 story teller ever. It's God. And you know, it's amazing. He is writing our story, your story, Tom and our story. And we are so excited because today we have a part two where we're diving into an incredible family story. So Tom, tell us a little bit about who's coming up today. Yeah, yesterday we had Tracy Scott and Alicia McConnell, Monday's program. And Tracy told her story about how God set her free and healed her son. And today it was it was powerful, by the way. It was if you haven't seen it, watch this program then go back to YouTube and look for Monday's program and you will be blessed to hear that program as well. But today we'll be talking more about Alicia's story and Sidney that she has a powerful story too of God's working in her life working through her life. Yeah, like working through her life when it comes to transplant. So you definitely want to stay tuned for how God orchestrated and all it all. So you know, one thing I just love about when we hear people's stories and their testimonies is amazing that God uses every little piece every little fragment and he puts it back together again. He infuses it and you know one thing I love that you know we know that our God is good and I recently heard that like I was studying in the Hebrew word with good is his word Tove and Tove means to be in harmony. It means to be in tune. And so one thing I think about when it comes to our lives that comes to the situations and the circumstance we're walking in. Are you in harmony? Are you in tune with the spirit because through the Holy Spirit? That's how he weaves his threat into every part of our being. And I think we should. I think especially today expect God to do something amazing. God's an amazing God. Expect him to do something consistent with his amazing incredible character, miracle working character. Expect that God is going to do something today could be a day of freedom for you. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be back with Tracy and Alicia cornerstone television exists to spread the good news through Bible based programs and a fully staffed prayer line through CTV and lies are saved hearts minds and bodies are healed and Jesus is lifted high. We can't do this work without you. Would you consider sending a gift this month to keep the gospel moving forward with power when you give we'll send you listen love repeat which presents scriptural examples of those who lived alert including Jesus who noticed those who least expected to be seen gives creative ideas for showing love to friends and family suggest practical ways to reach out to the lonely marginalized outcast helps you comfort the grieving and so much more ask for your copy of listen love repeat when you give today call 888-665-4483 or go to CTVN dot org slash donate. Thank you for your generosity hope happens here on Monday's program we set out to remind you that God is still the God of miracles. We heard from Tracy Scott and how God performed incredible miracles in her life and today we're going to hear from her daughter Alicia and how God has done some unbelievable things in her life to Tracy and Alicia welcome back to hope today. Thank you again for having us. It's a pleasure to be here. Well yesterday Tracy we heard your story. There's a lot more to it but you were in the middle of a story about how God called you to Florida to pray for a man. Could you just finish that up for us. So again God had put on my heart to go to Florida to pray for this gentleman who was diagnosed with the last stages of cancer. He was in his 50s. I love praying for people. I love seeing God work miraculously. I don't like to travel. So I kept thinking Lord is there no Christians in Florida like why me I live in Pennsylvania. I will probably never return because I get lost really easy. He wouldn't let it go. And so being the beating person I am I said well okay Lord you if my husband is okay with this I'll go. My husband never tells me nobody's protective. So I'm like oh he's gonna be like you can't do this. So I went down to the garage where he is working. I said hey Friday after work I'm going to drive to Florida. I'll be home Sunday morning. I need to pray for someone. He's like okay really really the first time you don't have so long story short. Alicia said oh I'll go with you too which wasn't really a lot of comfort because she gets lost. She's really helping my brother would go. He's much better at navigating. He's probably the wingman you want. So we left after work. It was about six o'clock Friday evening. It was a sixteen hour drive. And I have to be honest we had about four hundred dollars in our bank accounts. I'm like you got to do the miraculous here. So we just started driving drove sixteen straight hours. We're on a spiritual high just really praising God listening to teaching tapes just it was a really good trip. But about a half hour before we got there between being in the car so long together and realizing like what are we doing? I started to get a little nervous and I said oh Alicia do you think this is the right thing to do? And she was like oh Lord. She's like we just drove sixteen hours. So we got to the people's house and I said they're going to think we're like a cult or something. She wouldn't get out of the car. We drove all of that way. We're on each other's last nerves because I had not got to use the restroom or eat and she was like I can't go in. So I did by any good daughter would do and I threatened to mess up that perfect hair. I was like you will get out of the car