My Testimony by Donna Wyatt
I grew up in a family of six, the youngest of four children. We attended a
Methodist church, but I never learned that Jesus was anything more than a good
man. My father left home when I was twelve years old which left me with a poor
self-image. I began looking for love and fulfillment in all the wrong places. I
allowed myself to be pulled into a life of drugs, alcohol and immorality.
I became a nightclub dancer and began using and abusing everything from
beer to heroine. I was involved with motorcycle gangs, thieves, murderers,
abusers, sex addicts, liars, cheats and haters of God. I spent ten years in that
lifestyle.
I met the Lord and gave my heart to him in 1979. The week before my
salvation experience, I tried to do more drugs than ever before in hopes of
drowning out a feeling of hopelessness and abandonment. Later, I came to realize
I'd been the one who abandoned everyone who cared about me, including my own
family because I never wanted them to see me in the life I had chosen. Little
did I know that my sister Toni and her husband Bill were fasting and praying for
me and had decided to do so until I came to the Lord! Not knowing this but
feeling strongly that I needed to "touch base" with reality, I made
some New Year's resolutions at the beginning of 1979, which is the only thing I
could think of to do.
I was still working at a nightclub at the time, and one Saturday
night, I'd gotten to work early. I was sitting at the bar when the phone rang. I
answered with, "My Apartment Lounge," the voice on the other end said,
"I am looking for Donna Wyatt."
Do you know her? My
first thought was I used to know her, but what I said was,
"Who is this?" The voice
on the other end of the phone was my oldest sister, Phyllis.
She'd come to town to visit a friend and just started calling night-
clubs, hoping to find me. When I heard her voice, I knew I needed to see her,
but she said she'd be leaving after church the next day and wouldn't have time
for a visit. I became desperate to see her and asked if she'd be willing to come
to the club. To my surprise she said she would. She even watched me dance on
stage, and I could hardly believe she'd come into "my world," but she
loved me enough to put her convictions aside long enough to accommodate her baby
sister and show love. After my routine, I asked my boss if I could leave for the
night so I could spend a little time with my sister. He said, "Yes,"
and away we went. We stayed up most of the night talking. The next morning was
Sunday, and Sis and her friends were heading to church. I wanted to be with them
but didn't have any clothing acceptable for church, so they loaned me everything
I needed. When I walked into that church, I instantly knew God was the
answer, and I gave my heart to Him.
I
tried to continue dancing at the club and just sing Jesus words to all the
songs, but I found I couldn't, and that's when I called my middle sister, Toni,
who lived in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. I told her I had given my heart to the
Lord, but she didn't seem surprised at my news, which was a little perplexing to
me. She invited me to come for a visit which I was happy to do. Soon after I
arrived, I learned that the reason she wasn't surprised by my news was that she
and her husband Bill had been praying and fasting for me since September of the
previous year and had decided not to stop until God brought me into the kingdom.
It was now the end of January, and Bill's pants had become very baggy on him
because he'd lost so much weight from fasting for me. Anyone who knows Bill
knows he had no weight to lose, so it was a testimony to me of their diligence
and dedication to my spiritual welfare! Their dedication didn't stop
there, however. They invited me to move in with them and their four-year old son
so they could disciple me in my Christian walk.
I went back to my worldly home to get my things and was immediately
accosted by the devil. The closer I got to my house, the stronger the pull was
back to the old life I had left. By the time I arrived, the desire to do drugs
was overwhelming. I called Bill and Toni to let them know I wouldn't be
returning as I'd decided to stay where I was. However, the Lord had other plans:
Bill and Toni went right back to fasting and praying, and within two weeks I
knew I couldn't run away from God.
I called Bill and Toni for help and
within a matter of days, I was back in Georgia.
I spent the next two years with them being discipled in the Lord, and
what a glorious time that turned out to be! It not only gave me my spiritual
footing but also brought to light in me the desire to help others.
When He decided I was ready, God opened a door for me to work at a
Christian girls home, helping young ladies who had drug and alcohol related
problems learn about the Christian life and God's love for them. Since then I
have had several really great jobs working in a secular setting with Christian
bosses.
I first became interested in prison
ministry approximately thirty years ago when I was working for the Christian
girls home in Atlanta, GA. Each week we would go into the county jail and share
our testimonies and hold a Bible study. Afterward, we would talk to the ladies
to see if any were interested in coming into the program the girls home offered.
If there was someone interested, we would go to court with them and ask the
judge to sentence them to our program. It was very rewarding to see the ladies
come out of such a dark place, receive Christ and learn to walk in Him. I worked
in two other similar programs for a total of eight years and saw many come
to Christ.
Three years ago a couple from our church announced they were applying to work at
We Care prison Ministry in Atmore, Al. During their first visit back at church
they mentioned to me that Crusade was coming up in January,
and I might like to come down for it. They did not say too much more than
that, but when it came time to apply for Crusade in the coming year, I wanted to
know more. I applied, along with four others in our small church in Powhatan,
VA, and was accepted.
Crusade was fantastic that first year, and we all had a great time
talking to the inmates about Christ and all that He has to offer a broken life.
On our way home that year, we talked for fourteen hours about our experiences in
the prisons and how we already knew we wanted to go back the next year. All four
of us applied for Crusade again that next year and were accepted.
That year things were a little different for me. On Sunday,
the day before were to go into the prison, all 350 volunteers spent the day
together listening to speakers, singing, praying, and sharing. During that
meeting I heard a voice above all the others calling me to be more involved.
A skit the We Care team put on that day was especially meaningful. Each
staff member came out with a sign saying what line of work they did before
coming to We Care, and on the other side of the sign was their job in the prison
or their job at the ministry. As the line got longer and longer with volunteers,
I was feeling sort of strange and did not have a handle on what was going on
inside myself. After everyone was lined up, the president of We Care came out
and had five more signs with jobs that needed to be filled, and I felt my heart
leap. Then I understood what was going on inside.
I wanted
to work in the prison. I was concerned I was just being emotional, so I didn't
say anything to the others right away. The next day I shared my heart with
my friend Pat who had come down to Crusade with our group. She responded
positively. On our way home from Crusade that year, I told the others what I was
thinking and received positive feedback from them as well. When I returned home,
I was reluctant to tell my best friend whom I had been living with for ten
years. After a week or so I just could not wait any longer and told her what I
was thinking, and we rejoiced together. After that I told my pastor who also
responded positively. I felt God had confirmed His word to me about working for
the We Care program, so I wrote Dave Landis in February 2007 and told him I
wanted to volunteer. By September of this year, I plan to be working in the
Julia Tutwiler Prison for women. I hope to share my life experiences and how the
love of God brought me out of the pit and set my feet upon the rock of Jesus
Christ. I hope you are able to help with your prayers and support.