Before the Stone: A Memoir by Durussia

By Durussia Jenkins

Before the Stone is an autobiography chronicling all the experiences that Dr.Durussia Jenkins has encountered throughout her life. You will be enthralled as you read about the unusual heavenly visitations by mysterious people in different cities and towns that Dr. Jenkins has experienced her entire life. Overcoming death and beyond, through the divine supernatural gift of faith,Durussia has defied the odds of doctors and naysayers alike. Her life has been peppered by joy, pain, family separation, and eventually hope and overcoming. She has learned from the many struggles of life that there is great hope in God's redemptive power and that through his love and restoration of grace wonderful things happen. Dr. Jenkins's story begins in the little town of Winter Park, Florida, and from there, through many twists and turns, ultimately leads her to Jerusalem, where an ancient mystery will open her understanding of her past and start a road to new purpose and promise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644712665

Book preview

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Before the Stone

A memoir by Durussia

Dr. Durussia Jenkins

ISBN 978-1-64471-265-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64471-266-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2019 Dr. Durussia Jenkins

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

The Beautiful Town of Hope

Learning to Trust the Voice

The Lord’s Prayer: Psalm 23

Trusting the Angel

On the Way to Birmingham

Who Is Rose?

Hearing the Truth about Rose

A Poem

The Coming of Age and Passing the Class

The Matthew Schippo Academy

The Mansion

Aloha/Hawaii

Off I Go into the Wild Blue Yonder!

A Test

Answering the Call

Destiny Calls/Nathaniel

The Ropes of Europe

Time to Go Home to America

Hearing God’s Call

The Night of the Meeting

The Snow Angel

Created Visible the Hand of God

Turning Point

Fulfillment before the Honor

Nashville

Closing the Book

About the Author

This is a love story of a man named Knoxie (my father) and a woman named Rose (my mother) who had an interesting and intriguing life. There are so many twists and turns surrounding how they supposedly met. All we know is that they met at a mysterious fishing hole that none of her relatives knew even existed. Our father’s past was a complete mystery to everybody, and we only had limited knowledge of his relatives. My grandmother Ruth was a beautiful redhead with a gorgeous shape, which drew many looks, and certainly my grandfather.

My grandmother’s family was closely knitted to the Creole heritage, which connected to Europe and Germany. As for my mother Rose’s roots, they led back to East and West Africa and ended in the American Indian roots. Daddy’s mother, Ruth, fell in love with a Jewish man whose name was Richard, and his heritage led back to Germany and the Jewish Holocaust survivors.

Could this hole have been a physically real fishing hole or a heavenly oasis placed there temporarily by God for them to meet each other? Anything is possible, who really knows?

Rose was sitting there staring at the still water with a look of anticipation on her face as if waiting for someone special. In fact, Mother had been going to this isolated water hole by herself every day, sometimes waiting all day. She admits that her prince was supposed to be a tall, dark, and handsome man.

On this particular day, she was even dressed up, which he also loved to do, in tailored suits customized to his larger-than-life frame, and his love for patent leather shoes only added to his polished look. As she was looking into the water, suddenly, the shifting of the clouds moved away, and it seemed as the blue sky just appeared out of nowhere.

As Mother was noticing the change someone was watching her. Rose was captivated by the rippling wavy pattern of the water that began methodically moving as the wind gently blew on it, but more amazing, suddenly, she saw a huge catfish right in front of her, staring oddly at her. She was so captivated by the fish she did not even notice the stranger watching her. He was standing there observing her and laughing under his breath. There he was, not even a hundred yards away.

Suddenly she looked up, and he began walking towards her. Rose knew Knoxie would come because she saw him in a dream the night before. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she knew at that moment he was for her, even though he was not tall or dark, but he was handsome in his own way. None of her siblings ever worried about where Mama ventured to alone, because she loved being in the woods by herself, or playing with the field horse that she cut the tail off of just to make hair for her doll when she was younger. Mother was perfectly capable of handling herself quite well. She was an expert with a rifle and could shoot the hair off a squirrel and then skin him equally as perfect. However, she was afraid of snakes, and always said if she ever saw one, he is going to die first, not her, and you could believe her.

Rose, a woman with unmeasurable guts and her fearlessness overall seemed to have an inward confidence beyond understanding, and she seemed to never give up or into anything. She could pick up a two-hundred-pound pig and lay him down on his side with little effort. I loved watching her catch flying bugs with a quick swoop snuggly in her hand; the little God creatures were done as she squeezed the very life out of them.

Nevertheless, there was a beautiful side of her that only comes out when she wants to amazed people. When that gorgeous side came out and the country girl went to sleep, the woman of grace woke up and you would see true beauty. As Mama enters a room, her presence brought life to the whole place, lighting it up with intrigue and mystery; you would watch her closely, wondering what she was going to do.

What I mean by this description of her is she is very magical. You never knew what you were going to get. She loved wearing gorgeous gowns that flow like curtains blowing in the air, and with every step she would take, her movements captivated her onlookers. You could match her head to foot with the Hollywood starlets of her day, like Elizabeth Taylor or Loretta Young, maybe even Greta Garbo, but she had an I Love Lucy side as well. Mama had a natural classic elegance. So why was it so important that these two strangers meet? Are they a part of a heavenly plan to reveal something very unique to the world?

The answer is unclear, but it is something to think about. However, there was something very mysterious about them both. There had to be more than just a love story being written here, so much more than anyone knows, and it was connected to a greater understanding beyond the natural mind. As time goes on, only God could explain it.

