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    Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light
    Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light
    Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light
    Ebook118 pages1 hour

    Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light

    By Mavis Garrison

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Imagine a little girl that lived for many years in terror and fear.

    She would experience sexual abuse, rape and other forms of abuse.

    The word normal was not in her vocabulary. Therefore she ultimately began to make unhealthy choices for herself and her children. Feeling as though she had inflicted her trauma on her children seemed to worsen the guilt. Mavis seemed to function in crisis. She would live many years before finding the Truth.

    Eventually Mavis would find forgiveness and learn how to forgive others. Through this forgiveness the Lord would restore relationships and show her the meaning of complete joy. Only He can restore abuse to preservation and respect, terror to joy and happiness, fear to courage and bravery, trauma to healing, crisis to peace, guilt to innocence, shame to honor and respect, and turn your sorrow to joy.

    The past does not define who we are or our destiny for the present or future. The abuse is what happened to me, but it is not who I am. I have finally found my true identity.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWestBow Press
    Release dateSep 7, 2016
    ISBN9781512753868
    Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light
    Author

    Mavis Garrison

    Mavis at seventy-two is a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She recently retired from twenty-five plus years working with abused and at-risk youth. Mavis lives with her husband, Don, and their dog, Glory, in Dunn, North Carolina. As Mavis was preparing to submit the manuscript for this book, she found herself moving from Tennessee to North Carolina to be closer to family due to Don’s medical issues. She and Don are enjoying this last season of their livesand look forward to spending time with family and friends. They are excited about what the Lord has for the rest of their days.

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      Book preview

      Out of the Darkness into the Son's Light - Mavis Garrison

      OUT OF THE

      DARKNESS

      INTO THE

      SON’S LIGHT

      Mavis Garrison

      25467.png

      Copyright © 2016 Mavis Garrison.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

      This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

      WestBow Press

      A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.westbowpress.com

      1 (866) 928-1240

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      ISBN: 978-1-5127-5387-5 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5127-5388-2 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5127-5386-8 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913673

      WestBow Press rev. date: 9/7/2016

      CONTENTS

      Foreword

      Preface

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      My Childhood Years

      My Teen Years

      My Wedding Day

      My Sisters’ Weddings

      Losses And Overwhelming Joy

      My Worst Nightmares Begin

      Running Away

      More Fear And Heartache

      A Beautiful Baby Is Born

      A Father For My Son

      The Love Of My Life

      Beginning A New Ministry

      Moving To Wisconsin And A New Ministry

      Testifying In A Murder Trial

      Mother Of The Year And Other Surprises

      Power Of Forgiveness

      The Lord Is Always On Time

      The Truth Revealed

      Making New Memories

      Beginning A New Ministry

      The True Meaning Of Making Love

      Reenacting Trauma And Recovery

      More About The White Picket Fence

      Facing New Challenges

      Our Incredible Journey Continues

      Afterword

      To Don, my husband, my best friend, and the love

      of my life. You always saw the best in me and helped

      me to find the best in myself. I love you more.

      FOREWORD

      I first came to know Mavis and Don Garrison (otherwise referred to as Mom and Pop) over dinner one evening. A young man who happened to be a resident of the cottage they oversaw at the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch was also a student in my classroom. FSBR is currently a coed facility, but back then, it was a home for boys nestled in the piney flat woods of northeast Florida, where my career as a public school educator started and for twenty-six years has continued to thrive. This young man had graciously invited me out to meet his cottage parents and the members of his cottage family that evening. Little did I know, this encounter would change my life. It took only a few moments to fall in love, with the meal first and then, of course, the couple who, in a matter of time, came to be two of my dearest friends.

      Out of the Darkness into the Son’s Light is well named. The pages unleash a story that is not only true but also inspiring. It has been written by a woman who spent much of her life walking in darkness, but by God’s grace she found her way into the light of Jesus, His Son. In the following pages, you will have the opportunity to know Mavis in a way you have never known her before. She is honest and candid about the events that led her into the arms of Christ, her now Savior. This book tugs at the heart of those who have likewise found themselves wandering in the depravity of life while searching for significance of their own.

      This book is a long-awaited dream coming to fruition for Mavis and will likewise be a special treasure to young and old readers alike. This is a sort of coming-of-age story that will be especially beautiful for her family to enjoy, as pieces of their lives are also sprinkled throughout its pages. Additionally, it contains insights for the bruised and hurting and is a source of help for the needy, describing the healing balm that only Christ can provide. If you have ever faced shame from mistakes in your past, do not be surprised if you discover yourself in this book. Your struggles may look similar or entirely different from hers, but that is irrelevant because anyone who has even once experienced the troubles of this life will be delighted at the hope this book brings. You will also learn more about Mavis’s struggles when dealing with moral dilemmas, overcoming fears, and establishing her own set of core values.

      Not long after I met Don and Mavis, I was asked to consider volunteering some time with the youth at FSBR. This later evolved into a position as the chaplain of this facility and has brought me some of the greatest joys of my life. One of those joys was the opportunity to pray with them prior to their move to Wisconsin. They both wanted desperately to be in the center of God’s will for their lives, no matter where the road might take them.

      Following Jesus can take us places we have never been before. Prior to this move, Mavis had never left the state of Florida, so this was quite a challenging undertaking. Nevertheless, when God wants us to do something, He will map out the way. This book is an example of something I know God wanted her to do, thus the pages provide a road map of how to find Jesus in the worst of your circumstances. Having always been the domestic diva in my eyes, Mavis uses this book to weave her painful past into her faith-filled future, creating a tapestry of life much like those handmade quilts found all over her home. Mavis is a respected veteran when it comes to caring for youth. Since that first move, she and Don have made several others. Each transition made in this line of work has provided her the opportunity to share her morality, creativity, spiritual development, and motherly love with abused and broken teens all over the east. Now you see why the name Mom is so fitting!

      —Angela D. Hester, former chaplain of Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, Florida

      PREFACE

      Writing my life story has been a challenge. I began to write in hopes of finding healing for myself and as part of a legacy for my children. After sharing my testimony during a fellowship meeting at Rawhide Boys Ranch in Wisconsin, I had several women come to me and share their stories. The response was overwhelming. Some of them were in tears and asked me to pray for them. One young lady asked for a copy of the video of my testimony, which I gave her to share with her mother. She told of how her mother had been unable to heal from her past and forgive those who had deeply hurt her. After encouragement from close friends, I decided to write my life story. I believe that I have found the key to complete joy if I will just choose to apply God’s word and embrace life’s lessons as teaching tools from my Creator. This is available for anyone. The Lord does not want us to stay where we were. He wants us to know true freedom from

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