I Am a Work in Progress

By Dr. Elizabeth Bose Williams

I am a Work in Progress is written to encourage readers that no matter the trials on your way stand tall and fight back. Flight is not a good option. Timing is very important and you can only discern the right time with God's help. I strongly believe in the saying that you are either part of the solution or part of the problem, endeavour to be part of the solution. Always be ready to stand for justice and fairness.
Elizabeth Bose Williams. MD. NFA

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781467067447

Dr. Elizabeth Bose Williams

Elizabeth as she is preferred to be called has written a sensational story and given a sensational advice. She is a mother to two MIT students. One graduating June 2012. Elizabeth lives in New Orleans with her family. She is a community advocate with passion for the two extremes of life: the Children and Senior Citizens. It is said that the strength of a society is determined by how the society treats the two extremes. It has to be all hands on deck to uphold Life. Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Read, this unique memior/novel for a new perspective on daily issues. You will end up more informed and grateful. Write me and lets reason together. P. O. Box 6903. New Orleans, La 70174.

Book preview

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Notes from

Reverend Larry R. Lassley, Sr.

My profound thanks to the memory of the late Dionne Powe Williams of Deziner Media International. She worked diligently with me on this book and was a major source of encouragement. No relation with Ex-Publisher-Late Dionne Powe Williams.

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When the world gives you lemons,

lift your hands and eyes unto the hills, and ask for sugar to make lemonade,

and please share!

Foreword

This book is dedicated to my Lord, Who kept me alive to write it, and to my family, who filled the void in my life.

Without the grace of God and His mercy, I would have fallen prey to the enemy, false friends, and wolves in sheep’s clothing. I now live to do the will of my Lord. I also know that He said, The thoughts I have for you are thoughts of good and not evil, to bring you to an expected end. [Jeremiah 29:11] I hold dearly to His promises.

This book is also dedicated to all the volunteers. I sincerely pray that our God continues to manifest His omnipotence through His creations. The Lord brought me from the pit of hell into His magnificent light, so I could see those things to which I was blinded and hear His voice.

Acknowledgements

Our Almighty God—I acknowledge our loving God for inspiring me to write this book. I am nothing without Him.

New Orleans Times Picayune—As an avid reader and occasional contributor to the public-opinion section, I found some aspects of it fascinating.

Bob Gass Ministries—The Word for You Today, December, 2009-January, 2010.

The Holy Bible—The New Testament by the International Bible Society.

The Holy Bible—The New King James Version.

The Purpose Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren.

The Dreams of My Father by President Barrack Obama.

Our Daily Bread for Personal and Family Devotions—Day 22 written by Haddon Robinson, He died for me.

I would like to thank Reverend Diana Negron-Valentin and Norlin Hayes for their time in proofreading my manuscript. Special thanks to my new church, the Disciples of Christ. I’m learning a lot and having fun. I like the way the pastor prays for the congregation and sends us out to impact our world positively.

I also extend my thanks to my Christian faith overseers—

Pastors David William Murray of The Potter’s House Assembly of God, formerly the Algiers Assembly of God; Pastor Larry Lassley of Calvary Christian Fellowship in Bogalusa; RBC Ministries; and Mountain of Fire Ministries—where I was schooled in things of the spirit when I stopped attending School of Urban Missions due to circumstances beyond my control. My first exposure came from Doctors Mark and Betsy Neuschewanders in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I also thank the many others who have influenced me positively and negatively. It all worked out for good. Put your testimonies in writing and put the devil to shame in Jesus’ Name.

Author’s Note

The good Lord blessed me repeatedly before I noticed something wonderful was unfolding in my life. I’ll narrate the stories in stages. The story I often share at gatherings is my deliverance from a ruptured brain aneurysm. The devil fought me and my desire to put my story into writing. I have no doubt he’s determined to stop us from putting into writing the defeat he suffered at the hands of God’s children. He’s aware that when we tell a story orally, the cares of the world will erase the significance from memory, but putting the story in writing gives a more-permanent weapon to overcome his evil tactics.

Currently, I’m reading The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. Day 36 discusses putting our testimonies in writing. That is a confirmation to the request of my beloved sister in the Lord, Ms. Helena Thomas, the founder of Positive Confession. She prayed with me that Jesus would give me the strength and guidance to put my testimonies into writing.

I give thanks to Reverend Rick Warren and Sister Helena Thomas for their encouragement and obedience to our heavenly Father’s directives. I also give thanks to others for their influences on me, both negative and positive. I wouldn’t be here today, nor would I be on this journey, if not for the summation of all my experiences. Above all, I give a heart-filled thanks to our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Who gave His life for me. He predestined me for the world and instructed me to await His return.

I can’t say I fought a good fight, but I can say that Jesus made me a work in progress. I have gloriously won the fights Jesus fought for me, and He asked me to claim the victory every step of the way. Hebrew 11:1 states, Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

Lord, give those who read about Your wonderful works in my life the grace to internalize Your magnificent glory and keep them from the evil one who attempts to steal Your words from us. The Word of the Lord is the Sword of the Spirit given to us to destroy the devil’s works. It’s not surprising that the Word is the devil’s target.

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Chapter One

Deliverance from a

Ruptured Brain Aneurysm

Hurricane Katrina headed toward the Gulf Coast, with New Orleans as the bull’s eye, threatening to come ashore as a category four or five. While my husband traveled north with St. Margaret’s Nursing Home, the children and I stayed behind. I told our children we would pray for God’s protection.

A friend of the family called from Virginia Beach to advise us that he’d heard on the news that people who didn’t evacuate should seek shelter in the Superdome or the Convention Center. I kindly thanked him and said God, who would keep people safe in the Convention Center, would keep us safe at home.

Because my husband was busy preparing the residents of St. Margaret’s, and we were so busy, our house wasn’t boarded up. I was certain the Lord would protect us.

He did. Hurricane Katrina struck early Monday morning. We left for Houston on Tuesday and spent several days there before traveling to Dallas.

The hurricane ravaged New Orleans. Two-thirds of the city was underwater. After receiving such devastating news, we learned no one was allowed to reenter the city. Our lives were turned upside down, but we were alive and well, and God kept us from harm’s way. Nothing could have prepared me for the next tragedy that almost took my life.

For many years, I suffered piercing pain in my head. It was like a little man beat drums at the base of my skull. Headaches were part of my daily life. During the severe ones, I retreated to my bedroom and cried, praying for relief. While my headaches were inexplicable, I attributed them to stress. Years earlier, I left Nigeria as a doctor to join my husband in America, knowing I couldn’t practice medicine in the United States without overcoming many hurdles.

It was a monumental challenge. I was determined to make the adjustments and become a productive member of American society. I took a job as a nurse’s assistant to help out with the bills. My husband, who is also a medical doctor, initially took a job as a nurse’s assistant so we could pay for a place to