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20261029 - Darlene.txt

Darlene: [00:00:01] he was coming down the driveway from the road down from their [00:00:06] farmhouse, down past our trailer, and, um, [00:00:11] I heard outside the door, I heard a [00:00:16] scream like I'd never heard before, followed by [00:00:21] another scream and another scream and another scream. And, um [00:00:26] Unless you've heard it, um, uh, it [00:00:31] was the scream of death. Curtis: Hi, everybody. Welcome to the [00:00:36] Run to the Heart podcast. Um, today's guest is Darlene [00:00:41] Radle.Curtis: Darlene is no stranger to our podcast because she has been a prayer partner [00:00:46] for better than four years now.Curtis: She's been praying for the family and for our [00:00:51] ministry from the very beginning. And so, um, super happy to have her on today. I [00:00:56] wanna be able to share her story. Um, "You can tell a lot about [00:01:01] a person's prayer life by the size of their prayer list." [00:01:06] And I, I, heard that quote recently and I thought, "Man, it's so good."Curtis: And, um, [00:01:11] let me tell you, folks, you wanna be on Darlene's prayer list. She's a prayer warrior, and we [00:01:16] appreciate her for that. Darlene is the mother of three, [00:01:21] um, Brendan, Derek, and Bailey. She is the [00:01:26] grandma to Hudson Taylor. Um, man, it's awesome being a grandparent.Darlene: [00:01:31] So this Curtis: for many years, she was, um, the training and healthcare [00:01:36] planner, uh, for disasters in the state of Ohio.Curtis: She's been, involved in mission work [00:01:41] for years. Um, most recently, Darlene is a cancer survivor. [00:01:46] And, uh, we're actually recording on October 2nd, and October is, uh, Breast Cancer [00:01:51] Awareness Month. And so, uh, we wanna make mention of that.Curtis: [00:01:56] Um, two years, um, July of '24, [00:02:01] randomly she finds out she has breast cancer. And, um, folks, you wouldn't believe this [00:02:06] looking at her right now, but a year ago in February, this woman was in a hospital bed, and they [00:02:11] were ready to call the family in, Darlene: that's it Curtis: crazy to even think about. [00:02:16] Darlene has experienced some tremendous loss and tragedy in her life, and we're gonna share some of [00:02:21] that today.Curtis: Um, there was a dark point in your life, um, [00:02:26] even found yourself a secret alcoholic and had to get some [00:02:31] s-significant help. But through the prayers of your mother, through the prayers of your sister and a close [00:02:36] friend, you got the help you needed. Um, and we're gonna tell a bunch of that [00:02:41] story.Curtis: Um, but I just want you to know I appreciate you coming on the [00:02:46] program today. And Darlene, welcome.Darlene: Thank you, Curtis. Thank you so much. I'm [00:02:51] looking at that picture behind you, and, um, how many times I just [00:02:56] went into my prayer closet and fell in love with your family that I never even met in [00:03:01] person. Um, but the way that you presented Michal to us online, [00:03:06] and, um, in another way that I'll tell you about a little bit later, um, I, [00:03:11] I fell in love with Michal and with your children and, um, e- excited to see [00:03:16] where God's bringing this next part of the journeyCurtis: Well, thank you. Hey, um, [00:03:21] September of 2022, um, you and [00:03:26] your team got a phone call and it was about Michael. Tell, tell the audience that [00:03:31] storyDarlene: I have a best friend named Janet Fleming. We've been friends since [00:03:36] sixth grade, just best friends. So much so that we were pregnant together [00:03:41] twice. Uh, we delivered our sons, our middle sons within 12 hours of [00:03:46] each other, and our oldest sons within two weeks of each other. And so when she calls me with a prayer [00:03:51] request, especially one that's deep to her heart, I pray for all the prayer requests, [00:03:56] but when she called me, in Costa Rica, when I was with some missionaries from [00:04:01] Honduras, Costa Rica, and from Florida, we were all together on a mission trip.Darlene: It [00:04:06] was a rainy night. I received a call that said, "We need an urgent [00:04:11] 911 prayer for this, um, precious, precious [00:04:16] homeschool mom, um, that homeschooled her children with my friend Janet's children, and her [00:04:21] name is Michal, and she has multiple myeloma. She's dealing with [00:04:26] a very serious turn of events, and we need all the prayer [00:04:31] warriors to come and storm the gates of heaven with faith and prayer." And [00:04:36] when she mentioned that she was a mother, she has five children, she's [00:04:41] homeschooled, and she said, "She's the most godly woman that is walking through this that you can ever [00:04:46] imagine. Beautiful, not just on the outside, but on the inside. Darlene, please [00:04:51] pray." I gathered together all of my missionary friends on this mountain, [00:04:56] and we held hands, speaking in Spanish and English, and it didn't matter.Darlene: [00:05:01] There's no distance in the throne room between my friend that was in Ohio and us [00:05:06] there, and we were battling for, um, for Michal, for her healing, [00:05:11] praying in faith and believing it because my best friend down here in [00:05:16] Florida, her name is Joyce Schneider, and she had been battling multiple [00:05:21] myeloma, the same type of cancer that Janet said that Michal was dealing with. She [00:05:26] had battled it for two years, come so near to death the first time, [00:05:31] and talk about that later. But the first time, and we were on that mission trip [00:05:36] celebrating her freedom from cancer, no evidence of disease from multiple [00:05:41] myeloma. So when I got that call, it was different than the other prayer requests [00:05:46] that we had received that week while we were away. We were praying for your familyCurtis: [00:05:51] Well, I am sure appreciative of your prayers and the whole team. Um, I'll never [00:05:56] forget getting some of those messages from people from literally around the world, [00:06:01] missions groups, friends, families. I mean, there was a lot of people praying. And obviously God [00:06:06] chose to take Michal, and sometimes that's a hard pill to swallow.[00:06:11] Curtis: Um, but we are here honoring her, honoring her [00:06:16] testimony and her, uh, faithfulness in the middle of the hardest thing that we've ever gone through. And [00:06:21] so someday in heaven, we'll get to ask all those hard questions. But I, I sure do appreciate [00:06:26] it. Darlene, I'm gonna jump right into, uh, childhood stuff because [00:06:31] when I interviewed you, you told me about your bivocational dad.Curtis: He was a hard [00:06:36] worker, um, but he was also preaching and pastoring a small, um, Baptist church [00:06:41] at the same time. And then your whole world kind of fell [00:06:46] apart as a, as a kid. Tell us a little bit about that story.Darlene: Yes. [00:06:51] So we were not rich financially, but we were very [00:06:56] rich in love. My parents, were hardworking people. My dad had, [00:07:01] uh, a disease that caused h- it's called spinal stenosis, and it caused, [00:07:06] at a very young age, his spine to close in on his spinal column. [00:07:11] And they said if they didn't do surgery, that he would be, um, paralyzed or could even [00:07:16] die.Darlene: So instead of putting bars in his back, they cut the [00:07:21] port sides of the vertebrae off the back column of the vertebrae for three [00:07:26] of them, and, um, it left him disabled and unable to work. So [00:07:31] during that time, it was, it was really difficult, but we, we held [00:07:36] fast to the Lord and we, um... I was just born and raised [00:07:41] in church and, uh, you know, pr- prayer was a part of our, my life [00:07:46] back then and now.Darlene: But, um, we went through some difficult times [00:07:51] financially. We ended up, um... I was a cheerleader, and we were living in Kentucky at the [00:07:56] time. I was a cheerleader. I had so many friends. We had, you know, the house and two [00:08:01] cars. My mom had a nice diamond ring, and I learned that [00:08:06] very quickly you can go from, uh, having great provision.Darlene: You know, [00:08:11] uh, Paul says, "I've, I've learned to live in plenty, and I've learned to live in want." And, uh, [00:08:16] we learned to rely on the Lord early on. We, we lost our home. We [00:08:21] lost our car. We had to move in with my grandma, um, and my [00:08:26] mom had to sell her diamond ring, and, uh, whatever we could do to help, [00:08:31] um, provide for the family during that difficult time. We ended [00:08:36] up moving in with my grandma and, you know, she was in her 70s, I [00:08:41] think, at the time, maybe 80s. She was taking care of my great-grandpa, who lived to be [00:08:46] 106, and her aunt who was developmentally disabled. [00:08:51] So it was this tiny little ranch house, about 900 square feet, [00:08:56] in Columbus, Ohio. And it was my grandma, my great-grandpa, [00:09:01] uh, my, uh, great Aunt Luly, who was developmentally disabled, my [00:09:06] mom, my dad, my older sister, and me living in this tiny space [00:09:11] with one bathroom.Curtis: Oh myDarlene: Yeah Mm-hmm.Curtis: It's there you got to [00:09:16] see an important part of your journey,Darlene: I did. Curtis: Grandma's [00:09:21] prayer lifeDarlene: I did. She's the person that I can't wait to see most [00:09:26] when I enter heaven'sDarlene: gates. I know she's just gonna be waiting there for me. My Grandma [00:09:31] Eerie is a prayer warrior, and her prayers are still [00:09:36] eternal. They're impacting not only me, but my children and, [00:09:41] um, my grandchild. We would come in the house and, um, [00:09:46] knock on the door, and Grandma wouldn't come to the door, but she always left the door unlocked, you know? And [00:09:51] so we'd come in and, "Grandma, Grandma," and she would be back in the [00:09:56] bedroom on her knees beside her little twin bed, crying, [00:10:01] crying, crying, praying to the Lord. And you could hear her call out every one of her children's [00:10:06] name, her grandchildren's name, great-grandchildren, future [00:10:11] great-great-great-grandchildren.Darlene: She was interceding for us. And so I saw that example [00:10:16] of prayer from a little girl.Curtis: That's so Darlene: godly woman. She never [00:10:21] wore She always wore little dresses. She had her hair in a, gray hair and tied up, [00:10:26] braided in a little bun on the top of her head. Just the sweetest woman I've [00:10:31] ever met.Curtis: Hmm That's good.Darlene: Yeah.Darlene: good. [00:10:36] legacy.Darlene: Legacy of prayer Curtis: You lived close by other relatives [00:10:41] too, so you had-- There was kind of a, a group of people all in the same area, correct?Darlene: Yes. [00:10:46] Yes. So my, um, my mom... Well, my dad had 11 [00:10:51] brothers and sisters, and most of them lived in Columbus. And then my mom, there were five siblings, so my [00:10:56] Grandma Erie had five kids, and one of them, um, was my Aunt [00:11:01] Hope and my Uncle David. And all the cousins and everybody would pour into Grandma's [00:11:06] house for Christmas.Darlene: There was not an inch of bare floor on, you know, [00:11:11] and it was just all the kids would clean the dishes, and the women would cook, and we would [00:11:16] just... We didn't have much, um, financially, but we had so much love and [00:11:21] so much faith. Yes.Curtis: I love it. My mom, same way. [00:11:26] She wants us all to come to her little apartment. So with 10 of us [00:11:31] now, plus her, uh, and now there's a grandchild, like, we still pile into [00:11:36] mom's little two-bedroom apartment to, uh, to do Christmas, Thanksgiving. Yeah, [00:11:41] she loves to have everybody there. You know, we've got bigger homes than that, and everybody's like, "No, we're [00:11:46] going to grandma's."Darlene: That's home. That'sDarlene: home. Just feels like home. Curtis: So [00:11:51] good. So good. You, um ... as you got a little bit older, you [00:11:56] experienced a really awful tragedy in your family. Um, talk us [00:12:01] through that a little bit.Darlene: Sure. So, um, one of the most [00:12:06] difficult times in my life, um, I mentioned earlier that my mom had five siblings. One of [00:12:11] them, uh, was named Hope. We called her Hopey, 'cause, you know. [00:12:16] And so Hopey and David were my aunt and uncle, and they had three children, [00:12:21] Johnny, Misty, and little baby Travis. He was the one that came along later on in [00:12:26] life, uh, a blessing, unexpected blessing.Darlene: And, uh, he [00:12:31] was three years old, and, um, they were like my second mom and dad and [00:12:36] my other siblings, 'cause it was just my sister and I in our house. But I mentioned how [00:12:41] we lived with my grandma for a while, um, because of the [00:12:46] financial issues. Well, eventually we were able to purchase a little 10 by 50 [00:12:51] trailer and put it on the back of the farmhouse, um, in Columbus where [00:12:56] my Uncle David, he had a construction business.Darlene: So he had the big backhoes, he had the dump [00:13:01] trucks, and they had a big farmhouse on Grassville Road. Um, [00:13:06] and there was a gravel driveway that went from their house all the way back to the [00:13:11] big gray barn, and our trailer was behind it. And then he had a big garage where he did, [00:13:16] um... He had all kinds of cars that he would race, drag race, and [00:13:21] things like that. And, um,Curtis: we would've been buddies.Darlene: You would've liked Dav- [00:13:26] Uncle David a lot. Y- y- you would've liked him a lot. He restored cars and had race [00:13:31] cars and, um... But he, uh, he, [00:13:36] he was a good, hardworking man. And, um, he was coming home [00:13:41] from work one day, like I said, v- pretty successful construction business, and he had [00:13:46] his truck that had a big flatbed, and on the back of the flatbed was a, a, [00:13:51] a backhoe, you know, the scoopy thing.Darlene: And he was coming