When I think back to over seven years ago when my husband Keith and I watched our precious little girl slip away in front of our eyes and pass away in my arms, I never thought I’d come to a point where I’d be okay and happy again. Yet, God had different plans for my life. He first placed on my heart the gift of writing. I had the desire to write down how I was feeling, which ultimately led me to creating her dedication site. Over the past couple of years, I feel God has been working on me again, but only this time in an area I’ve never had any aspiration to do. The thing is, the story of our daughter and how we’ve been able to not only get through it all, but come out okay, is one that somehow touches other people’s lives; it resonates with them.
When I went to the ACFW conference in September 2014, God spoke through a friend of mine. She told me she had been talking with this women who’d recently lost a child and she felt it was my ministry. She referred this woman to me. Ever since I was a teenager I’d always wondered the plan God had for my life. He’d allowed so many different things to happen to me during my childhood. I didn’t understand why but knew the Lord had a plan for my life and at some point He’d reveal that to me.
Then I got married, and God continued to allow different things to happen with the culminating event of losing my only child, Mariana. Looking back, I didn’t understand what God’s plan was for me or why He’d allow all the hard or tragic things to happen. It was through losing our daughter that God slowly revealed His plan for me to write. From there He began putting this thought into my head about sharing my story, my testimony, with others. In doing so I hope that somehow it may help someone else or impact their life somehow.
While I’ve never considered myself a public speaker, God has place a new desire on my heart. I believe He has lead me down a path to share my story with others. If you’d like to have me speak at your church, a gathering you’re having, or at a webinar, please send me an email to kristena (at) kristenatunstall (dot) com. I will get back with you as soon as I can.
Kristena Tunstall
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