A testamony from Gone_to_pa worth reading [Archive]

david_munson (david_munson)

06-23-2005, 11:21 PM

}

david_munson (david_munson)

06-23-2005, 11:28 PM

gone_to_pa (gone_to_pa)
Junior Member
Username: gone_to_pa

Post Number: 50
Registered: 5-2005
Posted From: 64.78.102.23
Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2005 - 11:43 pm:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello one and all,
I have had a nice little break, but the Lord has led me to come back. maybe I left with let's say (not the greatest mindset) but I will do better this time. I first want to thank everyone who sent me e-mails encouraging me to come back. They really humbled me, and that my friends was just what the doctor ordered. Now my story. First I would like to say that I am a little hesitant because I believe that one of the hardest Scriptures for us bel;ievers to deal with starts with 2Cor 5:16a-2Cor 5:17.But you know what. I am what Iam and who I am by the grace and mercy of God and if after you hear this you don't care for me, oh well so what, it won't be the first time, but prayerfully the last.
I came to GG straight out of the Big House (MD Pennitetiary) I met a group of Christians one night on Baltimore St who had been coming there for 14 yrs, and one night they caught me at the right time, and I truly ask Jesus, to not only come into my life, but to turn me from my sinful ways, and do whatever He had to do to accomplish this.At the time I was on "Md's Most Wanted" I had 7 outstanding warrants for my arrest and knew it was time for a change.One night while sitting in our apt. on Hamilton Ave after doing a shot of Herion, I went over to the kitchen table and opened my Bible, and when I began to read the H.Spirit opened my eyes and I wasn't high for about 4 mins. I got a good look at myself. I had more holes in me than a dart board in a bar, my wife was nodding off on the chair, and my little girl of about 7 was sitting in front of the T.V. like she was in a trance. I got a good look at myself and began to weep, then I went back to being messed up. I told my wife that night that I wanted to turn my self in and we prayed that God would do a work on me while imprisoned. The hardest thing I think I ever did was to walk down over the hill and leave behind my wife and daughter, but I knew if I didn't get help for me, I couldn't help them. Fast forward 2 yrs later I come home and find my wife has a $200 a day habit, and my daughter has been praying that I would come home and straighten things out.Noah's Ark Bible Club knocked on my door and told me of an " AWESOME" church with a bible college and everything. A Pastor in the Grace Overcomers ministry came and got me every nite for service. His girlfriend, now wife, invited my wife to stop dancing and all the other things that are included with that lifestyle, and come over to her house to detox. This lady we will call (Jane) for the story offered to clean up after my wife for as long as it took. I thought " What an Offer" it took me 9 days on the floor of Central Booking throwing up and defacating on myself and 42 days without sleep before I started to come around. After being annointed with oil on a Wednesday night service my wife went to Janes house, and when I called at nine she was starting to throw up and stuff. I wasn't aloud over because Jane and her friend thought I might break down and get my wife something, but I wouldn't have. Many advised me not to return home to someone in that condition, but I had two years of studying my word, and getting built up for my home coming. Meanwhile back at the ranch, it came about 9AM in the morning and It was driving me nuts wondering how my wife was doing. Now all along these two people that were mistering to her told me she was going to get delivered. When I called at nine, Jane answered and I ask, how is my wife and she said " She's sleeping" I thought no-way, I didn't sleep for 42 days, I mean I heard of stuff like that but never seen it up close, and even after 7 yrs in the Grace Overcomers ministry I only seen that type of deliverance one more time.I ask Jane what happened over night and she told me that around 11PM my wife closed her eyes and really started to convulse and throw-up and was talking similiar to the way a deaf-mute does. But my wife kept screaming "Help me Jesus-Save me Jesus" and at 9AM she opened her eyes and she ask Jane.." Are all the demons gone?" and Jane said "Yes honey, their all gone" " Now go to sleep" My wife took a nap and with a little help from Super-Food, she was in the noon rap that day and never looked back. That has been 81/2 yrs now. During our run we lost a child and about a yr after God gave us a replacement for the child we lost. I was ask during all this time to get up on the stage and give my testimony. Looking back I believe it was the best move I ever made, because it seperated out all of the " Plastic Fantastic Crowd" You know what I mean, the one's who have come up into the church, but the church hasn't come up into them. After giving my 3 mins testimony, which was all I was told I could give because there were people from all over the world just waiting ti hear the words of CHS. After the service, I'd have to say it seemed like half of the sanctuary came over and told me how I had blessed them, which took me months to figure out. But then there was another crowd. The crowd that looked down their noses everytime e went past. If we would sit by them in the building, they would pick up their stuff and move up or over 2 rows. I thought that would wear off, but never quite seemed to. I guess they thought the ex-con might go back to his old ways. I was looking desparately for a job, and found one of those church classified's. I noticed one person who had a basement waterproofing bussiness was always in there. I talked to him on numerous occasions, and though I watched as he hired folks before me, some who I know for sure applied after me because I told them about the job, yet this guy until today, even when I would initiate a hello or How are you always was very stuffy with me. Then I met J. Demeo who was a God sent. I hadn't even started working for him full time and he bought me a vehicle so as to get myself and kids around. Said he would take it from my pay weekly. He showed me what grace really meant in action. Once a guy I knew who was just released from prison went to work for him, not a member of GG and stole everything JD had in his garage. I got the guy to bring it back, but it still cost JD thousands in cancelled checks e.t.c. The guy had taken his signature stamp that was used for payroll. When we all met at JD's shop one Saturday morning the guy loaded all J's stuff back in the shop. J then proceeded to call all of us into the office area. It was JD, this guy, his wife, and me. Now I thought JD was going to read him the Miranda Warning, but instead he ask if we would all hold hands and he prayed liek thsi " Because of the call on you r life and because of your marriage, i'm not pressing charges and proceeded to say one of the most beautiful prayers I ever heard. Talk about bawling, I couldn't stop. I never seen anything like it.I worked for Jd for years while I was put in charge of the G.O. minstry at the Salvation Army. I was free to teach whatever I wanted though there was handbook we seldom