down the driveway [00:13:56] from the road down from their farmhouse, down past our trailer, [00:14:01] and he parked it in the great big garage in the back. And, um, [00:14:06] I heard outside the door, [00:14:11] my mom and my sister and I were home. I heard a scream [00:14:16] like I'd never heard before, followed by another scream and [00:14:21] another scream and another scream. And, um [00:14:26] Unless you've heard it, um, uh, it was the scream of [00:14:31] death. And so my mom took off running out the front door of the trailer. My sister took-- [00:14:36] was 18. She took off running out the trailer, and I was [00:14:41] 13. I was in eighth grade. Um, my little cousin [00:14:46] Travis, who was three years old, just adorable, big chocolate brown eyes [00:14:51] and long eyelashes, dark complected, adorable, [00:14:56] just a sweet little, sweet little boy.Darlene: He was like my brother, though, so I kinda picked on him, you [00:15:01] know? And he had ran out to see his daddy 'cause he was home from work, and his [00:15:06] daddy didn't see him and, um, actually ran over him with the, with the [00:15:11] truck in our driveway. And he didn't know it until he got out of the truck, parked the c- [00:15:16] parked the vehicle, and then he was like, "Oh, buddy, did you fall?" And he went and picked him up [00:15:21] and noticed that there was no life left within him, and that was when he screamed. [00:15:26] When I heard the scream, I knew it was bad. I knew it was bad, but I was [00:15:31] so full of faith. I'd seen my grandma pray. I'd seen my mom and dad pray. [00:15:36] I, I, was born and raised in church. You know, four or five days a week, I [00:15:41] was there, falling asleep on the pews when I was a little girl, and I heard stories about [00:15:46] how, how God can raise people from the dead. You know, the, [00:15:51] the little girl, Talitha Koum, "I'm alive." And so instead of me [00:15:56] running out to the screams, I grabbed my Bible, [00:16:01] 13 years old, hit my knees, opened it up, and, and [00:16:06] I said, "Lord, you are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. [00:16:11] You are the God who heals. You are the God who restores. You are the God who brings life from dead things. [00:16:16] You can do this. You can bring him back to life." And I'm praying, and I'm interceding, [00:16:21] and I'm continuing to hear the yells and the screams, but I'm not coming in agreement with what I hear [00:16:26] outside. And I'm just praying, praying, praying. And then [00:16:31] somebody came in the door and said, "Why are you praying?" It's [00:16:36] hopeless. He, his head was ran over." And [00:16:41] I just put the Bible down, and I was like, "Lord, help us." But I didn't [00:16:46] go out to the scene. I just, "Lord, help us. Lord, help us." [00:16:51] And at that time, I was like, "Lord, [00:16:56] why didn't you answer my prayer? Why didn't you, why didn't you do what you did in the [00:17:01] Bible and what I've, what I've heard about from other people telling stories of their miracles?Darlene: Why didn't I [00:17:06] get my miracle?" I believed if it was about faith, I had more than a mustard seed of faith. I had, [00:17:11] I had, a bucket of faith, youDarlene: know? And what I heard later on was that [00:17:16] my uncle, when he picked up his son, Travis, little three-year-old, [00:17:21] brown hair, sweet, sweet baby. When he picked him up, he said [00:17:26] he felt himself almost lose his mind. [00:17:31] But at that moment, he looked out in the, in the f- farmer's field across [00:17:36] the way, and it changed. It was full of [00:17:41] people. He saw angels shoulder to shoulder in the farmer's field [00:17:46] in front of him, and he said he knew that he was surrounded. [00:17:51] He was surrounded by angels. He was surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses that was cheering him on, [00:17:56] and he said he would've lost his mind at that moment if it hadn't been for those [00:18:01] prayers.Darlene: So God didn't answer my prayer the way I thought he would, but [00:18:06] he used that prayer nonetheless. That prayer of faith was still active and [00:18:11] activated in our lives. Not, not the way I would've written it,Darlene: but it was, [00:18:16] it was still importantCurtis: That's hard stuff.Darlene: Tyrant[00:18:21] Curtis: And that, um, that affected everybody. You've told me a little bit about that. [00:18:26] Um, and everybody has had to work through that tragedy over [00:18:31] the years, and some it took a lot longer. Um[00:18:36] [00:18:41] Curtis: As a teenager, so that you're 13 then, the next year you're in high [00:18:46] school. Um, tell me about your [00:18:51] faith journey as a high school young lady in high school.Darlene: [00:18:56] Sure. Curtis: Who, who were you? What were you like?Darlene: I was a buck [00:19:01] tooth, like kinda nerdy. I paid for my own [00:19:06] braces when I got in college. But, um, but no, I was in the high school [00:19:11] marching band, I was in the flags, I was in the color guard. Um, I, I [00:19:16] was shy until you got to know me, and then I was, uh, [00:19:21] talkative with my friends. But, uh, I actually got told I was disruptive [00:19:26] in class by my, um, history teacher.Darlene: And I'm like, "Disruptive in class? I'm [00:19:31] the quietest kid in class. I never talk." And he said, "Yeah, but you roll your eyes at [00:19:36] me, and that's disruptive to me." He's like ... I'm like, [00:19:41] I gave one of these.Curtis: That's funny. Darlene: don't know. But yeah, so I [00:19:46] was, um, I kind of wanted... [00:19:51] After the accident, I was always, I always did really well in school.Darlene: I was always the [00:19:56] one that was testing pretty high on that standardized testing. But I [00:20:01] thought, "I, I'm going to be successful. I'm going... Life is chaotic. I've [00:20:06] seen that. I've seen the evidence of how chaotic life can be, that you can [00:20:11] save up a lot of money and still lo- lose your house, that you can do healthy things and still [00:20:16] lose your life, you know?Darlene: And, and, but what I'm gonna do is I'm going to control every [00:20:21] part of my future that I can." So I was going, I was [00:20:26] studying pre-med. I was taking all the courses so that when I went to college I could study [00:20:31] pre-med, be a doctor, and take care of people. I wanted to fix things. I became a fixer. [00:20:36] Um,Darlene: but, so yeah, throughout high school I did pretty well, pretty quiet.[00:20:41] Darlene: But, um, life was... We switched to that terrible season [00:20:46] to things were going good. Okay, I can rest. life was good. And then, [00:20:51] um, the summer before my senior year, I met my high school sweetheart. I'd never dated [00:20:56] before, you know, and I wasn't even allowed to look at a boy till I was 16.Curtis: So one boyfriend.[00:21:01] Darlene: Yeah.Darlene: My Boyfriend. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, [00:21:06] I know the Bible says, you know, how to choose a [00:21:11] spouse, you know, that you kind of don't date somebody that you wouldn't [00:21:16] ultimately think of someday. But, um, he was dreamy in my opinion, you [00:21:21] know? He was dreamy. And he went to church, but he wasn't, [00:21:26] um, didn't have the same grounded background in prayer and [00:21:31] faith that, that, that I did.Darlene: It was, it was, uh, good because [00:21:36] I felt loved, I felt chosen, and I had kind of just [00:21:41] After the accident, I just wanted to be unseen, fly under the radar. The [00:21:46] adults that go through tragedy, they're just trying to keep their head above water.[00:21:51] Darlene: They didn't need any grief from, from kids, you know? And [00:21:56] so it was nice to be seen and chosenCurtis: Sure. I get it. [00:22:01] And then off to college, you both go to school together, correct?Darlene: Yes. [00:22:06] Yes, we both went to Ohio State University. I was studying pre-med. Um, I [00:22:11] was working through college, so I'd go straight from class to work and, uh, paid to get my [00:22:16] braces on, um, until tragedy [00:22:21] struck again Do you wanna hear about that?[00:22:26] Curtis: YepDarlene: So things were [00:22:31] going so good. W- I was so in love. My boyfriend, you [00:22:36] know, we, we talked about getting married someday, and so I thought this, [00:22:41] you know, "This is just amazing." And I was great friends with his mom and his [00:22:46] dad and his brother. His dad was a Columbus police officer, [00:22:51] and he was coming back from a, um, a police [00:22:56] fundraiser, and he had a Nova.Darlene: What, uh... You would like this part of the story. He's [00:23:01] coming back from... It was a car show that supported the, um, Columbus [00:23:06] PoliceCurtis: Mm-hmmDarlene: And, um, he was driving it back [00:23:11] from out of town, came to the east side of Columbus on a rainy [00:23:16] night, uh, had his son, Tom, in the car, which is my, uh, [00:23:21] ex-husband's brother. And around, [00:23:26] probably around 11 o'clock at night, um, a car full of teenagers who had been [00:23:31] out drinking came across the freeway, spun out, [00:23:36] uh, going about 120 miles an hour, they estimated. And so he [00:23:41] had this truck with a flatbed. Here we go again, right? Had a flatbed [00:23:46] with the Nova, uh, all prettied out Nova on the back, [00:23:51] and had just filled up the tanks of, with gas on the truck. And that car [00:23:56] spun out 120 miles an hour and hit the front of their truck. The, um, the [00:24:01] trailer shot forward, hit the gas tanks, and it exploded in a fiery car crash. [00:24:06] And, um, Ray's dad and brother were in the car. They ended up being life-flighted. [00:24:11] Um, burns on his dad, over 80% of his body, [00:24:16] but his brother had a severed aorta, the main artery that goes [00:24:21] into your heart, plus burns over a third of, 30% of his body, broken neck.Darlene: Just broken, [00:24:26] broken, burned, both of them. There was this angel man that [00:24:31] came and pulled them both out of the car and left. Um, [00:24:36] but anyhow, so they were transported to the hospital. We got the call, [00:24:41] "Come right away. Go see, go see your brother 'cause he's not gonna make it." So after f- [00:24:46] after five days in the burn unit, um, his father passed [00:24:51] away. His father passed away, and we had to keep going to that burn unit [00:24:56] every day and look at that empty bed across the hall. And, um, [00:25:01] it was about a month that we spent after that in the burn unit with his brother. Um, and the [00:25:06] one that w- thatDarlene: We went to prayer for both of them immediately, and the one that we thought [00:25:11] wouldn't make it is the one that, that made it through, Curtis: Tell me about, tell me about the [00:25:16] brother because y- you said that he had a tornDarlene: SeveredDarlene: aorta. [00:25:21] Yes, yes, severed aorta, and was life flighted. Um, they said, "Go see [00:25:26] him. He's not gonna make it." And so the, the heart surgeon actually said, "I am so sorry [00:25:31] for the way your scar looks, Tom, because it was a teaching moment for my [00:25:36] students, and I just ripped you open and reattached the aorta.Darlene: I didn't think that you would, [00:25:41] that you would make it." So he had, he had aDarlene: scar all the way around and [00:25:46] yeah. But he had to have skin grafting and, um, you know, he had one of those [00:25:51] halos, uh, around his head with the broken neck and,Darlene: um, yeah, it [00:25:56] was, it was a difficult time. It was a difficult time. And, My ex-husband's [00:26:01] mother looked at him and said, "You're the man of the house now.Darlene: You're, you know, you're 21 [00:26:06] and you're the man of the house."Curtis: What year is this? Are you a [00:26:11] sophomore, junior? What are, what are you?Darlene: This was 1991, so, [00:26:16] um, I started college in '89, so ju- about junior in, [00:26:21] juniorDarlene: in college at Ohio StateCurtis: You told me that, um, when I did your [00:26:26] interview, you said from that moment on, he, he was never the [00:26:31] same. Like you lost your boyfriend. We did. We-- None [00:26:36] of us were the same after that. But I would say that my ex-husband, his [00:26:41] dad was his hero. His dad was his absolute best friend, so funny, [00:26:46] and he loved him so much that he, he actually looked at me and [00:26:51] said, "I'll never love anyone again.Darlene: I'm turning that off. I, I, [00:26:56] I, I can't allow myself to be hurt again, and therefore nobody [00:27:01] will get in again."Darlene: And overnight, he went from this doting [00:27:06] first love boyfriend, uh, kind of what I had dreamed [00:27:11] of, to completely ignoring me because [00:27:16] he didn't have the capacity to loveCurtis: [00:27:21] But you're still with them. You're not, you're not Darlene: I was. I was. I, I[00:27:26] Curtis: and then senior year you find out you have a, a little bundle[00:27:31] Darlene: I did, unexpectedly, and that was very difficult to tell my, my [00:27:36] father, who was a minister. So we sat them down, and I came [00:27:41] and I said, "Okay, Mom and Dad, you know the scripture that says every good and perfect gift [00:27:46] comes from above?" Coming down from the Father of Light where there is no [00:27:51] shifting shadow.Darlene: We ha- That's where I started. I said, [00:27:56] "Uh, we have a gift coming down from above, and he's due in [00:28:01] November.Curtis: Oh my Darlene: So we might wanna get married most, real soon." [00:28:06] We had been dating for six years, Curtis, and, [00:28:11] uh, you know, in, in my foolish young mind, I was like, "We're married [00:28:16] in the eyes of the Lord," which, uh, was not wisdom speaking,Darlene: was [00:28:21] not wisdom speaking.Darlene: But it, but the gift of my son is, was [00:28:26] so healing for all of us. It brought, um, it brought everybody back [00:28:31] to life. It gave us a purpose for living again. A little [00:28:36] bundle of life. God knew just what we all needed, even though it wasn't the timing that [00:28:41] I would've chosen. It wasDarlene: perfection So now you're married[00:28:46] Curtis: and, and you've got a kid and life has to just [00:28:51] go. And so you, you, um... Did you drop out of school?