My Testimony : A Testimony of God’s Grace and Love from Megan

November 5^th 2015, marked the 20^th Anniversary of my near-death experience or what I prefer to call God’s miracle on my life.

I believe everything happens for a reason… Good or bad things. And trust me, I don’t always know the reason, but I believe there is a reason. Only God knows why, and that’s good enough for me. There is no good in racking my brain trying to figure out the answers to all of life’s problems or tragedies. However; there is good in me doing my best to see the positive in every situation, trying my best to give God glory even through the toughest of times, and knowing that God is not ever to blame for the devastations in life. God has truly blessed me, more than I will ever deserve- and He continues to. He is astonishing.

When I was 6 years old, I was in a terrible car wreck. It was on the evening of November 5th in 1995. It started out as a typical evening. Mom and dad were working hard at the family-owned restaurant, C&C Catfish in Van Buren . It was a busy Saturday night. My oldest brother Adam had been invited to a birthday party that evening and my grandmother was babysitting us, so she was going to take him to the party. It was local, less than five minutes away from the house. Of course Jared and I wanted to ride along too-we wouldn’t want to miss out on any of the fun. So the four of us hopped into the car unknowing our near future to be an unforgettable life-changing event.

Since Adam was the oldest, he of course had the privilege of riding shot-gun. That left Jared and I with the backseat. My grandma and Adam were both wearing their seat belts, but for some reason Jared and I were not. We were both being silly, laughing, and enjoying the moment, until time stopped….

When the impact of the oncoming vehicle occurred at the intersection of Hwy. 59 & Old Uniontown Road (before the stoplights were put in), Jared and I busted out of the back windshield and flew through the air. About thirty feet away I landed head first.

I do not remember much about the actual wreck. I do not remember any pain at all. I imagine my momma wished she could say the same....

As mom was busily running the restaurant, a customer came in to pick up a ToGo order. She said she was running late to get it because there had been a terrible wreck up on Hwy. 59, traffic was backed up, and there were bodies everywhere. At that moment a bad feeling ran all over my mom. She immediately got the phone book out to look up the number to the house that Adam was suppose to be at for the birthday party. As she was frantically thumbing through the pages of the phone book, the restaurant phone rang. When she answered they asked for Janet Cluck. She then received the most gut-wrenching news ever, “Mrs. Cluck, your mother and children have been in a very bad automobile accident.” Her scream silenced the restaurant bustle.

Not even caring who would run the business, mom, dad, my uncle, and grandpa immediately ran out. The traffic was so bad they had to park on Hwy. 59 and run down the hill to where they first saw the scene of the crash. Ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, and people were everywhere. The sight of the flashing lights, wrecked vehicles in the ditch, and most importantly their injured children scattered are images my parents will never forget. At that moment they honestly didn’t know if they would have all of their children back again or not.

Adam had been knocked out, but had already come to by the time my parents got there. Astonishingly, he was the only one of us that had been unconscious. He had been knocked out when his head hit the side window. He was cut up. Both he and grandma were stationary in the car during the wreck. Grandma had a broken finger but was very shaken up and too concerned about her grandkids to want any attention for herself. She continuously apologized, blaming herself. Jared had been thrown twenty-five feet through the air. There was glass from the broken window embedded in his head. However, he did not have any broken limbs. Though they were all injured, crying, and in a lot of pain, their injuries thankfully were not life-threatening. That in itself was a miracle! And though I was still conscious, my injuries were severe and my fate was not so clear.

All four of us were rushed in ambulances to the nearest medical facility which was Crawford Memorial Hospital. They immediately started running CT scans on my head. My head trauma was so bad, it was obvious that I was going to need to be airlifted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. They called Little Rock and their helicopter was on a med flight and would take too long to get there, so they immediately contacted Northwest Arkansas. A helicopter from NWA was on the way. They advised my parents that someone needed to take off immediately driving to Little Rock to be able to meet me there, as no one would be allowed to ride in the helicopter with me. Dad stayed with my brothers to make sure that they were okay and my uncle and cousin drove my mom to Little Rock. My mom told me that as they were leaving the Crawford County Hospital, people were already gathered praying. Praise God. Matthew 18:20 says "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." And He was.