used. Pastor Art came on board about 21/2 yrs after I was there all alone with Jesus.When I stated in anotherpost that Art had came down from NY a little rough around the edges,what I was trying to say was that at first him and I didn't hit it off the greatest. As far as rough around the edges, he probally thought the same about me. CHS was always nice to me. One yr my wife and I wanted to go to convention so bad but had no money, when about two hours before Covention started his sec. called and told us we would be going to Conv. on CHS.Once he called me from some country overseas and said that God had placed my wife and myself on his mind and he was praying for us.It was these little things, I thought, " As busy as this man is and he is thinking about my wife and I overseas" He also called one night when he was driving home from the airport and ask how we were doing. Because I was elected the Pastor of the men in the Penn. So when I came home I wanted to do that for real. My Bible College was payed for by an annonymous donor. All I had to do is give a certain Pastor the classes I wanted to take and on registration day, all my classes were already paid for.While doing the Salv. Army I started to co-labor with a church in Detour Maryland. I got my liscience to preach, but it was at that time I began to feel as though I was part of the Big Red Machine. The intamacy sucked.Meanwhile the things coming from the pulpit started to register more little twangs then they used to. See, I had been through many different ministries in Prison. You just thanked God that anybody showed, so you had to do what I call eating the chicken and throwing away the bones. Only now it seemed as though there was a lot more bone then chicken. I ask my covering (LoL) yea right! about what he told me which was, if you are doing the work of a pastor, men of God will notice your call and he said he in fact knew many that never completed Bible College and got Ordained. Well about this time the church I was co-laboring with had talked with me about getting me ordained and starting a work in Carroll Cnty. Then came the night.Now,I already told you about a woman' Grace Home that the Lord and I had got all set up and ready to go, which I believe today they never thought I could get it done, but the Lord and I did, and they gave me the Pastoral Shuffle through about a doz. Pastors before getting to Sciabelli who told me to get money from the State, which I went thru much stuff to avoid being under a micrscope by the State. Back to The Night. CS was preaching one of those sermons that you knew were directed at one or more people who had been going down town to lay-up with some strippers. That night my wife was there an ex-dancer and another girl who also had came from a background of prostitution. As CS is blasting someone he holler's(Para phrase) " Go ahaead keep going down there to see them WHORES" That's right those Whores. I about jumped out of my seat to stop the service right there and then. Thinking back, it might have been a good idea, but I waited until after service and I went after him. Through the crowd dragging my wife behind me, and when I reached the stage, I said "come here" yes.... what's going on? I said " I really didn't appreciate how you addressed prostitutes working downtown. You know I worked down there many years, the girls don't like to be called whores, just like you shouldn't call ahomosexual a Faggot. " But..... that's not who you are anymore" I know that, but you should watch how you say things because the girl with us got very offended and I don't think she has gone back ever since. This was a girl that my wife and I had been investing in for two years and she had finally started coming out on her own without always having to come with us.That did it. That kind of insensitivity got my thinking maybe it's time for a change. Not long after we left and started ministering to the people in Carroll Cnty. I was ordained by that church and the service was so very intimate, just as i dreamed it would be. i Pastored the church in C.Cnty for over a year when we had to leave the building, and I got a call from a pastor who was Pastoring a church in PA, about an hour away from me.A GG Pst. Here's what happened there, one night I had missed service , but my wife said this Pst was calling homosexuals " Faggotts" and then saying " Thus sayeth the Lord" I personally heard this same man, say " If your not here 3 times a week and if at all possible in Baltimore when we go there, then you don't love the Lord with all your heart, mind,soul, and strength.I thought, " Talk about putting people in bondage to a man, a building, and a pulpit. He was like a CHS clone. He had a little old lady about 80yrs old come up and tell everyone how great he was. I almost got sick, i thought she was coming up with a testimony about something the Lord had done in her life. He and some others claimed they heard the Trump of God sound accross the hills out back. When he first offered me a place on staff, I thought maybe since he isn't under the scope out here maybe things would be different. He promised to put me on salary to watch his Grace Home he had on his property and also said they were going to build a home for nyself and my wife. Him and I had a problem after a while because he said I wouldn't submit to his authority and that they GGof PA was fully submitted to HOME BASE. He screamed this Home Base thing and it reminded me of Howard Dean going nuts during the Presidential race. Even after all this I told folks I knew that I was called to leave and go to C.Cnty. When I was leaving some in GG wished me well, while others openly rebuked me in the Chapel for going about "IT" all wrong. They got mad at me, this is people I had co-labored with in the Lord from the moment I entered. Now mad at me because God had called me to a different part of MD. The same team that came downtown one night and I said a prayer with, after their Pst that had led them there for 14 yrs stepped down, I was able to lead the team for a season. It was a privledge I'll never forget. I learned more from that team, than I did from most of the goings on at GG. CHS was wonderful to me when I left. As a matter of fact when I went into his office to tell him we were leaving, he offered my teenager a scholarship to GGCA for the remainder of her years in High School. Though a very attractive offer, I knew God had called me elsewhere and my true friends wished me well. Carl just told me to be careful of the stuff I study, and that's about it. If there was ever a big guy there and you went up to him and told him, " Your Awesome" and he looked at you like he wanted to smack you. That was probally me. I never did like that " Your Awesome" and you don't know me from Adam. When you get to know me, and we have fellowshipped for some years, then you might have the right to say " Hey Gone, Your Awesome" Thank -you for your kindness, and now that I know the ground rules a little better, I hope I'll be a blessing again. Dave Munson, the one setence you said will stick with me, and i quote " We are not responsible for the way others react to us. We are just to love as Christ gives us the capacity" Amen brother. And for all you sisters out there thank you too, you know who you are. I was deeply touched and humbled by you all.

