Hello, everybody! Long time no see! My apologies!!

Thank you in advance for reading this!! I am extremely thrilled to share with you the testimony of BoldforChrist!! This testimony that was so willingly and eagerly given to me truly touched me, and I pray that it does the same for you!

I'll stop babbling, so we can get this thing started!

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My parents got married in 1988. They were happy, but something was missing... They had no children. They tried for years (more than ten, in fact) and went to a few fertility clinics before the doctors concluded that they would never have kids of their own.

So they decided to adopt. In '97, they adopted a little boy we'll call DJ. He was born with a cyst or something on the back of his neck, but it was removed. My parents were told that he would have a shunt the rest of his life and there was a 30% chance he would not walk, but there was something else wrong with him.

Two years later, they adopted another little boy we'll call Chad. They were told that "there was a history of mental illness in Chad's family so keep an eye on him. But he should be fine."

Two years later, they had a HUGE surprise. Mom was pregnant!!
It was a miracle! I was born, and two years later was another miracle when my youngest brother was born! They couldn't be happier; they had four children, two of them their own! DJ could walk, Chad appeared to be fine, my dad was still alive after a serious mental illness, and they had just found a new church that followed the Bible better than their old church had. God was truly good to them!

Unfortunately, it all started to go downhill from there.
DJ and Chad were having a lot of trouble learning things, and Chad had to be put back a year in school. Then, DJ started having temper tantrums that at times went on for hours. Even though they tried everything, my parents could not get him to listen and obey. As he got older, the temper tantrums turned into violent outbursts. He started punching holes in the walls, hitting mom, dad, and sometimes me and my other brothers. One time he even threatened mom with a knife.

When he was not angry, he was fine - the model of an older brother. There was definitely something wrong, so Mom and Dad tried and tried to get help. Finally, when he was a teenager, they were able to get him diagnosed. He had a very common but not well known thing called FASD. It stands for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder. His birth mother had drank and did drugs while she was pregnant with him, and we found out a few years later that Chad had it, too.

Because of their severe mental problems, my older brothers needed a lot of help, and I was often unintentionally neglected. It didn't help that I was a very quiet child. You know the saying "squeaky wheel gets the oil?" Well, if I didn't make it clear that I needed them, they wouldn't go out of their way for me. I know they loved m and still do. Though my brothers were just more important.

When I was little, I had a lot of pain in my legs. When I told my parents, they just dismissed it as growing pains, so I just tried to ignore it. It slowly went away just to be replaced by what the doctor called loose joints. Because of the loose joints, I could not run without an intense amount of pain in my ankles. The doctor said I would grow out of it, but I still have yet to. While I was dealing with that, pain came back in my legs, but it stayed in my knees. I suffered with the pain for over two years before we finally discovered that I am gluten intolerant. I don't think it is a coincidence that we found out a few years after, my parents had to kick DJ out of the house because he was getting too violent.

Going gluten free really helped me, but then a few years later I started to have these horrible coughing fits that would leave me almost unable to breathe and often with difficulty talking. I still do not know why I have those coughing fits. One doctor thinks it is somehow something to do with my heart, as I have extremely cold hands, and sometimes my heart randomly starts beating so hard that I can hear my pulse. Other times it is so weak I can barely feel my pulse.

Because of the troubles with my older brothers growing up, I developed a fear of people. It is not extremely bad, but I can't be in a group of people without my heart beating like crazy and getting a cold sweat.

My faith could be stronger, but I know for a fact that if my parents and I were not Christians, some things would have turned out a lot different. I am very grateful for my parents' faith and our supportive church. I struggle a bit with depression, but I know I can trust God for everything, and I have hope in the fact that everything happens for a reason. God is preparing me for something's great through all of these trials. The lord always knows best, and I am extremely thankful that I can still thank and praise the Lord even through all the problems with my brothers and my health.

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AMEN! Isn't that just beautiful! I was so blessed and touched by God allowing your parents to finally have children of their own! He was waiting for the right time and His time is the best time! He truly does know that prosperous plans He has for us!

Thank you from my head to my toes for listening to the Spirit and obeying by sharing this incredible testimony! BoldforChrist, you are a blessing to me and surely us all! :)

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She are wanted to request our prayer for her brother DJ who is still battling with Satan hard:

Could you also put a prayer request for my brother DJ? He has been homeless for about a year and is addicted to alcohol and drugs. About a month ago, he drank too much and passed out outside in the cold, nearly losing his fingers from frostbite. Mom and Dad let him live with us again so his fingers could heal properly, and they tried to get him into a Christian rehab, but he refuses to go. Since he has been home again, the stress levels have gone way up. Today he got really mad at Mom and Dad during dinner and said lots of things I won't repeat. It really hurts us that he wants to live homeless and addicted to alcohol and drugs. It really hurts to see my parents cry.
Our church has been really supportive, and it breaks the hearts of the pastor and elders that are closely involved with us that DJ doesn't want to turn from the broad way.
Please pray that God would work in his heart, that he might realize that he is going the wrong way, and for strength for my family.

Yes. Let us pray that God opens DJ's mind and heart, that he will stop fighting this battle. Instead drop his shield and let the Lord handle it all. God has a plan and this is part of it, but there is so much more to come. Better things! Strength and comfort we send towards the family this very moment. God be with you all. ❤

This person wanted me to include the full request because she is hopeful in God's power and know that people are going through similar things. She wanted to make sure you know that you are not alone.

What a sweet soul! Thank you!

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HAVE A FREAKING FANTASTIC DAY!!

Easter is soon, so comment some Easter related discussion topics that you would like to do here! I'm keen as a bean!! *insert bean emoji*

I LOVE YOU!! 💙💛💙

•BPL 🍔