October 30, 2023 • 37 mins
Picture a woman, a mother, facing the harsh winds of adversity head on. Now, meet Elizabeth Stewart- Williams, our guest for today, who made it through some of life's toughest storms with a heart full of hope and a spirit echoing resilience. Her journey spans from being a survivor of abuse to an independent woman, and her story will remind you that sometimes, the darkest hours bring forth the brightest light.
Elizabeth will pull you into her journey. She was like any other mother, cherishing her daughter's first word, but also battling the harsh reality of physical abuse. She was the woman who found the courage. A woman who was determined to handle the situation herself without external intervention. Hear from her about how she navigated the trials of motherhood while dealing with abuse.
But that's not all.. The heart-wrenching moment when she discovered her husband's betrayal, and how she found solace in her faith and her sister's love, will leave you awestruck. So, join us as we explore Elizabeth's story, which is not just a tale of heartache and resilience but a beacon of hope, an inspiration for anyone facing adversity, and a testament to the power of faith. Don't miss it!
You can support the show by donating in 3 ways:
Plan of Salvation:
- Hear: Romans 10:17
- Believe: Hebrews 11:6
- Repent: Acts 17:30-31
- Confess: Matthew 10:32
- Be Baptized: Mark 16:15-16
- Be faithful unto death: Revelation 2:10
Contact Information:
Elizabeth Stewart-Williams, MDR
Website: www.iamprose.org
Email: elizabeth@iamprose.org
Phone: 713.820.6833/ 469.390.9024
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And she knew the young lady he was messing with,
who was very young, and she waslike he comes in here.
She was like I'll make sure,because she was.
It was almost like she wasposing as me, so I was like,
(00:20):
just just in a, in a whirlwind,Welcome to the Call by God
podcast with Adne Godin andmyself, nixon Sylvain.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
This show is about dialogues of biblical characters
and testimonies of Christianswho submitted to the will of God
.
Each week, we bring on oneguest so that they can share
their story of how they werecalled by God.
I hope this show inspires you.
Enjoy Hello world.
Welcome to another week ofElizabeth Stewart Williams
(00:54):
testimony.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Be blessed.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I will.
There were times where I willwake up and just be like sad
that I woke my eyes up, you know.
And so so it was church, it wasmy mother coming, those were
the pieces of hope.
And then, honestly, it was myson.
So my son would he?
(01:25):
There were certain times wherehe would just grab my face and
he would just kiss me and I'm,I'm like, it was almost like an
awakening, like.
And then it was like OK, we'regoing to make it today, me, you
go make it today.
And those were the savinggraces.
And then I would, I willliterally in my closet, just I
(01:46):
will lay and pray.
When I would lay and pray, hewould, he will bring his toys in
there and close the door andwould sit with me, like, and to
me that was nobody but God,because that was like a.
And then like, and then I'mpregnant at the same time.
So this was not I mean, it wasalmost like I would.
(02:08):
I would say, hey, you got toshake this, because who's inside
of you is going to take on thatnature?
Like you got it, you got to sayit was very, very, very, very
difficult, but those were thepieces.
And then the gift of song, thegift of of I mean I listen on
(02:28):
repeat spiritual all day long.
Now I will say what brought mejoy and this is what I learned,
I had to learn and what has beena blessing even thus far.
I found a show that I justenjoy.
So I, you know, my family,we're all singers and so during
(02:49):
that timeframe, was making aband, did he's making a band?
And it was the first, it waslike the first season that he
like really came out and I usedto laugh so hard or would bring
me joy, or the note, like it was.
Just it was something aboutthat show that it was like oh,
(03:15):
I'm going to laugh today.
And then I was able to identifyOK, there are things that that
bring me joy, no matter what mayhave been said or how I'm
looked or how I'm seen, like joy.
And so what I did was day today.
That's what I held on to day today.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, I think you, you know.
Thank you again for sharingthat, because I know most people
sometimes when they go throughstuff, especially in the body,
they run from God, like we'renot taught, like I mean, it's
easier to say when you gothrough your storm, come to
church, listen to a word, fellas.
It's easier said than done thatstuff is hard.
It's more so easier for women.
(03:57):
I know when men go throughstuff.
Oh man, we put up walls, it's awrap, nobody talking to us,
nobody in penetrating throughour heart.
So I thank you again forsharing that.
You know, hopefully you'llbless somebody.
So moving, moving forward.
Baby number two, because I knowyou had a second child.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So baby number two came.
That was actually a saving.
She was she and to date shesays it.
She was just like I was.
I was your depressed baby I was.
I was your, I was your.
I cluddled her.
Oh, she, she would.
(04:36):
Her first word was mama.
That's how much she.
She gave me such life.
She was like she was rightthere.
Now she almost always tell itis like both of my kids.
I made fun because I'm likey'all messed up mama's award
winning shape Before.
Y'all used to make themapologize.
(04:56):
Like mama, we sorry that wemessed up your award winning
shape and I'm like you was worthit.
But I let them know likesacrifices were done.
But she, I breastfed her.
She wouldn't take a bottle, soshe, I couldn't just leave her.
She refused to take a bottle,so she was like she was here.
(05:19):
If you saw me, you saw her andshe was like I called her.
She was so fat she was.
I gave her as much milk as shewas.
She was so fat and she was aalmost like just a blessing in
(05:39):
the sense of pure joy for me.
And it was during thistimeframe, so I had her.
This is when I started findingout that my ex was kind of
dipping with others, cause mything was like everybody kept
telling me you can't leave himunless he's cheated, unless you
(06:02):
call him cheated, you can'tleave right.
And so it was like there werecertain things that were
happening I'll never forget.
One night I actually caught himtalking to his ex this is how
old I am through the my space,and so he got that's old, I know
(06:23):
right.
He got really mad and this iswhen the physical started back
up.
So with my situation, there'ssome people that have physical
all the way through.
So we had the physicalinitially and, like I say, I can
fight.
