 00:11:13.89\00:11:17.33 what had to be done... and knew the best place 00:11:17.37\00:11:21.08 for him to be saved... Yes... amen... 00:11:21.12\00:11:23.08 so, sometimes this life is so short and 00:11:23.11\00:11:27.88 it's so painful though 00:11:27.91\00:11:29.58 we lose that loved one... and it's just so... painful... 00:11:29.62\00:11:34.71 Yes... yeah... So how did you adjust... 00:11:34.74\00:11:36.84 after that... because it was so sudden... 00:11:36.88\00:11:38.71 It was... It wasn't like he was sick... 00:11:38.75\00:11:41.24 he just had the aneurysm and was gone... 00:11:41.28\00:11:43.70 Yes... yes... yes... how did you adjust after that... 00:11:43.74\00:11:46.75 what did you do? You know, one of the biggest 00:11:46.79\00:11:48.69 things that helped me was... I really tightened up 00:11:48.72\00:11:52.19 my walk with the Lord... I spent more time 00:11:52.22\00:11:55.08 in the Word... I asked questions but 00:11:55.12\00:11:57.40 I wanted God to direct me to things that I could read... 00:11:57.43\00:12:00.50 promises that I could hold on to that was the foundation 00:12:00.53\00:12:03.57 of me being able to deal with my husband's death... 00:12:03.60\00:12:05.72 and another piece that the research shows 00:12:05.75\00:12:09.22 when you're dealing with adversity is... social support 00:12:09.25\00:12:11.34 my Church members were there for me... 00:12:11.37\00:12:14.09 my friends were there for me, I didn't stay in the house, 00:12:14.12\00:12:16.06 I didn't want to stay in the house... where we... 00:12:16.09\00:12:17.86 you know... my husband and I had our home together... 00:12:17.90\00:12:19.63 so I stayed with a few friends here... 00:12:19.67\00:12:21.36 I went to St. Croix and stayed with my cousin for 6 weeks, 00:12:21.39\00:12:25.24 and different people just opened their homes to me, 00:12:25.27\00:12:27.84 sometimes I felt like a bag lady... 00:12:27.88\00:12:29.29 because I was going around from home to home 00:12:29.32\00:12:30.78 but it was my way of dealing with this difficulty... 00:12:30.81\00:12:33.54 Yes... so that was really important 00:12:33.57\00:12:35.52 my walk with God and then 00:12:35.56\00:12:37.44 following the laws of health, that really helped me 00:12:37.47\00:12:39.95 because I would regularly get up and walk, 00:12:39.99\00:12:42.35 I made sure that I ate my meals at a regular time, 00:12:42.39\00:12:45.15 I had healthy meals... I tried to get to bed on time 00:12:45.18\00:12:47.91 and I know that those laws of health... 00:12:47.95\00:12:49.99 were very important in helping me work through 00:12:50.03\00:12:52.91 that grieving process... that is so true because 00:12:52.95\00:12:55.80 without that... the depression could have 00:12:55.84\00:12:58.06 overtaken you... That's right... 00:12:58.09\00:13:00.01 the walking stimulates those endorphins... 00:13:00.04\00:13:02.31 and so you're moving around and so you feel 00:13:02.34\00:13:04.41 better even though you're feeling terrible 00:13:04.44\00:13:06.48 but you feel better than you would 00:13:06.51\00:13:10.66 if you didn't do it... even sleep deprivation... 00:13:10.70\00:13:13.19 had you not gotten enough sleep, 00:13:13.22\00:13:15.19 had you been eating improperly... 00:13:15.22\00:13:17.12 all of that... can make you spiral down 00:13:17.16\00:13:19.49 and then the depression is worse... 00:13:19.53\00:13:21.73 That's right... So praise God that you had 00:13:21.77\00:13:23.67 the support... that you got into the Word more 00:13:23.70\00:13:27.74 that is so important... because when we're going 00:13:27.77\00:13:31.73 through things sometimes you don't even want to pray... 00:13:31.76\00:13:36.36 I know... You don't want to read the Word 00:13:36.39\00:13:38.22 you have to make a conscious decision to do it. 00:13:38.26\00:13:41.59 You do... that's right... it can't be based on feelings 00:13:41.63\00:13:44.15 see... that's what gets us in trouble... 