VL - Issue 15 - February 2015

More documents

Info

GOD Used It for Good by Matt Manzari with Kristi Overton Johnson ASPIRATIONS I was living the dream. A professional wakeskater, I was at the top of my sport, traveling the world, and under contract with manufacturers like Nike, Arnette Sunglasses, Sea Doo, and CWB Board Company. I was married to my high school sweetheart and about to graduate from Southern University in Tennessee with a major in theology. Bobbye Jean and I had big dreams for our future, as I planned to go full-time into ministry. We both loved the Lord and couldn’t wait to serve Him. LEARNING TO TRUST HIM Our dreams, however, came crashing down on us in 2012. I was three days from graduating and entering full-time ministry when I decided to compete in a wakeskate pro tour event. As I approached a narrow spot in the lake, I hit the rocky shoreline at over 30 mph. The last thing I remember is cutting toward the wake…and waking up to a team of doctors telling me not to move. I lay in that hospital bed with a shattered face, but I remember being thankful to be alive. According to all the experts, I shouldn’t have been. There was simply no explanation as to why the impact hadn’t killed me—everything around my temple was crushed, including my eye socket. I was so grateful for God’s hand of protection, even in the midst of my pain. I knew it was only by His grace I was alive. Yet even with a thankful heart, the reality of my situation sank in. This accident had turned my life completely upside down. I had just lost a semester of school. Where in the world would I get the money to pay for another semester? My parents had graciously supported me through college, I wasn’t about to ask them to help me again. Bobbye and I had an apartment full of stuff to move out of Tennessee. In fact, our lease was set to expire the very next week. How could I possibly pull Matt miraculously survived crashing into the rocky shoreline during a pro tour event in 2012. off moving out of state from a hospital bed? Joey Meddock Photography 8 www.kojministries.org
Handsel Reid Michael Cains Photography At the top of his game, Matt was under contract with manufacturers like Nike, Arnette Sunglasses, Sea Doo, and CWB Board Company. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Bobbye, and about to graduate with a degree in theology from Southern University when Matt found himself sidelined from life. Furthermore, I had a commitment to preach in Guyana in two weeks—a trip I’d had planned for a year. So many people would be let down. Not to mention my body was totally wrecked! Life had suddenly become one big mess. It was at this weak point, however, that I learned an invaluable lesson. I had always viewed God as a big-picture God; He was mostly concerned with my eternal destiny. Through this crisis, God showed me that He isn’t just a big-picture God; He cares about every issue of my life—including exams, apartments, and commitments. One by one, He worked out every detail of my life while I lay in the hospital, unable to do a thing. First, the head of my department in school called to say that he and the other professors had all agreed to let my final grades stand so that I could graduate on time. This was a highly unusual arrangement. This surprise was followed by a call from a friend who offered to buy a plane ticket to Guyana to preach the material I had prepared. Next, my wife’s family drove to Tennessee and moved everything out of the apartment before our lease expired. To top it off, my parents graciously opened their home and allowed Bobbye and me to live with them rent free for the next year while I recovered. Every concern that I had—taken care of. It was like God was saying, “I’ve got it, Matt. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m watching over you and Bobbye; just trust Me.” I wouldn’t trade going through that accident for anything. Bobbye and I learned so much about God’s love and provision, and we grew so much spiritually. Without a doubt, this experience prepared us for what lay ahead. Eight months after the wakeskate accident, I was back on the water, competing. The doctors had done an incredible job putting my face back together and mending the other parts of my body that had been affected by the impact. Amazingly, I didn’t have any pain. Life was back on track, and Bobbye and I began chasing our dreams once again. First on the list? Having a baby. We’d been married for several years and felt it was time to start a family of our own. We were a little worried when Bobbye didn’t get pregnant right away, but five months later, we were relieved and overjoyed to discover we were expecting. Bobbye was eleven weeks pregnant when our dreams were once again shattered. Suddenly, we were living a nightmare. EVEN IN THE VALLEY It all began on a normal, hot, summer day. I was trimming trees at a local church in a high-reach bucket. Suddenly and unexpectedly, power from nearby utility lines arched over to the steel bucket I was standing in, with my hands on the controls. In an instant, 14,000 volts of electricity surged through my right hand and circuited through my chest to my left hand. Back and forth it flowed before exiting my skull in two places. Bobbye Jean was working inside the church at the time and rushed to my side. I am told that when she arrived, I was thrashing around in the bucket, screaming in pain. Due to the high voltage, I had received fourth- and fifth-degree burns. Much of my skin was burned away, exposing my bones and muscles. My wife witnessed this horrifying scene. Because of the nature of my injuries, I was placed in a medical coma for three days at Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC). During that time, doctors operated to remove the skin and muscles affected by the voltage. My dad tells me that when I finally woke up, they gave me an alphabet board to communicate. I couldn’t speak because I was intubated. He says it took about ten minutes for me to spell these words: God is going to use this for good. I don’t remember spelling those words. I can only imagine they rose up instinctively from a foundation of faith that had recently been strengthened through my previous accident. For the next 81 days, I lived a dream I longed to wake up from—as did my loved ones. The physical pain of skin grafts, wound-dressing changes, nerve damage, and other things was excruciating. The emotional pain of not knowing my future was equally difficult. Though my surgeries were deemed successful, we were constantly reminded that I “wasn’t out of the woods yet.” Since a large portion of my body was completely exposed, I was given less than a 50 percent chance of survival. Until the skin grafts took, my risk of infection was through the roof. The doctors didn’t tell me these things to scare me but basically to prepare me. If there was anything I wanted to say to my loved ones, I needed to say it. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, they said. This seemed logical, as every day I watched people around me, with injuries far less severe than mine, die. Seven other people were admitted to the intensive care unit the same day I was. Only two of us made it out alive. When you are in that environment, you’re like, “Okay, that guy just died, and that guy just died…. Am I next?” Each day when my number wasn’t called, I was filled with gratitude. Chaos and uncertainty surrounded me. Yet in the midst of it all, I experienced unexplainable peace. Just as Philippians 4:7 promised, that peace guarded my heart and mind in Christ Jesus; it kept my mind from growing anxious and overwhelmed by my circumstances. I found rest in the arms of God. continued on page 10 www.kojministries.org 9
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
Page 3 and 4: The exclusive power plant of Nautiq
Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents Issue 2 2015 4 A
Page 7: DARREN AND NANCY MANZARI Matt’s p
Page 11 and 12: with a broken heart who thinks he
Page 13 and 14: photo courtesy of Tracy Stewart PER
Page 15 and 16: Dear Matt and Bobbye, I’ve strugg
Page 17 and 18: Asking Why by Darren Manzari Sr. A
Page 19 and 20: I don’t know how people who don
Page 21 and 22: al To this day—months removed fro
Page 23 and 24: A LIGHT For My PATH by Kristi Overt
Page 25 and 26: A Champion in His Eyes by Briana Ku
Page 27 and 28: Victorious Living Is Saving Lives!
Page 29 and 30: The Importance of Family by Darren
Page 31 and 32: Thank you to the following organiza

VL - Issue 15 - February 2015

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?