Turning Bad to Good

June 16, 2009 - In response to the flooding that occurred in late May when Holly Hill, a suburb of Daytona Beach, received 24 inches of rain in a 24 hour period, Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team deployed to the area the week of June 3rd.

While the Samaritan’s Purse team was working on Betty’s house, a widowed lady from the church where the RRT chaplains are housed, Betty began to pour out her heart about her adopted granddaughter, Shannon who was in the hospital with a heart infection and having open heart surgery on Monday.

Shannon, the mother of a five-year-old son, has been on drugs for over 25 years and running from God. The chaplains went straight to the hospital to see her and when Shannon saw the chaplains from Billy Graham she started crying.

She said, "I’m afraid I’m going to die and I’m so dirty inside and have been praying for God to help me and give me a second chance but I didn’t know what to do. I want happiness like I see in Christian people, please help me," she said.

After explaining how Christ paid that price for her and ensuring Shannon understood the gift of Salvation the chaplains offered to lead her in prayer.

She said, "I want that so bad can you help me, right now?" In her frail and weak voice, at 5:07 pm she prayed the Sinner’s Prayer. When they had finished she said "I’m tingling all over and the nurse said the Holy Spirit is in this room and I have chills all over me."

The chaplains told her they would like to come back Monday before her surgery and she lit up and said "Oh! I’d love that!"

It was a great time of rejoicing. The chaplains went back to Betty’s to tell her the good news. The pastor of the church said it took a storm for her to get saved. Praise the Lord for all the prayers through the years.