00:13:44.19\00:13:45.61 is that... we make decisions and we do things a lot 00:13:45.65\00:13:48.26 based on how we feel... but the healing came 00:13:48.29\00:13:51.35 as I said... even though I feel terrible today, 00:13:51.38\00:13:53.77 in my stomach... you know... you just have this pit 00:13:53.80\00:13:55.77 in your stomach when you're going through things 00:13:55.81\00:13:57.83 in spite of that, I am going to pick up the Bible 00:13:57.87\00:13:59.94 and sometimes... you may not even feel anything 00:13:59.97\00:14:01.91 while you're reading the Bible, but the promises 00:14:01.95\00:14:03.69 are still going into your head and your mind... 00:14:03.73\00:14:06.14 and it's affecting the brain, so, I said, 00:14:06.17\00:14:08.51 "Lord, I don't feel like this, but help me to do this 00:14:08.55\00:14:10.57 even if I don't feel like this, that's what I used to tell 00:14:10.60\00:14:13.17 my people... when I talk to my clients, 00:14:13.20\00:14:15.64 my patients and now I had to put it to practice... 00:14:15.68\00:14:18.71 what I was saying to them... Yes, yes... you had to 00:14:18.75\00:14:21.75 do... you had to follow your own counsel... 00:14:21.79\00:14:24.62 that's right... 00:14:24.65\00:14:25.93 and you saw... how it works... 00:14:25.96\00:14:27.21 Yes... first hand... 00:14:27.24\00:14:28.42 Amen... So, okay, so, you lost your 00:14:28.46\00:14:31.62 husband, your mother, your brother, 00:14:31.66\00:14:34.79 you had the diagnosis of MS... 00:14:34.83\00:14:37.04 what happened with you 00:14:37.07\00:14:39.39 professionally... as you were going through all of this... 00:14:39.43\00:14:42.44 what were you noticing professionally? 00:14:42.48\00:14:46.24 You know what I noticed, believe it or not, 00:14:46.28\00:14:48.47 specially towards the latter part... 00:14:48.50\00:14:50.21 I started to develop more empathy and compassion 00:14:50.24\00:14:54.04 for people in their suffering, 00:14:54.07\00:14:55.80 you know, before I had more 00:14:55.83\00:14:57.49 of the "I'm the doctor role, you come here to help" 00:14:57.52\00:15:00.22 but I felt myself now as I'm talking to people 00:15:00.26\00:15:02.51 I could feel more of what they were going through 00:15:02.54\00:15:05.12 because I had walked and had been walking my own path 00:15:05.15\00:15:07.69 so I definitely developed more compassion 00:15:07.73\00:15:10.57 at times... sometimes... I got a little more involved 00:15:10.60\00:15:14.76 than I should have... Hmmm... kind of over-identified? 00:15:14.80\00:15:18.92 Exactly... so that was going on as well 00:15:18.96\00:15:21.22 but the good part was... that the Lord developed more 00:15:21.26\00:15:23.93 compassion and empathy and more... 00:15:23.97\00:15:25.55 feeling people's sorrow and suffering more... 00:15:25.59\00:15:29.03 Yes... yes... yes... which is so, so important... 00:15:29.07\00:15:32.47 Yes... and that other factor 00:15:32.51\00:15:33.95 which is critical... is that support piece... 00:15:33.98\00:15:37.37 Yes... when your brothers and sisters 00:15:37.41\00:15:40.38 are praying for you, you can almost feel 00:15:40.42\00:15:43.36 that you're being held up by something... 00:15:43.39\00:15:45.99 Yeah... because you're going through 00:15:46.03\00:15:48.05 this dark time and you just you're rocking and reeling... 00:15:48.08\00:15:52.21 Yes... and when you get those prayers 00:15:52.24\00:15:54.48 I mean, that is just such a critical piece... 00:15:54.51\00:15:56.57 if we would just pray for other people 00:15:56.61\00:15:59.17 that are going through it just means so much 00:15:59.20\00:16:02.10 to make such a difference... You know that text, 00:16:02.13\00:16:04.99 "Comfort others wherewith we are comforted" 00:16:05.03\00:16:07.63 that text became real... very real for me... 00:16:07.66\00:16:09.63 Yeah... yes... I understood a little more 00:16:09.66\00:16:11.43 about what the Apostle Paul was saying... 