My Testimony
By Caryl McAdoo
Blessed be
the name of the Lord! Thank you Ada for giving me this opportunity to share my
testimony! I love more than anything to testify to the goodness and
faithfulness of the Lord! I have so many testimonies! Well, I turned sixty-five
the third of this month, and I would suppose that anyone who has loved the Lord
as long as I have would!
We go through
seasons in our lives, times of lack and times of plenty, of health and times of
sickness, time in the valley and time on the mountaintop, of sowing and reaping.
In this world, we will have tribulations. Trials and troubles do come, but we
can always be of good cheer for He has overcome the world!
I want to
testify to a recent blessing. O’Pa and I still have two of the four grandsons
we’ve reared for almost thirteen years now, ages fifteen and twelve, and we
wanted to find a church with a good youth group for their sakes. The last we
attended regularly was Abundant Life Assembly of God, and ours were about the
only children there. We thought First Baptist might be the place to go,
especially since a certain young lady went there who Christian, the older one,
knew from school.
But alas, it
turned out the group only had a few and the young lady mentioned turned her
attentions elsewhere, so things were not so good there anymore. I have A LITTLE
LOWER THAN THE ANGELS debuting in November and in September or October,
happened to see that another Christian author also had a title with Angels
launching in November. Her name was Stephanie Collins.
So, I typed
her name in Facebook search and several came up. I only knew her name—not even
if she was young or old—so, chose a couple and sent a private message: ‘Hello!
Nice to e’meet you! I saw where a Stephanie Collins has an Angel book coming
out in November, and I have one, too! Are you that Stephanie?’
Right away, I
got a response. ‘Nice to meet you, too. I see you’re a Christian lady, so I
sent you a friend request.’ Well, #1 – this lady could have lived anywhere in
the wide world, right? But when I went to her page, I saw she lived in Bogata
(pronounced Buh GOAT uh – it’s a long story) which is twenty minutes from
Clarksville where I live! WHAT? We both lived in Red River County! Amazing!
#2 was that
she had a profile photo of herself and a teenage son! My next question…Where do
you go to church because my husband and I live in CLARKSVILLE and have been
looking for a good youth group for our grandsons. She told me she drove twenty
minutes up to the Church of God at Blossom and bragged on and on over their
youth. We visited the following Sunday.
The boys love
it! The church is well attended and unlike so many where Ron and I’ve visited
and were the youngest there, there are many young families! From the nursery to
the youth, their busting at the seams, except they’d recently built a new
bigger beautiful building after the old one burned down. They had a gym and a
ping-pong and pool room, and lots of family activities. J We have a
new church home and thank God for leading us there! My fellers are looking
forward to going to summer camp with them and the youth director will pick them
up on the way to Weatherford on their way through the Metroplex! How wonderful
is that?
See just how God cares? He knows our needs and is always so
faithful.
Today, I had
six of a litter of eight pups I needed to find a home for before the boys went
to their other grandmothers for the summer on Friday. A homeless walk-about
showed up one day around
dinner time, all thin and in need of love. I did my
best to find his owner, but far as he was concerned he had a new family. I had
two outdoor dogs – a Border Collie, Faith, and Great Pyrenees Zoe. Both
females…no males, no puppies. For two years, this worked then Bodark showed up.
 |
| Christian and finding puppies homes |
SO I dropped
Christian off at church tonight and Ben (the twelve-year-old) and I drove on to
Paris and prayed God would send the new owners of these precious, playful
puppies. We parked way out away from the Walmart store, with a clear view of
MacDonald’s drive thru and set up our FREE PUPS sign. I took my rocking chair
from Gander’s Mountain.
He started
hollering “Free Puppies, Get them while they’re young!” When a car stopped, he
would run to the car and put the puppy through the window. We gave away five
and brought one back home. I know that baby has an owner who wasn’t at Walmart.
Another testimony of God’s great goodness toward us! His mercies and loving
kindness are new every morning, too! I love and adore Him!
