Pastor Kelli Williams Pastor of Total Nursing Care I was born in Texas into a pastor's home, the oldest of 3 pastor's kids. Ministry led my family from Texas to Florida, and then to Louisiana where most of my childhood memories were made. I remember that at the young age of 14 that I wanted to be a registered nurse. That would soon be challenged.

In my junior year of high school there was a huge unexpected life-change I was faced with. My parents decided we were moving to Modesto, CA to pastor a large church called Calvary Temple. I was beyond devastated, even rebellious to this idea. Nevertheless, our family moved in June of 1993. It was just 2 weeks of our new residency that I began waking up with terrible joint pains that started in my hands, hips, and feet. A couple of months later, at the young age of 16, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). There was no family history, no medical cause for such a chronic debilitating, painful disease. I was given no hope for a cure, only prescriptions such as Prednisone, Naproxen, and Methotrexate to mask the symptoms of daily pain, stiffness, swelling that left me walking with a limp.

Not only was I grieving over the loss of my life, friends, school, and church but was forced to start everything over with this terrible pain. For the first time in 16 years, I cried out to God. I realized that I needed Him. I knew He was my Healer in my head, but it was time I knew it in my heart. I was determined and strong-willed, so there was nothing that would stand in the way of me getting my healing, and pursuing the dreams God had placed in my heart. I wish I could say that Jesus instantaneously healed me, or that the doctors' hope of remission from the medications happened, but that's not the end. This is only the beginning of my 14 year fight.

Methotrexate made my liver toxic and kept me home from school for a month. After recovery, I continued to pursue my dreams of becoming a nurse by completing a CNA course my senior year of high school. Shortly after, graduated and had plans to begin nursing classes at Modesto Junior College in the fall. There were many tearful talks with my dad about how I would be able to complete the tasks of a nurse with swollen painful hands. He was my coach, my motivator and taught me to never quit. He was a constant reminder that God would be faithful to me. I continued to stand in the prayer lines for healing every Sunday at church. Looking back, it wasn't my healing, but my strength. I was infused with His presence to keep me going.

The disease actually began worsening, and my mom sought alternative therapies for me. The first was a 2 week trip to Mexico. There I received Kelation IVs, all kinds of oxygen therapies, saunas, colonics, and tons of supplements around the clock. It was awful! My arms were swollen and black from infiltration and probing to find veins. I have permanent damage from those IV treatments, but worse than that, my parents spent a fortune only to have me come home without any improvements. That was just the beginning of their financial sacrifices for alternative therapies. In the midst of it all, I stayed diligent to my nursing classes. I saw Dr. Don Colbert, specialists at UCSF, naturopath physicians all over northern CA, chiropractors, diets, and tried every supplement anyone told us about. We finally found a doctor in southern CA that treated RA as if it was a mycoplasma infection with antibiotics. It started with IV treatments of tetracycline. As you can imagine, it was incredibly difficult for the nurse to start an IV, so I was faced with having a lifeport IV access surgical implanted into my chest. During this time, I was walking in the favor of God as He opened doors for me to walk right into the nursing program in a season that was extremely difficult to be accepted. As hard as it was physically, driving with a handicap placard, I knew God's grace would meet me every step of the way...that He would be faithful to me.

After 9 months of tetracycline IV treatments, the port failed and I was back in surgery to remove it. I then started on oral antibiotics for 7 years! By the end of nursing school, I was feeling the best ever, and only taking an anti-inflammatory to control the pain. At age 22, I was thrilled to start my nursing career in orthopedics/neurology. After 9 months of 12 hour shifts, one day my feet went numb and purple with severe pain. I had to take medical leave off of work because I was hardly able to walk. No cause could be found and nothing helped. I saw neurologists, had MRIs, tried lidocaine injections in my feet, steroid blocks in my back, and sampled all kinds of pharmaceuticals. To make matters worse, I was taken off the antibiotics which put me in an extreme arthritic flare-up; I developed a cyst on my ovary, TMJ, and was very anemic. I remember having to sleep sitting in a chair with my legs in a dependent position, and I would beat them all night because that was the only thing that brought some relief. One night, I looked at the clock at 3:00 AM and said, "Lord, let this cup pass from me." The following day, the Holy Spirit reminded me of that and led me to read Luke 22:42-43 where Jesus had prayed this at the Mount of Olives. God didn't remove His cup but He did send an angel to strengthen Him. I was encouraged again that God was with me and strengthening me. A few months later, the Lord prompted me to seek His face and not His hand. I began to seek His presence which prepared me for a miraculous encounter with Him at a Benny Hinn crusade.