A mystery for the ages. Within the walls of a relatively unknown woman from the backwoods of Alabama lay an ancient writing that would confirm itself throughout her lifetime and would be left behind after she was taken from the scene. A wonderful thing, a simple miracle inside of a simple lady. Something so strange yet precious that had meaning to all those who would hear about her life. And God would send the proof that his spirit did indeed live within Rose, a mortal body. The Lord would prove His presence with a miraculous sign and a wonder that no one could deny.

Is the world ready to encounter the masterful workings of God in such a naturally minded touchy-feely world? This question is still ongoing, and is to be seen as time moves ahead toward the end of time. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and God’s truth can never be refuted.

Mama’s miracle will touch every listener and the reader who is willing to hear about our incredible story, which has produced the proof for all to see. The tall, distinguished man, my dad, stamped with the hand of God, was destined for the purpose of his time and beyond.

If I had to describe their brief story, it would be he was a type of Joseph to my mother, Rose; he was to protect her naturally as she was carrying something spiritually to come for a sign to this generation. He was to watch over her in every way and nurture it from the evil, dark, sinister demons of hell trying to destroy her and the miracle to come before its time. If this all sounds like a bunch of hogwash, I assure you it isn’t; Yes, it was written inside of Mother’s womb. Most certainly those who read about our story will undoubtedly say, Ain’t no way! or maybe even break into some kind of laughter, but it is still true. It is one of God’s miracles, and the Lord has been performing miracles throughout the ages, and this one is no different. A physically proven supernatural stone.

Mama is a one-of-a-kind woman, and her life’s journey would become my life’s walk as having been commanded to share our story with the world; the authenticity of the stone has been sealed by the hand of God. So you decide. The Lord arranged marriages in the Bible, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he arranged this one. Why not? It was 1947–1948. Mama and Daddy could not resist the fire burning in their hearts for each other, so they quickly tied the knot and were married in a day.

Interestingly, Israel became a nation during this same time frame. Could there be a connection? Could my mother and Israel becoming a nation again in 2017 be tied together? This is an odd question to answer, but not without merit because of what happened on September 7, 2016, at twelve o’clock: a precious gem was discovered. This question, I will leave up to all of you, the readers.

Could Rose be a natural sign from heaven to prove that God is in control of all human life? And does God use whoever he desires to use for his own purpose? You might ask the question What is the link here? To tell you the truth, I do not know!

At the time of her birth, the menace Hitler was on the rise, preparing for the ultimate eradication of all Jews. Europe was at the tip of the iceberg with the evil empire of hatred brewing out of hell as it needed a spearhead to emerge in the form of a man. The workers of emotional murder to take center stage and bring misery everywhere it could.

God has always used people to get his creation to pay attention, and that could be in any way he desires and through whomever he chooses to use. There are many invisible veils of truth and equally as many lies; we have to believe what is real is the truth, and what is created by man is possibly the truth or absolutely a total lie.

Mother was born in this time of looming dread in the world. Little did she know her future was set, she was a warrior. As she opened her mouth, giving out a cry, somehow her purpose was set for the rest of her life. She would have to fight against everything trying to kill her, and there would be a lot of pain and sorrow, but there would be many great victories that would follow her for many years. Signs would follow her and leave the very presence of God for others to glean from for the Gospel’s sake wherever she went.

I am not sure she really knew what God expected from her. She would have to conquer herself first, then fight for others to find the beauty of their lives, as she did. The faith of Rose helped her to overcome any of the physical restraints she had. Deep inside the walls of her soul was a burning fire never to cease, or allow her to give up ultimate paradise. And you shall be with me, this day in Paradise. She was born to be a soldier for the ages with the tender heart of all humanity. Would her death be even a greater mystery?

As the clock began ticking downward, the unfolding plot thickens. There have always been great women throughout history born for certain purposes: the mother of Jesus, Mary; Florence Nightingale; Mother Theresa; and, yes, Rose, my mother. Each one of these awesome women would leave behind a footprint of their lives written in the sand of time for others to glean from, and again, I say Rose is one of these incredible women. She was born in 1919 during a time of great woes in the world. There had to be something about her life unknown to even her parents and her siblings. Seven brothers died before she was born, all with unusual circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Moreover, the myths and legends involving witches and darkness pricked the hearts of people who truly believed in them, and in Mama’s life, it was no different. Many people avoided Mother as much as they could, probably because they were actually downright scared to death of her. But God had a plan for Rose, bigger than anyone even knew, and he knew she would follow it right down to the letter. No one had the common sense to see that if she was a witch of the sort, then why did evil seem to continuously try to take her life? She would have been a greater asset to the dark side; thus, the devil could use her for the bad things if she had belonged to him.

She consistently saw visions of future matters and had dreams all the time. Mother was walking out a blueprint of some kind for a godly revelation of the future, which would confirm God’s will for the church. Even the deadly disease rheumatic fever could not destroy her life.

Mother’s journey began when she ran away from the hospital sanitarium where she was placed in isolation, but for Rose, raging inside of her was the purpose, and she had the will to fight to live it. She jumped through a tiny window that she explains, The voice of my future was calling out to me, and I had to answer it. The effects of the disease mysteriously left her body, and she was healed. As for the disease, it never returned.

Mother said she knew she had to meet her stranger at the waterhole; that was our father, Knoxie. Mama knew something that no one else knew evidently. Death was always hot on her tail, creeping up her back, attempting to overshadow her with surprise, but still she lived. Was God writing a story? Most certainly, something amazing was in the works. God had put a drive inside of her which led her to search for what was waiting to be discovered. The magic of it all cannot really be expressed, but the fire and passion in each of them tied the cords of purpose together quickly and solidly, thus burning it in the