on your own or I will get you out of this car. And she goes well think we're with a cult because you have to knock on the door first. So you know she sent me and I knocked on the door and they thought we were from a cult. Well that was the first thing the lady said. She goes are you a Jehovah's witness? And I said no. I said I just I'm from Pennsylvania where some of your family lives. I said I just really felt led to come down and pray with your husband. So he came out and you could tell he was in the last stages of cancer. And the only thing the Holy Spirit let me say was I just drove 16 and a half hours to tell you that God loves you. And I couldn't say anything else. And she's giving me the evil eye like we did not just drive 17 hours to tell this man that God loves him. Everybody knows God loves them. But I couldn't say anything else. We just they're they stood there and he starts crying after a few moments. And then the voice starts crying and I was like Lord you got to work here. I don't know what's going on. And all of a sudden he said I just told the Lord yesterday that if he didn't prove to me he still loved me. I was ending my life on Sunday which was the next day. And I just started crying. And the Lord showed me because then I realized why he had to send someone from Pennsylvania. It would have been a really big act for a neighbor to walk across you know and say hey I want you know God loves you. God will do anything for the one. Every person is so important to him. And it taught us such an incredible lesson that yes it's nice to preach to crowds. Yes it's nice to pray with the masses. But God will do anything for just the one. And it was such an incredible time. We ended up praying with the man for about an hour and went back in our car and drove home. But it changed his life and he got into the ministry and was able to go to high schools. But God taught us the one is that important to him. He would leave the 99 to find that one. And I think he just put a burden on our heart that that one is so important and precious in his eyes. So I mean what an incredible story. That's a mission trip right there. You know one hour of ministry for like about 36 hours of driving. But tell me Alicia tell us what where has God worked in your life. Because we know there's some amazing things he's done as well. You certainly grew up in an area where there was a lot of faith and a lot of trust in God for miracles. What has God done through you and in your life. I was really fortunate. I kind of had a heritage of faith. My grandparents were saved. My parents were I grew up seeing miracles. So children they're like sponges they take all of that in. So I never I never doubted. I remember I got saved in a church preschool after hearing about Jonah and it just God was always a huge part of our foundation. But I think the rubber meets the road once you're an adult once you leave that household once you're not necessarily under your parents covering anymore. They're always there believing for you. But my husband and I got married when I was 20. We had dated for about six months before our wedding day and we're celebrating 10 years married. So we were just crazy enough and we knew we wanted to have a big family. He was also from a big family himself. He grew up in a Christian household and we didn't see any reason to wait. So a few months into our marriage we found out we were pregnant and we were static to say the least. And within a few weeks I had my first miscarriage and while we were devastated we knew that God had plans for us to be a family. Ever since I was three or four years old I always had a doll in my hand. I always pretended to be a mom. I knew in life that was my calling. My first calling was to be a wife and mother. So we didn't wait a whole lot longer and we were trying again and we got pregnant for a second time and we're very excited and that also ended in a miscarriage. And I think that is when I just I felt so broken. I remember I had three surgeries that fall and I remember New Year's Eve literally just laying on my couch and feeling like Lord hope is just so dangerous and crushing me. And I really felt like God spoke to me for one of the first times as an individual and was like I never left your side. I was there each time you were in the hospital. I just felt like he was there with me each time going into surgery and that he had not forgotten me or the dreams that he had spoken into my heart. So I remember just really pouring my heart out to God and saying you know if I hope one more time if I'm willing to use this as my weapon like I will hold my child and my mother had bought me a little pair of cheetah print Gladiator sandals from Cracker Barrel that I had in a box because each time I found out I was pregnant I would pull them out and I would pray over them and I would tuck them away and I pulled them out and pray over them and I tucked them away and I was just declaring my daughter will wear those shoes and so I kind of coined a phrase I said it takes faith the size of baby shoes to move the heart of God and my husband and I found out we were pregnant that February so I just kind of poured my heart and sold out to the Lord on New Year's Eve and found out in February we were expecting again and my little me is six years old now I had I had to do battle I said you know I declared a thing I will hold my daughter I will see my daughter wear these shoes and God was so faithful to meet us and so it just restored my hope you know hope anchors the soul and I