The Power of Forgiveness & What Do You Wish For?

The Power of Forgiveness & What Do You Wish For?

I am here today to tell you a liitle something about myself because it has been laying heavy on my heart to share this. I am not ashamed to say the least that I was in prison for 10 years. I am not here to say that I am perfect for that isn't true! I just made some wrong choices in my life that caused me to stop and be still. Most of you know that I was blessed to be reunited with my son after 12 long years and then the worst hit when I got the call that he was murdered. I am still in the healing process and it is only by the Grace of God that I am able to move forward! Just recently I land upon an article about a second young man who turned himself in regarding to the shooting last December 22, 2010. Here I see now two young men that are 20 years old facing charges of First Degree Murder, Felony Murder, Asp. Aggr. Kidnapping, and Aggr. Assault. Truthfully, I do not wish these young men the worst! You may ask, "why?" "Are you nuts?" "Are you crazy, for these young men took your son's life?" HOLD ON!!! I can say that with Jesus in my life I am not the same person that I once was or use to be and I am able to say that I forgive these two young men and I pray for them daily. Whatever happens, happens for I trust in the Lord for He is the first Judge no matter what! Before I went to prison myself, I can say that I have said some awful things and also seen some awful things about prison that I would just Judge anyone that mantioned prison. To me then prison was and is for bad people and they are there for a reason and all were no good people. After my own experience in prison, I can say that I found Jesus christ as my Lord and Saviour! My whole life changed when I was in prison. I went in one way and I was determined to change and become someone different before walking out of that place. I did just that and still to this day I am struggling to do the will of the Lord in my life and unto others! I do not wish upon my worst enemy PRISON! I don't wish anyone to experience having a baby in PRISON! (That I also had to endure while locked up and watching my baby leave my arms 4 days after birth and to never see her again.) I do not wish anyone to go to PRISON for anything! Why? I was stripped from everything that I cared for and loved and not even knowing what was I going to face. It really hit me hard and the worst was calling hime every time, any time, and talking to my family....till one day they stop taking my calls! Their bill was rising and their lives were moving on....without me there with everyone! I loss family members as the time went on and it just hurts more when you can't go to the funeral and say your good byes and pay your respects! It wasn't as if the family forgot about me but the world doesn't stop just becas\use I was locked up. I am in a whole different world now away from my normal. I was limited in what I wanted to do and what I was allowed to keep in my personals. My freedom was none! I had to learn that my family loved me, that they had to still live their lives regardless of what was going on with me. I then started to learn to LOVE myself before anyone else. I had to learn to FORGIVE myself before I could sincerely FORGIVE someone else. I had to REPENT and know what the Lord wanted from me. Running back to God, my Father, Jesus Christ to get myself in order! Turning from old to new. Letting go of things in the past and moving forward. What a road I am on! This journey we call life!

Seeing our world fighting and hatred and all the things that our world is going through today is SAD! Prayer and trusting in the Lord that He touches someone that needs His guidance. That is about all that anyone can do today and prayer isn't just it...you have to also do what the Lord tells you to do as well. Obey Him and let Him guide your heart. Question yourself...what would you do, feel, or think if it was you that was caught and facing a prison sentence and everyone around you started to place judgement against you before you were in tried in court? Guilty or not, you are GUILTY in the eyes of the community! A lie is a lie! There is no great nor small about it! The list goes on and on but in the Bible it says that God FORGIVES us!?!? Do you doubt that of what God says that is TRUE and HE SAYS IT IS TRUE? His PROMISES in the Word says many things and here are we doubting God what He says to us, you and I? If He has FORGIVEN you, then it is done! You are FORGIVEN!! If He says you take me into your heart as a Saviour, then it is done! He lives within you as your SAVIOUR! If you are SAVED, then it is done! You are SAVED!! My favorite book is the 40 days Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I have read this book a many of times and always found something that applies to my life then and now. I recommend it to you to read it and pass it on to the next person in your life so that the Lord can move in theirs. Okay, life goes on and I hope that whatever you are doing that you think again about some key points and see are they the ways of Jesus or is it the flesh? I really wish the best for those two young men that took a young life! I know that in my heart that I will see mine in HEAVEN when that day comes and as of now I will continue to shine Jesus Love & Light through me unto others! I thank you for reading my story and what the Lord has laid upon my heart to yours!

Be blessed always is my prayer to you!!

How Life Goes On

Life...when you think you have it all figured out sometimes tragedy happens to make you think again. Life...already here on earth it is short but with knowing that Jesus is our Saviour we will sure have eternity with the Lord forever! That is the best confirmation ever in knowing that, for the Bible tells us so. Life...why do others not think about the ripple effect that it has when something terrible happens to ones life? You know that if it wasn't for Jesus in my life I do not think that I can carry on as I do and continue in my prayer walk. Life...so full of wonders and meaning that none of us really take the time to search it out and see deep within our soul. I was blessed to have my son Christopher reunite with me after 12 years of being separated through the legal system of Tennessee. He was adopted by the Green's and has two Sisters' that are living there as well. Pretty much they all grew up together. I can say that after finding my Son and having the connection that we did I am so thankful of being able to see how he became as a young man. Life...even though his life was cut short, he is living forever in eternity with the Lord for he was saved and found peace in Him, Jesus Christ. Now he is waiting on me up there with the Lord as I continue to do my service for the Lord down here on Earth. I will share with you thee VDO of the Memorial service and the reading of his life as it was read at the service on January 11, 2011 at the Port Charlotte First Baptist Church. All thanks goes out to Pastor Jim and Staff and all the family and friends that supported me. I have faith and Hope in the Lord for what is to come and I am just ready to watch how things will unfold in my life as I continue in my prayer walk with the Lord!