Jesus is Life and the rest
is just details
One thing I do ask. All those folks that drive aroud with the bumper sticker they display proudy that says; " God is my co-pilot, let me ask you if God is their co-pilot, who's driving the plane? / your brother/ Shalom..Gone to PA }

gone_to_pa (gone_to_pa)

06-24-2005, 12:47 AM

Dave,
What a heart. Thanks so much, you can also do this with the post after all the ones you guys wrote after my story. Dave i sure missed you, and i'm ready to get ta rubbin. Can you handle it LoL. Ireceive so much from all.

In Christ Love
Gone to Pa/ yea yea

david_munson (david_munson)

06-24-2005, 01:42 AM

Gone;
you put a great big smile on my face.

Love ya bro,
Dave}

sojourner (sojourner)

06-24-2005, 06:22 AM

Gone to Pa,
I have not written to you but I have been reading your posts. What a rich story you have to tell. I can't tell you how much it meant to me. I am so glad you are still here, the time will come for many of us to spend less time here perhaps but these portraits of God's handiwork are priceless.
Someday I hope to meet you face to face and share a little more on a personal level. As you may have read I am a gluton for prayer because life is difficult now and I am being tried in many ways. Just today is all I have to get through I tell myself, but still I think ahead sometimes and get a little fearful. So my trust level even in God is not full.
Thank you for opening up to all of us.
There are no little people here, everyone has significance.
take care GTP,
patricia

giselle (giselle)

06-24-2005, 01:10 PM

gone_to_pa,

Thank you for sharing your story! It truly touched me as well. May the Lord bless you & your precious family richly!!!