Camey's Testimony
My Testimony
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Camey Joy Armstrong and I was born in the mountains of Guatemala, November 14, 1981 in a small village called Penal. I was the sixth child of Rita and Jesús Molina Milian; and as far as I know, the pregnancy was normal until I saw the light of the world. As I drew my first breath and cried, it was a shock to my parents to see that I was born with a birth defect known as a bilateral clef palette and clef lip.
Because of the bilateral cleft lip (which means, no upper lip) I was unable to nurse. Within a couple of agonizing days of trying to keep me alive, my parents knew that I was going to die if they did not find help. Out of love, Jesús, my father, walked down a mountain 130 kilometers cradling me in his arms to Guatemala City where he would try to find help. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors told my father that they could not help me and ultimately I would die, as Jesús did not have enough money to perform the surgery. The doctors sent Jesús away with a no hope for my survival. Jesús, overcome with sadness, began to weep for this little life he held in his arms. It was at this point that two men approached Jesús sitting on the curb and asked him why he was crying. As Jesús pulled the blanket away from my face, it was easy for the two strangers to see the problem.
The two strangers told Jesús of an orphanage called Casa Guatemala in which children with medical needs are sent to other countries around the world to have the surgeries or medical treatments performed and then returned to their home. It took so much love and encouragement for Jesús to give me to the orphanage, but he did it to save my life. I lived in the orphanage for approximately two months, and then I was sent on an airplane to Washington State. I was sent to live with a foster family named Rea and Judi Thompson. After visiting with the doctors, Rea and Judi discovered this process was going to take many years. My foster parents traveled to Guatemala a few times to meet my biological parents and to make a long story short, Rea and Judi fell in love with me and later received permission from Jesús and Rita to adopt me. It took twelve years for my adoption to become complete.
Since I was a little girl, I loved music. My adoptive father was a pastor and any chance I had, I would be on the platform singing. One time while traveling from Dallas to Houston (to supposedly complete the adoption papers) I was in the back seat singing away. My mom asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Oh, nothing, just talking with the Lord.” She replied, “Oh, really, what did He say?” I told her that He told me I was going to sing around the world for Him. She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful!” Although, for a five year old who is difficult to understand, and had been told that she would have to have tubes in her ears and possibly have speech problems for the rest of her life, it took a lot of faith for a mother to believe what the Lord had just told her five-year-old daughter.
I have had more than twenty major surgeries and a few minor surgeries. But with the faith of my family, friends, and my doctors, I have come a long way. God has blessed me with a voice that I know has come from Him. I was told that I was going to sing all over the world for Him and I believe His promise is being fulfilled in my life today. I have traveled to some parts of the world including Australia, Singapore and am planning on going more places for His glory. I give thanks to my parents who have been there and lifted me up to believe in myself.
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Camey Joy Armstrong and I was born in the mountains of Guatemala, November 14, 1981 in a small village called Penal. I was the sixth child of Rita and Jesús Molina Milian; and as far as I know, the pregnancy was normal until I saw the light of the world. As I drew my first breath and cried, it was a shock to my parents to see that I was born with a birth defect known as a bilateral clef palette and clef lip.
Because of the bilateral cleft lip (which means, no upper lip) I was unable to nurse. Within a couple of agonizing days of trying to keep me alive, my parents knew that I was going to die if they did not find help. Out of love, Jesús, my father, walked down a mountain 130 kilometers cradling me in his arms to Guatemala City where he would try to find help. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors told my father that they could not help me and ultimately I would die, as Jesús did not have enough money to perform the surgery. The doctors sent Jesús away with a no hope for my survival. Jesús, overcome with sadness, began to weep for this little life he held in his arms. It was at this point that two men approached Jesús sitting on the curb and asked him why he was crying. As Jesús pulled the blanket away from my face, it was easy for the two strangers to see the problem.
The two strangers told Jesús of an orphanage called Casa Guatemala in which children with medical needs are sent to other countries around the world to have the surgeries or medical treatments performed and then returned to their home. It took so much love and encouragement for Jesús to give me to the orphanage, but he did it to save my life. I lived in the orphanage for approximately two months, and then I was sent on an airplane to Washington State. I was sent to live with a foster family named Rea and Judi Thompson. After visiting with the doctors, Rea and Judi discovered this process was going to take many years. My foster parents traveled to Guatemala a few times to meet my biological parents and to make a long story short, Rea and Judi fell in love with me and later received permission from Jesús and Rita to adopt me. It took twelve years for my adoption to become complete.
Since I was a little girl, I loved music. My adoptive father was a pastor and any chance I had, I would be on the platform singing. One time while traveling from Dallas to Houston (to supposedly complete the adoption papers) I was in the back seat singing away. My mom asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Oh, nothing, just talking with the Lord.” She replied, “Oh, really, what did He say?” I told her that He told me I was going to sing around the world for Him. She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful!” Although, for a five year old who is difficult to understand, and had been told that she would have to have tubes in her ears and possibly have speech problems for the rest of her life, it took a lot of faith for a mother to believe what the Lord had just told her five-year-old daughter.
I have had more than twenty major surgeries and a few minor surgeries. But with the faith of my family, friends, and my doctors, I have come a long way. God has blessed me with a voice that I know has come from Him. I was told that I was going to sing all over the world for Him and I believe His promise is being fulfilled in my life today. I have traveled to some parts of the world including Australia, Singapore and am planning on going more places for His glory. I give thanks to my parents who have been there and lifted me up to believe in myself.
posted by BT at 7:01 AM
1 Comments:
Camey, I just read your story for the first time. I am a believer and your life is just one more example of the grace, mercy, and love that the Lord has for us all but which was especially demonstrated in him reaching down from Heaven and blessing you greatly. Yes, you were chosen but it is also the story of how the hand of God is revealed through all those people who helped you get to where you are today.
Thank you for being vulnerable in telling your story but strong in faith to open your life to show his strenght and power. May God continue to bless you.
UpperRoomOne
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