Oasis Story: Kathryn Miller
291 days ago by Jenn Collins
My first visits with the church was when it was called Church of Pembroke Pines about 7-8 years ago. My daughter Alex was about 2 or 3 years old. I was a single woman when I started church here. I met my husband John, walking to church service one Sunday morning. November will be 5 years of marriage. I had already been going a year or two before I met him.
I proudly serve with KidsWorld. I have been teaching the 5th graders the Word of God before they leave elementary level and start middle school. I also proudly serve with Pastor Guy and the Inner Circle Prayer Team. I am week #3. We arrive early to pray over the service, team, leaders, campuses and the weekly prayer digest.
A little about my family: I will start off with my miracle baby, Alexandra!! I had her 7 years after my stroke when I was still dependent on my mom to care for me physically, and financially. I miraculously gave birth to Alexandra. God’s grace is awesome. Through Him, when I could not for myself, I was and have been able to provide and care for Alexandra. She is the actual reason I worked so hard at the different hospitals doing rehab the first 10 years or so. I had to fight back hard to be able to provide for Alex and myself. But, it was very important to me that I would be a role model in her eyes, and not give up. I always wanted to represent myself as a strong, never give up, God-fearing woman to her.
Alexandra is an awesome, bright, and helpful daughter. Alexandra Rodriguez, A.K.A. Alex attends 4th grade and is in a high achiever’s class at her elementary school. She also has been attending Kidsworld since she wasin diapers. She loves the Lord along with John and myself. On a good day she will quote you scriptures or sometimes hold you accountable for your words or actions. I know, she does it to me all the time! LOL!! She loves watching sports with her dad, John. But, she plays a mean defense in soccer with the Miramar Optimist. I say she is helpful because she had to learn at a very early age that her Mommy had a disability and needed help with some things. It’s as if God spoke to her in the womb because before she was able to do things for herself. She was literally doing things for me!! It was truly remarkable the things she would do at such an early age to help mommy. I know it was a God thing!! A little help from up above!!
Moving right along to my handsome husband John, who was exactly what I needed at the exact time when I met him walking over to the church service one early Sunday morning. Along with Alex being so helpful without ever complaining, I must add that John, not only is helpful, loving, caring, but above all else, he is patient and kind. He has all of the “love” characteristics the Bible talks about represent my husband’s way and love for me. When we first met, I had a more obvious physical impairment. He just overlooked that and got to know me – the real me, “inside”. I find that’s a rare quality in people today. I guess that’s what primarily caught my attention to him, besides the fact he was a church-goer and a Christian, God-fearing man. He has values, and morals that are rare to see in people today. John is retired from the military. He has been in the military since he was 17 years old. He had to do his schooling over there. He went to college in Europe (what a rough life, LOL).
So, yes, we are a very proud military family!! After his retirement with the Air Force, he took a position with the Federal Government. He has earned his way to a top chief position for Security with the D.I.A. I am extremely proud of John. All of his hard work for our Government has paid off as he just won the #1 Federal employee award in South Florida in the professiona/scientific category. You can see a picture of him recieving his award/plaque on his facebook profile with his team that he lead as one of the chiefs.
I truly, truly came to Christ after I had my massive stroke, when I lost everything and had no one and no where to turn. You can say I truly came to Christ with all my heart, all my mind, body and soul when I was at a very, very low time in my life. But, as I think back, my best friend at the time (in the late 80’s) kept pursuing a conversation about “Jesus” with me and kept inviting me to church. She kept insisting until finally I started going to church with her and her family. They did altar calls to those who wanted to accept Jesus in their hearts, walk up and come to pray. Thank God I did. That would be the start of me talking privately to a God I did not know then (pre-stroke). Though I had accepted Christ into my heart and started going to church, I still was not living as I should. I still was not walking with Him as I do today, daily. As I think back, I believe that was God using my best friend, Gretchen to plant the seed. Now that seed has started this awesome dependent, daily relationship with Christ. I say dependent because after suffering such complicating neurological damage, I did not know how to function as a human being; not just physically, but mentally. I had to hold on to Him and have Him teach me and build this new person I had become, post-stroke. I guess you could say I truly came to Christ out of sheer desperation, after my stroke when I found myself as low as any human being can get. Having no bodily functions, no mind, no money, no health insurance, no home, no credit, no friends. Stooping so low, where there was nothing the scientific/medical fields could offer me like an operation, a pill, or something to get back on my feet. When you find yourself with nothing after having everything, the only place you can run to to is the “THRONE” and fall on your knees, cry and pray. Pray long and hard. The funny thing is, at the time, I could not fall to me knees. They were paralyzed and could not bend.
