Personal Stories of Faith

Be Strong and Courageous, I Am With You

Spiritual giants in our human and church family laid the foundation for walking amid trials, through Bible lessons and living as examples of faith in motion. 

How soon our young family would be faced with a choice to implement the faith we had been witnessing.  We became grateful to the Father for these faithful mentors, teaching and preparing us for the valley soon to be entered.   

Awakened by the phone on a cold January morning, Ronnie was needed to trouble shoot a problem.  

Another call woke me shortly, I listened to Ronnie’s coworker.  A serious accident had occurred, he would be at the ER soon.  My mind raced in a million directions, the boys, almost 7 and 4, were sound asleep.  A dear brother of the church came to our house, I left to meet Ronnie at the hospital.

First responders, his friends from the volunteer fire dept. said there had been an explosion.  Ronnie had received burns.  The look on their faces spoke what their words did not and it shattered my heart.  My eyes beheld him as they wheeled him in.  His mustache, beard and  eyebrows were melted to his face.  The whiff of burnt flesh gripped me.  His outer layer of clothing appeared as charcoal.   My heart broke as I imagined his pain.  Accruing all my strength-I calmly smiled at him, hoping to mask the turmoil within.
“Dear God, help me be strong for him, for the boys”.  Surrounded with people who cared, I was also alone in my thoughts with the LORD. 

Cold, wet weather would not permit him to be airlifted to Lubbock.  Our dear brother helped the boys in the car and insisted on driving us, behind the ambulance. Chilly rain fell as we began the 3 hour trek to University Medical Center. Chills of fear also rained down on me as the boys slept and Lester drove.   

In those moments, separated from my injured husband, prayer was my lifeline; it was my link to the Father and His strength I so desperately needed.
Asking and trusting God to:

…sustain life and provide healing for Ronnie,  

…comfort and guide us through recovery,

…hold and fortify me as a wife,  

…reassure and strengthen our 2 young sons.  

Whatever the future held, I needed the LORD God as never before.

God is good and gracious and compassionate.  He poured calmness into my soul as I began to lean on and trust Him more and more.  His peace and faithfulness developed vital strength that night and the days to follow.

Ronnie’s injuries were assessed, the doctors met with me.  They would stabilize him and then schedule skin grafts.  The surgeries would commence as soon as he was physically able to undergo them.  Praying alone, I was not.  Pleas for Ronnie’s healing and thanksgiving for his life reached far and wide.  

Amazed, the doctors could not explain what happened to his skin.  Ronnie’s 3rd degree burns no longer needed skin grafts.  They were baffled those first 12 hours of his admission.  It was my delight to share with them, I had no doubt what happened, God touched Ronnie with His healing hand, sparing him the ordeal of grafting.

God granted a couple of miracles for Ronnie that first 24 hours. He survived an explosion that impaled a metal door through his pickup windshield. Just to be alive after the gas explosion was a tremendous gift. 

Blessing upon blessing appeared as we evaluated:

no broken bones,

no internal injuries,

no skin grafts required,

the 20%  burns-(held to a minimum due to layered clothing in the cold weather),

a family of believers rallied around us-supporting us through prayer and presence during the hospital days and beyond.

God is good and He is faithful.  He had a plan for Ronnie, life and work left for him to complete before crossing the Jordan.  

That was 17 years ago.  Today, God continues to reveal His power to bless.  Just this spring, a dear friend survived a tragic accident, being severely burned over 75% of his body. Having shared the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of their accidents, these two share an incredible bond.  Ronnie has a keen awareness of the road ahead of Nick.  He is able to encourage and inspire him to look to the future with hope and count the blessings of the present.

Safety became paramount to Ronnie after his accident.  Today, he works as a safety specialist in the oil industry, working to protect other men and women from tragic and preventable accidents.

God also blessed us with a beautiful daughter 47 months after the accident.
“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

 1 But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:1-3a).

Holy, Compassionate Father,
Your love overwhelms us.  Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight.
Remind us, You are beside us in the joy of the mountaintop and in the sorrow of the valley.  Thank You, for Your peace that surpasses all understanding, that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Your Son and our Savior.  One day, we will see Your face, until then grow our faith, may the mountains be moved that hinder Your kingdom work.
In the name of our Lamb, Jesus.

Mischelle Oliver
Stephenville, Tx