But he waited like three tofour days.
After I had my daughter, I hadmy stitches in and I found out
(06:51):
he was talking with her.
He was nobody but God, andduring this timeframe I taught
myself so he would come at meabout working at different
things like that.
But the reason why I was likeI'm not going to work is because
you're gonna live off of me, Iwon't see my kids, I'm working
(07:11):
to death and then you'll beliving the best life without,
without.
And I was like, no, I'm notdoing it right.
I look back on, maybe I couldhave did it a bit different, but
I was like no.
So when I had her, I had a plan.
But that's when I found out hewas talking with her and this is
(07:33):
when the, the, the violence,began to increase.
So when he found out, when I'mlooking at he's talking in my
head, I'm like, if you talkingto a, you cheating, that's it on
my end.
That's how I looked at it.
He came in and I went back intothe bedroom because I'm like,
(07:53):
okay, he came in and took the.
We had a bassinet.
He took the bassinet and threwit against the wall.
The blessed part is she wasn'tin it, she was in the bed with
me and so that's, you know,threats come in, he's going off
(08:15):
or whatever.
But in my head I'm like, okay,like that, that was that was a
start of it Of him like, okay,you cheating.
So then the next day we got intoit.
We got into it again becauseI'm like, okay, let's talk,
(08:36):
let's talk about this thing.
And he didn't want to talkabout it and I'm like, dude,
like I got, I have evidencewhich I didn't need evidence.
I'll get into that later but Ididn't need evidence because God
had already revealed.
God revealed that.
But I'm like, let's talk.
(08:59):
And he would like.
He just refused to talk to me.
So I unplugged his game andthat's when he jumped up and he
came close and I kicked him likeyou too close to me Now, I
still got stitches and he came.
He came close.
I was like, okay, like I'm thatone, and we went round toe to
(09:27):
toe.
We ended up putting a huge bigwall, like a big hole in the
wall.
He hit me so like and I'm likea cat, like I got on, like we
were going at it Stitches cameout, like it is what it is my
wig, my wig flew off Like it wasreal right, and so by this time
(09:55):
.
So I'm just like, okay, likethis is it.
And I literally passed out.
I was on the floor, I passedout for a timeframe, so I
believe he felt it.
The next thing he does is hecalls my daddy.
He calls my daddy over Now.
He doesn't tell my daddy thathe hit me.
He poses it that I hit him.
(10:19):
Now my daddy is prone tobelieve it because normally,
like I am that, like I have, Iam that one.
And again, this is what blackwomen do.
We're not gonna reveal.
So my dad is just like.
He's agreed to go to counseling.
He's done this he done.
(10:41):
But my daddy didn't know thefull story and that was on my
end.
I didn't provide it.
But the reason why I didn'tprovide it is again you don't
put your business out there likethat.
You handle this internally.
This is what we're taught and Iwas one that held true to that
right.
So I'm livid because not onlydid he call my dad, he called.
(11:04):
So he called my support system.
This is the same support systemyou were moving away from.
This is the same one where you,you know, you was like, oh, you
can't be around them, this isthe same.
But he called them.
So I ended up.
He agreed to go to counseling.
He agreed to do all of theseother things.
My dad was like because I toldmy dad, I'm ready to go, I give
(11:29):
what y'all saying, I give whaty'all is saying, but I'm ready,
I'm ready to go.
And so he went to counseling.
He did a complete 180.
He went to counseling.
He was like we're not gonnamove anymore, but I did find
this house.
He went to church, we wentscheduled a whole.
(11:55):
So this is going on for a wholeyear and a half right.
Right Moved into a 5,000 squarefoot home.
Great had great equity in it.
I actually agreed with the movebecause I was like, okay, great
schools.
He's like we can just move here.
This was the first time thatwhen I signed, at least
(12:17):
everybody wasn't around meclapping.
I could ask questions.
We're going to church everyweek.
It looked like a complete 180,right, as soon as we moved into
that house he reverted back andthen he started just being gone.
(12:43):
So something in me said, hey,go get.
And before that timeframe mysister actually had came to
visit me because she had sawwhat I was going through and she
saw a bit of the change.
But she looked at me and shesaid it's okay, you don't have
(13:05):
to just stay in this place.
And because I was still comingout of a dark place and that was
the other element, it was mymom and my sister.
My sister said you don't haveto stay in this place.
God gives leeway for separation, that you don't have to
continue on.
So her sounding voice and thenmy mom, that's what sustained me
(13:33):
.
But this complete 180 was ashock.
But they weren't.
I don't believe they werefooled.
But I was in this place of hope,because now I got two kids by
him.
I don't wanna be statistic, I'ma preacher's child for a
preacher's child.
So all of these things aregoing in my head and if he's
(13:56):
willing to go to counseling,we're going to church, like I'm
just gonna put this work in, butit was all the front.
So we get up into this houseand he's like barely there.
So something in me was like,hey, you need to get your own.
So I ran and I got my own carwithout his name on it.
(14:19):
And then I ran and I said youneed to get you.
Like the Holy Spirit wasleading and I was listening,
Like you need to just go aheadand get your, get you a job, go
ahead and go back part-time.
And by this time so, baby girl,she wasn't even completely one
(14:42):
yet.
And I got a position with thestate.
I got a position with ChildProtective Services as a legal
worker and so and it wasflexible.
So I was like, okay, I'm gonnado that.
So he was actually excited thatI did that.
(15:03):
And then he began to really runthe streets and what was a major
indicator that?
So my sister really saw mysister had got married that year
and they stayed at our housethat we just moved into and she
(15:24):
saw how he was responding andacting and she knew something
wasn't right, like somethingwasn't up and I'm sitting here
like I have the kids, I'm doingeverything, and she's just
looking like something isn'tright and he was flirting with
all her bridesmaids, so she'slooking like something isn't
right with that.
So then what?
(15:47):
He stopped really coming homethe way he was supposed to come
home.