I am still freaking out over what He has done!! Ready for more drama? Here it goes. Since the stroke, my neurologist always makes sure I do E.E.G.‘s (electroencephalogram of my brain) and M.R.I.‘s of my brain just to see if there is any change in the damaged part of my brain from the stroke. For 17 years, since 1992, when I return to get my results, it’s always the same old results from the doctor: “No change, the results still show the same damaged area from your stroke. Nothing is different, you still have the same scar and damage.”
Well, this time, to my surprise, in April, I did my regular, routine 6 month EEG and MRI. I must include this part. Months prior or maybe years (not sure of time frame), I had been praying to God and questioning Him if He had forgotten about my complete healing because it had been 17 years already and He had not finished with my healing. I could not perceive living life with a handicap. I started complaining that I could not go on living life with this disabilitry or deficit. I then boldly prayed and asked God to please show me He had not forgotten me and my complete healing. I begged and told Him I wanted more of what he had already given me. As I pleaded with him and I said,“God I need and want more healing! Please give me some kind of sign or some hope that you hear me and you are going to give me more, God, I want more!! I can’t go on like this. Give me some kind of sign, please!!”
Little did I know He would comfirm my healing as I went and received the results of my E.E.G. and M.R.I. I sat in the neurologist’s office waiting for Dr. Rielo to come in and read the results. He walks in, opens my file, looks at me with startled big eyes and says, “Mrs. Miller, to my surprise there is no more slowing on the damaged part of your brain!” He went on and explained that the right hemisphere of my brain (that’s the bad side from stroke) is going at the same speed as the good side where I have no damage. I will never forget those words, when he said, “to my surprise!” Not understanding what all this meant, I went to my primary care physician, Dr. Carew, to confirm the results. I made a copy of the results and showed Dr. Carew. Sure enough, he explained to me that my brain waves are improving. “PRAISE BE TO GOD!!”
After 17 long, painful, tearful, rough years, I am going to get my healing. I feel it!! Unknowingly, My God, Our God, answered my prayer. I believe He confirmed my healing to me. Now I just have to sit back, relax and wait. I know the total healing will come but it will be in His awesome timing. I must just wait, trust, and be patient. BUT, I CAN’T WAIT, I AM TOO EXCITED!! What is strange, I kept telling John, how all of the sudden I felt so much better, not even knowing the miracle had already occurred. I was feeling more energetic and happier. It was as if this huge weight was lifted off of me. As I went back to Dr. Carew because I was feeling so, so, good, (remember, before knowing the results and before knowing a miracle took place) I kept telling Dr. Carew how great I felt. He said it was because of the new medication he had put me on which was making me feel more energetic.
But, this is my secret, I know it is not the medication making me feel better – it is the Holy Spirit that does that. It’s kind of like one of the songs we sing on Sunday that talks about being lifted on wings of eagles. That’s what the feeling of the Holy Spirit feels like when a healing is taking place. I know because I have felt it more than once on this journey as a “young stroke survivor”. For example, my arm was totally paralyzed and I had no movement as I do today. Let’s say I would be sitting in my room when Alexandra was just a few days old. My mom would be there with us caring for her (Mom was the extra hand I did not have to carry, feed and take care of Alex when she was so small). Le’ts say mom walked out of room for a moment and left Alex alone with me. One time Alexandra started crying real bad. My intentions as a mom was to go to her, comfort and pick her up. But wait, I can’t, my hand and arm won’t move. As her crying became more intense and my desperation to care for her grew, something, what I now know as the Holy Spirit, carried my arm, hand on wings of eagles. It lifted me off my behind, extended the arm and elbow, opened up my hand, helped me reach out for Alex. I then was able to comfort her and bring her into my chest. It was an AWESOME FEELING!! There are more examples of Christ lifting me up when I could not for myself.
I’ve blabbed more than I should have. I just can’t shut up about it!! I know as God worked miracles over 2,000 years ago for the blind, lame and sick, he is doing it for us today. I know I feel His love everyday.
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