[00:28:56] Darlene: I did. I did.Darlene: I, I to remember your story. You dropped out [00:29:01] and, um, were a mama for a whileDarlene: I was a working mama. Yeah, I would work [00:29:06] in the evenings and pass off my, uh, oldest son to [00:29:11] my husband. He would work during the day, and so grandmas would help in between, 'cause we [00:29:16] couldn't afford a babysitter. And so that's, uh, what I did. And then baby number two [00:29:21] came along in 1997. Derek was born, and I was so worried when I [00:29:26] was pregnant. I felt him kicking, and I thought, "I love Brendan [00:29:31] so much. I don't think I can love this baby like I love my [00:29:36] oldest. Like, I have so much love for this precious Brendan," and I'm just getting to know [00:29:41] that, that as soon as he was born and as soon as I he- held him, it was like God multiplies that love,Darlene: [00:29:46] you know?Darlene: And I'm looking at all of these, these, uh, faces in the [00:29:51] picture behindDarlene: you, Michal with five, five babies, and you're two, and, uh, [00:29:56] just God multiplying the love forDarlene: those kids. Curtis: does. He does. It's, it's not [00:30:01] something you plan for or expect, but it happens. Curtis: And, um, it's, it is [00:30:06] good. It's really goodDarlene: Yes. And then, uh, in 2001, my daughter [00:30:11] was born Um Somewhere along the [00:30:16] line, my, um, my ex-husband, you know, [00:30:21] he, after the accident, he was [00:30:26] m- mad at, at God, and then, um, [00:30:31] wasn't-- didn't completely walk away, but there was this anger towards Him. [00:30:36] So I was continuing to go to church, and he would come along with me, you [00:30:41] know, sometimes, and,Darlene: um, Christmas and Easter for sure, [00:30:46] you know. Um, but there was this [00:30:51] increasing distance between him and God at the timeCurtis: Which is hard [00:30:56] because you've had this imagination for what your family was gonna look like since a Curtis: teenager, [00:31:01] and your house, your home, your kids, your faith, [00:31:06] and this vision is not coming to fruition. Darlene: No. [00:31:11] Curtis: I get itDarlene: No, it didn't, didn't look like what I thought it would look [00:31:16] like,Darlene: right? The way that I would've written that bookCurtis: Sure. Darlene: wasn'tDarlene: looking that [00:31:21] way.Curtis: Yeah.Darlene: If you can relate Curtis: our books are a mess. [00:31:26] Absolutely. You told me a story though, uh, [00:31:31] which I think is the beginning of your, kinda your missions story, because you were telling me about a, a [00:31:36] missionary at church one time, and you just felt so compelled. [00:31:41] Um, in fact, you even, you even told me that, um, at the end you were like, [00:31:46] "The Lord said if you will give this gift, your husband will be saved."[00:31:51] Darlene: Ja Curtis: And you were like, "But I've saved so long and hard for [00:31:56] this, for this little bit of a money." But you did it. And I know [00:32:01] the story doesn't end the way we want it to, but, but share that story.Curtis: Um, [00:32:06] and let's, let's, let's go on that journey for a bit.Darlene: Okay. Absolutely. So, [00:32:11] um, I went to Grove City Church of the Nazarene at the time, and my husband would go with me, you know, [00:32:16] occasionally, and I would always bring the kids, and I was there at Children of the Word and Women of the [00:32:21] Word and, uh, you know, ladies Bible studies. I was there a lot, and then they advertised [00:32:26] Missions Weekend, and all of these missionaries from different parts of the world were coming in.Darlene: And there was a [00:32:31] missionary from Honduras and Guatemala, and they were talking about how, [00:32:36] um, in the Honduras and Guatemala area, how prayer [00:32:41] changed everything, and just they had to shut the jails down [00:32:46] because God just moved into the city af- after much, much prayer. And [00:32:51] then this amazing missionary came in from Papua New Guinea, [00:32:56] and he started sharing his testimony about, um, how [00:33:01] he did surgical missions, ho- uh, hospital missions in Papua New Guinea.Darlene: And so many [00:33:06] times he knew that if, uh, he was performing this surgery in the United States, he could save [00:33:11] someone's life. Something so simple as, um, this, [00:33:16] this, uh, stuff that they put in the OR that would make, make things [00:33:21] coa- you know, anticoagulation,Darlene: something or another, to make it not bleed out. And [00:33:26] I was like, "That is just horrible.Darlene: What can we do to get this man some of that stuff that he needs to save lives? [00:33:31] That's awful." And so I was just listening to the story after [00:33:36] story, and I felt the Lord put upon my heart. I didn't hear an audible [00:33:41] voice in my ear. I just felt the Lord put upon my heart, "If you sow a seed into this [00:33:46] man's ministry so that he can continue to work and do surgery and save people's [00:33:51] lives and make a difference, I'll save your husband."Curtis: [00:33:56] HmmDarlene: And He told me the amount, and it was a large amount. And I said, "Oh [00:34:01] I don't have, like, a big bank account. I'm [00:34:06] a stay-at-home mom at the time. But I had been doing yard sales and, you know, [00:34:11] like, selling some of my daughter's resale clothes on eBay. Like, just putting away [00:34:16] $5 here, $10 here, maybe getting 100 and then 200 and 500, you know. [00:34:21] And he told me to give this amount, and I thought, "Well, what, what's more [00:34:26] important than eternity, right?" I-- What's more important than eternity? I want [00:34:31] my husband saved. I want him... I don't want him to go to hell. I don't want him to [00:34:36] s-spend eternity in hell. I want him to go to heaven with us and, like, [00:34:41] live here on Earth in fullness of joy. So I, I did. I t- [00:34:46] I didn't tell my husband. I took that money out of my jewelry box where I had those dollars [00:34:51] hidden away, and I, uh, mailed it off to this missionary in Papua New Guinea. [00:34:56] And believe it or not, he did get saved. He did give his life to the Lord after [00:35:01] that. It was-- I was like, "Whoa, God, you were, you were [00:35:06] serious,"Darlene: you know?Darlene: And, uh, he-- we-- it was wonderful. It was [00:35:11] like every dream come true. And, um, we were, we were g-doing [00:35:16] couples-- going to couples Bible study on Saturday nights. We were-- [00:35:21] Every Sunday, he was at church with me. We went up on stage and got baptized as a family. We [00:35:26] dedicated our children to God. Um, by this time, [00:35:31] we had had my daughter Bailey, and she was just a little thing, and I thought, "This child [00:35:36] is, like, extra special, chosen.Darlene: She's gonna get a mom and dad who both follow the Lord and [00:35:41] love the Lord." And I was so excited. I was doing Beth Moore's [00:35:46] Bible study, A Heart Like His, the study of David. I was downstairs on my treadmill, and I-- [00:35:51] and this was, like, after Columbine, and the, the girl, I think her name was, uh, [00:35:56] Rachel maybe, and, uh, the, the, the guys in the black trench coats had come up [00:36:01] to her, and they said, "Do you believe in God?" And she said, "Yes," and they killed her. And I was like, [00:36:06] "God, I'll be a martyr for you. I love you. You just saved my husband. You're just amazing. I, [00:36:11] I'm willing." The Bible says, "Who, who can we send?" And I said, "Here am I, Lord. Send [00:36:16] me." What's that word? Hey, Nani, send me. And I [00:36:21] was just like, you know, on the treadmill, feel-- listening to Nicole C.Darlene: Mullins, you [00:36:26] know, I know my Redeemer lives. And I was like, "I'll be a martyr for you. If somebody puts a gun to my [00:36:31] head, I will say I believe in God. You know, I won't let you down." And then the Lord [00:36:36] said, "But will you live for Me?"Curtis: Hmm, " Darlene: I know you'll die [00:36:41] for me, but will you live for me?" I was like, "Yeah. I'll live for you.Darlene: [00:36:46] That's easy. Dying would be the hard thing, right?" Like, and then [00:36:51] like all, everything, hell broke loose from its gate [00:36:56] after thatCurtis: Oh my goodness.[00:37:01] Curtis: Yeah. You told me, um, woke up one [00:37:06] day and your husband just denounced it all. Said, "I... Nope, this [00:37:11] isn't real. It's fake. I don't believe it anymore," [00:37:16] and that was the end, and life changed foreverDarlene: [00:37:21] It did. He, um, he came to me and said, "I'm living a lie." [00:37:26] He said, "I don't believe like you believe. As a matter [00:37:31] of fact, I believe in God about as much as I do the Easter Bunny or Santa [00:37:36] Claus." And he said, "And honestly, when I come in every day, and I [00:37:41] hear your Christian music on the radio, and you're sitting there reading your Bible all day [00:37:46] long, it makes me sick." He's like... And I know, [00:37:51] like, now I can look back without pain. You know, it, it's sadness, but I can look [00:37:56] back without the devastation that I did because I know that's coming from a piece of brokenness [00:38:01] from his heart, from a lie that he believed when his dad died. You know? That, that [00:38:06] there was that wound, and the enemy came in and planted a lie that God wasn't good, wasn't [00:38:11] real, whatever.Darlene: That what kind of a good, loving God could allow something like this to happen? But he [00:38:16] was taking it out on me because I was there, you know? [00:38:21] And, um It was not [00:38:26] the-- My parents love each other so much. They, they've been together for [00:38:31] 60, 61, 62 years, and my dad still picks up my [00:38:36] mom and twirls her around the swimming pool and kisses her, prays over her, brings her a [00:38:41] coffee. My mom lays out his pills in the morning, and they just [00:38:46] love God. They loveDarlene: each other. They've walked it out, and here I'm in a [00:38:51] marriage where he said, "I don't love your God," and he [00:38:56] really didn't have love for meCurtis: I, [00:39:01] I just thought of something, um, because I ask [00:39:06] myself sometimes, like, "Why do I keep doing this, this podcast?" [00:39:11] Um, and at first it was just my story. You know, my friends and family wanted, you know, they [00:39:16] wanted me to continue the story of Michal because she was this amazing thing, this [00:39:21] person who had this tremendous faith and belief.Curtis: And so to honor her, I, I [00:39:26] did this. But now I'm four years out and I'm [00:39:31] I, I have tried to live her mantra of running into these hard places and, [00:39:36] and begin to heal, and I just had this thought. As soon as you said that, I thought, [00:39:41] what happens to people who can't run into the hardest thing they've ever [00:39:46] done or been through and get healing there?Darlene: Mm-hmm. Curtis: That was my thought.[00:39:51] Darlene: YeahCurtis: And I think, I think it's important for us to just stop for a second and [00:39:56] challenge some people. Folks, if you can't get healing in that thing, [00:40:01] and, and whoever we're talking to today, whatever that is, it is a... Is it a death? Is it a loss? [00:40:06] Is it a tragedy? Is it a family? Is it a dad? Is it a mom?Curtis: If you can't get healing [00:40:11] from that, it will come back to haunt you.[00:40:16] Darlene: Yes. Yes. And, and something that I've [00:40:21] learned through all of this, Curtis, is when [00:40:26] the teenagers... I was, I was in Students Against Drunk Driving [00:40:31] when I was in school. Like, I never tasted a sip of alcohol. I, I just prided [00:40:36] myself in being this religious, you know, um, hated those [00:40:41] kids for taking everything from us.Curtis: [00:40:46] Mm-hmmDarlene: to ask God forgiveness for that. The thing that I hated, [00:40:51] these kids driving drunk, killing my father-in-law, [00:40:56] wounding my brother-in-law, disfigured, [00:41:01] causing my mother-in-law to grieve for so many years, and [00:41:06] causing my husband's heart to be completely shut off. I- the thing that I [00:41:11] disliked so much, the thing that I couldn't forgive for so long, [00:41:16] I becameCurtis: Mm-hmm. Yeah. [00:41:21] And this is, this is a hard part of the story, but I, I'll kind of... [00:41:26] Uh, let's walk through it together and then we'll get to [00:41:31] the good stuff. How's that?Darlene: YeahCurtis: Um, [00:41:36] you don't believe in divorceDarlene: I don't.Curtis: AndDarlene: I'm [00:41:41] divorced. Curtis: know, I know we don't, but it happens and, and your [00:41:46] husband goes off the deep end. He's into everything, and sometimes he doesn't come [00:41:51] home.Curtis: You know he's doing terrible, awful things. He doesn't care that he's hurting [00:41:56] you, but you still want a relationship with him. And so he's [00:42:01] never gonna change for you, but you make the choice to [00:42:06] change for him.Darlene: I did.Darlene: Worst, worst decision. [00:42:11] I did. He came home one night. Um, he worked hard. [00:42:16] He, he, he was a manager of a lot of people, and he [00:42:21] worked very hard, and he provided well for our family, and I honor [00:42:26] him for that. Um, but sometimes all of that pressure from work, [00:42:31] he would just go out drinking with the guys after work and not come home [00:42:36] when he said he was gonna come home or very, very early into the [00:42:41] morning. And I cried myself to sleep many nights. And then I ne- I [00:42:46] never, I never, um, fought. I just [00:42:51] got sad and cried. And then one night, I really was like, [00:42:56] "Let him have it," my version of letting it, letting him have it. I'm like, "Where were you? I just can't cry [00:43:01] myself to sleep every night." And he's like, "Why do you gripe and [00:43:06] complain? Why can't you be fun like the other guys' wives? They don't gripe and [00:43:11] complain. Matter of fact, sometimes he, they come out with them, and they're like, 'Have fun, honey. Have [00:43:16] fun.' You are always just so super religious. You drive me crazy. Why can't you [00:43:21] be the fun wife?" And something in my heart [00:43:26] Cracked. I was [00:43:31] like, "You want a fun wife? I'll give you a fun wife. I'll be the funnest wife," [00:43:36] 'cause I don't know, I'm kind of an all or nothing kinda girl. [00:43:41] I'm like either zero or 100. And God likes that when [00:43:46] you're going hard for him. It's not good when you're going the other way.