Women of Hope: Grace Perez

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life. Welcome back the words of life.

I'm Bernie Dick and I'm Cheryl Gillam and we got our friend Ashley with us. Hey Ashley, thanks for having me again, thanks for coming back. I think our listenership or viewership is going to go up by leaps and bounds because people are to find out that you're here today in this passion that you have available this passion that you have abuse really is great because were getting to know people on a much different level deeper level deeper level. Yeah that's a good thing if you've missed the past couple of episodes were sharing three testimonies from incredible women who have overcome very difficult circumstances and challenges and discuss the hope they found in God along the way.

Ashley, who's on the slate for today we have Grace Perez today at she is a beautiful and talented driven person and I just love her so much but she has truly God story that it is fresh. She lost her mom recently and that has been that's been chattering for her but to see her character really to see Jesus literally working through her through this grieving process has been a beautiful testament to God in his comfort that he gives us when we really need it.

So we just have to watch it. It's it's incredible. I am Grace Prince. I am 21 years old daughter to Tony and Vicki sister Don mom to buy me I'm a student at Georgia State setting. I'm also the core program assistant.

My story starts out pretty simple. I'm an officer's kids I grew up in the Salvation Army going to the court. I walked alongside my parents in ministry. When I was about six years old. I gave my life to the Lord, it can probably sell in Texas over the years.

I grow in my faith and my understanding of who the Lord wanted us when I was 14 years old I began to question everything I begin to question who got wise and who God wanted me to be in the Army wise and everything I have learned throughout my entire life that time my mom had been diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer and we didn't know whether or not she would live, but God works through amazing medicine and amazing doctors about six months after diagnosis. We've been given the results that she was cancer free and I knew the only way that I could have happened with Scott and Sue over the next few years. My mom still had to go through extensive testing and every single time he came back that she was still cancer free. And so when I was about 16 years old my parents separated and got divorced and my dad was no longer an officer. My mom went on sick leave and at that point I went through an identity crisis because I had always been grace the officers kid who had two loving parents in the whole. Now I was still grace the officers candidate, but I was grace the officers kid from a broken home. My mom was so strong during that time she and she taught me that even on the worst days, God is still on sale.

I went on to graduate high school in 2019. I moved here to Atlanta on and I started college at Georgia State and I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life and in 2020.

I started as a program made at the temple court and I began my ministry with as I call them now my kids and I remember never feelings so fulfilled with something I was doing was just so life-giving to be able to minister to the kids and to show them that Jesus loves them and to teach them about who he was. In February, 20, 21, and my mom both tested positive for equipment 19. We went through two grueling weeks of symptoms and after that we came out on the other side and we made it through on March 19 I came home from work I walked in the garage door and I she was sitting in her chair and she looked at me. She said grace. I am so sick and I looked at her and some modeling you're going to be fine. We can get you through this and over the next few days.

She began to throw up. Couldn't keep anything down. I just saw that she had become a shell of herself, and so on Monday I took her to the ER and when they admitted her and they said that she was septic in her blood pressure was so low they said that, had I not bought her, and when I did she would have died. So she was admitted and by Wednesday she may determine just getting better.

Fever was gone. She's keeping food down so I thought that she was going. She was on the other side. At 343 on Thursday, March 20 I received a call and note tonight and it was a nurse and she said doctors are working on your mom. The doctors are working on your mom. The doctor will call you back. And so for 15 minutes. I didn't know whether or not my mom was elaborate. I remember feeling so helpless and praying that the board would just be in the room with her that he wrapped his arms around her and that she would be okay.

So the doctor called me back and he said mom is gone into cardiac arrest were able to bring her heart back and removing her to the ICU. Next morning my brother and grandma and I were able to go to the hospital because she had been placed on life support. They told us that based on my mom scans that she would never make meaningful recovery, meaning that she could never feed herself for open your eyes or speak or walk again. In that moment I broke down sobbing.

I hit the floor.

I couldn't even stand, and I felt like all hope is lost on Saturday. We made the decision. We waited take my mom off life support. We would place her in what's called comfort care and I remember praying and thanking God that he would perform a miracle that she would open her eyes and walked out of the hospital room.

As we sat there holding her mom's hand.

We were praying we had worship music playing in the room. This I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit's 557 on April 3. My mom stepped into the arms when her heart stopped beating. I remember saying God I was like, if you are the creator of the verse like you see that again.

Time for me where I was, not only in grief but I was very angry God angry at the doctors angry at the entire situation and that anger can seem to me I remember one night I was in prayer.

I was just I was just yelling at God, and I was like why had I taken her into the hospital earlier. Would it have been any different. And he said to me he said grace. This was her story from the beginning.

This was how I was can call her home. Had you taken her in any earlier. It would've been the same outcome.

It was her time to step into glory guide cues that that might to begin chipping away the pain and the tenderness and brokenness that was in my heart and he told me he said you were my daughter. No matter how much pain you are in still love you still have my days where a question I still feel so fresh that God holds up and you said he's used the story to minister to those around me finding Hope for me on daily basis. Right now it looks like looking to the people that I love because I see hope in my brothers and our conversation in its diving deeper into the word and trusting that joy comes in the morning. God's faithfulness, processing and trusting that he Hope that our listeners or viewers were able to hang in there for the full story because the rest is unwritten for grace.

God has great plans for her and she is pursuing those plans.

I know that it's been so incredibly difficult for her and her brothers. I don't forget them. If you've gone through loss particular loss related to cancer or sickness. We are not alone.

God is always there, be present, even in our circumstances.

He's a good God. That was the one thing that she took from her mom's experience of cancer. She said she taught me the goodness of God. It's hard to talk about it almost seems like that's just right and the right thing or whatever, but actually that's what grounded grace during this horrific time in her own journey with her mom finally leaving this earth is his understanding that even in the midst of all that pain.

God is still good and he sustains her the whole point of this series is to be real about the things that were going through because we are all going through something we cannot pretend can't live life acting like that is not the truth, and so we are going through the experiences we have, because God wants us to use that for his glory. Thanks for doing these, and I think you I hope that our listeners have been encouraged. If you need prayer. If you're interested in reaching out to us. For questions please send us an e-mail@radiouss.salvationarmy.org publisher. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material will needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to this operation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Call one 800-2299 65 email us radio USS.Salvation Army.work tell us how we can help share prayer request or share your testimony. Would love to use your story on here can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast work and be sure to give us a rating search for the social life follows on social beautiful latest episodes and if you don't have a church home. You invite will be glad to see this is Bernie Dick join us next time for the Salvation Army's life