knew that God had not forgotten about those dreams that he had put into my heart as a child so shortly after Mia was born we knew we wanted to have more children so when you're in love it's not too hard trying to have children and bring more little lives into the family and we found out we were pregnant a little bit after Mia's first birthday and we were so excited my mom sent me flowers and the one time you're my mom and I go to the gym I was telling her you know just about my plans to decorate the nursery what we were going to do this time around and she mentioned a friend of the family needed prayer she said Bruce needs a kidney and we're just praying and believing that God's going to do a miracle in his life and I I always heard my mom say I love so and so so much I'd give him a kidney if they needed it so I remember telling her I said well after I have this baby if Bruce needs a kidney I'll donate a kidney to him and I think I stay quiet because I didn't want to cancel that miracle but I thought God has to be in this because no normal person wants to give a kidney so I thought God must have put this on her like a saying you say I love him so much I give him a kidney so much I give him a kidney I don't know why I did that for decades but it goes to show the importance of planning that seed and I think I think God had her saying that all of those years because he was doing a work in my life so your baby was born so my little girl was a little over a year and we knew that we were expecting and we knew that Bruce need a kidney so we were praying for him and I happened to see him at my parents house and I told him I said well when I have my child in November if you still need a kidney I would like to have the information to your transplant team I would donate a kidney to you and Bruce said well God's in America I'm not waiting that long I said well I'm glad like I'll believe with you God's in America you're not going to have to wait till after November and we kind of parted ways and a few weeks later I had my third miscarriage and I was I was crushed to say the least it was right around Mother's Day and I just I think sometimes it's so important to just be vulnerable with God I think sometimes as a Christian we feel like we have to have it all together and God doesn't want to see that mess God knows that mess God loves you in that mess and it was one of those days when my husband was at work and I was just at the kitchen table and I just felt so safe and vulnerable just to be like Lord I don't understand you know I'd had several surgeries I'd carried life with the mean I'd lost it and I just remember telling the Lord you know these doctors told me that I can't carry life you know they gave me all these reasons why I'm not satisfied like you created me to carry and bring forth life like Lord to heal my broken heart like I know that I'm going to see my children in heaven I know they're not lost to heal my heart I need to know that you're going to use me to bring forth life and at that moment I didn't know what that looked like and I remember so that was in May in June I saw Bruce's daughter at a park when I was taking my my own daughter to the park and I asked how's your dad and she said well we're believing for a miracle and I give her credit because she didn't speak anything negative I said well I'd love to be a part of that miracle I'm like I need his number I need to reach out and get the information to contact the transplant team so in June I contacted his transplant team and started the process to become a donor and we were a match so I think God was working even in those details and so I went through five months of testing I mean they they know you inside and out there's no secrets with your transplant team but we were ago and patients has not always been my strong suit so I was nicely calling them and thanking them like every week like hey thank you so much for everything you're doing for me do you have an update when can I come in for this next testing you know because typically would take a few weeks or a month in between each process I'm like can we get in next week do you have anything available and you know God had his hand in the timing but I ended up donating my kidney to Bruce the same week that I was due to have my son which was born into heaven and I think even in that God just showed me that he works all of those details out for the good so each year that week before Thanksgiving in November I donate on November 16th we celebrate that Bruce is still living and we have like lit the little paper lanterns and celebrated Jacob's life because I feel like with each of my pregnancies there was a love that was created and that love was meant to change the world that love may have taken its first breath in the heaven and not into my arms but I was given a gift of a love that was called to change the world and so with that with Jacob's life you know I'm now able to talk about Bruce is alive and well today and God's hand was all over every piece every messy ugly broken bitter piece but through it all there was hope there was hope that anchored our soul and so donating my kidney to Bruce it healed my heart and I laughed because my mother watched my child and I sent her flowers that day and I thanked her for giving me the faith to believe that when we love someone we would share a kidney and I said to her I said God loves to the miraculous I said I'm going to pray that God restores that kidney and you're going to have two healthy kidneys and she's like wonderful