00:16:11.47\00:16:13.19 Yes... yes... Because I had been comforted 00:16:13.23\00:16:14.92 by God... and He gave me more 00:16:14.96\00:16:16.87 where I could comfort other people... 00:16:16.91\00:16:18.43 because of what God had done for me... 00:16:18.46\00:16:19.75 Absolutely... that's such a beautiful thing 00:16:19.78\00:16:22.41 Yes... so, after all of this, 00:16:22.45\00:16:25.31 that now... you reached a place where 00:16:25.34\00:16:28.00 your symptoms had gone away, 00:16:28.04\00:16:29.79 did they return after your husband's death? 00:16:29.83\00:16:31.93 No, thank God, they did not... 00:16:31.97\00:16:33.82 I was fearful that that would happen... 00:16:33.86\00:16:36.40 because stress can sometimes make the MS flare up again 00:16:36.43\00:16:40.58 Yes... but no symptoms 00:16:40.62\00:16:41.86 By God's grace... I attribute it all to Him and His power. 00:16:41.89\00:16:45.36 Amen... amen... and it's natural laws 00:16:45.40\00:16:47.71 that He has given us... Natural... 00:16:47.75\00:16:49.57 just... if we do certain things, we can really prevent 00:16:49.60\00:16:53.44 certain outcomes by the grace of God... 00:16:53.48\00:16:55.68 Yes... yes... So that's great... 00:16:55.72\00:16:56.79 so after all of this, where did your life go... 00:16:56.82\00:17:00.69 after your husband died, and you went through 00:17:00.72\00:17:03.78 the whole grieving period and all that... 00:17:03.82\00:17:06.85 where did your life go after that? 00:17:06.88\00:17:09.21 Well, my ministry picked up, I started traveling more, 00:17:09.25\00:17:13.49 and then the Lord brought a wonderful man 00:17:13.53\00:17:15.62 into my life... Praise the Lord... 00:17:15.65\00:17:17.76 tell us about how that happened. Well, you know, I actually 00:17:17.79\00:17:20.49 had known him... my husband and I... 00:17:20.53\00:17:22.97 he works at Uchee Pines... and I had actually known him 00:17:23.01\00:17:26.42 my husband and I would go down there 00:17:26.46\00:17:28.07 we'd sit and eat with him, I actually... 00:17:28.10\00:17:29.65 this is so funny... I have to tell this funny story 00:17:29.68\00:17:31.61 I actually thought he was such a nice man 00:17:31.64\00:17:33.32 I tried to match-make him with somebody else... 00:17:33.36\00:17:35.34 he actually came to our house one weekend 00:17:35.37\00:17:38.65 and spent the weekend because I wanted him to meet 00:17:38.69\00:17:40.80 someone... that tells you how much 00:17:40.83\00:17:42.57 I thought of him... That's right... 00:17:42.60\00:17:44.26 and 8 years later... I would visit Uchee Pines 00:17:44.30\00:17:46.92 when my dad lived on the campus and we started to interact 00:17:46.95\00:17:51.57 and one thing led to the other and he came into my life 00:17:51.60\00:17:56.18 and now, we're engaged... Oh... look at God... 00:17:56.22\00:17:58.78 Yes... Look at God... He is so loving 00:17:58.81\00:18:02.21 He knows it's not good for us to be alone... 00:18:02.24\00:18:04.08 Yes... and He's got somebody for you 00:18:04.11\00:18:06.66 He does... yes... and that also speaks of... 00:18:06.69\00:18:09.94 I always talk about the "Plan" God's master plan for us... 00:18:09.98\00:18:14.62 Yes... and even though we don't see 00:18:14.66\00:18:16.77 where things are going... He's always got something 00:18:16.81\00:18:21.07 good for us... He does... 00:18:21.11\00:18:22.39 If we would just trust Him, you know... 00:18:22.42\00:18:25.41 Matthew 6 became real important for me 00:18:25.44\00:18:28.36 where it says... "Take, therefore, no thought 00:18:28.40\00:18:30.37 for the morrow... for the morrow shall take thought for itself 00:18:30.40\00:18:33.78 sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof... " 