I knew his schedule, I knew howto call in and find out where
he was.
So he wasn't truthful about.
He would say, hey, I have aturnaround, I'm not able to come
home.
But I already knew that thatwasn't the case.
So here it is.
(16:07):
So I'm going to church by myselfwith two toddlers.
I was sitting there like, andin me, this is so.
This is the first time wheresomeone walked up to me and said
hey, how are you doing?
You know, at church they werelike how are you doing?
And I looked at them because Iwas like I was about to lie,
(16:29):
because this is what we do.
Oh, I'm great, I'm great,straight lie.
I was like I'm not lying, I'mnot lying anymore.
What's going to happen is I'mhorrible and I think my husband
and she know me and the shockfactor, the shock look, oh oh,
(16:53):
that brother and sister face whoasked me how I was doing.
They were so uncomfortable butit was so freeing for me because
I was like I'm going to tellthe truth in this place that is
supposed to help me and connectme with Christ, who is who and
and and who is a comfort, likethis place is the place that is
(17:17):
supposed to pray for me and andand bring me to a space where I
know everything is OK.
This is a place.
So I got to the point where Iwas like I'm not lying, like it
was so freeing and I was likeand so the deacon wife, the one
who used to help me with my sonin the back, she overheard me
(17:41):
and she pulled me to the sideand she looked.
She said baby.
She said now you're about to gothrough something.
She said don't let the healthDon't, let, don't let him bring
you down mentally and health,you stay close to God and he's
going to pull you through.
(18:01):
She pointed at her husband.
She said this is my secondhusband.
I was in a very abusiverelationship and he was there
for me.
She said you're about to gothrough it.
I didn't even know what she wasreally talking about at the
time.
But she said you, any questions, you come back and you, you
(18:23):
talk to me.
She's like I love you and I'mhere for you.
And I was like I said I didn'tknow it, but this is how God is.
God will place people in yourpath to give you forewarning and
give you some type of peace andcomfort when you're authentic
(18:46):
about where you are in yourworld, in your life, and so so
I'm like I'm looking at her andI'm like, okay, go home the next
day.
So I had not seen, I had notseen my ex in like two, three
weeks.
(19:07):
So I'm like, okay, well, I'mgonna go pick up the kids.
So I text them.
So he was telling me he wascoming.
He actually texts me that daythat he was coming home.
Now this is what.
Seven, seven either, seven daysafter our anniversary, we at
(19:27):
that this time we've beenmarried eight years.
Seven years after ouranniversary, I went picked up my
kids from the daycare.
So I had a full day at workpick my kids up.
So it's about three, three orfour o'clock on a Friday.
I get a text.
So I'm texting him say hey,what's coming you home, I'm
(19:50):
cooking, right.
I get a text from him that saysyou've been a good wife.
I have to do me.
I'll be back in two years, Ineed you to hold it down.
And so I'm looking at him, likeI'm looking at my, my phone,
(20:11):
like full of it, like boy, stop,yeah, what time will you be
here?
And he said the lights, the gas, the water, all will be off.
You got to get that.
You got to get that.
You got to get that in yourname.
And so I'm looking like whatit's for?
(20:32):
So it's closer to like five andI'm texting and calling, then
pick up, so it's closer to likefive o'clock.
And this is during.
This is like this is likeJanuary.
So it's cold, it's cold and itgets dark quicker.
It hits about five o'clock.
(20:53):
Everything comes off the lights, the water, to get everything
comes off.
I'm sitting there like I saidwhat now?
In order for us to get thishouse.
What I didn't tell you is, eventhough I didn't work, I, even
though I didn't work at aregular job, I am somewhat of I
(21:19):
Wouldn't say so much a techie,but I like tech.
So my brother, my older brother, is a computer engineer, and so
that kind of has rubbed off onme.
So I, while I was pregnant eventhough I was going through all
of that was going through Itaught myself how to do websites
.
I Talked myself.
I was one of the first to buy,before Bitcoin was really
(21:44):
Bitcoin.
I they had something else thatwas called.
It was one of the first tokens,right, and I actually had like
ten of these tokens thatconverted Into big Bitcoin later
, but I didn't keep those tokens.
I actually had gave them tosomeone who bought pizza for me
(22:08):
because we didn't have any food,and so I mean I regret it now,
but I'm, I am like, so I, I liketo read about what's happening
in tech and the movement of it,and so I became what's called a
jumella expert.
It was one of the first contentmanagement systems.
So I thought myself all of this.
(22:29):
I even I was trying to connectwith him so bad.
I even Created an online carshow because he was into cars.
So I taught myself a lot.
And then, at the same time, IWould take and I would any
monies that I made.
I would kind of put up, allright, and I would put away, but
(22:54):
we I mean, we didn't have thatwas just for, like, a rainy day.
So what ended up happening is IEnded up out and through the
house, was able to Secure enoughmoney to where we did not have
to worry about.
When we got this house, I waslike this is the house my
(23:15):
children are gonna grow up in.
I agree with it, had all thisequity in it.
And I was like, okay, lord, wehad come to an agreement, we are
work things out.
We went to the Bahamas for youknow, this is before he was
leaving and we had taken moneyand I take, I took my money, I
(23:36):
put into this account.
We don't touch this account,this account is for rent.
And so by January, when he saideverything will be off, we were
with Wacovia.
I'm looking at my text.
My text is showing in theaccount zero, zero, zero.
(23:58):
I said what in the world?
So we went from what you wouldconsider, or what I would
consider, pretty well off tolike Nothing, that I did have, a
small amount that I had setaside because I'm not dumb, but
we really didn't have.
(24:19):
So I'm like I said, okay, lord.
I said okay, I took my kids tomy mom's house and the next day
I got up, caught my sister.
My sister was like you got toget out the house.
I was like no, I'm gonna try tofigure out.
This is the house they'resupposed to grow up in.