because I can donate again and I'll be the first person living to donate two kidneys I said well God maybe not you knew you're well God whether you did donate again I did tell me about that I think to be honest maybe the transplant team and my family thought the painkillers were kicking in because I remember just a few days after donating my kidney I read this story about a Jewish rabbi who had donated his kidney and went on to donate a portion of his liver and while I was kind of crocheting and reading that I was like I'm going to donate my liver and my mom and husband were like let's get you you know to your six week appointment and see how you're feeling and so I remember when I went in for my follow up I asked my transplant team I said so tell me like how can I go about donating a portion of my liver and they looked at me for a moment and said we don't even do liver transplants at this hospital and that didn't stop me I said okay well I'll see you in six months and we'll talk about it again and so at six months and at my year and I laughed because my nurse transplant or my coordinating nurse of the transplant team she messaged me after my first year appointment and she told me she was like I want you to realize how miraculous it is your kidney is functioning at 99.7% of what your kidney function was with two kidneys so when I went into donate you know they they tell you all of the risks and benefits and to be honest there's not a whole lot of benefits the benefits is like you may save someone and the risks are pages and so she she told me she said you know when you donate essentially they take half so you're left with essentially half I mean that you're young and you're healthy your one remaining kidney will become more efficient and compensate for some of that loss so we expect to see you between 70 maybe 80% kidney function after two full years and so after one year I was at 99.7% kidney function and there was only one kidney and they're at that point in time but God just did the miraculous I mean even the transplant nurse was like I need to to let you know how big of a a miracle this is this doesn't typically happen so well God just preparing me because typically they don't like you to donate your liver after a kidney they'd prefer you to donate your liver first because your liver regenerates and then with your kidney typically they don't see any type of regeneration so I was like God's working this all out that one kidney is functioning like too it's keeping myself alive and healthy and Bruce is alive and healthy and so the transplant team was extremely gracious with me but they said we don't deliver transplants so I didn't take that as a no I said okay well I just contacted the other hospital in Pittsburgh and failed out to become they called an all-transit donor I didn't have somebody that I knew as a recipient so I started the process with them right before my two year anniversary and at one point you know a couple people through Facebook had sent me a link to somebody who needed a liver and so I tried to to donate to her and it didn't work out with the transplant team you have to be very sick but you have to be healthy enough to make it through a major surgery so the transplant list kind of ebbs and flows but I think God was working a miracle there too so I started the process I met with the team in October and I was approved as a donor in February and being I didn't have an intended recipient they said you know within about six months I would assume you'll get a call but it takes some time to match you so that was in February and I got a call in March and they said can you donate next week like we have somebody who had been scheduled and their donor backed out can you be here in one week and so I had to laugh I sat on my steps and I just I was so overwhelmed with the love of God and with his joy I remember just getting like a little teary and calling my mom to make sure that my daughter would be taking care of and calling my husband and it was a go so we embarked on round two I think that's if I can interrupt I think that's an important point is you aren't just doing this just on a humanistic level you were doing this as a as something you felt God's pleasure and purpose in those various people that said like how does she have so much joy in this because those surgeries are very intense and painful and I said I think God gave us a small glimmer when Jesus says for the joy set before Him He saw the future not that moment and I believe that's what was happening with her she saw the outcome instead of that moment of pain and I like to think the joy of the Lord is our strength because I'm gonna be completely transparent with you on my own strength I would not want to donate an organ I mean it is a big surgery there's a lot of recovery time a lot of downtime God calls you to that so I was just crazy enough to believe that God called me to it he's prepared away and there is there is such a joy and just feeling like I'm I get to be a part of somebody's miracle and that was the cry of my heart several years ago at my little dining room table I told the Lord to heal my heart I need to feel like I can bring forth life like you created me too and isn't it funny like what we ask God for He'll give us if you don't dig up out of doubt the seeds you plan in faith I believe despite the doctors telling me my body went bring life God's creative He did it necessarily need me to have children more children on the side of her to bring life into the world I have two gentlemen