As my uncle, cousin, and mom were pulling into Children’s Hospital, the helicopter that I was on was coming in to land- another miracle that they made it down there so quickly and safely to meet me. As soon as my mom could get to where I was, she asked me a question (since I was still conscious). This question would reveal something so special- even to this day. She asked me if I was afraid in the helicopter all by myself, but my answer is what surprised her. I replied “no, the man with the dark curly hair was right here; holding my hands right above my face. Mom looked at the people who came off the helicopter I was in; no one even slightly matched the description I gave. She asked hospital personnel if anyone else rode on the helicopter with me. The answer was no. It was then she knew that “the man with the dark curly hair” was my guardian angel that God had sent to watch over me.

Still to this day, I can picture the image that I described to my mom when I was six years old in that helicopter. Without a doubt, I know that was my guardian angel. I do not remember seeing his body, but I do remember a face looking down on me. It was a male with tan colored skin and curly dark hair. I do not remember any further details about him, but I know someday when I leave this world, I will be reunited with my guardian angel and be able to thank Him for watching over me that night. I truly believe that God gives each of us a Guardian Angel to watch over us. We may not ever see them, but they are there. And in some cases God may allow us to see our guardian angel, like He did for me when I was only six years old. Psalm 91:11 reads "For He will command His angels, concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." And I know God had my guardian angel right there with me in that helicopter ride that night.

The sight of me lying on the stretcher hurt and not knowing how bad I was hurt was scary and hard for my mom to take in, but she was so relieved that I was still able to talk to her. The nurses and doctors started with immediate attention to my head injuries- the most severe. They sewed up the hole right between my eyes. CT scans began immediately after. After many scans of my head and body were completed, the doctors found that multiple things would need medical attention. However, my head was their immediate concern. The injuries were worse than what my mom expected. They told her I would be going into surgery early morning. She called my dad to let him know. He was going to stay the night with my brothers and head down to Little Rock as soon as he could.

Adam and Jared ended up being released the next morning and went to stay with our other grandparents. Dad was then on his way to Children's to be with mom and I. Meanwhile the surgery begun. An incision was made on my head from ear to ear. This allowed the surgeons to pull my scalp down in order to reconstruct some of the broken bones. The ones all around my nose would later heal on their own, but my forehead was completely crushed. The doctors performed a craniotomy, removing part of the bone from my skull exposing my brain in order to do the surgery. After that was complete, they placed metal plates across my forehead to reconstruct it. (They are still there to this day.) Staples were then used to close my incision back up across my head. After the major head surgery they had to place a stint in my back to help drain and relive the pressure and swelling on my head.

Five days later, after my head was more stable, the doctors started working on my broken jaw. Another surgery. A tooth had broken half way off and they had to remove that tooth before putting a stent in my mouth and doing jaw reconstruction surgery. They had told my parents that they were going to have to wire my mouth completely shut and that I would be afraid when I came out because would not be able to open my mouth (also because I was so young and would not understand). That scared my mom, but once again God was seeing me through. As my mom sat in the waiting room, a sweet woman she knew from Van Buren happened to be there for her son and she sat and prayed with my mom. Well.... the word says "ask and you shall receive." (Matthew 7:7) When the doctor came to update my parents, he let them know that they did not have to completely wire my jaw shut, but just partially. Another prayer answered. A splint was put in my mouth. They wired through the bottom of my jaw into my mouth and attached the wires to the splint to allow my jaw to heal back. I had to be put on a liquid diet for three weeks while my jaw was healing.

It was about a week before my hair was able to be cleaned off. It was so matted with blood from the injuries, but couldn’t be touched until after head surgery and swelling went down. Also, my liver was lacerated, but by God’s grace healed back on its own.

