maria g (among a million maria's) shared her testimony during friday's staff devotional. in a nutshell - father was an alcoholic, uncle was praying for family, father was drunk at a bar, heard a voice to leave, got freaked out, finally left, ran to uncle's house where a church prayer meeting was going on, father felt power of the Spirit, fell on his knees, mother saw that father fell on knees and followed just to stand by her man, family starts going to church, someone prophecies that father will go through difficult trial in life, at age 7 three of maria's brothers and mother are killed in a house fire.

maria wanted to share that she could have grown bitter and shaken after seeing 4 family members wheeled away in d.o.a. bags at the hospital. but she wanted to testify that by losing every thing, she gained more of Christ.

so after the entire room stopped crying, she praised the Lord for His faithfulness and purposes, we prayed for one another and the day, and then we went to work.