World-4-Christ Myspace Ministries

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Susan's Testimony:


In my teenage years I was a very lost child. I had little friends, was very shy, and constantly depressed, hiding that from everyone around me. While in my bouts of depression I had suicide on my mind quite a few times and even attempted it once.

I kept to myself at school and at home, in my "own little world" ignoring what was all around me. I became friends with the wrong kinds of people; drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. I soon found out that the reason I was becoming friends with them was because I was in hopes that I could change them from their bad ways. I didn't know why at the time, but I needed to and felt that I was the only one that could help them. I did help one person but never was able to help the others.

When I was 16 years old I met a man that had been best friends with someone that I knew very well. Him and I started dating and I found out not too long after that he too, like everyone I seemed to be drawn to, was heavy into drugs. It went through my head over and over that I should not be with this person but I stayed with him. I tried so hard to get him to stop the drugs that he was doing to strengthen our relationship and to help him be a better person. He did finally stop the drugs after a few years and after it had sent him to the hospital.

I was so excited that the drugs were finally not apart of his life and was ecstatic when he asked me to be his wife, but soon after he asked me to be his wife, our relationship went sour. We grew far apart after being together for 3 years and I had once again become a very depressed person. He didn't treat me as I had hoped he would. I changed the person I was because he became controlling and angry with me all the time. I was not happy but I was in hopes that, again, I could change our relationship for the better. I stayed with him for an additional 3 years. I became bisexual looking for the attention I wasn't getting in my relationship. I even went so far as to bring the bisexuality into the relationship, in hopes that it would make my fiance' happy. At the time, it seemed to work, but in all honesty, I was still very miserable and my hopes for a better relationship with him soon faded.

I met Chad around the music scene with my then fiancé, and felt a strong connection with him. Chad eventually became a close friend of mine.

After a while of being where I was with the man I was with, I decided that I could no longer be with him. I was trying to find a way to tell him but I was very afraid of him at that point. He got involved with the Law in an unlawful manner, and I saw that as my perfect opportunity. I left him and felt the biggest weight lifted off of me that I have ever felt.

Chad and I talked and, around that time started a relationship. We connected so well and wanted the same thing, which was to get married and have a family. We got engaged in January of 2007 and married in May that same year. We found out in November 07' that I was pregnant and that we were having a little boy. We were overwhelmed with excitement and planned everything out perfectly. Sadly, we lost our son, Conner, at 23 weeks into the pregnancy. We were incredibly upset, but we knew that the Lord wanted him and we thanked him for choosing our son. At that moment I became a very strong believer. My son was chosen out of all the healthy babies born that day, to be with God. My husband and I decided to rededicate our lives to the Lord. We got baptized January 6th of 08'.

After our baptism, my husband and I began praying for the child that the Lord wanted in our lives. We prayed to be the parents that we knew we could be, the ones that guide their children to follow in the steps of the Lord.

I became pregnant again and found out we were having another boy! We were so excited. The pregnancy was going really well the first 20 or so weeks. However, when I was 23 weeks pregnant, we went for a routine prenatal appointment. That appointment changed our lives. We were admitted into the hospital that same day due to a shortened cervix. The doctors told us that the same thing that happened with our first son could very well happen again.

We were ambulanced to a high-risk womans hospital. There, doctors told us that we would be lucky to make it past the 26 week mark in the pregnancy and that, if the baby even survived, our son would likely have to stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for weeks/months until he was healthy enough to go home.

I was placed in a room on strict bed rest. Chad spent every night with me, and we prayed long and hard every night. By the grace of the Lord, the 26 week mark came and passed. Then the 30 week mark came and passed. The Lord heard our prayers every night in that hospital room, and he helped the pregnancy make it all the way to 34 week and 6. It was then that our son was born (October 21st, 2008), and after having spent a total of 60 days in the hospital.

During our time in the Hospital, we had in our mind that our son was to be named Christian Creighton Cartledge. With all the praying we did in the hospital, the Lord spoke to both my husband and I, and told us to research the name “Zechariah”. In our studies, we read the story about how in the New Testament, Zechariah and his wife wanted a child so bad, but were under the thought that they were too old to have one. The Lord blessed Zechariah with a child, who we all know as John the Baptist. The name "Zechariah" means God has remembered, and we knew the the Lord was remembering us while in that hospital. The Lord had us chang our sons name to Zechariah Christian. He has blessed us over and over again with this wonderful little baby boy. When our son was born, he weighted 4 lbs, 10 oz. We brought him home weighing 4 lbs 4 oz. Zechariah is now 4 months old and weights 13 lbs 8 oz. He never had to stay in the NICU and never needed oxygen when he was born. He is a strong little man chosen by the Lord with the help of Conner’s hands.

We dedicated Zechariah at our Church on February 15th. He has his little brother, Conner, in his eyes, and the Lord in his heart - and Chad and I both are thankful to the Lord for giving us our two blessings, and for revealing to us the awesomeness that is our Lord Jesus Christ.

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