(24:39):
I'm gonna figure it out likethis is what's happening.
Plus, we had over $60,000 worthof equity in the home.
So so I go to the bank.
The woman felt so bad for me.
She was like mr, we weresupposed to been foreclosed on
this home.
(25:00):
I Said what are you talkingabout?
There has been an exact amount.
So the exact amount that wasbeing taken out of the account
was being Transferred ortransferred out.
She said the only reason why wehaven't is he opened up a
personal account.
He opened a personal accountand withdrew that amount into
(25:27):
that personal account.
So we see that the money isthere.
We're just waiting for him topay it.
So I'm like I said what, okay?
Well, what?
How can it be?
My like, what do we need to do?
Like, but he was the primary onthe home.
She said we can try, I'll tryto get you to speak with the
(25:49):
banker, this and that.
But I was like I Said she saidbut you gotta.
She said prepare if he, youknow, if he doesn't, if he
decides not to.
And she knew the young lady hewas messing with, who was very
young, and she was like he comesin here.
(26:10):
She was like I'll make sure,because she was.
It was almost like she wasposing as me.
So I was like just Just in a, ina whirlwind, and so I'm like,
okay, well, maybe I'm goingthrough all these things in my
(26:32):
head.
So my sister was like you gotto get out the house is gonna be
okay.
And I'm in tears.
I Mean, I'm like, okay, well,maybe you know we could.
I can figure this out, this andthat which again I'm going back
to.
I Can't be a statistic.
I did it right, like I did,like I was not a bad wife.
(26:55):
In fact I have the text messagethat says I'm a great wife.
Like why is this happening,right?
So then my sister calls me andshe gets real.
She was like because she hasseen over the years, there are
(27:19):
accounts over the year there wasone account where I had taken
the kids.
She needed surgery and I neededto go to Chicago and I had
taken the kids to.
I had taken the kids to with meto Chicago and he dumped me off
with no money, nothing Like mykids could barely walk.
(27:39):
You know, you need the littlegold card and stuff.
It was just a blessing.
And so she had a little kid.
I was the only one left and Iwas like, you know, I guess, in
this young lady pick my bags upand took me, took me through,
and when I got to Chicago, mysister, she was livid Because
(28:00):
she was just like, why wouldn'the just take care of care of you
?
My sister paid for the planeflight.
It was just.
But those were the elements.
I'm not in a loveless place.
I mean, I'm in a loveless place, right?
So my sister was like, becausethey don't have to live like
this and this was the first time, me and my sister do not argue,
we do not fight, we do notraise.
(28:20):
But she showed so much, auntieLove.
She said you can stay in this,you can stay in this toxic place
, but they don't have toexperience it.
And that's when I agreed okay,I gotta get up out this house.
So the blessed part is shecalled around for me and found
(28:42):
an apartment.
And let me tell you how Godworks.
Cause I didn't have enough.
I didn't have enough money foran apartment.
But what God did?
So the leasing agent?
She was pregnant.
And what the leasing agent didis she was like, okay, we have a
special going.
First and second month free,half off.
(29:05):
Third month half off.
Last month rent no, I didn'thave to pay anything to apply no
security deposit, they justwaived everything.
It was completely free for meto move in and fill out.
So they ran my credit, my number.
(29:29):
So I knew from having the housewe just got the house a year
ago I knew my credit score.
I didn't have anything on mycredit but student loans.
But they ran the number.
And during that timeframe, whenyou were married, if your
(29:51):
husband used your social withhis name, it wouldn't pop up on
my credit.
But when you run the social itshows everything.
There were apartments, therewere things all in my name.
There were lights, there waswater, there was.
(30:15):
I said what.
None of it.
What if she was looking and shewas just rubbing the belly and
I'm crying and I'm calling thesepeople?
They didn't have my name, theydidn't have my name listed at
all, they had his name.
So I'm like, and they sentpaperwork over saying no, this
(30:38):
is not hers, this is not hers,this is not hers, it was his.
So I said okay, so this is whatwe're doing.
And she rubbed her belly andshe gave.
She said the only apartment wehave is on the third floor and I
said I'll take it and I wasable.
So when they ran that it deemedhim.
(31:00):
So I had called my brother, myyounger brother, and my brothers
did not know, my dad did notknow.
My brothers and my dad are justfinding out a lot of details in
these last three years becausewe were trying to keep them in
the ministry.
He put it on for real life.
I kept the light because I'mlike, you know, I'm like it's
(31:22):
more important for him to preachthe gospel Cause, you know.
So my brother came, he camewith the truck.
I said hey, you know I'm causeI had and by this I hadn't seen
my ex in like going on a month,I move.
I started trying to move stuffout.
(31:43):
He runs home.
That day he said everything inthis house is mine Like, and I'm
looking at him like I don'tknow who or what has been in
here.
So at this juncture the waythat I felt was like just give
me the clothes me and my kidsclothes and we took some maybe
(32:04):
some forks since the spoons andliterally left.
So I'm in this apartment empty.
I'm like in a whirlwind.
But this was the first time thatmy kids ran around laughing out
loud.
My kids did not laugh the firstand I'm looking at, I'm sitting
(32:29):
on the floor with my hand in myhead like and I'm looking at my
and they are giggling andlaughing.
I called my sister.
She said what's that in thebackground?
Y'all got a TV.
I was like no, that's the kids.
She said what my kids did not.
If you look at pictures before,my son looks so strained, like
(32:53):
there were moments of, you know,when we would have happiness
outside of the home, but notlike this.
And they ran around and I justlooked.
So then the next day and I'mgonna progress this really
quickly then the next day I geta phone call and the phone call
is from a friend who is at CourtClerk, and she said do you know
(33:15):
you're going through a divorce?
So let me tell you this I neverprayed that I would stay with
my husband, never prayed that.
My prayer was this I said God,if he's going to pull me and you
, me and my kids away from you,remove him.
(33:38):
That was my prayer.
My prayer was never to stay.
