God Always Gets The Last Word
by Dorinda Wingenbach
When I graduated Bible College, I
was eager to take on the world and ready for new adventures in ministry. After being home for 4 months and suffering with severe pain in my lower abdomen, I decided to
go to the doctor. She found that my ovaries were infested with ovarian cysts. I
remember feeling completely confident that this was a mistaken diagnosis and
full of faith that I would have different news the next month. That month did
not go as planned -- my health got worse and the pain became more intense. That month quickly turned into an entire year of agonizing pain!
After nothing seemed to be changing, I
decided to look for a specialist. Immediately a certain doctor's name seemed to jump off the page at me and I knew that God was
urging me to choose this particular doctor. I got an appointment right away and immediately had a favorable connection with this doctor. It was
unexplainable. After further testing not only did she find even more ovarian
cysts, but she diagnosed me with Endometriosis. She mentioned that, given the many
complexities I had, it would probably be difficult for me to ever conceive a
child. You have to realize, this was heartbreaking to me because I love children! I was in full time ministry as a Children’s Pastor and teaching children is a
passion of mine. Since I was single, I did not dwell on it too much. I still believed that I would be a mother one day.
I ended up having surgery, but since there were some complications, my doctor suggested that we try another method to treat the cysts
and endometriosis. After much consultation, I chose an unconventional route and agreed to try “hormone therapy” which
meant they would put my body into menopause (I was only 20 years old). Praise God, there was some success with this treatment and I gained some relief. Over
the years, I went through this treatment three different times.
Fast forward to 2004, the year I married the
man of my dreams. Life was great and then suddenly, my pain became worse than I had ever
experienced. I had severe medical complications and although I tried lots of medication, no pill would take the pain away. I felt broken and at times confused. Here
I was on pastoral staff, but I felt like I had no victory through healing in my own
body and at times I felt insecure to pray for other people because I had so many
health struggles. One day, my doctor randomly decided to give me a call just to check on me. It was actually God-appointed timing! I cried and told her my frustrations and about all the pain I was in. I explained to her how it was affecting my daily life. She then ordered every imaginable
test you could possible think of.
She
called me the very next week with bad news. They had found a medium-size tumor which
was located near my pituitary gland and was growing up towards my brain. I
froze after I heard those words and honestly do not remember anymore of the
conversation. I spent the day in tears and worry. I felt frustrated with the
results and although I never doubted that God was in control, I felt abandoned by Him
at that hour. I felt like I had spent my life being obedient to Him. I was
quick to remind Him of all the things I had “done for Him”. I thought to myself, "how could this
happen to me?" (as if I was saying my good works for Him should be enough to get
me out of this).
I was told this type of tumor was inoperable because of the
location, there was no cure, and I could expect to loose my vision. I was also told for the second time -- the
chances of ever having children were unlikely.
I was told all we could do was keep the tumor from growing, so I was put
on some medicine that made me very weak and sick.
About two months after I started taking the medication, we were going
on a family vacation and I chose not to take the medicine so that I could
enjoy the trip without any side effects. When we returned home, I struggled to
take the medication again because it made me so sick -- so I made the decision not take
it at all. Needless to say, my husband and mother were not pleased with this decision and called my
doctor to tell her. She immediately called me,
lectured me, and ordered more tests to see if the tumor had grown and progressed
since I had stopped taking the medicine. She called to give me the news (and I prepared myself for the possibility that it was bad), however she was baffled as she said “We’re confused about your test results. There is no sign of the tumor at all.”
I was elated and knew immediately I had been healed, but she was certain there was a mistake
and ordered more comprehensive tests. She even wanted me to see other specialists. I complied with her advice, more
specific and detailed tests were run, and the results all came back the same -- NO TUMOR. The new specialist was confused and remarked that this type of tumor does not "just go away". He could not explain the results, so he ordered more tests and finally when those
results came in, all of my doctors agreed that a miracle had taken place and the tumor had
completely vanished! I was stunned, elated, and so amazed at what God had done! I was now confident I would soon be able to get pregnant!
The next year still held many difficulties in
trying to conceive a child. It seemed that everyone around me was pregnant, except for me. April
20th, 2008 came and it was a historic day in my life. I woke up with
the worst pain ever...nothing seemed to take it away...I laid in bed and
remember telling my husband, "I can't take it anymore! MY endometriosis is
killing me." When I said those words, something inside of me seemed to stir. I had just heard myself say “my
endometriosis” as if I had owned it and was nurturing it. I got up and went in
another room. I said, "That’s it! I am finished being sick! I’m finished with the
pain! I am going to battle!" Even though these are things I had believed for the
past years, something was different about this day. I spent the whole day in intense
intercession and prayer! I began to ask God for forgiveness for claiming endometriosis
as “mine” when I would talk to others. I began to confess that it was not mine, never was mine, and that it was conquered on the cross! I began to confess the
same scriptures on healing that I always had. I began to declare God's healing
over my body. I began to go in our spare bedrooms and pray and thank God for my
future children (again these are all things I had done before, but something
was different this time -- I can't explain it).
When my husband came home from work he expected me to be in bed, but I was ready. I told him, "Let's go out to dinner... we are celebrating!" He asked if I was still in pain, to which I replied, "yes". He tried to get me to stay home and rest, but I said, "No. Endometriosis has held me captive for 10 years and I won’t be a slave to it any longer! I am tired of being in pain. I’m tired of all the things I miss because of it. Starting today, I will not cater to it anymore!" The next day, I was completely pain free (this was a MIRACLE because in the past 10 years, I could not remember ever having a completely pain-free day)! It felt amazing!!!
When my husband came home from work he expected me to be in bed, but I was ready. I told him, "Let's go out to dinner... we are celebrating!" He asked if I was still in pain, to which I replied, "yes". He tried to get me to stay home and rest, but I said, "No. Endometriosis has held me captive for 10 years and I won’t be a slave to it any longer! I am tired of being in pain. I’m tired of all the things I miss because of it. Starting today, I will not cater to it anymore!" The next day, I was completely pain free (this was a MIRACLE because in the past 10 years, I could not remember ever having a completely pain-free day)! It felt amazing!!!
Well that day turned into a week, then into a month. In November of that same
year, I found out I was PREGNANT with our first child! The good news is that all
those years of suffering from pain prepared me for childbirth and it wasn’t as
painful as all the years I had suffered.
I am amazed at the goodness of God and all of the promises that HE has fulfilled in my life. I am also delighted and overjoyed to be pregnant with
our second child...a little girl this time. I had been told I would probably never be able to have children, but as you can see, God always gets the last word!
__________________________
Dorinda Wingenbach is a stay at home mom to a very
adventurous 2 year old boy and a little girl on the way. She has been married to her
husband, Chad, for eight years. Together they are Children’s Pastors at their
church, Family Worship Center, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are
passionate about reaching this generation of kids and encouraging parents to
take the primary role in influencing their children for Christ. They are also very
involved in missions and have been to several countries, both together and apart. They really love Disney trips and take them
every chance they get. Dorinda also enjoys reading and shopping. She is a proud "Extreme Couponer" and loves to get great deals, free things, and have the stores
pay her to take items off of their shelves.
Just in case you missed the other testimonies, here they are:
For His glory,
