Meet Sherry Ekong - a resilient, determined, and faithful woman who recently celebrated her 60th birthday surrounded by loved ones with gratitude and joy for God's faithfulness. Sherry's journey hasn't been easy, but she has an incredible testimony to share with the world. One she named Trials, Tragedies and Triumphs . Read her testimony below:
“Thank you everyone who has come to join me to celebrate and thank God for 60 years of living.
I have come to testify to His glory about His keeping, protection, provision, guidance, kindness, mercy, His Favour and so much more.
I will like to talk about a few things that have happened in the last 10 years in particular
It’s been a roller coaster ride and I would also say it’s been 10 years of Trials, Tragedies and Triumphs.
When I turned 50 in March 2013 right here in this auditorium it was full of joy and excitement but the was short lived when in 2014 I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.
After a lot of tests, diagnosis, treatment and of course only by the Awesome Grace of God,
I survived .
After a year of receiving treatments, I returned home in 2015 June with my husband.
A week after we arrived in the Middle of the Night a storm which was almost like a hurricane hit the area where we lived.
It was almost dawn when it felt like our roof was leaking and the entire building was shaking.
I woke my husband up and he said I should not worry it was just wind, but I couldn’t sleep so I told him to check for the leaking roof so we got out of bed.
Barely 5 minutes after getting up, the entire ceiling caved in right on top of our bed!
When we looked up we saw the skies, the roof was gone and the rain was now pouring down in the room. I mean every ceiling upstairs had caved in and we became homeless immediately. We lost everything upstairs to water damage, yet the Lord saved our lives, protected us from injury and eventually God restored all we lost.
Fast forward July 2019 I was talking to my dear husband on the phone when unbeknownst to me he died suddenly while talking to him. Initially I thought it was a bad phone connection, but that was not case. This was the darkest and worst season I have ever lived. Yet God sustained me.
In 2020, shockingly the cancer returned and I had to go through the whole treatment process all over again! Again I beat it and here I am. Let me save you the details.
While I was in treatment and dealing with the emotions that go with that, I got a call from the bank where we had the mortgage for our home. I was made to understand that It was going to be put up for sale due to defaults on payment of the mortgage loan since my husband died. It was a huge amount and I didn’t know how I was going to pay it off.
I pleaded for more time but no they wanted their money. Again God came through miraculously and I was able to pay off the loan without borrowing money.
Sometime in 2021 all my 3 sons were out of jobs for quite a few months. It was so stressful. They all had bills to pay and no income coming in. Again God made a way all their bills were settled for the duration of the unemployment. Today they all have good jobs.
Then in January 2023 something embarrassing happened to me. I went to bed normally and woke up with very severe pains in my hand. On diagnosis, it was found to be a fractured wrist!! I didn’t fall I didn’t hit my hand anywhere. Where did this come from?
I couldn’t explain to everyone that cared to ask. But Today my bones are healing.
As if that was not enough, in January my son was delivered from an accident when he was traveling back to his location on his way to the airport. He slept off in the car and the driver also slept off. It was when the car hit the curb on the bridge that they woke up. The car was damaged but none was hurt. Thank God they didn’t hit anyone and were not hit either. Thank God the car didn’t flip over the bridge, thank God for the so many scenarios that could have happened that didn’t happen. God was their deliverer!
So you see I have so much to be thankful for. God is so faithful!
Indeed“
Psalms 34:19-20
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
I have been bruised but never broken, never left alone or abandoned by God. He has shown Himself faithful.
To God be all the glory."
Sherry's testimony is a message of hope, resilience, and faith in the face of life's challenges. Her story reminds us that with God on our side, we can overcome anything. As she celebrates her 60th birthday, Sherry is grateful for God's faithfulness and encourages others not to give up, no matter what they're going through.
Sherry Answers
1. Did your faith waver at any point during the challenges you faced?
Ans: I learnt that life is not free of challenges, even as a Christian. I firmly believe that God is with us in the midst of our struggles, and even if He doesn't see us through, He will take us to a better place.
2. How did you hold yourself up?
Ans: By not sharing with just anybody because I found that pity from others may make you lose faith. The building of my relationship with God caused me to truly lean on Him.
3. How are you coping with grief?
Ans: I don’t know if I am coping well. Everyday I miss my husband. The best way I can put it is that the pain is numbed because having played it over in my head, there’s nothing I could’ve done. I don’t feel guilty anymore.
4. What message would you like others to take from this feature and conversation?
Ans: I would like my story to spread the message of hope. No matter what life throws at us, we must not give up, but instead, hold onto our faith and trust in God. I am proof that with God on our side, we can overcome any obstacle and come out stronger on the other side.
“I climbed up to the sixth floor…not by the elevators but by the stairs. The Lord held my hand all the way. Sometimes I stopped on a floor to pant but through it all he was with me. Now on the landing of the 6th floor, and I can tell you it’s so much fun!”
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