00:18:33.81\00:18:35.57 Yes... and that was a promise 00:18:35.60\00:18:37.03 that kept me... because after my husband died... 00:18:37.07\00:18:39.88 I wondered... "What's going to happen 00:18:39.92\00:18:41.22 to the Ministry... what am I going to do, 00:18:41.25\00:18:42.49 my ministry partner is gone, and I would just have to 00:18:42.52\00:18:45.14 repeat that text... "Don't worry about tomorrow 00:18:45.17\00:18:47.71 Magna, just deal with each day as it comes... " 00:18:47.75\00:18:50.25 Yes... Don't take thought about 00:18:50.29\00:18:51.69 tomorrow... I haven't conquered that completely, 00:18:51.73\00:18:54.15 because even now there are some issue going on 00:18:54.18\00:18:56.57 and I have to remind myself of that... 00:18:56.61\00:18:58.39 but I got good practice when I lost my husband 00:18:58.42\00:19:00.80 in exercising that... And it's a journey... 00:19:00.84\00:19:03.09 it's a process... I mean we have to... 00:19:03.13\00:19:05.33 just kind of stay in the moment.. 00:19:05.36\00:19:07.73 Yes... but sometimes if we go 00:19:07.77\00:19:10.07 to the left... the Lord just brings us right back 00:19:10.10\00:19:12.63 on the right path... He's so faithful... 00:19:12.66\00:19:14.81 And so merciful... He is... 00:19:14.85\00:19:16.31 And look what He did... He brought you someone 00:19:16.35\00:19:18.73 that's involved in health too Isn't that a blessing... 00:19:18.76\00:19:21.60 you know what I mean... I just praise His name... 00:19:21.63\00:19:23.61 I know... I know... I know... this is so great... 00:19:23.65\00:19:25.59 so now, where is your ministry now... 00:19:25.63\00:19:27.68 tell us about your ministry... what is it 00:19:27.72\00:19:29.53 and what are you doing? Okay, it's called 00:19:29.56\00:19:31.30 "Be in Good Health" and when my husband was there 00:19:31.34\00:19:34.22 we had to the physical health piece 00:19:34.26\00:19:35.39 because he went through Uchee Pines Training 00:19:35.42\00:19:36.91 and now... I'm going to be able to add that back again... 00:19:36.95\00:19:40.36 but since he's been gone... I do mostly mental health 00:19:40.39\00:19:43.77 I do a lot of Mental Health Seminars... 00:19:43.80\00:19:45.45 I travel and I educate people because I like Mental Health 00:19:45.49\00:19:48.12 that's focused on Science, the Bible, and inspired writings 00:19:48.16\00:19:50.75 Science is just revealing some wonderful things 00:19:50.79\00:19:53.35 about mental health now... that just goes right along 00:19:53.39\00:19:56.18 the Bible... can I give an example? 00:19:56.21\00:19:57.54 Oh, yes, please... I was going to ask you... 00:19:57.58\00:19:58.94 it's called "Post-traumatic Growth" 00:19:58.98\00:20:00.62 that scientists are now talking about 00:20:00.65\00:20:02.32 and what they're saying is that 00:20:02.35\00:20:04.58 when people go through trauma 00:20:04.62\00:20:05.66 many of them can become better people 00:20:05.69\00:20:08.42 as a result of adversity... and hasn't the Bible 00:20:08.45\00:20:10.91 been telling us that all along? 00:20:10.95\00:20:12.29 Is that not amazing! It's amazing... 00:20:12.33\00:20:14.59 so I do seminars on things like that... 00:20:14.63\00:20:17.09 and I also do one-on-one consultation 00:20:17.13\00:20:19.14 when I'm available either over the phone 00:20:19.17\00:20:21.11 or here and there I might do it face-to-face... 00:20:21.15\00:20:23.50 and so that's basically the bulk of my ministry... 00:20:23.53\00:20:25.81 so you're showing really how Science is actually supporting 00:20:25.85\00:20:30.66 what the Bible says... Amen... 00:20:30.69\00:20:32.71 which is... of course we know that 00:20:32.74\00:20:34.69 we're going to choose the Bible before anything... 