[00:43:51] Darlene: And so I, I... Right after that, I had... [00:43:56] Well, I had gained a lot of weight with, uh, having children, so right after that, [00:44:01] I had gastric bypass surgery. So I was eating my feelings, [00:44:06] and I had ate myself up to about 250 pounds [00:44:11] after my third child, and not feeling loved, not feeling chosen, not feeling [00:44:16] wanted. And I was like, "I'm taking control." That [00:44:21] fixer in me that was like, "I have to be smart.Darlene: I have to get straight As. I'm going to fix this. The way I'm gonna [00:44:26] fix this, I'm gonna be attractive. I'm gonna be so attractive. I'm just gonna lose 100 [00:44:31] pounds." So I had gastric bypass surgery. I lost 100 pounds, went from a size [00:44:36] 22 to a size 0 or 2, and all of a sudden, people [00:44:41] started o- holding the door open for me and looking me in the eyes.Darlene: And I would go [00:44:46] out with Ray and, like, be up on the ... Here's this Christian girl [00:44:51] that was raised in a Christian home. You know, you hear about [00:44:56] preacher's kids. I was never like that. I was never a rebellious preacher's kid. I was, like, [00:45:01] so sweet goody two-shoes until I was [00:45:06] older, and I was up on the stage dancing with the band, and, like, crazy stuff, stuff that a [00:45:11] mother should notDarlene: be doing, Curtis.Darlene: And I was like, "You want a fun wife? I'm gonna show you the [00:45:16] funnest fun. You're gonna be sick of fun, is what you're gonna be. You're gonna be sick of so much fun I'm gonna [00:45:21] be." And I was going out on Saturday nights [00:45:26] and drinking, going to the bars with him, without him, with found girlfriends that were [00:45:31] into that, and, um, just foolish.Darlene: Foolish. Uh, [00:45:36] just taking the devil's bait, Darlene: you know, from that place of hurt. [00:45:41] There was a wound, a lie. I was following the [00:45:46] Lord, and things didn't go the way that I wanted them to go, and [00:45:51] I didn't denounce God. I still went to church on Sunday. Sometimes I would go [00:45:56] hungover from the night before. Oh, Jesus.Curtis: OhDarlene: [00:46:01] Ooh, headache, you know? But, um, yeah, it took me down a [00:46:06] path that I was just getting more and more miserable, but because I'd had ga- [00:46:11] gastric bypass surgery, I didn't have any nerves, really. I, I [00:46:16] could get really tipsy super fast within, like, five minutes of a sip of [00:46:21] alcohol, and then within a, like, four hours, I was sober, [00:46:26] completely sober, able to do work.Darlene: Like, it never interfered with my work. I nev- drank at work, never, never let it [00:46:31] impair. So I was a secret closet alcoholic, and I wouldn't have [00:46:36] called myself an alcoholic. You know, I was just like, "I'm just doing what other people do." They, they work hard, they [00:46:41] play hard, right? Um, but it just got worse and [00:46:46] worse. It's kind of like you take the devil's bait, and the first time it's fun, and the second [00:46:51] time it's a little bit not quite as fun. By the time you get down the road, it's [00:46:56] destruction, right? Because he, the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God comes to give us [00:47:01] abundant life.Darlene: And, um, I took the bait, and I took it hard.Darlene: [00:47:06] And then I got to a point where I would be in a bar... I'm [00:47:11] gonna be honest with you. I would be in a bar, and I saw a guy with a big tattoo of a [00:47:16] cross on his arm I'm sitting there with a vodka [00:47:21] cranberry, and I'm like, "Ah, tell me about your tattoo. [00:47:26] I see you have a cross." This guy's like, "Yeah, I used to be a youth pastor.Darlene: I used to believe [00:47:31] in God, and now I don't, 'cause churches are just full of a bunch of hypocrites." And [00:47:36] I'm like, "Well, you are probably the biggest one there, too. I, I am, too, but that's the good news of the [00:47:41] Gospel of Jesus Christ. He says, 'Come unto me, all you who are weary and have you laden, and I will give you [00:47:46] rest.' We don't have to reach to God. He'll reach to us. Come to church with [00:47:51] me on Sunday. I go to Lima MarkCurtis: Oh my wordDarlene: Church." [00:47:56] I'm drunk, inviting this person to church. Like, the, the Word [00:48:01] was in me. I was, uhDarlene: I knew the Lord. I knew the truth. And [00:48:06] my parents had a actual prayer closet where they would [00:48:11] go and shut the door and intercede for their daughter that they could tell was going [00:48:16] astray.Darlene: they Darlene: they, they, Curtis: were putting in overtime.Darlene: They did. My mom would [00:48:21] call like, uh, the next day, and she's like, um, "Honey, was anything [00:48:26] happening last night around 2:30, 3:00?" I'm like, "No, Mama. I don't know what you're talking [00:48:31] about." She's like, "I ... You were just on my heart. The Lord woke me and your dad up. We got in the prayer closet. We [00:48:36] were praying.Darlene: We were interceding for you. Something, something dark was over you." And I'm like, "No. [00:48:41] No, Mama, I don't, I Mm-mm. I was home."Curtis: [00:48:46] Oh my goodness.Darlene: Continue to pray for your kids. God hearsDarlene: those prayers. He, Curtis: [00:48:51] Yep. Darlene: He, He keeps us,Darlene: keeps us- Curtis: like that, and, um, [00:48:56] man, I can't imagine not having one. Yeah. I've, I've needed [00:49:01] it.Darlene: Lost sheep that went astray. I was that [00:49:06] prodigal daughter that went astray,Darlene: but he found me,Darlene: in the pig pen Curtis: y- [00:49:11] yes, you told me that it got so bad that you were literally buying boxes [00:49:16] of wine and justCurtis: drinking yourself to sleep night after night after night [00:49:21] until you, honestly, you wanted to die. You were so [00:49:26] miserable. And then the prayers [00:49:31] Darlene: You know why boxes? You probably have no ideaCurtis: No[00:49:36] Darlene: Because when the garbage man comes and you have [00:49:41] 17 bottles of wine clanking together and the, that machine goes [00:49:46] I could hear it from inside the house. I'm like, "I know the neighbors are [00:49:51] hearing that. I better switch to boxesCurtis: Oh my goodnessDarlene: Yeah. That's [00:49:56] like, yeah, true story. But I can be honest, I, [00:50:01] I, can be honest about it because that was where I was.Darlene: I was in the pigpen. I was a [00:50:06] lost sheep, and Jesus came in and he found me there, and he rescued me. He [00:50:11] delivered me. And he didn't deliver me so I could be quiet and not share my testimony about how good [00:50:16] he is, and sit on the pew and make people think I've never done anything bad in my life. [00:50:21] Like, he rescued me so that I could go back, get my fingernails [00:50:26] burnt, like my, the hairs that singe the, the knuckles pulling [00:50:31] somebody else out from the, the gates of hell where the fiery flames are coming to get them.Darlene: Like,[00:50:36] Darlene: there's, there's hope. There's hope 'cause I was depressed. I just wanted to [00:50:41] die. Do you want me to tell you about that?Curtis: Mm-hmm. Yeah[00:50:46] Darlene: So it was, um [00:50:51] Passover, Easter weekend, April 2018. [00:50:56] And my friend Janet, that I said that we're best friends, she's the one that [00:51:01] was friend,Darlene: is friends with Michal, yeah, the homeschool friend. [00:51:06] She is a, just a, a praying woman as well. She just [00:51:11] loves the Lord so much. She goes to a Messianic synagogue, and, [00:51:16] um, she said, "Hey, we're having this, um, Passover Seder meal. My [00:51:21] congregation is going to this, uh, banquet hall. I'd like for you to come with me." And I [00:51:26] was, I was just circling, circling the drain at that point.Darlene: [00:51:31] Ray was sick of me, and for good reason. I ha- I had [00:51:36] become exactly what I hated. I hated that he drank and went out and partied. I hated that he [00:51:41] was doing the things that he was doing, and the thing that I hated, I [00:51:46] didn't forgive, I didn't bring to the Lord, I became. And [00:51:51] I went to... I'm gonna admit this. It's [00:51:56] awful. Hope you don't hate me. But I went, I drove to [00:52:01] her Passover Seder meal with her congregation after having, like, a whole bottle of [00:52:06] wine, before I got in the car and drove. As much as I [00:52:11] saw how drinking and driving impacted our lives, it [00:52:16] took life from us, I did the very thing. I didn't get caught, praise the [00:52:21] Lord.Darlene: I didn't cause an accident, praise the Lord, but I did the very thing that I hated. [00:52:26] And I got there, and she didn't [00:52:31] know. I, I kept, I kept it, I kept my secret, my dirty little secret. [00:52:36] You know, I drank at home. It got to the point where I stopped going out. I was just drinking at home, [00:52:41] sad. Going to work, coming home, making dinner, cleaning the house, but it was getting bad. [00:52:46] And Ray was just done. He was like, "Look- [00:52:51] done. And at that point, I couldn't keep it [00:52:56] from the kids anymore. It was obvious that mom had a drinking problem. Mom was an [00:53:01] alcoholic. And, uh, I was like... So [00:53:06] she said, "I'll drive you home." She drove me home, and she's like, "What is going [00:53:11] on?" I'm like, "I'm fine. It's good. It's good. I'm fine. [00:53:16] There's nothing going on. Nothing." And then she, she called my kids, and they let her in on [00:53:21] the big secret. They told my secret, and it's like they said, [00:53:26] "Mom, mom's not doing good. Somebody's gotta do something." And so [00:53:31] my best friend Janet called my mom and dad, and they bought a plane ticket for [00:53:36] me. So this, so, so Sunday was Easter. Passover [00:53:41] was, um, Passove- second Passover was on Saturday. Woke up the next morning, I told the kids and Ray, [00:53:46] "Come on, let's go to church. Let's go to Easter Sunday." And they're like, "No. [00:53:51] We're not going with you." I'm like, "Oh, you heathens." I didn't say it. [00:53:56] I'm just like, "Look at these people not wanting to go to church." [00:54:01] I'm the biggest hypocrite. Such a hypocrite.Darlene: I'm not, I'm not, [00:54:06] you know, let, let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father who's [00:54:11] in Heaven. I was not doing that. And, uh, [00:54:16] so I went to Easter Sunday, and then that night I was so sad that nobody went. [00:54:21] Felt just my little pity party that nobody went to church with me on Easter that I started drinking [00:54:26] hard. Then, uh, I had already scheduled that Monday off work, and [00:54:31] so that Monday was April 2nd, 2018, in the [00:54:36] evening. I had been drinking all day, and the kids called Janet and said, [00:54:41] "You gotta rescue her. You gotta do something. You gotta get her help 'cause she's not, [00:54:46] she's not gonna live. She's just drinking so much that nobody can drink [00:54:51] this much and live." And so it was [00:54:56] Monday night, April 2nd, 2018. I was drunk in [00:55:01] bed. Ray was gone. He was out. He didn't come home after work, and, [00:55:06] um, Janet texted him and said, "I'm gonna do an intervention. Is it okay if I take your [00:55:11] wife away?" And he's like, "Please, get her out of here." And so I was passed [00:55:16] out in my bedroom. I woke up, and she was right in front of me, standing over top of me. [00:55:21] And she's like, "What's going on?" And then I was like, [00:55:26] "Oh, the jig is up." "I've been found out." [00:55:31] 'Cause there's boxes of wine,Darlene: like, on the bedroom [00:55:36] floor. And I said, "Janet, leave [00:55:41] me alone and let me die." I said, [00:55:46] "Nobody loves me, Janet. Nobody loves [00:55:51] me anyhow. Just leave me alone and let me die." And she said, "Well, let me [00:55:56] tell you."Darlene: She said, "I had a dream last night." And, uh, she said, "Jesus came to me in my [00:56:01] dream and said, 'If you don't stop, if you don't come [00:56:06] away and get help and healing, that you will die this week.'" [00:56:11] And she's like, "I need you to pack your bags right now. I'm putting [00:56:16] you on a plane in the morning, and you're getting out of here, and you're gonna get help.Darlene: You're not gonna die." And I'm [00:56:21] like, "Leave me alone and just let me die. Who cares if I die? I don't even care." Like, [00:56:26] I had gotten to ... I was not myself. I was just a, [00:56:31] a thin shell of who I was at the core [00:56:36] of my heart. I knew I wasn't living it, but I didn't know how to fix it. I was a fixer,Curtis: [00:56:41] MhmDarlene: situation.Darlene: I couldn't fix it. I was a fixer. When [00:56:46] Travis died, my little three-year-old cousin, I became a fixer. My [00:56:51] life became unmanageable. There was nothing I could do to fix it in my own [00:56:56] strength. I had tried and tried and tried to stop, and I couldn't. [00:57:01] And she said She looked at me, and she put out her hand, [00:57:06] and she said, "You can choose to lay there and die, [00:57:11] or you can pick up your mat and walk." And it was as if a bright [00:57:16] light came in the room April 2nd. Like, I remember April 2nd at night, [00:57:21] a bright light came in the room, and she was reaching out her hand, [00:57:26] and I saw the face of Jesus instead of her [00:57:31] [00:57:36] And I picked up my mat