“After being in a wheelchair for 10 years and coming to a very deadly part of my disease, I was wonderfully, miraculously, and completely healed.”
bio–the long version
Kathleen Greenawalt (kath@cyberhighway.net)
Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:58:10 +0200
Thought I should give a longer bio than the paragraph at the endof my last
letter…
I’m Kathleen Greenawalt and reside in Arlington, TX with my 16year
old son, Jeremy. I have been a single mom for 10 years now and I
personally think I have the most wonderful teenager in the world(well, at
least in Texas…Okay, maybe just in the DFW metroplex–but he ISterrific
I assure you!)
I spent the first 18 years of my life in Elkhart, Indiana where,
unfortunately but *soveriegnly* I endure several years of abuse frommany
directions. I went all the way to Arkansas (John Brown University)to
attend college and after two years there married my high schoolsweetheart
and we moved to Florida to attend and graduate from Florida BibleCollege
(at the time located in Hollywood, Florida).
I spent one year as a “pastor’s wife/sunday school teacher/choir
director/youth leader/counselor/church cook…you get the picture! Wethen
came to Texas with the plan to attend seminary and eventually be inmusic
ministry somehow.
In the meantime I had been serious ill since our first year of
marriage and in 1979 was diagnosed with Lupus. I survived many
life-threatening situations including pregnancy, strokes, etc and
eventually ended up using a wheelchair.
In 1987 my then husband decided that he was tired of struggling
with what he termed a lifelong struggle and left Jeremy and I for*his*
best friend. I became a single-mom while terminally ill, wheelchairbound,
no work, no income, and three house payments behind.
Soon after that I was given my first Macintosh computer(512e!–and
I still have it!) and I fell in love with Pagemaker 1.0 anddesktop
publishing. That led to me doing songsheets and transparencies formy
small church. And eventually that, 7 years later, had turned intoa
full-time, I did anything-they-needed-done church staff job. Godwas
faithful every step of the way and there was never a night thatJeremy and
I went to bed hungry or somehow didn’t have the essentials forlife.
Now I am in full-time ministry and part-time desktop publishing.
The Lord has brought all the things that happened to me as a childand an
adult and uses them to allow me to enter into the worlds of many,many
people. I can relate to victims of abuse, those divorced, thechronically
and terminally ill, single-parents, the disabled, church secretaries(and
they REALLY need someone to relate to!!!)…my world has beendifficult and
large but God is using it to reach many thought unreachable. Ifirmly
believe that through it all I have become who God wants me to be andusable
for His KIngdom as a testimony of His faithfulness and grace.
Oh, yea…one more group I can relate to–the HEALED! Seven years
ago, after being in a wheelchair for 10 years and coming to a verydeadly
part of my disease, I was wonderfully, miraculously, and completelyhealed.
I won’t tell the whole story unless you specifically write and askbut I
was alone, with the Lord at an Econo-lodge in the small town ofWaxahachie
(Texas) and during a 15 minute nap the Lord choose to completely healme.
There is no evidence that I was ever sick and the doctors, for lackof
anything else to say, called it spontaneous remission. I rode a bikefive
miles the very next day and a 50-mile road race 5 weeks later.
Now I am a blue belt in Karate, walk several miles a week and my sonand I
love being together and doing together. He only knew me in awheelchair
the first 10 years of his life so this continues to be a testimony tohim.
I don’t believe I was healed because of my worthiness, myprayers,
other’s prayers or my great faith… it was nothing or no one hereon
earth. I was healed because of one thing–God’s Grace. He made thechoice
and I received the blessing. But I still remember those years in bed,the
frightening strokes, the bald head, the pain and the fear of neverseeing
my son grow up. I still remember those times that only the Lordcould
comfort me. I hope I never forget.
I love the Lord, I love the Jews and I love my life. I do believe
there is hope—hope that goes beyond what we see and feel here onearth.
Hope that keeps us through any and everything that comes our way.Hope in
the only true God, Creator of the Universe, and Lover of my life.
Shalom, kathleen (not kathy…kathleen)
P.S. NO I am not Jewish by birth…only a gentile with a Jewish
heart transplated there when I came to Yeshua (Jesus) and He gave mea new
heart for my old, harden one. I, like Ruth, have said “Your peoplewill be
my people and your God, my God.”
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__ / __
/ / Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
/ Sword & Song Ministries
/___/_ Kathleen Greenawalt
/ kath@cyberhighway.net
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