You Can't Run

I believe my testimony can be called "You Can't Run" because thats what we were trying to do - to run from God. My husband and I were having many problems. We had two boys ages 3 1/2 and 1. We tried to live a good life, but when there's drugs and alcohol involved, there's not too much of a chance.

I tried to go to church because there was a friend that invited me, but my husband was not to happy if I went. I had to walk to church, so I went a few times and learned a few things that were important, like the tribulation, that Jesus was coming back, things like that.

At the same time my husband was getting deeper in to drugs and alcohol, and the fightings continued. Until one day I made my mind up and told him that I was leaving and it would probably end in divorce. He said "No, I will quit my job and we will move out of town away from everything and try to start a new life there". So I agreed and we left to a town about 12 hours away.

We found a house rented it and started moving on Thursday and by Friday we were almost settled, we cooked that night, we later went to the movies, at the same time I was thinking maybe we will do better here, not knowing what was really in store for us that was going to change the rest of our lives. I decided to go to bed with my kids and my husband stayed up drinking.

It was Saturday 9:00am (Memorial Day) in the morning when all of a sudden thier was a loud explosion (gas) so strong that I could not even think right, because we were all still asleep, then there was another one. This time I started thinking that I was in the Tribulation. The explosion had thrown me outside and I stared looking at the houses that theirs weren't burning so I figured something went wrong, so I started looking for my family and I saw my 1 year old. He had flames all on his left side from his face to his legs and I was so weak that I could not move. I also was burned on my face, so I was hurting, so I managed to yell at my husband while he was crawling out from under all the rubble. I told him to grab our son and He put the fire out on Him and handed him to me because I just could not move. When I took one look at him how burned he was and him not even crying I wanted to faint, I could not hold him any longer. Then someone came and took him from me and helped me up and out of the fire.

My husband was still looking for our 3 1/2 year old son. We could not find him until they started to lift all kinds of boards, they lifted the corner roof and thier he was under it, all you could see was his little feet, it took about 7 or 8 men to lift the roof and get him out ,but he was aready dead. Our "pride and joy"was gone. They took my son to the funeral home they took my other son to a hospital 30 miles away and my husband to the town hospital.

I had never felt so alone that day, not knowing anybody in that town, just sitting there in the waiting room waiting to see what they were going to tell me. They looked at my face and just put medicine and tape. I could not even talk to God cause I did not know how. I was hurting so much and I still could not cry, like all of what happened was a dream and I was going to wake up.

We called the family ,and they were on their way. It was Sunday night I was at the hospital with my husband when we recieved a phone call from the funeral place saying, "Are you the parents of this little boy that died Saturday morning?" and me and my husband just about went crazy, we had like blocked him out, that we forgot that he had died. My husband talked to them about sending his body to our hometown and they said it would cost $1500.00 that we did not have. So my husband told them to get his body ready for a long trip back home ,we made arrangements so my husband on Monday morning got out of the hospital and with my brother and father-in-law. They went to funeral home picked his body up and put a small little coffin in the back seat of the car and drove home 12 hours .My husband said that was the longest ride home ever, sometimes he said he felt like taking him out and holding him so tight and not let him go.

They arrived at our town and made arrangements thier with the funeral home and buried my son in 2 days. I did not get to go because my 1 year old was still fighting for his life and I had to stay with him. The doctors told me that they had to disconnect my little son's voice, because he was not breathing right and they put tubes down his throat, he had swelled up so much. I still could not cry.

My husband said that some brothers (cousins) from a church invited him to go after the funeral so he went saying he did not have anything to live for anyway. At the service they were preaching about "Hell" and he had never heard a message on that. He started thinking that's where me and him would have ended up at if we would have died at the accident,and he started to cry when they made the altar call. They told me that he cried his heart out to God and asked Him if one day he could see his son. And the Lord with His great mercy answered him saying, "Yes you will see your son only if you serve me." And My husband gave his heart to the Lord and cried out to Him, they say He received the Holt Spirit also and he was jumping everywhere because his legs did not even hurt anymore. The Lord had taken everything away. He saved, delivered, He took his pain away. He made my husband a totally different man. Praise God!!! He never touched another drug or alcohol ever again.

My youngest son is doing better now we sent him to Galveston Shriners Hospital where he went through about 30 surgeries and skin grafts. He also loves the Lord and he sings for Him. His desire is to record one day. After the doctors said that he might not never talk again! Thats a Miracle!!!!

We still serve the Lord and are waiting for His return. It has been hard at times. We have 18 years serving my Lord and we do not regret either and have never questioned Him why He decided to take our Son. I believe He loved us just so much. So we had to stop running!!!!
Gloria Z.