Skyla shares these thoughts about her son, Christopher...

He was born in Nakorn Pathom, Thailand on January 26, 1991 at 10:40 am, weighing in at 8 lbs.
He was perfect in every way.

He was strong and so willing to do things - way before his time.

At 3 months old he started to pull up and crawl around. He was so strong!

When he turned 6 months old he was walking and getting into things!

He was quiet and a very good baby!
Never gave me any problems at all.

Yes, he was so attached to me, his Momma, 24/7.
I enjoyed watching him grow and become the little man he was.

When he turned 2 years old, I had to separate from him to come to the States and make everything set in stone for him to have a future here in America. He had a dream at a very young age and I wanted the very best for him to be better than his parents.

Chris came to America in 1996 at age 5 1/2 years old.
We reunited and started a life in Tennessee.

He came into a ready made family with a step Dad and a Sister who just turned 2.

It was kinda hard, for Chris only spoke Thai at the time, but he was willing to learn to speak English so he could communicate with his sister and step Dad, who is Cheyenne's biological father.

Chris was so into making his Sister laugh, and he did play well with her.

He liked to be big Brother and tell her what to do.

He loved to play football, soccer, and basketball.

He always tried to show off when he knew we were watching him.

One Christmas holiday of 1996-1997, we decided to go to Florida and hang out.
We all had a ball!

Chris wanted to stay here in Florida and he wanted it to be just us.

When it came time to return to Tennessee, Chris didn't want to go.

In 1997 he and his Sister were taken into state Custody. He lived in a foster home for a while and when he was 12 years old, he was adopted by the Green's and they changed his name to Hassell Green and gave him a life in the Country.

I am thankful that the Green's took all 3 of my children in and adopted them into their family!
But Chris was so willing to do things his way and move fast in life, he ran away to search the big world himself.

He was in and out of trouble but he was willing to do what he wanted to do and that was to be a Champion boxer!

He played football in school and he said he was too short for that even though he could run fast. He did his best!

He even played basketball just because he was fast and he did his best in anything that he set his mind to do.

He said that he was too short to go NBA. He told me stories that would make your head spin but he knew how to tell it and make you laugh.

He was just something else!

He was looking for me right after he was adopted by the Green's, but they told him to wait till he was 18 years old.

I thank god for Facebook, for it was there that I found him.

On October 31, 2009, I was able to talk to him for the first time in 12 years.

He thought that someone was playing a Halloween trick on him but I told him that this maybe Halloween but it is not a trick but the best treat ever!

I thank God for blessing me with him.

It took some time till he decided to move down to Florida.

He finally came down here on March 5, 2010 to stay and make a new life away from Tennessee. I was so excited that I was showing him off every chance I got. He came to church with me off and on and heard the word of God.

He was saved in August 2010 and was living his life for the Lord.

Chris said, "That he was given one too many chances in life and God was there with him all the way."

He thanked God for allowing him to learn and give him another chance with life!

He wanted to do MMA fighting and he felt that he was good.

I saw that the Golden Gloves were coming in town and he wanted to see it for himself.

Remind you that he didn't have any boxing training but he he went on in with no trainer.

Coach Theo did his corner and he helped him on his first fight ever.

Chris wanted to do things right then and there!

He lost, but at the same time I was so proud of him.

He was always on the go and when given the chance, I would take him around to see different places.

He loved the beach and he loved to walk in the sand.

I enjoyed watching him play around like basketball at Charlotte Harbor.

I enjoyed having him near and we had fun playing around laughing a lot.

He met and made friends every where he went.

He had that sense about him that made you wanted to be near him.

He was loving and a big hearted young man!

Many times he would come in and lift me up and throw me on the bed and wrestle. We would play rough and he would say, "bet that you never thought that I was going to be this big to do this, did you?"

I would laugh and say,"I was waiting for this all the time that we were apart."

He went to Charlotte Harbor Boxing gym and Coach Theo trained him in boxing and tried to coach him and be a mentor to him.

He just needed that guidance from a father figure that he longed for.

Chris had a few fights in line and was doing pretty good.

His one fight that he had in Tampa was the one that made me so proud of him, for he won first place.

He cried with joy as he was heading down from the ring toward me. I hugged him and told him,"yes" he did it, and many more would follow.

Chris was so excited that he won his first fight and he wanted to keep going.

He had his next fight in Ft. Myers, but lost.

Still he was not going to stop there.

Chris had plans to visit his Sisters in Tennessee for Thanksgiving, which he did went, and they were so happy to see him.

He would call and talk to Edward many times and he called him Dad.

A "Dad" that he longed to have in his life.

He was comfortable in telling Edward anything and everything.

Yes Edward played a big role in Chris' life, even by phone and letters.

Edward replays that last conversation that he had with him and is tore up but knows that his Son is in a better place!

Chris leaves behind Grandparents=Maria, Donnie, & Dalphine,
Aunts=Joanne and Missy,
Uncle=Ahdam,
sisters=Cheyenne and Chrasina,
Cousins=Wilks, Christain, Jane, and Stephen.
His Mother Skyla and step Father Edward,
along with his step Brothers & step Sisters,
and step Niece and step Nephews.

He also leaves behind his girlfriend TyQuesha and her five children that he loved so dearly!
he loved them from the bottom of his heart.

Christopher will be missed and always be in our hearts!

"Be blessed son, for I know you are waiting on me up there now!"