Survivor's Story

By Deanne Lane

A St. Louis man is spending the next 22 years in prison for attempting to kill his former girlfriend. Courtney Everett told Atara Estes to plan for a big surprise. But never did she expect what would happen next.

Estes was hoping for a ring or a new apartment to share with Everett and their baby daughter. Instead, police said, Everett blindfolded Estes, drove her to a field, shot her and tossed her near-lifeless body into the trunk of his car.

Estes said she tried not to focus on the pool of blood quickly engulfing her and panicking was also not an option.

“Blood is just flowing. I can feel the tingling in my body, numbness, a different sensation to whereas something is really wrong, feeling lifeless,” explained Estes.

She spent the next few minutes trying to disable the car’s rear lights, anything to draw attention to the vehicle and Everett, “Then I heard this voice say just reach a little further, reach down a little further.”

Sure enough, as Everett stopped to buy gas, the trunk popped open. Bleeding severely and partially paralyzed, Estes was still able to get out of the trunk. Everett didn’t notice and kept going. Estes says it’s a miracle oncoming traffic didn’t kill her.

Estes says it was her little girl that helped save her life and that voice she heard while trapped in the trunk. Amazingly, Estes has forgiven her shooter and says she prays for him.

This took place in 2002:
This is still out of hand today. Please sound the alarm on domestic abuse. We are losing our loved ones by the numbers. And families are grieving over that family members due to domestic violence. I survived and only God knows why. I am here today to share with you that no one is exempt from this. I know that if it isn't you personally then you know someone who is going through this. Get them the help that they need if you can. Every situation is different but help families to live and not to perish from this deceptive behavior. It has taken a lot for me to finally make my voice be heard and now I have a charged to keep and a God to Glorify for he has saved me from the abuse and now every week I get counseling to help me to be opened about what has happened and not to blame myself and to beat myself up for not recognizing any signs. Like I said every situation is different. We don't deserve to be abused in any manner. There is more to come with this topic but I want to be wise with what to say when I say it because I know that this will and has already touch many people. I am not trying to get applauds for enduring through this but I want to save someone from going through another death or abuse like I have experienced. Be looking out for more from me as the Lord gives me what to say I will tell it and shame the devil to the fullest. There is a reason that he kept me ALIVE.



God bless ya'll,

Atara

SEASONS

Greetings everyone,
Season: Deuteronomy 28:11-13 (New International Version)

11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 
To everything there is a season: Eccles. 3:1-8

This passage teaches that there's a time and place for everything. On the one hand it's a sobering reminder that nothing lasts forever; but it's also encouraging to know that difficult times will eventually but inevitably be followed by times of peace. God is in control of it all.
Are you in the middle of a “dark season” in your life? Do you trust God to keep watch over you until you’ve made it through?

Just hold on and know that God is in the midst of it all. No one likes the rain but we all will go through storms but know that the sun will shine again. Keep me in your prayers God is in the blessing business. He delivered me from domestic abuse and now he has delivered and healed me from cervical cancer. I know that if I made it through this then you can make it through whatever you are going through. You might be in your sun shine season, if so intercede for others and store up all your prayers because there will come a time in your life that you just dont know what to say and those prayers will make intercession for you. I am not telling you what I heard but I am telling you what I know.

Keep me and my family in your prayers and I will do the same for all my facebook family. Let's sound the alarm people and raise awareness on domestic abuse and also educate ourselves and help fight cancer of any kind.



Thanks and regards,

Atara Estes aka Sound The Alarm Outreach

Change the Story of Cervical Cancer

Tell someone you love.

HIS SPIRIT

Have thine own way, Lord!!! Have Thine own way!!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

We are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10

Come, Lord, and give me courage----
Thy conquering Spirit give;
Make me an overcomer
In power within me live.

The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the
bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.
I Samuel 17:37

From my heart to yours. We dont have to be beaten down by the enemy any
longer. Stand and sound the alarm with me fight against domestic violence.
Save a life!

Atara aka Sound the Alarm Outreach
www.soundthealarmoutreach.blogspot.com
soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com
facebook/groups: Sound the Alarm Outreach
www.myspace.com/soundthealarmoutreach

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

What is Domestic Violence?
Information adapted from The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and
Sexual Violence publication The Nature and Dynamics of Domestic Violence.

Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive or coercive behaviors
that adults or adolescents use against their current or former intimate
partners. Domestic violence occurs in intimate relationships where the
perpetrator and the victim are currently or previously have been dating,
living together, married or divorced. They may or may not have children in
common.

Domestic violence can take many forms. Some types are more subtle than
others and might never be seen or felt by anyone other than the person
experiencing the abuse. The abuser uses a combination of tactics that work
to control the victim. The abuse also usually increases in frequency and
severity over time.

PHYSICAL ABUSE: Physical abuse is easier to recognize and understand than
other types of abuse. Physical abuse can be indicated when the abuser:
· Scratches, bites, grabs or spits at the victim;
· Shakes, shoves, pushes, restrains or throws the victim;
· Twists, slaps, punches, strangles or burns the victim;
· Throws objects, that could possibly cause injury, at the victim;
· Subjects the victim to reckless driving;
· Locks the victim in or out of the residence;
· Prohibits the victim from leaving by blocking the exit;
· Withholds food as punishment;
· Attacks the victim with weapons;
· Makes threats to cause physical harm and/or injury to the victim.

SEXUAL ABUSE: Sexual violence and abuse can be extraordinarily difficult
for victims to talk about because of the ways in which this type of
violence often is perpetrated.
Sexual abuse can be indicated when the abuser:
· Calls the victim insulting sexual names;
· Pressures the victim to have sex, even when s/he does not want to;
· Coerces sex by manipulation or threats;
· Physically forces sex or is sexually violent;
· Coerces the victim into sexual acts that s/he is uncomfortable with,
such as sex with a third party, physically painful sex or verbal
degradation during sex;
· Inflicts injuries that are sex-specific;
· Denies the victim contraception or protection against sexually
transmitted diseases.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: It is the abuser's use of physical and sexual force or
threats that gives power to psychologically abusive acts. Psychological
abuse becomes an effective weapon in controlling a victim, because the
victim knows through experience that the abuser will at times back up the
threats or taunts with physical assaults. Psychological abuse can be
indicated when the abuser:
· Verbally attacks and humiliates the victim in private or public;
· Attacks the victim's vulnerabilities, such as language abilities,
educational level, skills as a parent, religious and cultural beliefs
and/or physical appearance;
· Forces the victim to do degrading things;
· Stalks the victim.

Remember - - Every victim of domestic violence has a different and unique
experience. Even if an abuser does not engage in one or more of the
behaviors listed above, his/her intimate partner may still be experiencing
abuse.

Letter in postal service

--Somebody with a big heart and lots of love did a great thing here!

Meredith and Abbey

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see..

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the
dead letter office of the US postal service.

(Embedded image moved to file: pic07355.jpg)

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4
year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed
Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got
to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so
she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in
heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog
even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I
am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is
my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and
addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith
pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it
would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That
afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days
later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I
thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch
addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside
was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside
front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On
the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in
your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.. Since we don't need our bodies in
heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending
it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to
remember Abbey by...
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you
write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked
her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Forward to all your friends, including me..
And don't tell me you're too busy for this.
Don't you know the phrase 'stop and smell the flowers'?

Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing ,
But Only Friends Keep You Going!

...............see how many you get today