and I walked. [00:57:41] But at, I didn't know at the time she had called every prayer warrior [00:57:46] that she knew all over the world, including my parents who were in their [00:57:51] physical closet, their prayer closet, interceding for theirDarlene: daughter, holding hands, saying, "God, [00:57:56] let her come. Let her get rescued." [00:58:01] And she said, "You can pick up your, you can lay there and die, or you can pick up your mat and [00:58:06] walk." And something welled up inside of me, and I [00:58:11] said, "I ch- I choose to live then. I ch- I choose to [00:58:16] live." And she's like, "Grab a suitcase, put anything in it, and come with me." She didn't [00:58:21] give me a chance toDarlene: pack out. And so I grabbed a suitcase. I put 14 [00:58:26] bathing suits in. Not one pair of socks or...Curtis: Oh [00:58:31] my Darlene: I was just like... And I closed up my suitcase, and I got in the car with [00:58:36] her, and I went to her house. And that night, Curtis, [00:58:41] you can, you can look at the history on the news. That night there was such a storm. [00:58:46] The lightning shook, the lightning shook the windows.Darlene: It was the most [00:58:51] lightning-filled storm I've ever experienced in my life. It was like there was a [00:58:56] battle in the heavenlies for my soul, and I knew it was, God was... [00:59:01] I would've died that week. I, I, I was pushing my liver [00:59:06] way too hard with that amount of al- I mean, four b- four boxes of wine in a couple of [00:59:11] days.Darlene: That's like 16 bottles of wine.Darlene: And the, she was [00:59:16] like, "I don't know if we're gonna be able to get on the plane." The airport had shut down, and she's like, [00:59:21] "Okay, everybody pray that the airport opens and stays up just for her plane to get out ofDarlene: here." And [00:59:26] I did. I got on the plane, and I got out of there.Darlene: When I landed in Florida, [00:59:31] Naples, Florida, where my parents live, uh, I turned [00:59:36] on the news in Ohio, and in Grove City, Ohio, where I lived, a tornado came [00:59:41] through our neighborhood, hit the church, the Grove City Church of the Nazarene, hit the Grove [00:59:46] City High School, went down Hoover Road, took out all the power lines.Darlene: My friend [00:59:51] Janet was, uh, driving at the time, almost hit her, almost hit my mother-in-law's [00:59:56] house,Darlene: almost hit my daughter, almost hit my daughter. She was out driving. [01:00:01] And I'm like, God reached down and rescued [01:00:06] me in a miraculous way. But I met the real savior, [01:00:11] and it wasn't religion, and it wasn't my parents' religion anymore. It was [01:00:16] me. I encountered. I came to the end of myself, and he was [01:00:21] there.Darlene: I came to the hard,Curtis: YeahDarlene: and he was thereCurtis: [01:00:26] Yeah. And, and for those who didn't catch what she just said, [01:00:31] for, for many of us, I had a godly mother. You know, we'd been through some [01:00:36] hardships as a kid, but I had a godly mother, and there comes a point in our life, and some of us get it early, some of us don't, [01:00:41] but there is a point where it's not Mom's faith, it's not our parents' [01:00:46] faith, it's not our grandparents' faith.Curtis: And, and sometimes we lean so [01:00:51] heavily on our upbringing, and my church, and my pastor, and, and I, I have all this [01:00:56] biblical knowledge, and I memorize scripture, and, you know, I went to Christian [01:01:01] school, and I pray, and I do all these things. And when I was 12 years old, I read the Bible all the way through, [01:01:06] right?Curtis: All these things. But God's saying, "You, [01:01:11] y- I want youDarlene: YeahCurtis: Yeah[01:01:16] Darlene: I wanna know you and I want you to know me. That's whatDarlene: he wants to be in [01:01:21] relationship with us. I don't wanna hear him say, "Depart from me. I never knew you." [01:01:26] I wanna hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter inCurtis: And [01:01:31] this wasn't like a week or two or a month. You went to a year program[01:01:36] Darlene: let me tell you, Curtis. [01:01:41] So I get to Florida, Naples, Florida, and I see my mom and dad [01:01:46] and my sister. They paid for my ticket to come to Florida to get help. I'm like, "Okay, where, [01:01:51] where's rehab? Where am I going?" And they're like, "Oh, yeah, figure that out." [01:01:56] I'm like, she does an intervention, but this is the [01:02:01] craziest thing. You did an intervention and you don't have a plan [01:02:06] "You don't have a plan where to send me?" And they're like, "Well, we have options, [01:02:11] but we think you need some real healing. We've got some options that are [01:02:16] two-week options, 30-day options." They're like, "But [01:02:21] Darlene, you need help. You need more than 30 [01:02:26] days. You need healing." And what I tell everybody is that [01:02:31] The, the alcohol was a Band-Aid, [01:02:36] right? And so you can deal with the Band-Aid. In two weeks or in 30 days, we could deal with the Band-Aid. [01:02:41] But the bullet hole that that Band-Aid is covering, theDarlene: alcohol, [01:02:46] you know, and it may not be alcohol for people that are listening. It may be food. For a while, for me, it was [01:02:51] food. And then it, it could be p0rnography.Darlene: It could be [01:02:56] drugs. It could be, you know, men or women. People, people try to fill that [01:03:01] space because of that wound, but for me, it was alcohol, and it went back to those childhood [01:03:06] traumas and to believing lies that happened, that I was [01:03:11] cursed. You know, e- anybody that loves me, seems, bad things seems to happen.[01:03:16] Darlene: When, when Travis, right before Travis died, he [01:03:21] was at the trailer with me when I was a 13-year-old little girl, and he was like my little [01:03:26] brother, and he came in, and he wanted a popsicle, so I was gonna get him [01:03:31] a popsicle, but there was only one purple popsicle left, and I wanted the purple popsicle. So I was [01:03:36] like, "Ah, I'm taking the purple popsicle.Darlene: You can have the orange one." Well, nobody likes the orange ones, you know? [01:03:41] So he screamed at the top of his lungs, just like the weekend before he passed away. [01:03:46] He was screaming so loud that they came running from the front house and outside in to see [01:03:51] what was going on, and they were like, "Why are you so hateful, Darlene?Darlene: Why [01:03:56] are you so hateful?" So the enemy, because of that, I was like, [01:04:01] "The last interaction I had with him, I was hateful, so I must be hateful." [01:04:06] I believed that lie of the enemy, and so I'm, I deserve to be punished, you know? That, those [01:04:11] crazy little kid lies that I believed. And, [01:04:16] um, so yeah, uh, my sister said, "Well, [01:04:21] I have a best friend down here, and her husband runs a [01:04:26] one-year faith-based drug and alcohol recovery program [01:04:31] called St.Darlene: Matthew's House. And we think you need more than... [01:04:36] You, you need healing. You need more than two weeks. You need more than 30 days." [01:04:41] I was like, "I can't go away from... Do you know how much I've got [01:04:46] going on in my life? I've got this job, and I've got kids." Well, [01:04:51] the job will go on, right? And honestly, I was getting to the point where [01:04:56] somebody could have probably done it much better. And I've got kids. Well, [01:05:01] honestly, I wasn't being a very good mother, was I? I was being very self-centered. [01:05:06] And I'm married. I got a husband. Well, he didn't really want me in the [01:05:11] house I had a dog. She loved me a lot. [01:05:16] But, uh I said yes. And on [01:05:21] April 26th, 2018, I entered a one-year, um, drug and alcohol recovery [01:05:26] pro- never did drugs in my life, but we were all in there together.Darlene: So we had 22 women [01:05:31] in one house with three bathrooms, and everybody from all walks of [01:05:36] life, people fresh out of prison, people that were closet alcoholics, all living together. [01:05:41] And, uh, it's funny because somebody would blow up about the trash not being taken [01:05:46] out, you know? And it's like, it wasn't about the trash.Darlene: It wasn't about the trash. It was about the phone call they just [01:05:51] had. We were only allowed to have phone calls once a week. It was about the phone call they just had with their kid, and they, [01:05:56] you know, it's stirring those things up. But God did so much inner healing. [01:06:01] We weren't allowed to have any electronics, no cell phones, no internet, [01:06:06] nothing, no TV. Um, and it was just the Word of God, [01:06:11] Bible, people discipling us, mentoring us, godly women coming in alongside [01:06:16] us.Darlene: There was a woman named Pam Watson, I call her Prayer Pam, and she taught us [01:06:21] all to pray, to pray out loud, to corporate pray, to pray in our closets,Darlene: to write your prayers, [01:06:26] to use scripture in your prayers.Darlene: And that was when my true [01:06:31] intimacy with the Lord blossomedCurtis: That's so [01:06:36] good. And I've experienced, um, one of those prayer cards from your prayer closet once. [01:06:41] Freaked me out a little bit because, you know, being being a male and a female relationship thing, I'll [01:06:46] never forget one time you sent me a message and you said, "I'm..." [01:06:51] It was basically, "Just so you know, I'm for real.Curtis: Like, I'm a real prayer person. Like, I don't just [01:06:56] say it. Like, it's happening." And you took a picture of my, of your card that had my name [01:07:01] and the kids and stuff on it, and I was like, "Whoa."Darlene: Well, have you seen the [01:07:06] movie, uh, War Room?Darlene: The, there's a movie War Room, and I watched how, [01:07:11] um, in the movie War Room, she had these cards, and she would put up her prayers, [01:07:16] and then she had an answered prayer list as well so that it reminded to build her faith. And so [01:07:21] when, um, when I s- heard about your story, and Michal, and the kids, and [01:07:26] everything, that I was praying, the Lord would just, uh, put a [01:07:31] burden on my heart for your ki- for the kids and your family.Darlene: And, um, [01:07:36] so I, I wrote it out, put you guys on my prayer. I'm like, "I'm praying." I'm like, "I'm really praying." Some people say, "I willDarlene: [01:07:41] pray for you," and they never pray, you know? So I'm like, I put it on a... There were o- there were tons of [01:07:46] others, you know, in, in the prayer closet. Uh, but yeah, you were probably like, "What in the [01:07:51] world?Curtis: Yeah. Well, again, Who is this Curtis: it's that Curtis: whole, dynamic and you're-- [01:07:56] I'm a little bit shell-shocked anyways 'cause, you know, life is really weird. But,Curtis: um, but I [01:08:01] never forgot that. And then I, again, when I started this new season for the [01:08:06] podcast, you know, every day the Lord would give me a name. You know, "Hey, [01:08:11] reach out to this person."Curtis: And I was like, man, Darlene literally has [01:08:16] been praying for this family and for our ministry, um, [01:08:21] from the beginning, and I'm at least gonna reach out to her. And then I'll never [01:08:26] forget, um, Chris, the host, he t- [01:08:31] he said, "Hey, why don't you do a, um, why don't you see if your pastor will let you do a podcast," [01:08:36] um, kind of a launch service where I, where I spoke and talked about what we were doing.Curtis: [01:08:41] And my church is awesome. My pastor's awesome. And when I told him the idea, he was like, "That's awesome. You [01:08:46] know, post it on social media. We'll post it at the church and we'll have a..." And, and in [01:08:51] walks Darlene. I'll never forget, I was like, "What are you doing here?" Because I [01:08:56] did know Curtis: enough that you were in, but you were in Florida.Curtis: And so I [01:09:01] didn't know. I just remember you walked in and I was like, "What are you doing here?" [01:09:06] But that-- I, I'll never forget that. That was awesome. But [01:09:11] That transitions us into the next part of your story because you did get healing. You began to get [01:09:16] your life back on track. And then one day, you know, you're like, "I'm gonna [01:09:21] move back to Ohio."Curtis: Tell us that part, and why.Darlene: Uh, yeah. So, um, [01:09:26] I guess I did-- I failed to mention that during the one-- [01:09:31] during that alcohol rehabilitation program, I had so much healing. I came out, [01:09:36] and I thought that my husband and I would get back together, [01:09:41] and, uh, that didn't turn out the way I thought it would. And so, um, [01:09:46] he, he was done. He was completely done.Darlene: And so, [01:09:51] um, we filed dissolution paperwork, and, uh, October 31st, [01:09:56] 2019, we filled all the paperwork. It was ready to [01:10:01] hit send. And, you know, I work- used to work at a hospital, so I called my [01:10:06] ex-husband, and I said, "Okay, I don't believe in divorce, but [01:10:11] I can't live with somebody that's not willing to be married." I said, "At the hospital, they [01:10:16] do a surgical timeout." And I said, " You just do a pause, and you [01:10:21] say, 'Right patient, right procedure. Are we sure we wanna move forward with this?'" [01:10:26] So I said, "This feels like a, a surgical separation, like, uh, taking [01:10:31] two conjoined twins and separatingDarlene: them. For me, it's covenant." And then we're-- I said, "Before [01:10:36] I hit send, I wanna do, like, a surgical timeout. Are you sure? [01:10:41] Is there no doubt?" And he said, "Hit send."Darlene: Without a care in the world, "Just [01:10:46] hit send." He was done. So October 31st, 2019, I [01:10:51] hit send and then went with my church up to Israel. [01:10:56] I'd already booked the trip. And I got to Israel on the [01:11:01] Sea of Galilee, visited Capernaum, where, you know, Peter's [01:11:06] mother-in-law was. And we went out on this Jesus boat, and I looked at my phone, and I got the [01:11:11] email from my lawyer, "Your dissolution has just been signed by the judge. It's official. [01:11:16] You're officially divorced." And I was crushed, and I [01:11:21] was sad. But the presence of God, it was like the [01:11:26] veil between heaven and earth was thin. [01:11:31] Yep, Jesus took me away to his favorite place. He took me to the Sea of [01:11:36] Galilee, where he hung out with his disciples, where he calmed the storms of, [01:11:41] of life, you know, where he did so many miracles and healing. And I was so [01:11:46] grateful that he rescued me and delivered me, and he took me to his favorite place to get the [01:11:51] worst news that I wasn't wanting to hear. [01:11:56] And so, um, so yeah, he, he's there. [01:12:01] He's there. He's there. The, the presence in those hard times. [01:12:06] Michael talks about running to the hard. That's where Jesus-- he really, [01:12:11] he really is there. So what was the question that you wanted me toCurtis: Well, [01:12:16] I, yeah, I wanted you to tell that part of the story as well. But then [01:12:21] the decision to come back to Ohio. Um, and let, before we go there, ICurtis: don't, I [01:12:26] don't wanna miss this opportunity becauseCurtis: If you haven't had this [01:12:31] moment in your life, and I'm speaking to those who are listening, um, [01:12:36] Darlene's talking about the moment where we come to the realization that number [01:12:41] one, we're enough because He's enough[01:12:46] Darlene: And we're [01:12:51] chosenCurtis: Yeah, he really is enoughDarlene: And we're adopted[01:12:56] [01:13:01] Curtis: Sometimes we need reminded of thatDarlene: Yeah.