I have a
running testimony of my whole life that I just keep adding to on my Facebook
Notes if anyone wants to be encouraged by seeing where I’ve been and where God
has brought me. The URL there is: https://www.facebook.com/notes/caryl-lawrence-mcadoo/caryls-testimony/10150250403626741
“This
I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of
the Lord's mercies that we
are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They
are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is
my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is
good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It
is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:21-26 KJV
Caryl's books:
The widely
The widely
acclaimed Historical Christian
'western adventure' Texas Romance series:
Hope Reborn (1850-1851) Book
Three
Hearts Stolen (1839-1844) Book
Two
Vow
Unbroken (1832) Book One
A Little Lower
Than the Angels
Volume
One of The
Generations series, Biblical fiction
PROMO PAGE / SINS
OF THE MOTHERS
Debut Day: May 3, 2015
SERIES: TEXAS ROMANCE, book four of these historical
Christian, western-adventure novels set in 1851-1853 / Continuing the story of
Henry and Sue Buckmeyer with their growing children, this title begins the next
generation and features their oldest daughter Mary Rachel.
BLURB: SHORT
Blind
love propels Mary Rachel to defy her father and elope to California with Caleb
Wheeler where betrayal and murder drive her to despair. Who will ever love her enough
to cover her sins and deliver her from the pit she’s dug for herself?
LONG
Persistent
faith brings redemption and reconciliation.
Blind love propels Mary Rachel to
defy her father and elope to California with Caleb Wheeler. The newlyweds partner with his cousin in his San
Francisco dry goods business. Unbeknownst to the young bride, her new husband
sends his kissing cousin ahead to have both his love and his new wife’s money.
Betrayal and murder drive Mary, soon a young mother, to the depths of despair. Is
there a man who can love her enough to cover her sins and deliver her out of
the horrible pit she’s dug for herself? She travels from frontier Texas to the
raw bone boomtown of 1850’s gold rush days, then all the way to genteel New
York to find redemption for the sins of her mothers.
EXCERPT:
With everyone on the porch for the clan’s sendoff, Mary
Rachel decided for sure and for certain and could wait no longer. She took a
deep breath and hugged his neck. “Daddy, I’m sorry. I really am, but I can’t
go. No, I mean I’m not going. I can’t leave. I won’t.”
He leaned back and stared at her for too long a minute, his
face suddenly stone cold. “What did you just say?”
She grimaced; steam rose to her cheeks. He softened just like
he always had when her mother turned on him. Saying it aloud made it all the
more real, strengthened her resolve. “I cannot be gone for seven months. I
thought for a while maybe I could, but I can’t, Daddy.”
Her new mother stepped close. “But Mary Rachel, why? It’s the
trip of a lifetime. I promise you’ll adore Europe.”
“It’s just Mary now, please. No Rachel. That’s what Caleb
calls me.”
His voice lowered to almost a whisper, he slipped some of the
steel back on. “So. This is about that boy.”
“He’s a man, Daddy, and you know it. We love each other.”
“If he loves you, baby, then he’ll wait. It’s only seven
months. He should be thrilled you have this opportunity to travel Europe.”
“Well, I’ve made my decision, and I’m not going.”
“We’ve booked your passage.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I
knew you wouldn’t be happy about my decision.” She looked off at the tree line,
hating the disappointment in his eyes. But that was a coward’s way, so she
faced him again. “Like I said, I thought I could. Anyway, let Bonnie take my
place.”
From somewhere, her youngest sister burst into the middle.
“Can I, Daddy? Please take me! I’ll be good. Mama, tell him how good I’ll be.”
She turned those doe eyes on him. “Pleeeease.”
* * * * *
Six miles, north by northwest as the turkey
vultures soar from Clarksville, Texas, the very reason Mary stayed home, rode
his best mule as he skidded the black walnut saw log back to his cabin. Caleb
looked behind. “Slow, girl, almost there.”