00:20:34.72\00:20:38.21 but, it's so interesting that with Science saying 00:20:38.25\00:20:41.67 "Eat more fruits and vegetables" you know what I mean... 00:20:41.70\00:20:44.35 going back to the original plant-based diet... 00:20:44.39\00:20:46.92 it's like all of these things are really 00:20:46.96\00:20:50.10 supporting... the teachings... That's right... 00:20:50.13\00:20:52.47 and I think God's allowing that because God reaches us 00:20:52.50\00:20:56.29 where we are... Yes... 00:20:56.32\00:20:57.55 some people will not hear a minister get up and say 00:20:57.58\00:20:59.68 "When you go through adversity you'll be a better person... " 00:20:59.71\00:21:02.35 you know, "The trying of your faith worketh patience" 00:21:02.39\00:21:05.41 Yes... some people are not there... 00:21:05.45\00:21:07.21 but when Science says, "Post-traumatic Growth" 00:21:07.25\00:21:09.83 and it sounds all professional then... 00:21:09.87\00:21:11.53 their ears start to perk up and they listen then... 00:21:11.56\00:21:14.05 that's a door-opening for you to say... 00:21:14.08\00:21:17.08 "You know what... Science is just finding this 00:21:17.12\00:21:18.94 but thousands of years ago 00:21:18.98\00:21:21.05 God inspired Paul to write it, 00:21:21.09\00:21:23.09 and that kind of opens their ears... 00:21:23.13\00:21:24.82 they want to hear more truth... Absolutely, because, for them, 00:21:24.85\00:21:28.78 "if Science says it's okay, then it must be okay... " 00:21:28.81\00:21:33.42 That's right... Which... okay... 00:21:33.45\00:21:35.22 if that's what you want... exactly... you know.. 00:21:35.25\00:21:37.73 God just looks at us and reaches us where we are 00:21:37.76\00:21:40.20 that's what I think... He does... 00:21:40.24\00:21:41.56 I love Him for that... God is so amazing... 00:21:41.60\00:21:44.67 Yes... I interviewed an author 00:21:44.71\00:21:48.27 as far as I know... he's not a Christian author, 00:21:48.30\00:21:51.06 he wrote a book about how children succeed... 00:21:51.10\00:21:55.20 and he was saying that the... of course, 00:21:55.24\00:21:59.27 Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, all that stuff is critical 00:21:59.30\00:22:03.01 Hmmm... hmmm... but there are other parts of 00:22:03.05\00:22:06.09 success that aren't measured like that... 00:22:06.12\00:22:09.09 and he was saying that character-building 00:22:09.12\00:22:13.44 is something that is... 00:22:13.48\00:22:15.45 is integral... for success... 00:22:15.49\00:22:19.58 There you go... wow... and I thought, 00:22:19.62\00:22:21.04 "Wow, this is what we teach" this is why Christian education 00:22:21.07\00:22:25.81 is so important... Amen... 00:22:25.85\00:22:27.14 because, yes, we're teaching the academics... 00:22:27.18\00:22:29.82 but academics alone are not the key for success... 00:22:29.85\00:22:33.80 Character-building, discipline, the ability to defer 00:22:33.84\00:22:38.45 gratification... all of these things are critical pieces 00:22:38.48\00:22:41.87 and this is Biblical... so, it's like 00:22:41.91\00:22:45.59 Science... again... because the research 00:22:45.62\00:22:47.88 is supporting this... 00:22:47.91\00:22:48.95 Science is supporting what the Bible says... 00:22:48.99\00:22:51.84 Wow, and I just think that you know, so what you're doing 00:22:51.88\00:22:54.81 was showing what Science is saying... 00:22:54.85\00:22:57.83 and showing how... this is what's in the Word, 00:22:57.87\00:22:59.85 this is what's in the Spirit of Prophecy... 00:22:59.88\00:23:01.83 all these things are so important... 00:23:01.86\00:23:04.32 Yes... yes... Where do you see 00:23:04.36\00:23:05.95 God taking your ministry... like where do you want 00:23:05.99\00:23:09.77 it to go... and where is it going... 