out there with the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus running through an organ that was once in my you know my my body so it was just it was tremendous to see God's hand in transplant and what would you say like I know there's a lot of people that have gone through transplants and need that what would you say the person that may be on the fence right now just after hearing your story of I want to donate I want to give but they don't they're in this like in-between place what would you say to that person right now I'd be completely transparent with you I'd say make sure that God has called you to that but if that's on your heart that's probably not the enemy is not going to say you should give life to somebody else so they can find Jesus you know God is a loving gracious father and he'll meet you where you're at but I've also learned if you want to kill a big dream tell it to small-minded people um through my process I had I had people tell me I was a selfish mother I had people tell me that God told them I would die if I if I did this people through the church um a pastor's wife but I had this little precious seed of faith that God had deposited in my heart and I was willing to hold on to that so if God has called you to it you're going to know because it's not a natural thing to want to give in that way that's a it's a mark of the father our father gives good gifts our father is a generous loving father so the enemy is not going to confuse you with giving an act of love like that and we do we've always said that God's a healer he loves to heal it's it's who he is um that he uses many different ways we've learned absolutely you know I love the supernatural healing I mean it's the most wonderful but sometimes he sees the whole picture when we don't and I think sometimes even the recipients need to know that they're so dearly love that someone would do this for them and I think God's doing a whole work in them when this happens so I think it's I mean I'd be like get your hands off my liver I'm not I'm not giving anybody my liver yeah I mean I already gave my kidney I'm not you know but uh it's it's amazing to see that would you pray for somebody out there Alicia would just pray for especially for someone to that is gone through that heartache of miscarriage and that heartache of of losing a child and they're still standing or they've lost hope or they don't know what to do maybe you could just bring them before the Lord family father I just thank you I thank you for your precious children Lord I just I feel your love so strong for the broken hearted Lord you've called us Lord your child and we don't grieve like those with no hope hope can be a weapon that can anchor our soul and Lord I would just pray for the broken hearted out there for the mother who's grieving the loss of a precious child Lord just restore her hope give her a vision of that child in heaven you know I know that my children are waiting me one day that my treasures are stored in heaven Lord that they're loved by you that they've only known your perfect love Lord I just pray that you would impart that to any mother right now that's grieving a loss of a child Lord just for anyone that's on the transplant list or a loved one is on the transplant list I would just pray that you would restore their hope hope is our weapon Lord we anchor our hope in you Lord that you are a God of the miraculous that you heal and you restore and you give good gifts so thank you for that strength in you Jesus name Amen you know just as you were like sharing your story Alicia the one thing I just kept hearing God was saying is like someone is a need of a heart transplant and I love what the word says that he turns our heart of stone into a heart of flesh and so maybe today that there's something deep in your heart that is aching that it's bitter but God right now wants to do the greatest exchange and that's what he does he's in the business of giving us new hearts restoring those places maybe there has been a deep bitter route of pain of loss of rejection and you can totally agree and say like I've been in that place where there's no hope because hope deferred makes the heart sick but today God wants to say I want to take the sickness in your heart I want to redeem it I want to change it and I did it through my son Jesus so today just stretch out your hand and receive the love that God wants to give and did you know that in the Hebrew word I love it's Ahava actually means to give that's why God gave his only the God and son Jesus that's what God is in the business of doing he loves to give to show his love and so we want you to know the love of Jesus that he's with you in the midst of it all and today you can give us a call on our prayer line at 888-665-4483 because we know that God is doing a miraculous thing in your heart today thank you both so much for just sharing your stories and your testimony being so transparent and open with us today thank you for having us it was our joy we've heard today we've heard about healings we've heard about love and those are the two things God's a God of miracles he's a God that wants to do a miracle in your life the greatest miracle of course is to know him so first be sure that you know him that you've accepted him as your Lord and Savior but he wants to do miracles in other areas of your life but I'm impressed so much more that God is a God of love and relationship and you can hear the voice of God just seek him and he'll speak to you and he'll show you his love