He nudged the animal a bit further, the
timber only feet from his makeshift hoist. Two more steps, then he eased Harley
Sue to a stop. He hopped down then rubbed the old girl’s near ear. “You sure
are a good mule.”
The distant rattle of trace chains turned him
east, for a minute he stared, then she waved. “Well, look here what the cat
drug in.”
He unhooked the skid and led Harley Sue to
the barn’s corral; got back before Lanelle had the brake set on her wagon. “She
go?”
“Nope.”
He nodded. “You sure? Saw it with your own
eyes?”
“Yep, he took the three younger girls, but
not the princess.” She stood and threw him a smirk. “Help me down.”
“Sure.” He stepped toward her with his arms
held out, she fell into them. He caught her then twirled her around as she
wrapped hers around his neck. He set her feet to the ground then stepped back a
bit. Business first. “Anyone see you turn on my road?”
“No, but what difference would it make? I’m
only bringing supplies for my kin.”
“True, you get it all?”
“A pound of salt pork, two ounces of salt,
and a pound of coffee, but you best get yourself to town. Old man Hobbs wants a
word with you. Wasn’t too happy when I told him to put it on your bill ‘stead
of Pappy’s.”
Caleb nodded toward his wagon. “I should have
this lumber loaded by Saturday. I’ll see to him on my way to Jefferson.”
She shrugged then turned and moseyed toward
the cabin. “That last batch any better?”
Heading the opposite direction to the well,
he soon went to cranking; retrieved the jug, pulled the cork, and sipped a
taste. When he didn’t follow, she looked around then trotted to him grinning.
He extended his home brew. “You tell me.”
Always a sight to behold, she accepted the
jug without an ounce of pretension. Licked her lips then took a short pull and
wiped her mouth. “Boogers, Caleb.” She grinned then got herself a real drink.
“Woo! I’d say that may be the best you’ve cooked yet.”
He took the jug back and sipped a few gulps
more. Burned good all the way down. Replacing the cork, he nodded toward the
cabin. “You got time?”
REVIEWS:
I tell you what,
folks, this girl can write! I do love this series, and maybe most especially
this book Mary Rachel Buckmeyer is smart as a whip. She can out-negotiate the
experts, out-guess marketing trends, and out-stubborn a mule. Trouble is, she
tends to follow her heart into disaster. She falls in love with Caleb Wheeler,
a man her father says is a boy. As she finds out, he's not only irresponsible,
he has a meandering eye, lies like a braided rug, and has all the loyalty of a
new-born pup. Mary hops from one frying pan to another until one man shows up
who could steady her and get her out of the fixes she gets herself into. But
again, trouble is she might throw him away. When will this girl ever learn?
Such a great story! I know you'll love it
--Patricia Baxter Campbell, Author
I've
often wondered if the past can repeat itself in a person's life and Mary Rachel
Buckmeyer gave me my answer. Love, betrayal, despair, the sweet faith of
little children, and the perseverance of a miner. These all made for a
wonderful story of what life was like in San Francisco during the gold rush of
the 1850's. When I finished the last page of Mary's story, I smiled and
thought... I loved this story! But... There had better be another book coming because
I want more of these Buckmeyer's! I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys
reading a good Christian, historical fiction of the 1800's.
--Deanna Stevens, Nebraska
reader
Bio: Christian, hybrid (Simon & Schuster & Indie) author
Caryl McAdoo is currently writing three series from a perspective of faith: her
historical Texas Romances; the contemporary Red River Romances; and The
Generations, her Biblical fiction. The novelist loves singing new songs the
Lord gives her and painting. In 2008, she and her high-school-sweetheart
husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-eight years—to the woods of
Red River County. Caryl counts four children and fifteen grandsugars life’s
biggest blessings believing all good things come from above. Praying each story
gives God glory, she hopes it also ministers His love, mercy, and grace to its
readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far
northeast corner of the Lone Star State.
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