My prayer was if he's going topull me and my kids away from
you, remove him.
Right.
So the next thing I know shecalled.
She said do you know you'regoing through a divorce?
I said I had no idea I was like.
(33:58):
She said yeah, they can't findyou to serve you.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Stay tuned for more as we delve more into
Elizabeth's powerful, god-giventestimony.
See you next week.
That's it for now, but beforewe go, please continue to listen
, subscribe, share our podcast.
Also, if you want to supportour show, please scroll down to
the bottom of the show notes andclick on the link that says Buy
(34:23):
Me a Coffee.
We were greatly appreciated.
Thank you for listening.
I remember God is good all thetime, and all the time God is
good, and also Jesus Christloves you.
Thank you.
Sanctuaries.
And she knew the young lady he was messing with,
who was very young, and she waslike he comes in here.
She was like I'll make sure,because she was.
It was almost like she wasposing as me, so I was like,
(00:20):
just just in a, in a whirlwind,Welcome to the Call by God
podcast with Adne Godin andmyself, nixon Sylvain.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
This show is about dialogues of biblical characters
and testimonies of Christianswho submitted to the will of God
.
Each week, we bring on oneguest so that they can share
their story of how they werecalled by God.
I hope this show inspires you.
Enjoy Hello world.
Welcome to another week ofElizabeth Stewart Williams
(00:54):
testimony.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Be blessed.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I will.
There were times where I willwake up and just be like sad
that I woke my eyes up, you know.
And so so it was church, it wasmy mother coming, those were
the pieces of hope.
And then, honestly, it was myson.
So my son would he?
(01:25):
There were certain times wherehe would just grab my face and
he would just kiss me and I'm,I'm like, it was almost like an
awakening, like.
And then it was like OK, we'regoing to make it today, me, you
go make it today.
And those were the savinggraces.
And then I would, I willliterally in my closet, just I
(01:46):
will lay and pray.
When I would lay and pray, hewould, he will bring his toys in
there and close the door andwould sit with me, like, and to
me that was nobody but God,because that was like a.
And then like, and then I'mpregnant at the same time.
So this was not I mean, it wasalmost like I would.
(02:08):
I would say, hey, you got toshake this, because who's inside
of you is going to take on thatnature?
Like you got it, you got to sayit was very, very, very, very
difficult, but those were thepieces.
And then the gift of song, thegift of of I mean I listen on
(02:28):
repeat spiritual all day long.
Now I will say what brought mejoy and this is what I learned,
I had to learn and what has beena blessing even thus far.
I found a show that I justenjoy.
So I, you know, my family,we're all singers and so during
(02:49):
that timeframe, was making aband, did he's making a band?
And it was the first, it waslike the first season that he
like really came out and I usedto laugh so hard or would bring
me joy, or the note, like it was.
Just it was something aboutthat show that it was like oh,
(03:15):
I'm going to laugh today.
And then I was able to identifyOK, there are things that that
bring me joy, no matter what mayhave been said or how I'm
looked or how I'm seen, like joy.
And so what I did was day today.
That's what I held on to day today.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, I think you, you know.
Thank you again for sharingthat, because I know most people
sometimes when they go throughstuff, especially in the body,
they run from God, like we'renot taught, like I mean, it's
easier to say when you gothrough your storm, come to
church, listen to a word, fellas.
It's easier said than done thatstuff is hard.
It's more so easier for women.
(03:57):
I know when men go throughstuff.
Oh man, we put up walls, it's awrap, nobody talking to us,
nobody in penetrating throughour heart.
So I thank you again forsharing that.
You know, hopefully you'llbless somebody.
So moving, moving forward.
Baby number two, because I knowyou had a second child.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So baby number two came.
That was actually a saving.
She was she and to date shesays it.
She was just like I was.
I was your depressed baby I was.
I was your, I was your.
I cluddled her.
Oh, she, she would.
(04:36):
Her first word was mama.
That's how much she.
She gave me such life.
She was like she was rightthere.
Now she almost always tell itis like both of my kids.
I made fun because I'm likey'all messed up mama's award
winning shape Before.
Y'all used to make themapologize.
(04:56):
Like mama, we sorry that wemessed up your award winning
shape and I'm like you was worthit.
But I let them know likesacrifices were done.
But she, I breastfed her.
She wouldn't take a bottle, soshe, I couldn't just leave her.
She refused to take a bottle,so she was like she was here.
(05:19):
If you saw me, you saw her andshe was like I called her.
She was so fat she was.
I gave her as much milk as shewas.
She was so fat and she was aalmost like just a blessing in
(05:39):
the sense of pure joy for me.
And it was during thistimeframe, so I had her.
This is when I started findingout that my ex was kind of
dipping with others, cause mything was like everybody kept
telling me you can't leave himunless he's cheated, unless you
(06:02):
call him cheated, you can'tleave right.
And so it was like there werecertain things that were
happening I'll never forget.
One night I actually caught himtalking to his ex this is how
old I am through the my space,and so he got that's old, I know
(06:23):
right.
He got really mad and this iswhen the physical started back
up.
So with my situation, there'ssome people that have physical
all the way through.
So we had the physicalinitially and, like I say, I can
fight.
But he waited like three tofour days.
After I had my daughter, I hadmy stitches in and I found out
(06:51):
he was talking with her.
He was nobody but God, andduring this timeframe I taught
myself so he would come at meabout working at different
things like that.
But the reason why I was likeI'm not going to work is because
you're gonna live off of me, Iwon't see my kids, I'm working
(07:11):
to death and then you'll beliving the best life without,
without.
And I was like, no, I'm notdoing it right.
I look back on, maybe I couldhave did it a bit different, but
I was like no.
So when I had her, I had a plan.
But that's when I found out hewas talking with her and this is
(07:33):
when the, the, the violence,began to increase.
So when he found out, when I'mlooking at he's talking in my
head, I'm like, if you talkingto a, you cheating, that's it on
my end.