After a total of three days in intensive care, ten days in the hospital, surgeries, medical procedures, stitches, scars, balloons, cards, visits, rehab, and numerous fervent prayers later I got to go home. Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. (2 Samuel 22:50).

Of course many trips back were necessary for rehab, check-ups, and consultations, but I know from the type of wreck I was in, I should not have made it that night. The doctors were not sure of the difficulties I would have after leaving Children's. They thought I would have a lot of problems mentally and physically. They definitely thought I would need plastic surgery in the future. However, God had a different idea. He had something better in mind for me. He had a plan and purpose for my life here on earth. He wanted to use me to glorify his kingdom. I will forever be thankful to Him for that. Look at what God can do! I may still have some physical scars to show from the wreck, but nothing compared to what the doctors thought I would go though. I just look at my few scars as a constant reminder of God's amazing grace.

Psalms 118:1 says "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever." May thanks be given to anyone and everyone who helped through prayer, compassion, cards, gifts, and visits; I want to thank you. Without your prayers I probably would not be here today. My mom has told me of numerous people she knew who prayed for my grandma, brothers, and I, at that time, and it is a blessing to know that so many people cared and put their faith in God to heal us. What a blessing! There are certain stories she has told me about special people who came everyday to check on me or nurses who took their own time after hours to show me compassion in the sweetest of ways. That is nothing but God's love.

I feel so unworthy of everything God has given me and done for me. Not only for saving my life that evening of the terrible car wreck, but for every day since! I have the most amazing parents anyone could ask for. After that wreck, I am sure they learned even more so to cherish every moment you get with your loved ones because you never know when your last breath may be. I also know they knew without a doubt, that God saw us all through during that wreck. They have brought me up in the way God would have them to and I am so so so blessed for that. They have been a great example to me of how Godly parents should be. I don’t know why people are born in the places that they are, but I am so blessed. I have the best mom and dad in the world.

Growing up, I was a normal child. I did not experience any trauma from the wreck. I could run, talk, jump, play, and make good grades just like all the other kids. I didn’t look any different either. I was a happy child. I enjoyed life. At first there were precautions that were taken just to keep me safe of course. I did not participate in softball due to the doctor's orders-they did not want to take the chance of having anymore head injuries. Also, my mom would pick me up from kindergarten in the afternoons when it was time for nap. My sweet kindergarten teacher did not want to take the chance of anyone stepping on or kicking my head during nap time, nor did my mother. That may have spoiled me a little. I loved being with my momma going with her to run errands or being her helper at the restaurant.

I have always been a family girl though. Spending time with my mom is still one of my favorite things to do. She has always been a giver and she always will be. I’ve learned that from her. We both prefer to give rather than receive. Give with a joyful heart, that’s what she’s always taught me. I’ve learned to cook from my momma too. She is an amazing cook. Even better than that, she is an amazing person. She’s my best friend. She never forgot to make each one of our birthdays special either. Always a super cute party with fun games and a cute homemade cake…. never failed. She’s always went the extra mile to make her kids and others feel loved. She’s always been there for us all through everything, good times and bad. If I could be half of the mom that she is someday, I will be doing a pretty awesome job.

My parents have always taken me to church (since the first week I was born). My brothers and I would sing with my dad each Sunday, while he played guitar. That is still a fond memory I have. And to this day, I still enjoy singing and listening to my dad sing and play. Growing up learning about God, I was saved at a young age. I remember talking to my mom about how to become saved in my bedroom at home. So I prayed at that time and I knew Jesus was then living in me. Later on in life, my brother Jared and I went to the alter together because we both felt the Holy Spirit telling us, we needed to be baptized. We were both baptized in the Mulberry River.

Having Jesus in my heart and living for Him is the best possible decision I could EVER make in my life. I am definitely not a perfect person. I make mistakes every day. I do wrong and am not always proud of my actions BUT through God’s sweet grace He continues to wipe away my dirty sins each and every day. Do I deserve that? No! But God gave His one and only Son so that you and I could CHOOSE to live for Him! (John 3:16) …to live for eternity in Heaven with Him some day, where there will be no more sin, no more pain, suffering, or wrong doings. What an Amazing gift!!!