[01:13:06] Curtis: [01:13:11] Ohio, of all things.Darlene: Yes. [01:13:16] So After, after the divorce, [01:13:21] after coming home from Israel, coming into 2020, said, [01:13:26] um, well, my kids were grown, in college, and [01:13:31] out in the workforce. And I said, "Well, what, what plans do [01:13:36] you have for me, Lord?" Because I wanted to see revival more than anything. I wanted to [01:13:41] see people know Him like I got to know Him, in [01:13:46] bulk, in, youDarlene: know, by the millions.Darlene: And I was like, ah, there was a missionary that [01:13:51] came to our church, and her name is Carol Ward, and she's a missionary in Africa. [01:13:56] So I thought, "I'm gonna be a missionary in Africa." I went to South Sudan and Uganda, uh, [01:14:01] spent a couple weeks there right when the world was shutting down. I got the last plane on the last [01:14:06] flight coming out of South Sudan when the world was shutting down.[01:14:11] Darlene: Um, and so I'm like, "Well," I went again the next year, went on [01:14:16] some other mission trips, and I thought, "I'll just be able to, uh, I'm Yours. Here I am, Lord, send me. I'll [01:14:21] do what... I got my real estate license." Um, just, I was [01:14:26] available to be God's hands and feet, whatever He wanted. My boss [01:14:31] from Ohio, back back from 2018, calls me out of the blue and [01:14:36] says, "Darlene, your job is open, and we'd love for you to come back."Darlene: And I'm like, [01:14:41] "No. Thank you. I live in paradise. I live in [01:14:46] Naples, Florida. Thank you very much. My kids come visit me all the time, and they're grown and doing their own thing." [01:14:51] And so she's like, "Okay, you wouldn't consider it?" "No." And [01:14:56] so then she calls me, like, two, three weeks later, and she says, "Darlene, [01:15:01] I really think you're supposed to come back and take this job."Darlene: She said, "We hired somebody. [01:15:06] Um, they were supposed to start on Monday, and [01:15:11] that girl's existing employer, like, basically doubled, made her an offer [01:15:16] she couldn't refuse to stay. So she was supposed to start on Monday," and [01:15:21] she's like, "I, I can't take the position." And it's, it's a ve- it's a niche [01:15:26] job. You haveDarlene: to be a master exercise practitioner through FEMA.Darlene: You have to ha- like, I [01:15:31] do Ebola planning and other emerging infectious diseases, uh, active shooter. If something were to [01:15:36] happen at the Ohio State University at the stadium, if there was a mass casualty incident, I wrote plans for [01:15:41] infectious disease outbreaks and those types of things, you know? Uh, so it's, it's... [01:15:46] I, I did training and then those disaster simulation exercises. Like, we would [01:15:51] pretend crash a plane at the airport, and I would, you put the makeup on all of the [01:15:56] actorsDarlene: and send the, you know, have them sent to different hospitals all throughout the, the region. And, [01:16:01] uh, we did that for about half the state of Ohio. Uh, so it was a niche job. It's not like you can say,Darlene: [01:16:06] "Hey, Joe Schmo, come andDarlene: do this." And she's like, "Uh, we want you back." And I'm [01:16:11] like, "Lord, is this You?" 'Cause I don't wanna miss it if [01:16:16] it's you. I want wherever your feet are leading, I wanna be right stepping in your [01:16:21] footprints, right? I, I wanna be so close to you that I can smell you, you know? [01:16:26] And my son was engaged to be married, my oldest son, Brendan. [01:16:31] And so he was... This was in the fall of, um, [01:16:36] '23. And, um, so I ended up taking the [01:16:41] job. And he w- he was going to get married in August of '24. [01:16:46] And so I, I took the job and moved the beginning of the year, there in [01:16:51] January of 2024. Jumped right back into it, you know, [01:16:56] okay, doing this.Darlene: Have relationship with my kids.Curtis: Which [01:17:01] is why in May you show up randomly to a church service. Because I don't, [01:17:06] I don't know this, I just know that you are from Florida. Curtis: And so, okay. Yep. So [01:17:11] I'm just, I'm I'm circling Darlene: Putting the pieces together, yeah. Well, and our [01:17:16] worship leader-- So I went to Leave a Mark Church even before I left, um, [01:17:21] and Gracie, Gr- Gracie, there's a girl named Gracie Ransome that was, uh, part, and [01:17:26] Cam, he, they were ourCurtis: I know Gracie Darlene: Yes, yes. So she-- They worked the, [01:17:31] they did, uh, Teen Night at The Loft and stuff. Yeah.Darlene: Yes. So that's how, that was kind ofDarlene: more of the [01:17:36] pieces of the Darlene: puzzle.Darlene: So she, she and I just connected as soon as I met [01:17:41] her as the new worship leaders at Leave a Mark when I came back in that January. I'm [01:17:46] like, "You know Jesus, don't you? You know him. I can tell. You've been with him. You spent time with [01:17:51] Jesus, 'cause he's just, like, his presence is all over you." And she's like, "And we went to Asbury [01:17:56] College.Darlene: We went to the re-" And you know,Darlene: you speak revival, and my, I just like, Darlene: "Yes." [01:18:01] And so she's like, "We do this thing, and it's at this place, and it's like on the second floor. It's called [01:18:06] The Loft. And we, and, and it's just worship." She said, "It's people. It's young people, but it's old people." I'm [01:18:11] like, "That's what God's gonna do.Darlene: He's gonna bring youngDarlene: people. He's gonna bring old people, and come together, and he's gonna [01:18:16] move." And she's like, "Well, come." So I went with her to--Curtis: You went to [01:18:21] The Loft?Darlene: I did. IDarlene: didDarlene: I'm like, "Those are, these are-- That, wait, [01:18:26] that's that picture." Like, "That's, this is, this must beDarlene: Michal." is [01:18:31] Michael's placeDarlene: Yes, but it was Gracie that had invited me because of Asbury College [01:18:36] Revival that, um... So anyhow, so it, [01:18:41] fast-forward to 4th of July-- Well, [01:18:46] June. June of 2024,Darlene: my boss that had offered me the job and [01:18:51] then called and offered me again, and the third time I had to say, "All right, Lord, it's just you. This is like three [01:18:56] calls." Um, she's like, "Ladies, my best friend just passed away of lung [01:19:01] cancer. Y'all get your mammograms.Darlene: Y'all up to date on your mammograms?" We're in [01:19:06] a business meeting, and she's like, "Get your mammograms." And I'm like, [01:19:11] "You know, I haven't had a mammogram in a very long time." And she's like, "Well, go get one." [01:19:16] And I was like, "I haven't even... Like I- I've just been busy with life. I haven't even [01:19:21] thought aboutDarlene: that."Darlene: And so I made the appointment. They, um, scheduled me in [01:19:26] for right before the 4th of July. I think it was like the 2nd of July or 3rd. And [01:19:31] I'm like, "Hmm, is that a lump? I think I, I think I might feel a tiny little lump. [01:19:36] Huh. I'll have to tell them about it because I heard a lot of people, if you drink too much caffeine, you might get a little [01:19:41] lump, you know?"Darlene: That's a thing. Like you just get like cysts or whatever or... [01:19:46] And so I just in- casually told the technician, "Uh, you know, I feel a [01:19:51] little something there. I'm sure it's nothing. We, we don't have a history of breast cancer with my family." [01:19:56] And she started the mammogram, and then I saw her get a [01:20:01] concerned look on her face, and I'm always looking over at the scan like, "What's she [01:20:06] seeing?"Darlene: I see two big lump, two big things, masses. I'm like, [01:20:11] "Huh. Does that look like it's from caffeine?" She's like, [01:20:16] "I... Yeah, we can't. We're gonna take a deeper look at whatever this is, though. Let, let me take you back to this [01:20:21] room."Darlene: And I'm like, "Oh, nope." And then the radiologist came in and [01:20:26] said, um, "You know, we're gonna wanna-- we, we wanna do an ultrasound. Can [01:20:31] you stay for an ultrasound?" So they got me scheduled for an emergency ultrasound, and that one [01:20:36] didn't look good either. And so they got me connected with [01:20:41] a and she ordered a biopsy and [01:20:46] I'm just like, "I'm sure it's nothing. I'm healthy." Although I was [01:20:51] starting to-- My heart was starting to race doing the tiniest little [01:20:56] things.Darlene: Like I would walk my dog just half a mile. [01:21:01] Like I would normally walk six miles, no problem, three miles, easy peasy. I just [01:21:06] walk her to the end of the stop sign and I was like, "My heart rate is 165 [01:21:11] from what is, what's going, what is going on with me? I don't... I'm not feeling [01:21:16] right." And then I got this. Could it be?Darlene: But I didn't want to tell my kids or anything.[01:21:21] Darlene: So, um, they ordered the biopsy, and I [01:21:26] could see on the screen, and they were like measuring and typing things in, and I know enough about the [01:21:31] medical fieldDarlene: to when they do things a certain way when it's concerning versus [01:21:36] not and I left out of there, and then it was the 4th of [01:21:41] July, and we had 4th of July cookout at my son's house.Darlene: And I knew all of this was going [01:21:46] on, but I was still a little bit of a fixer, so I didn't wanna worry them. I didn't tell them, didn't [01:21:51] tell anybody that I had went through all of this. Just, I was like, "If, "If, it [01:21:56] is something, I'll tell somebody, but if not, it's gonna be my little secret." And [01:22:01] so they scheduled the biopsies, the two masses, and, um, [01:22:06] when I went in to get the test results, [01:22:11] I was at work, and I have a picture of it I can send to you.Darlene: But everybody at work, I was [01:22:16] getting ready to leave. I had my purse on my arm, and everybody at work was like, "Oh my [01:22:21] goodness! Come here. Oh my goodness." In our big conference room, it was a wall of glass, and there were [01:22:26] some bushes outside. There were two deer that came right up to the glass and were [01:22:31] looking inDarlene: the conference room right when I had my purse to go see the oncologist, and it was two [01:22:36] tumors.Darlene: It was like God saying, "Okay, there's two things going on. [01:22:41] I see you. It's gonna be okay." And so I went, I got the news that it was [01:22:46] cancer. Um, and when I walked out, [01:22:51] I said, "God, how do I, how do I do this? I've built back [01:22:56] my life. My savings is really good. I have a nice [01:23:01] apartment. It's, you know, likeDarlene: I have a dog, Curtis: YeahDarlene: but [01:23:06] I'm alone. I'm single, and I have cancer. I have breast cancer, [01:23:11] and you made me leave my parents and my sister, like my [01:23:16] people that would really take care of me. I have cancer and I don't have a [01:23:21] person. I don't have my person. I don't have a husband. [01:23:26] How do I do this alone?"Curtis: HmmDarlene: And he's like, "You're not alone."