That's how I looked at it.
He came in and I went back intothe bedroom because I'm like,
(07:53):
okay, he came in and took the.
We had a bassinet.
He took the bassinet and threwit against the wall.
The blessed part is she wasn'tin it, she was in the bed with
me and so that's, you know,threats come in, he's going off
(08:15):
or whatever.
But in my head I'm like, okay,like that, that was that was a
start of it Of him like, okay,you cheating.
So then the next day we got intoit.
We got into it again becauseI'm like, okay, let's talk,
(08:36):
let's talk about this thing.
And he didn't want to talkabout it and I'm like, dude,
like I got, I have evidencewhich I didn't need evidence.
I'll get into that later but Ididn't need evidence because God
had already revealed.
God revealed that.
But I'm like, let's talk.
(08:59):
And he would like.
He just refused to talk to me.
So I unplugged his game andthat's when he jumped up and he
came close and I kicked him likeyou too close to me Now, I
still got stitches and he came.
He came close.
I was like, okay, like I'm thatone, and we went round toe to
(09:27):
toe.
We ended up putting a huge bigwall, like a big hole in the
wall.
He hit me so like and I'm likea cat, like I got on, like we
were going at it Stitches cameout, like it is what it is my
wig, my wig flew off Like it wasreal right, and so by this time
(09:55):
.
So I'm just like, okay, likethis is it.
And I literally passed out.
I was on the floor, I passedout for a timeframe, so I
believe he felt it.
The next thing he does is hecalls my daddy.
He calls my daddy over Now.
He doesn't tell my daddy thathe hit me.
He poses it that I hit him.
(10:19):
Now my daddy is prone tobelieve it because normally,
like I am that, like I have, Iam that one.
And again, this is what blackwomen do.
We're not gonna reveal.
So my dad is just like.
He's agreed to go to counseling.
He's done this he done.
(10:41):
But my daddy didn't know thefull story and that was on my
end.
I didn't provide it.
But the reason why I didn'tprovide it is again you don't
put your business out there likethat.
You handle this internally.
This is what we're taught and Iwas one that held true to that
right.
So I'm livid because not onlydid he call my dad, he called.
(11:04):
So he called my support system.
This is the same support systemyou were moving away from.
This is the same one where you,you know, you was like, oh, you
can't be around them, this isthe same.
But he called them.
So I ended up.
He agreed to go to counseling.
He agreed to do all of theseother things.
My dad was like because I toldmy dad, I'm ready to go, I give
(11:29):
what y'all saying, I give whaty'all is saying, but I'm ready,
I'm ready to go.
And so he went to counseling.
He did a complete 180.
He went to counseling.
He was like we're not gonnamove anymore, but I did find
this house.
He went to church, we wentscheduled a whole.
(11:55):
So this is going on for a wholeyear and a half right.
Right Moved into a 5,000 squarefoot home.
Great had great equity in it.
I actually agreed with the movebecause I was like, okay, great
schools.
He's like we can just move here.
This was the first time thatwhen I signed, at least
(12:17):
everybody wasn't around meclapping.
I could ask questions.
We're going to church everyweek.
It looked like a complete 180,right, as soon as we moved into
that house he reverted back andthen he started just being gone.
(12:43):
So something in me said, hey,go get.
And before that timeframe mysister actually had came to
visit me because she had sawwhat I was going through and she
saw a bit of the change.
But she looked at me and shesaid it's okay, you don't have
(13:05):
to just stay in this place.
And because I was still comingout of a dark place and that was
the other element, it was mymom and my sister.
My sister said you don't haveto stay in this place.
God gives leeway for separation, that you don't have to
continue on.
So her sounding voice and thenmy mom, that's what sustained me
(13:33):
.
But this complete 180 was ashock.
But they weren't.
I don't believe they werefooled.
But I was in this place of hope,because now I got two kids by
him.
I don't wanna be statistic, I'ma preacher's child for a
preacher's child.
So all of these things aregoing in my head and if he's
(13:56):
willing to go to counseling,we're going to church, like I'm
just gonna put this work in, butit was all the front.
So we get up into this houseand he's like barely there.
So something in me was like,hey, you need to get your own.
So I ran and I got my own carwithout his name on it.
(14:19):
And then I ran and I said youneed to get you.
Like the Holy Spirit wasleading and I was listening,
Like you need to just go aheadand get your, get you a job, go
ahead and go back part-time.
And by this time so, baby girl,she wasn't even completely one
(14:42):
yet.
And I got a position with thestate.
I got a position with ChildProtective Services as a legal
worker and so and it wasflexible.
So I was like, okay, I'm gonnado that.
So he was actually excited thatI did that.
(15:03):
And then he began to really runthe streets and what was a major
indicator that?
So my sister really saw mysister had got married that year
and they stayed at our housethat we just moved into and she
(15:24):
saw how he was responding andacting and she knew something
wasn't right, like somethingwasn't up and I'm sitting here
like I have the kids, I'm doingeverything, and she's just
looking like something isn'tright and he was flirting with
all her bridesmaids, so she'slooking like something isn't
right with that.
So then what?
(15:47):
He stopped really coming homethe way he was supposed to come
home.
I knew his schedule, I knew howto call in and find out where
he was.
So he wasn't truthful about.
He would say, hey, I have aturnaround, I'm not able to come
home.
But I already knew that thatwasn't the case.
So here it is.
(16:07):
So I'm going to church by myselfwith two toddlers.
I was sitting there like, andin me, this is so.
This is the first time wheresomeone walked up to me and said
hey, how are you doing?
You know, at church they werelike how are you doing?
And I looked at them because Iwas like I was about to lie,
(16:29):
because this is what we do.
Oh, I'm great, I'm great,straight lie.
I was like I'm not lying, I'mnot lying anymore.
What's going to happen is I'mhorrible and I think my husband
and she know me and the shockfactor, the shock look, oh oh,
(16:53):
that brother and sister face whoasked me how I was doing.