00:23:09.81\00:23:11.59 where does it feel like it's going 00:23:11.62\00:23:13.33 because we don't know God's going to do... 00:23:13.37\00:23:14.87 That's right... you know what my ideal thing 00:23:14.91\00:23:16.38 would be Yvonne? What? 00:23:16.41\00:23:17.46 to have a place where people could come 00:23:17.49\00:23:19.30 and I can take these principles 00:23:19.34\00:23:21.46 they'd be there for a while and I could take these principles 00:23:21.50\00:23:23.91 and apply... you know... what Science is showing 00:23:23.94\00:23:26.48 what the Bible says, what lifestyle says, 00:23:26.52\00:23:28.60 out in the natural setting, people can just get away 00:23:28.63\00:23:31.39 because you can hear God's voice more 00:23:31.43\00:23:32.85 when you get away from the hustle and bustle 00:23:32.89\00:23:34.41 and so that would be... just the ideal situation for me 00:23:34.45\00:23:38.33 to be able to work with people like that... 00:23:38.37\00:23:40.02 Yes... yes... for several weeks... 00:23:40.05\00:23:42.38 You know... there are some places where... 00:23:42.42\00:23:45.86 and I don't know if you'd want to collaborate 00:23:45.90\00:23:49.28 but there's some places that have been established 00:23:49.31\00:23:52.78 where people are able to invite others to come 00:23:52.81\00:23:56.21 away from the cities... come out... get ministered to... 00:23:56.24\00:23:59.50 health-wise and then you have the emotional piece... 00:23:59.54\00:24:02.77 Yes... which is so important 00:24:02.80\00:24:04.96 because people don't understand how to deal with stress 00:24:04.99\00:24:08.57 and depression... what suggestions do you have 00:24:08.60\00:24:11.21 for depression? Depression, definitely, 00:24:11.25\00:24:13.01 the first thing that comes to my mind 00:24:13.04\00:24:14.73 is the laws of health that we talked about, you know, 00:24:14.76\00:24:17.71 helping people to eat healthy, you know, I've worked with 00:24:17.75\00:24:20.67 people... just by changing their diet... 00:24:20.70\00:24:22.26 they could have been molested, abused or whatever as children 00:24:22.29\00:24:25.61 we talk about that... but when you want to deal with 00:24:25.64\00:24:27.56 the brain... and just by changing the diet 00:24:27.60\00:24:29.91 I've had people say to me, "I feel better than before 00:24:29.94\00:24:32.40 I was depressed," you know, Yes... 00:24:32.43\00:24:34.00 the first thing is to just understand 00:24:34.04\00:24:35.94 how the body works and how the mind 00:24:35.97\00:24:37.84 and the brain and the body 00:24:37.87\00:24:39.45 are related and helping people to understand 00:24:39.48\00:24:42.02 if you could take care of your brain... 00:24:42.05\00:24:43.29 you can deal with a lot of that depression... 00:24:43.33\00:24:45.28 That is... I'm shaking my head 00:24:45.31\00:24:48.02 because that is so important 00:24:48.05\00:24:50.69 if we can take care of the brain and how do we do that? 00:24:50.73\00:24:53.05 we give the brain... the nutrients that it needs... 00:24:53.08\00:24:56.74 to function optimally... Yes... 00:24:56.78\00:24:59.84 if you're putting a lot of junk in your body, 00:24:59.88\00:25:02.27 that's what you're going to get... 00:25:02.30\00:25:03.53 and you're going to be more depressed... 00:25:03.56\00:25:05.65 because the chemical... it's the chemical deal... 00:25:05.68\00:25:08.75 That's right... so the Chemistry is off... 00:25:08.78\00:25:11.18 then your brain is not going to function right... 00:25:11.22\00:25:13.59 Exactly... so, this is good stuff... 00:25:13.63\00:25:16.20 so... one of the things then is... 00:25:16.23\00:25:18.74 changing lifestyle... changing lifestyle... 00:25:18.77\00:25:20.70 and another key thing that I know the enemy 00:25:20.74\00:25:22.60 really tried with me... with all my losses is... 00:25:22.63\00:25:24.80 asking God to help you with your thoughts... 