[01:23:31] Curtis: YeahDarlene: You're never aloneCurtis: And he [01:23:36] brought you back He Ohio Darlene: yeah, to get [01:23:41] that mammogram,Darlene: to get the treatment at The Ohio State. Curtis: Yeah, absolutelyDarlene: At The James, where [01:23:46] MichalCurtis: Yeah. Yeah. [01:23:51] Now, you left out a big story because it's a wild story, and we gotta get it [01:23:56] in because I'm still trying to process it. Because before you find [01:24:01] out you have cancer, your friend who had bone marrow [01:24:06] cancer tanks, and you go to prayer.Darlene: Yes [01:24:11] Curtis: tell us what you prayedDarlene: Yes. [01:24:16] So I had flown back to Florida to visit family, and when I got there, [01:24:21] my friend Joyce... So if you'll remember at the very beginning, we talked about being on this, [01:24:26] on this mountainDarlene: with my missionary friend, Joyce, uh, [01:24:31] missionaries from Costa Rica, missionaries from Honduras, this team of my prayer warriors that we [01:24:36] do mission trips with. Joyce came out of remission from multiple [01:24:41] myeloma blood cancer, and it was back with a fury, fury. She had already [01:24:46] had the stem cell treatment. She had already been no evidence of disease for a couple years, [01:24:51] doing mission trips, feeding orphans, like, on this mountain and just serving, [01:24:56] serving, serving, serving, serving. And, um, she's the type of person that [01:25:01] when she was on the cancer unit for that stem cell treatment for a month, she was in there [01:25:06] for, in the hospital for that long. She looked around and saw all these people that were there for a [01:25:11] month as well, wearing the hospital gowns, and she said, "You know what? I think it [01:25:16] would make them happy if they had pretty soft pajamas."Darlene: So she sent her friend out to buy pajamas for [01:25:21] everyone on the cancer unit in the hospital. Like, she's like Michal. You know, I can just see [01:25:26] Michal, like, making people smile, thinking of other people. And [01:25:31] when I get to, when I get to Florida, I heard that she had come out of remission, and she [01:25:36] was sick again, and it was back with a vengeance.Darlene: It came back so hard, and she had [01:25:41] already battled for years and just lost her hair the first time and did this [01:25:46] crazy treatment, just painful bone marrow biopsies all the time. And [01:25:51] she said, "Darlene, I'm done I can't, [01:25:56] I can't fight this anymore. I can't go through this again. I think I'm done." And her [01:26:01] body was just skin and bones, and just they wanted to start chemo again [01:26:06] and, and do this new CAR T therapy, and her insurance wouldn't approve it 'cause [01:26:11] her husband's insurance changed, and it was just like everything was going wrong.Darlene: And, [01:26:16] and she just had given up. And her friend Melissa, we were at church in [01:26:21] Naples. Her friend Melissa scooped her up under her frail arms and ca- [01:26:26] uh, when I say she carried her to the altar, I was on the altar prayer team. She carried [01:26:31] her to the altar crying, and she's like, "Pray for her. Pray for her. She's given up.[01:26:36] Darlene: She's, she's not somebody that ever gives up, but she's given up." And this holy [01:26:41] anger rose up within me because I knew the [01:26:46] plans that God had for her. I knew that she... Like, she started this ministry on this mountain, [01:26:51] feeding these kids that were starving to death five days a week, employing the mothers to [01:26:56] cook, and these kids are not starving and dying in Honduras because of this ministry where she [01:27:01] sells furniture in Naples to fund it.Darlene: And,Darlene: and I was just like, "No." [01:27:06] So I went to battle for her. Like this, it rose up like a [01:27:11] river out of my belly, praying. And, um, [01:27:16] something, something welled up, and I heard, I heard a voice say, [01:27:21] "Greater love has no man than this, than he gives up his life for a f- for a [01:27:26] friend." And I said, "Lord, give it to me [01:27:31] I'll take it. Just let her live. [01:27:36] She-- You have plans and a purpose for her life. She's running this [01:27:41] ministry. There are children that will live on this mountain in Honduras [01:27:46] because of the work that she's doing and what you've called her to. [01:27:51] I love her. Let her live, and I will take this. And [01:27:56] I-- She didn't get healed at that very second, but, [01:28:01] um... So this was, like, right around the end of May, right [01:28:06] around that time, uh, or maybe in June, right around the time that my boss [01:28:11] said, "Ladies, get your mammograms." Right around the time that I found the [01:28:16] cancer in my body. Right around the time that I had the biopsy and the port [01:28:21] placed. Right around the time that I started chemo, she was starting her CAR T [01:28:26] experimental therapy. She got her healing, and as she, [01:28:31] as, as the, she got well, I tanked.Curtis: Hmm[01:28:36] Darlene: We, like, passed in the middle.Curtis: And by Curtis: the way, folks, [01:28:41] she's only told a few people this story Darlene: Oh, I haven't even told Joyce this. [01:28:46] I only told my sister and my mom just... I told m- I told my sisterCurtis: Well, [01:28:51] Darlene: right Curtis: out of the bagDarlene: [01:28:56] Yeah Curtis: When you told me that, I was like, "Oh my." [01:29:01] I mean, I understand your heart, but in a million years, did you [01:29:06] ever think like, "Oh my word, I've got cancer"?[01:29:11] Darlene: He did, but It was an honor [01:29:16] to see her live and come back to lifeCurtis: Yeah Darlene: and thrive. And [01:29:21] not th- I'm not saying that that'sDarlene: definitely why that happened. I'm not Darlene: putting the blame on God. I know. Darlene: prob- you'll probably [01:29:26] get emails like, Darlene: "God doesn't give cancer to Yeah Darlene: But in my [01:29:31] heart, I was willing to,Curtis: Yeah.Darlene: And then I didDarlene: get [01:29:36] cancer and, uh,Curtis: and nearly diedDarlene: and nearly died, so it was in a [01:29:41] simple treatmentCurtis: And I know you've got-- I know [01:29:46] there's a bunch of stories through the two years of cancer. [01:29:51] Um, I know even this morning before we started podcasting, we talked about, you know, last, last [01:29:56] February, um, you've had a ton of chemo. Um, [01:30:01] you had massive surgery and then a [01:30:06] whole year of chemo and then multiple surgeries, and you even [01:30:11] told me you went septic, like you, like got infection and things were bad.Curtis: [01:30:16] And, and last February, I mean, it was not looking goodDarlene: [01:30:21] Yeah. I was in the hospital for a month after my double mastectomy. [01:30:26] Um, they did-- They placed expanders and my body [01:30:31] rejected them, and then I had a hemolytic transfusion reaction from blood transfusions that [01:30:36] I received. I received plasma transfusions, iron infusions, blood transfusion. [01:30:41] I had a hemolytic... My bone marrow stopped working basically, and so they [01:30:46] put me on the trans- uh, the bone marrow transplant unit, and [01:30:51] everything was... You know, you've got hemoglobin, platelets, white [01:30:56] blood cells, red blood cells, and you get your blood report and it's like, "Well, this is [01:31:01] 13-point-something and this is, you know, 78. This is 150." Mine were all like one, [01:31:06] 0.2, 0.1, and [01:31:11] I had no immune system. Open wounds in my mouth and throat [01:31:16] from just like open wounds on my face and m- my body was just attacking [01:31:21] itself.Darlene: And, um, I went septic and, you know, they're doing rapid [01:31:26] infusions, pushing me down the hallway running t- for, uh, emergency [01:31:31] surgery. And when I, when I came out of [01:31:36] emergency surgery, my sister was on the mountain with Joyce [01:31:41] In Honduras. And I was supposed to be on that trip so I could [01:31:46] introduce her to this beautiful village of 200 children that we [01:31:51] feed every day through the ministry with my missionary friend Joyce, and my sister was [01:31:56] introducing her to it.Darlene: But I said, "Go. I want you to go." She said, "No, I wanna be there with [01:32:01] you." But she had a sniffle cold. I'm like, "I have no immune system.Darlene: You can't be on [01:32:06] this unit. Go. Go be at the place that I would-- There's no [01:32:11] place else in the world I'd rather be than on that mountain with Joyce celebrating that she just got healedDarlene: [01:32:16] of cancer for a second time in October." And so this [01:32:21] was, you know, the next spring, and she's like, "I [01:32:26] can't go there." I'm like, "You can, and you can pray with all the other missionaries and pray for [01:32:31] me." And so she did. She went to the mountain. They prayed for me. They [01:32:36] interceded. I know their prayer is powerful and fervent. [01:32:41] And then she surprised me when she felt better, and she came, and I'm like-- She-- I [01:32:46] looked...Darlene: My hands were blue and purple, and you, you know, you don't just [01:32:51] lose your hair.Darlene: It, it's not like somebody that shaves their hair like G.I.Darlene: Jane. You know, you, [01:32:56] you lose all of your hair. You lose your eyebrows. You lose your eyelashes, and, [01:33:01] um,Curtis: And by the way, can I tell people that that's your real hair Darlene: It is. [01:33:06] It is. So we prayed that it would come back better, come back better, [01:33:11] and it is twice as thick as it ever was before.Darlene: [01:33:16] GodDarlene: restored better. He did. It was, it was kinda long [01:33:21] and stringy, stringier before, butCurtis: So I have to confess, um, [01:33:26] when you first got cancer, it was triggering 'cause I'm like, "Seriously, Lord? I don't, [01:33:31] I don't get this. Like I don't, I don't understand." Like these are ... This is one of our prayer people. Like [01:33:36] this, this person's praying for us. And, and I remember beginning to, to pray for [01:33:41] you. But you're, you're so open.Curtis: You like post everything. Like you don't hold back. [01:33:46] And, and you would post these, these pictures and I'm like, "She looks [01:33:51] terrible." Like I ... It was a little bit triggering. I was just like, "Oh my goodness." Like, [01:33:56] "Lord, you gotta be kidding me. Like this is rough stuff." And so, you know, that's just, that's who you are.Curtis: You're [01:34:01] gonna be just wide open. You were right when you said you're, it's either zero or 100. You're just [01:34:06] like all in.Darlene: JaDarlene: ja But over the last two years, you know, you've kept up [01:34:11] and you've posted and you've let people see your progress. And so, um [01:34:16] Super proud of you. Um[01:34:21] Curtis: God is... Man, I know somebody, [01:34:26] I know somebody is gonna watch this and go, "Yeah, but what about Michal?"[01:34:31] Curtis: And [01:34:36] And I wanna be able to say [01:34:41] That God is faithful no matter what the outcome. [01:34:46] And he's not done with you. Like [01:34:51] there's, there's work to be done, and you are not off the [01:34:56] hook.Darlene: No. No[01:35:01] Curtis: But I get to continue the work for MichaelDarlene: [01:35:06] Yes[01:35:11] Curtis: Yeah Darlene: And Michal [01:35:16] inspired me to suffer well. [01:35:21] Seeing you share your precious wife online and be [01:35:26] vulnerable made me fall in love with this beautiful woman. [01:35:31] I, I wish I could have been her friend, you know? But I, I saw [01:35:36] the light that she was, even in the midst of her suffering, how she [01:35:41] was thinking of other people, how she was so kind and friendly to all the [01:35:46] nurses, and they all... All the care team just loved coming to her room because they [01:35:51] felt the presence of God in her room. And I said, when I went through what I [01:35:56] went through, I wanted to do that as well. She [01:36:01] set an example for how to, how to suffer well, how to run to that hard, [01:36:06] look for Jesus there, not throw a pity party.Darlene: I c- I could sit with it for a [01:36:11] second, feel sorry for myself for a minute, but then, you know, allow myself to [01:36:16] say, "Yeah, this, this is notDarlene: This hurts. This is... Like things are coming out of [01:36:21] all ends, and bleeding where it shouldn't bleed. Like things are just bad." [01:36:26] But to say, "Okay, there's other people that this is [01:36:31] impacting, and how can I love them well?"Darlene: Just like my friend Joyce, buying pajamas[01:36:36] Darlene: for the people on her unit, you know, and looking for God [01:36:41] in all areas.Darlene: And I forgot to tell you, so my sister finally came to the hospital [01:36:46] after coming off the mountain. My sister's best friends with Jesus. She just [01:36:51] She's a more prayer warrior than I am. And I said, "Okay, Bobby, I, I [01:36:56] need to tell you something, not told anybody. You're the first one. And, and [01:37:01] if, if I don't make it, I win.Darlene: I get to go be with Jesus." You know? And, and [01:37:06] she's like, "Okay, but that's not the outcome that, that we're believing for." And I'm like, "I have [01:37:11] to tell you, when, when, um, Melissa carried Joyce to the altar, I asked God [01:37:16] to give it to me. And I heard, I heard him say, 'Greater love has no man than this than he that [01:37:21] lays down his life for a friend.'Darlene: And I got cancer right after that. So I am okay. [01:37:26] Even if, just like Daniel 3:18, our God is able to deliver us from the fiery [01:37:31] furnace, but even if it doesn't, we will not bow, and we will give him glory, right?" [01:37:36] And she looked at me, and she said, "Jesus paid the price. [01:37:41] He laid down his life so we don't have to." And I said, [01:37:46] "Oh, I think I missed that one I think I got [01:37:51] that one wrong. She's like, "You come in agreement with me and out of agreement with that that [01:37:56] statement that you're gonna die of cancer." And I'm like, "Oh, I think I missed [01:38:01] that one. I think I did. Okay, I come in agreement with you [01:38:06] Sometimes I don't. Sometimes my tuner [01:38:11] is not so great when I'm listening to the Lord, like the old-fashioned radios. I'm like, [01:38:16] "Brr." It's a little fuzzy. I need to spend more, more time in the secret place. It's a little, [01:38:21] comes in a little fuzzy.Curtis: Oh Darlene: But He has patience with me, and He created [01:38:26] me this way, and He loves me.Darlene: And I just wanna share hope with people. So not hope in the [01:38:31] outcome,Curtis: YeahDarlene: hope in the one who writes our story and that we will be with for [01:38:36] eternityCurtis: So what's a [01:38:41] message? I mean, when I interview you and we were going through all of these [01:38:46] stories, uh, you know, my, my brain was hurting a little bit 'cause I'm like, "I don't know where, [01:38:51] where to go and where to land," but we're just gonna, we're just gonna tackle it all. But as we've walked [01:38:56] through this, um, how's the Lord, [01:39:01] how's the Lord prompting you?Curtis: What's the message to somebody listening today?Darlene: My [01:39:06] message is for the one who feels lonely, who feels alone, who feels [01:39:11] like God doesn't see them, who [01:39:16] May ha- may be going through something or have gone through something and [01:39:21] it's impacting their finances. Somebody that feels unseen by [01:39:26] God, He is the God who sees you,Curtis: Mm.Darlene: and that [01:39:31] you can tune in to His voice.Darlene: That get into His word, [01:39:36] spend some quiet time alone with Him, and be honest with Him. You don't need to do [01:39:41] this thee thou, the, the religious... Be honest with Him. [01:39:46] Tell Him the deepest things that you even feel about Him in the midst of this [01:39:51] situation. It's not fair. I don't like it. You read through the Psalms, [01:39:56] and David did that, right? David poured out his heart. He was like, "Mwah. [01:40:01] ThisDarlene: is awful." And yet, and then I remember, great is your [01:40:06] faithfulness.Darlene: Great is your faithfulness, Lord. So get connected [01:40:11] to somebody to be your prayer covering when [01:40:16] you are so weak you can't even make it to the altar, that you have a friend [01:40:21] that can lift you andDarlene: carry you, that you are seen by the creator of the [01:40:26] universe.Darlene: He's written your story. If you were to open any book, [01:40:31] you know, if you just look at one chapter, it may be really bad, but He s- He's [01:40:36] faithful. He's faithful time and time again. He's faithful. Even ifDarlene: [01:40:41] He's able to deliver you from financial problems, relational problems, [01:40:46] um, you know, changing careers, whatever it is, [01:40:51] divorce, alcoholism, a child that's gone astray. [01:40:56] No matter the circumstances, He is faithful, He is true, and He is... [01:41:01] can be your best friend if you let Him.Darlene: He's standing thereDarlene: saying, [01:41:06] "Follow me. Pick up your mat. Come to MeCurtis: Yeah. That's good. [01:41:11] I told you that, um, Sunday, uh, I've got a great Sunday school teacher. [01:41:16] Uh, Phil Tipton is just, number one, he's just a wealth of biblical [01:41:21] knowledge. But, um, he took us through a lesson on fear [01:41:26] and anxiety, and I remember Sunday I was like... Uh, and he gave us four [01:41:31] pages of scripture. It's just Curtis: amazing.Curtis: And I remember I was like, "Oh, my word. I've got a [01:41:36] message with Darlene this week," and I'm like, "This is good." And so I'm... [01:41:41] He's, he's giving the lesson, and I'm writing notes, and I'm underlining and picking out my favorite verses for [01:41:46] today. And, and, um, I went back last night and was look at this, and, um, [01:41:51] oh man, this is good.Curtis: Psalms 86:11, "Teach me [01:41:56] your way, O Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness." [01:42:01] And this is the word that came to me when we were getting ready for this. It said, [01:42:06] "Give me an undivided heart."Darlene: Umm[01:42:11] [01:42:16] Curtis: All in. That's the word that came to me. All in. [01:42:21] Un-Curtis: you know, we become, uh, we, you know, we, we told stories today of a Darlene: And [01:42:26] Michal was all in. Michal was all in. Curtis: YeahDarlene: Michal was all in[01:42:31] Curtis: Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and [01:42:36] courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged," phew, [01:42:41] "for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."Darlene: [01:42:46] Right. YesCurtis: Psalm 46, "God is my [01:42:51] refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. [01:42:56] we will not fear."Darlene: We will not fear. Amen[01:43:01] Curtis: Psalm 91, "Whoever Curtis: dwells in this sh- Curtis: Is it?Darlene: Secret place of the Most [01:43:06] High willDarlene: abide in the shadow of the Almighty Curtis: Mm. [01:43:11] Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the sh- shadow of the Almighty. I will say of [01:43:16] the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" [01:43:21] Psalms 145, "He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. He hears [01:43:26] their cry, and He saves them."Darlene: Yes. [01:43:31] He does.Darlene: He's our message to the worldDarlene: That's our message.[01:43:36] Darlene: Our God is not like other gods. There are no other gods.Curtis: NopeDarlene: [01:43:41] He reaches down. I told him the other day, "I can only reach this far. This arm doesn't [01:43:46] work perfect." I'm like, "I can praise you like this," but I'm like, "You're gonna [01:43:51] have to reach the rest of the way." And he does.Darlene: He doesn't expect me to get on a ladder and [01:43:56] reach him. He reaches usCurtis: Yeah. Well, I [01:44:01] am forever grateful for your prayers, for the prayers of your friends, for the, [01:44:06] for the amazing friendship that Michal had with one of your friends that [01:44:11] made this connection, and, um, thank you for your encouragement. [01:44:16] And, um, we have a tradition on the podcast. Um, [01:44:21] sometimes I will pray us out, but I'm gonna ask you to pray [01:44:26] us out becauseDarlene: w- I will, but I've got one question.Curtis: Okay.Darlene: So [01:44:31] you asked for me to prepare a question and, and [01:44:36] you said you, you ask other guests, "Prepare a question that you don't know is coming and don't tell you."[01:44:41] Curtis: I thought we could get away without Darlene: No. Ha, you've got me on the hot seat. You're getting the [01:44:46] question that you don't know is coming. Okay. day [01:44:51] ever with Michal.Darlene: Share with us. manDarlene: ' Cause we love [01:44:56] her, and we love hearing stories about her, and that's why people tune [01:45:01] into this podcast, is to hear how special she [01:45:06] was,Darlene: the impact that she's still having. Best day story? Darlene: that, uh, [01:45:11] whatever comes to mindCurtis: Oh, I've got a hilarious story. It was... [01:45:16] Oh my goodness[01:45:21] Darlene: I like putting you on the spot. No, I'm not the only one on the [01:45:26] spotCurtis: Well, I've got a couple. I mean, 'cause she was so funny [01:45:31] and fun. Um, sometimes inappropriate, but she was so much fun. [01:45:36] And so, you know, people are always like, "What do you miss the most about [01:45:41] your wife?" And I'm like, well, yeah, she was deep, she was authentic, she could take you ... [01:45:46] I mean, she really was ... She could pull stuff out of you that [01:45:51] nobody else could.Curtis: I mean, that was just her gift. And, uh, she would make best friends everywhere [01:45:56] she went. It took five minutes and she could get somebody's whole life story.Curtis: but but the [01:46:01] funnest thing ... I mean, there's a lot of them. All right, here's one. [01:46:06] So we're, we are just married, [01:46:11] and we're moving and we're trying to make everything work [01:46:16] between getting our home settled and our cars.Curtis: And I remember we're [01:46:21] over at her house kind of packing things up and I said, "Hey, when's the last time you got an oil change?" And she's [01:46:26] like, "Oh, yeah, I'm, I'm probably way behind." I said, "So, [01:46:31] soCurtis: Ella," Curtis: so Ella and her are in her van, and I'm in my [01:46:36] truck, and I'm like, "Well, great. Let's just all go together and we'll go over and get our oil changed."[01:46:41] Curtis: I mean, you couldn't have set this up any better, but we, we literally, we pull [01:46:46] in at the same time into two separate bays beside each other. [01:46:51] And I'm like, oh, this is perfect. We're gonna be in and out of here, no problem, not a big deal. And I look [01:46:56] over and they're just cackling. They're just having a great time and, and I'm not paying no attention of it 'cause [01:47:01] they'reCurtis: That's just who she is. Next thing I know,[01:47:06] Curtis: the technician comes over to my window and he goes, [01:47:11] "Um, sir, this, sir, this is a little bit weird, but the woman next [01:47:16] to, next to you wants to know if you're single."[01:47:21] [01:47:26] Darlene: Shh, shh. And you're married to her at this time, right?Curtis: Yeah. And [01:47:31] I'm like, "What is she doing?" And he goes, and then he proceeds to say, [01:47:36] "She thinks you're kinda cute."[01:47:41] Curtis: I'm like, "What are you [01:47:46] doing?" And so, and so I'm like, [01:47:51] I'm like, "Well, not, not really, [01:47:56] but, you know, you can go, you can go tell her that I think she's kinda cute too." [01:48:01] And he does. He walks back over to [01:48:06] her window and has this carrot cat conversation with her. And, [01:48:11] and I'm like, "Oh my goodness." And then he walks over, and then he walks over to the front [01:48:16] of her van, and he's telling the other guys in the garage.Curtis: He's like, "This [01:48:21] woman's hitting on this guy over here." And I'm looking over. So then I'm like, "Okay, I'm [01:48:26] in now," 'cause now I know what's going on, and, like, she's trying to pull off... So I roll my window down [01:48:31] and I start flirting with her.Darlene: Oh we're, we're, we're having [01:48:36] this conversation. Darlene: Nobody Darlene: like her.Darlene: There's nobody like her [01:48:41] she's nuts.Curtis: And so then, [01:48:46] so then he comes over, and apparently they finished my truck [01:48:51] first, and, uh, he says, "That'll be," whatever, "79.90 and 8.98." And I [01:48:56] give him my, my debit card, and I'm like, "Hey, by the way, go ahead and pay for hers too." And he was [01:49:01] like, "Are you serious? That's like $100." And I was like, [01:49:06] "No, it's okay. I'll just pay for it."Curtis: And he was like, "Are you, are you sure?" And [01:49:11] so[01:49:16] Curtis: And so he takes my debit card and goes over to her [01:49:21] window and says, "The guy next door says he wants to pay for your oil [01:49:26] change." And so he comes back. He... Oh, and it gets [01:49:31] better. He comes back with my debit card and he says, "Oh, by the way, she wants to know if [01:49:36] she can have your phone number, too. Can you write it down for me?"[01:49:41] Curtis: She [01:49:46] was nuts. nuts.Curtis: Can you imagine what... I, [01:49:51] I don't know if those guys caught on, but can you imagine the conversations after we [01:49:56] left? Like nuts. Yeah, that was, [01:50:01] that was, a day in the life of Michal. She just made everything better. She just made everything [01:50:06] fun. Yeah, it wasDarlene: And that's what we saw online.Darlene: That's who we fell in love with, [01:50:11] Curtis: That Darlene: life. Yeah, Curtis: Yeah, [01:50:16] it was Curtis: nuts that? Nobody does that. That's amazingCurtis: [01:50:21] Oh my goodness. Yeah, and it took me a while because I'm, I'm a little bit... [01:50:26] I'm, I can be fun, but I'm nothing like that. I'm a little bit reserved, and so to be [01:50:31] married to that in public, like you just never knew what was gonna happen.[01:50:36] Curtis: Oh my [01:50:41] goodness. Darlene: Well, I think we're gonna end in prayerCurtis: Yeah.[01:50:46] Curtis: Pray Curtis: for those listening. Um, [01:50:51] I, I've, a- as we've been talking this whole time, I've been thinking about, I've been thinking about the [01:50:56] person whose, um, identity is tied to something else or someone [01:51:01] else.Darlene: Mm-hmm.Darlene: YeahDarlene: Yeah [01:51:06] Heavenly Father, you're a good, good father. I [01:51:11] thank you that you are the God who sees us, and you know us better than anybody. [01:51:16] I thank you that you are near to the brokenhearted, and you bind up our [01:51:21] wounds. Lord, that you've adopted us into your family, and we can cry [01:51:26] out to you, Abba Father. That's Daddy. You are our daddy.Darlene: [01:51:31] And Lord, I lift up, um, Curtis and the children, Lord, [01:51:36] Michal's extended family as well. Lord, I ask that you would continue [01:51:41] to heal them, comfort them, bring to mind these sweet [01:51:46] memories, like the best day that Curtis just explained to us, Lord. That those will [01:51:51] be ever present and, and fresh in their mind about how wonderful [01:51:56] Michal is.Darlene: And she's, she's, um, she's with Jesus [01:52:01] exactly where she loves to be, Lord. And I thank you, Father, that, um, [01:52:06] you are with each of us, Lord, that you are present, and that, um, for [01:52:11] those that are relying on someone or something to [01:52:16] fulfill them, Lord, I pray that you will turn y- their eyes [01:52:21] to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. Lord, I [01:52:26] thank you that you can be our best friend, that you can be our provider, that you can be [01:52:31] our protector, that you can be our ever-present help in times of danger. I thank you, [01:52:36] Lord God, that you can open our eyes to see that there are more with us than are with [01:52:41] the enemy, Lord. Heavenly Father, I thank you that, um, sometimes we don't [01:52:46] see your hand at work, but you hide us in the cleft of the rock, and you pass by, and we see [01:52:51] your glory when we look back to your backside, Lord. We look back at a- all the [01:52:56] times that you were there, Lord, that you were comforting, [01:53:01] Lord, that you were providing, Lord, just a stranger [01:53:06] sending a check out of the, their heart being stirred and providing, Lord. There are people that are [01:53:11] listening that aren't sure where the rent money or the mortgage money are gonna come [01:53:16] from, Lord, and I pray that you will, um, just stir up people with generosity [01:53:21] to, uh, have eyes to see them and provide for them, and that you will be the one that [01:53:26] receives the glory for that, Lord God. I thank you, Father, for this podcast. I thank you for [01:53:31] everyone that's listening. Lord, um, may something that has been [01:53:36] said today, Lord, have come straight from your throne room to their heart in exactly the right time that [01:53:41] they needed it. We love you, God. We praise you. There is no other God that's worthy [01:53:46] of praise besides you, and we get to spend eternity withDarlene: you.Darlene: I'm so grateful. [01:53:51] God bless Curtis and this podcast as we run to the heart. In Jesus' name, [01:53:56] amenCurtis: Thank youDarlene: Thank [01:54:01] you [01:54:06] [01:54:11] [01:54:16] [01:54:21] [01:54:26]

Displaying 20261029 - Darlene.mp4.

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