They were so uncomfortable butit was so freeing for me because
I was like I'm going to tellthe truth in this place that is
supposed to help me and connectme with Christ, who is who and
and and who is a comfort, likethis place is the place that is
(17:17):
supposed to pray for me and andand bring me to a space where I
know everything is OK.
This is a place.
So I got to the point where Iwas like I'm not lying, like it
was so freeing and I was likeand so the deacon wife, the one
who used to help me with my sonin the back, she overheard me
(17:41):
and she pulled me to the sideand she looked.
She said baby.
She said now you're about to gothrough something.
She said don't let the healthDon't, let, don't let him bring
you down mentally and health,you stay close to God and he's
going to pull you through.
(18:01):
She pointed at her husband.
She said this is my secondhusband.
I was in a very abusiverelationship and he was there
for me.
She said you're about to gothrough it.
I didn't even know what she wasreally talking about at the
time.
But she said you, any questions, you come back and you, you
(18:23):
talk to me.
She's like I love you and I'mhere for you.
And I was like I said I didn'tknow it, but this is how God is.
God will place people in yourpath to give you forewarning and
give you some type of peace andcomfort when you're authentic
(18:46):
about where you are in yourworld, in your life, and so so
I'm like I'm looking at her andI'm like, okay, go home the next
day.
So I had not seen, I had notseen my ex in like two, three
weeks.
(19:07):
So I'm like, okay, well, I'mgonna go pick up the kids.
So I text them.
So he was telling me he wascoming.
He actually texts me that daythat he was coming home.
Now this is what.
Seven, seven either, seven daysafter our anniversary, we at
(19:27):
that this time we've beenmarried eight years.
Seven years after ouranniversary, I went picked up my
kids from the daycare.
So I had a full day at workpick my kids up.
So it's about three, three orfour o'clock on a Friday.
I get a text.
So I'm texting him say hey,what's coming you home, I'm
(19:50):
cooking, right.
I get a text from him that saysyou've been a good wife.
I have to do me.
I'll be back in two years, Ineed you to hold it down.
And so I'm looking at him, likeI'm looking at my, my phone,
(20:11):
like full of it, like boy, stop,yeah, what time will you be
here?
And he said the lights, the gas, the water, all will be off.
You got to get that.
You got to get that.
You got to get that in yourname.
And so I'm looking like whatit's for?
(20:32):
So it's closer to like five andI'm texting and calling, then
pick up, so it's closer to likefive o'clock.
And this is during.
This is like this is likeJanuary.
So it's cold, it's cold and itgets dark quicker.
It hits about five o'clock.
(20:53):
Everything comes off the lights, the water, to get everything
comes off.
I'm sitting there like I saidwhat now?
In order for us to get thishouse.
What I didn't tell you is, eventhough I didn't work, I, even
though I didn't work at aregular job, I am somewhat of I
(21:19):
Wouldn't say so much a techie,but I like tech.
So my brother, my older brother, is a computer engineer, and so
that kind of has rubbed off onme.
So I, while I was pregnant eventhough I was going through all
of that was going through Itaught myself how to do websites
.
I Talked myself.
I was one of the first to buy,before Bitcoin was really
(21:44):
Bitcoin.
I they had something else thatwas called.
It was one of the first tokens,right, and I actually had like
ten of these tokens thatconverted Into big Bitcoin later
, but I didn't keep those tokens.
I actually had gave them tosomeone who bought pizza for me
(22:08):
because we didn't have any food,and so I mean I regret it now,
but I'm, I am like, so I, I liketo read about what's happening
in tech and the movement of it,and so I became what's called a
jumella expert.
It was one of the first contentmanagement systems.
So I thought myself all of this.
(22:29):
I even I was trying to connectwith him so bad.
I even Created an online carshow because he was into cars.
So I taught myself a lot.
And then, at the same time, IWould take and I would any
monies that I made.
I would kind of put up, allright, and I would put away, but
(22:54):
we I mean, we didn't have thatwas just for, like, a rainy day.
So what ended up happening is IEnded up out and through the
house, was able to Secure enoughmoney to where we did not have
to worry about.
When we got this house, I waslike this is the house my
(23:15):
children are gonna grow up in.
I agree with it, had all thisequity in it.
And I was like, okay, lord, wehad come to an agreement, we are
work things out.
We went to the Bahamas for youknow, this is before he was
leaving and we had taken moneyand I take, I took my money, I
(23:36):
put into this account.
We don't touch this account,this account is for rent.
And so by January, when he saideverything will be off, we were
with Wacovia.
I'm looking at my text.
My text is showing in theaccount zero, zero, zero.
(23:58):
I said what in the world?
So we went from what you wouldconsider, or what I would
consider, pretty well off tolike Nothing, that I did have, a
small amount that I had setaside because I'm not dumb, but
we really didn't have.
(24:19):
So I'm like I said, okay, lord.
I said okay, I took my kids tomy mom's house and the next day
I got up, caught my sister.
My sister was like you got toget out the house.
I was like no, I'm gonna try tofigure out.
This is the house they'resupposed to grow up in.
(24:39):
I'm gonna figure it out likethis is what's happening.
Plus, we had over $60,000 worthof equity in the home.
So so I go to the bank.
The woman felt so bad for me.
She was like mr, we weresupposed to been foreclosed on
this home.
(25:00):
I Said what are you talkingabout?
There has been an exact amount.
So the exact amount that wasbeing taken out of the account
was being Transferred ortransferred out.
She said the only reason why wehaven't is he opened up a
personal account.
He opened a personal accountand withdrew that amount into
(25:27):
that personal account.
So we see that the money isthere.
We're just waiting for him topay it.
So I'm like I said what, okay?
Well, what?
How can it be?
My like, what do we need to do?
Like, but he was the primary onthe home.
She said we can try, I'll tryto get you to speak with the
(25:49):
banker, this and that.