00:25:24.84\00:25:26.94 our thoughts... I remember a Neuropsychologist saying, 00:25:26.98\00:25:29.88 "Our thoughts are killing us... " 00:25:29.91\00:25:31.43 what we think... is killing us... 00:25:31.46\00:25:32.91 you know, if I rolled a chair across your foot, 00:25:32.94\00:25:36.21 what you thought will determine 00:25:36.24\00:25:37.86 how you respond to me... 00:25:37.89\00:25:38.94 if you say to me... "Oh, she didn't see me... 00:25:38.97\00:25:41.00 she probably did it accidentally" 00:25:41.03\00:25:43.11 it won't affect you as much, but if you say, 00:25:43.15\00:25:45.46 "Magna did that on purpose, she knows... she saw my foot" 00:25:45.50\00:25:47.70 that would cause anger, so what you say to yourself 00:25:47.74\00:25:50.16 will determine how you respond to situations... 00:25:50.19\00:25:52.58 That's key too... that's key... you know how, so often, 00:25:52.61\00:25:57.54 people are saying... 00:25:57.57\00:25:59.01 "Why are you looking at me like that?" 00:25:59.05\00:26:00.39 Yes... "Why did you do that?" 00:26:00.43\00:26:02.07 Yes... "Don't look at me like that... " 00:26:02.11\00:26:04.40 I mean... jumping to a place of anger 00:26:04.44\00:26:06.66 when you really don't have to, and that generates 00:26:06.70\00:26:09.98 a whole other physiological response as well... 00:26:10.01\00:26:13.26 It does... so, what you're saying is... 00:26:13.30\00:26:15.90 if you can just change the way you respond to things, 00:26:15.94\00:26:21.75 Yes... and you can use a word 00:26:21.79\00:26:23.83 to do that... Amen... 00:26:23.86\00:26:25.12 to give you the foundation for that... 00:26:25.16\00:26:27.13 Amen... That is so good... 00:26:27.17\00:26:28.78 and it's an ever... it's a process that you continue 00:26:28.81\00:26:32.51 because though I teach this, I still have to teach myself, 00:26:32.55\00:26:35.36 "Watch your thoughts Magna... watch your thoughts... " 00:26:35.40\00:26:38.18 because... once you start going down the path... 00:26:38.21\00:26:40.24 it would get you in trouble depending on what 00:26:40.28\00:26:42.05 you're thinking... For sure, do you know, 00:26:42.09\00:26:43.80 there's a Neuroscientist in Texas, Dr. Caroline Leaf, 00:26:43.83\00:26:48.29 and she said that, "thoughts actually have an 00:26:48.33\00:26:50.84 anatomical representation in the brain... " 00:26:50.87\00:26:52.91 and I think she's talking about neurons... 00:26:52.94\00:26:56.17 but on these neurons are little thorns... 00:26:56.21\00:26:59.37 thorn-type of appendages on the toxic thoughts 00:26:59.40\00:27:03.52 so when we re-visit these... they shoot out toxic chemicals 00:27:03.56\00:27:09.47 into the blood stream... I believe that... 00:27:09.50\00:27:11.14 and so, we're going to be sick, That's right... 00:27:11.17\00:27:13.61 we're going to... all of these things happened 00:27:13.65\00:27:15.92 because we're not thinking 00:27:15.95\00:27:18.27 positively... 00:27:18.30\00:27:20.24 That's right... so what does the Bible say 00:27:20.27\00:27:21.47 about we think... 00:27:21.51\00:27:22.81 "Whatsoever things are true, 00:27:22.85\00:27:25.33 noble, pure... think on these things... " 00:27:25.36\00:27:29.47 That's right... 00:27:29.51\00:27:30.85 Thank you so much for being with us... 00:27:30.88\00:27:32.35 I just love talking to you and I'm so thankful 00:27:32.39\00:27:35.33 for where God has brought you 00:27:35.36\00:27:37.28 and what He's doing in your life and I'm super happy 00:27:37.32\00:27:40.39 for your relationship, may God continue to bless you... 00:27:40.42\00:27:43.46 I want to thank you too... 00:27:43.49\00:27:45.84 for choosing to tune in today and I hope that the information 00:27:45.88\00:27:50.29 that you heard can somehow be used 00:27:50.32\00:27:52.96 to change your life... 00:27:52.99\00:27:54.80 That's the end of our Program for today... 00:27:54.83\00:27:57.61 Thank you so much for tuning in... 00:27:57.64\00:27:59.24 Join us next time... because you know what? 00:27:59.27\00:28:01.71 It just wouldn't be the same... without you... 00:28:01.74\00:28:04.15