I have had a lot of ups and downs in my life… family issues, personal relationships, employment/career, my own struggles, health issues, etc… but who doesn’t? Sometimes we like to focus on the downs in our life more than the ups. We tend to magnify all the negative things and start to feel depressed or sorry for ourselves or that the world is all bad. It's okay, it's human nature. However; we need to realize that we do not deserve anything. God is blessing us with the air we breathe each second. My situations or your situations are nothing for God. He is bigger than everything. He can move MOUNTAINS!!! I have grown so much as a person through the years and I am thankful for that. I have had some very difficult times no doubt, but God’s grace, knowledge, and peace are more than sufficient to get me though any situation. He has and still is encouraging me to overcome situations and put my faith in Him every day.

Recently I am very happily married to my wonderful husband Clay and I love him with all my heart! We were actually married on April 25th, 2015. God knows the exact person that each of us are meant to be with and He brought Clay and I together at the perfect time. Clay too, has come from a background of Godly leadership and I am so thankful for that! He is inspiring to me all the time. He makes me laugh. He makes me want to be a better person. Just the other day we were talking about him having two jobs while going to school… I told him I knew he was so tired and sometimes you just have to say no. He then said, but “Megan it’s good to go see those people at those jobs. Invest in them… There’s not anything more important than investing in the lives of others.” Wow. What a response! It wasn’t about himself being tired or even about the money, but it was about OTHERS! J And that is so true. Loving people, loving others, is what God wants us to do! I am a very blessed wife to have a husband like Clay. I truly believe he has a golden heart. He has to, to be able to put up with me! Of course no one’s relationship is perfect, because we as humans are not perfect, but Clay and I work each day to try to do better for ourselves and one another-to grow in God as a couple and as individuals. It’s not easy either, but as long as your heart is in it and you are progressing, that is what counts!

I’m not a person who has come from a bad walk of life or changed from a life of drugs or addictions… I have truly been blessed. I am definitely not saying that I’m a perfect person or anything near to that, but I have always known the love Jesus Christ. I have never had a point in my life where I’ve stopped believing in God. But there are always numerous ways I can grow towards Him and I believe I have been. It excites me too! God help’s me each day. He brings new opportunities and closes doors as well just at the right time. He is with me every second that I breathe and I am praying that He helps me to become more and more like Him every day and direct me in the ways I need to go. I pray for God to give me His wisdom and guidance. I also pray to be more disciplined in studying and learning God’s word so that it may become more prevalent in my everyday life.

I am so thankful for Jesus and everything about Him. He gives me a calming peace that no one else can. It is the best thing ever. I want to live my life for God. That’s what we’re here for. It will only bless me and others more. I’m not afraid to be a Christian and stand up for it. What the world thinks does not matter. Matthew 7:13 says "Enter by the Narrow gate; For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to Destruction." Choosing Christ and doing His will for our lives is not going to be popular or easy but Proverbs 4:18 says "the path of the Just is like the Shining Sun!" The Narrow way is incomparable to the destruction the wide and easy gate will bring. Our lifetime here is so brief, let's make it count for the reward that's astonishingly everlasting!

I know I can get anxious about what’s next in this life, but I’ve learned not to try and plan my own life on earth out, but to just seek God’s will and He will continue to reveal the perfect plan that’s already in store for me. A plan better than I could have ever imagined! I love what Proverbs 3:5&6 says "Trust in the Lord God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

I wrote this testimony of God's grace and love, not for anyone to feel sorry about anything I’ve been though in the past, but to share what God has done in my life! I hope that my story will encourage and draw others to place their faith and hope wholeheartedly in God at all times because He is with us and can truly work miracles!

In John 16:33 God says “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!”

Some of the sweet "Get Well" gifts, balloons, stuffed animals, and cards I received while in the hospital. I still have the sign my uncle drew for me and the stuffed animals people brought me.