But I was like I Said she saidbut you gotta.
She said prepare if he, youknow, if he doesn't, if he
decides not to.
And she knew the young lady hewas messing with, who was very
young, and she was like he comesin here.
(26:10):
She was like I'll make sure,because she was.
It was almost like she wasposing as me.
So I was like just Just in a, ina whirlwind, and so I'm like,
okay, well, maybe I'm goingthrough all these things in my
(26:32):
head.
So my sister was like you gotto get out the house is gonna be
okay.
And I'm in tears.
I Mean, I'm like, okay, well,maybe you know we could.
I can figure this out, this andthat which again I'm going back
to.
I Can't be a statistic.
I did it right, like I did,like I was not a bad wife.
(26:55):
In fact I have the text messagethat says I'm a great wife.
Like why is this happening,right?
So then my sister calls me andshe gets real.
She was like because she hasseen over the years, there are
(27:19):
accounts over the year there wasone account where I had taken
the kids.
She needed surgery and I neededto go to Chicago and I had
taken the kids to.
I had taken the kids to with meto Chicago and he dumped me off
with no money, nothing Like mykids could barely walk.
(27:39):
You know, you need the littlegold card and stuff.
It was just a blessing.
And so she had a little kid.
I was the only one left and Iwas like, you know, I guess, in
this young lady pick my bags upand took me, took me through,
and when I got to Chicago, mysister, she was livid Because
(28:00):
she was just like, why wouldn'the just take care of care of you
?
My sister paid for the planeflight.
It was just.
But those were the elements.
I'm not in a loveless place.
I mean, I'm in a loveless place, right?
So my sister was like, becausethey don't have to live like
this and this was the first time, me and my sister do not argue,
we do not fight, we do notraise.
(28:20):
But she showed so much, auntieLove.
She said you can stay in this,you can stay in this toxic place
, but they don't have toexperience it.
And that's when I agreed okay,I gotta get up out this house.
So the blessed part is shecalled around for me and found
(28:42):
an apartment.
And let me tell you how Godworks.
Cause I didn't have enough.
I didn't have enough money foran apartment.
But what God did?
So the leasing agent?
She was pregnant.
And what the leasing agent didis she was like, okay, we have a
special going.
First and second month free,half off.
(29:05):
Third month half off.
Last month rent no, I didn'thave to pay anything to apply no
security deposit, they justwaived everything.
It was completely free for meto move in and fill out.
So they ran my credit, my number.
(29:29):
So I knew from having the housewe just got the house a year
ago I knew my credit score.
I didn't have anything on mycredit but student loans.
But they ran the number.
And during that timeframe, whenyou were married, if your
(29:51):
husband used your social withhis name, it wouldn't pop up on
my credit.
But when you run the social itshows everything.
There were apartments, therewere things all in my name.
There were lights, there waswater, there was.
(30:15):
I said what.
None of it.
What if she was looking and shewas just rubbing the belly and
I'm crying and I'm calling thesepeople?
They didn't have my name, theydidn't have my name listed at
all, they had his name.
So I'm like, and they sentpaperwork over saying no, this
(30:38):
is not hers, this is not hers,this is not hers, it was his.
So I said okay, so this is whatwe're doing.
And she rubbed her belly andshe gave.
She said the only apartment wehave is on the third floor and I
said I'll take it and I wasable.
So when they ran that it deemedhim.
(31:00):
So I had called my brother, myyounger brother, and my brothers
did not know, my dad did notknow.
My brothers and my dad are justfinding out a lot of details in
these last three years becausewe were trying to keep them in
the ministry.
He put it on for real life.
I kept the light because I'mlike, you know, I'm like it's
(31:22):
more important for him to preachthe gospel Cause, you know.
So my brother came, he camewith the truck.
I said hey, you know I'm causeI had and by this I hadn't seen
my ex in like going on a month,I move.
I started trying to move stuffout.
(31:43):
He runs home.
That day he said everything inthis house is mine Like, and I'm
looking at him like I don'tknow who or what has been in
here.
So at this juncture the waythat I felt was like just give
me the clothes me and my kidsclothes and we took some maybe
(32:04):
some forks since the spoons andliterally left.
So I'm in this apartment empty.
I'm like in a whirlwind.
But this was the first time thatmy kids ran around laughing out
loud.
My kids did not laugh the firstand I'm looking at, I'm sitting
(32:29):
on the floor with my hand in myhead like and I'm looking at my
and they are giggling andlaughing.
I called my sister.
She said what's that in thebackground?
Y'all got a TV.
I was like no, that's the kids.
She said what my kids did not.
If you look at pictures before,my son looks so strained, like
(32:53):
there were moments of, you know,when we would have happiness
outside of the home, but notlike this.
And they ran around and I justlooked.
So then the next day and I'mgonna progress this really
quickly then the next day I geta phone call and the phone call
is from a friend who is at CourtClerk, and she said do you know
(33:15):
you're going through a divorce?
So let me tell you this I neverprayed that I would stay with
my husband, never prayed that.
My prayer was this I said God,if he's going to pull me and you
, me and my kids away from you,remove him.
(33:38):
That was my prayer.
My prayer was never to stay.
My prayer was if he's going topull me and my kids away from
you, remove him.
Right.
So the next thing I know shecalled.
She said do you know you'regoing through a divorce?
I said I had no idea I was like.
(33:58):
She said yeah, they can't findyou to serve you.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Stay tuned for more as we delve more into
Elizabeth's powerful, god-giventestimony.
See you next week.
That's it for now, but beforewe go, please continue to listen
, subscribe, share our podcast.
Also, if you want to supportour show, please scroll down to
the bottom of the show notes andclick on the link that says Buy
(34:23):
Me a Coffee.
We were greatly appreciated.
Thank you for listening.
I remember God is good all thetime, and all the time God is
good, and also Jesus Christloves you.
Thank you.
Sanctuaries.
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