My father and Benny Hinn had ministered together years ago in Florida. With that relationship, my family and I were brought on stage a crusade for healing prayer while others were testifying of their healing. The entire scenario was so difficult. I was hardly able to even get there because of the excruciating pain, my family practically carried me on stage, I hated being on stage in front of 18,000 people, and I felt the pressure to be healed. Benny prayed for me several times, and I was slain in the spirit a couple times before he asked me to begin to do something I couldn't do before. At that moment, I was in His presence, not the presence of 18,000 people. I began moving my arms, bending my knees, walking around, and then TOOK OFF RUNNING! The crowd erupted, my parents wept with joy, Pastor Benny asked what was happening and all I could say was "It doesn't hurt anymore!" It was a true miracle from God! Pastor Benny even invited me to share this miracle on "This is Your Day." Two days later, I shared my healing testimony with my church and prayed for hundreds to be healed. The next week, I shared with two other churches and again saw awesome healings. This divine miracle only lasted two weeks, before I woke up one day in terrible pain again. I was devastated. Disappointment is one of the hardest hurdles to get through with God. I had to learn that I cannot blame Him when things don't go as expected.

Quitting wasn't an option. So, the next thing I tried was The Yeast Connection diet before I ended up with a specialist at Stanford Medical Center. There, I was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a nerve disease that came on due to the RA. I was given no hope of a cure. At this point, it was all too bad to believe that this was it for me. I went home and fought the enemy, the spirit of infirmity, and began to write out fresh vision for what God was going to use me to do for His kingdom. The symptoms didn't change, and my six month leave from work was over and I couldn't go back, not even for eight hour shifts. I resigned and prayed for something to open up while I awaited social security's permanent disability reply. Thankfully, I was able to work four hour shifts as Calvary Temple's school nurse. Soon, I was denied social security.

I was 23 years old, disabled, and unable to receive financial support. In my utter brokenness, I again cried out to God for help. He then took me back to a time, almost two years ago when I was in my last semester of nursing school; I asked Him what He wanted me to do for Him. What was my purpose? Unlike most of my times with God, He immediately answered me and I was consumed with His presence as I spoke the word, "wholeness." There was a certainty in that encounter, but I never thought it was a now purpose for my life. He showed me that I had been disobedient in pursuing my nursing career in the hospital, and the last 11 months of my suffering was to get me to die to myself, and be obedient to my call. That was it! I knew what I had to do. In January of 2001, I called my dad and asked him if I could begin doing our church's hospital visitation ministry. He was so humbled and overjoyed that in my sickness, I was going to stand in faith for other people's healing. That was the start of my healing process, and wholeness ministry to Calvary Temple called Total Nursing Care. There was so much peace and joy being in the perfect will of God.

Within a few months, I was completely healed of RSD! God even gave me a 6 hour a week RN position as a post partum nurse! I began the Hallelujah Diet believing the RA would be healed. I was diligently juicing and taking barely green. I had more energy and less pain, but still suffered in my joints. So, I tried more alternative therapies in San Francisco, Eat Right for your Blood Type, and then it was Mannatech. My mom became a distributor, and I was spending a fortune as I faithfully took all my supplements. A year and a half later, there had been absolutely no improvement and I was DONE! I was done with anything and everything alternative. Spiraling downhill with the disease that had progressed to every joint, I sought the help of a rheumatologist who put me on two Enbrel injections a week. I reluctantly gave myself my first shot in February 2004, and within a couple of hours had amazing relief. I was thankful, and ministry continued to flourish. I had become a parish nurse and a pastor. The Lord had truly kissed my ministry, but still believed for my husband. Just one month later, at age 27, the Lord brought me my angel, Michael Williams. He was a minister in Phoenix, AZ. We talked for a month, and then he came to Modesto to meet me. Three days later, he asked my dad for my hand in marriage, and three months later we were married!

During this miraculous season of planning my dream wedding, I got very sick with infections from the immunosuppression of the Enbrel. I had to get off Enbrel to recover, so the RA got out of control again. The Lord began to do a work in my heart. He used my servant of a fiance to reveal areas of fear, doubt, and unforgiveness towards God. I felt He abandoned me, and held Him accountable for the pain. I had to repent and have a change of heart. Just 3 days before my wedding, the pain began to lift, and I was able to walk down the aisle. The theme of my wedding was "Believe in Miracles." God's very character is faithfulness (Psalm 89:8)!

It was on my honeymoon that I had to get back on Enbrel, Prednisone, and continued on Celebrex. By the spring of 2005, I was on 5 prescription medications to control the RA. During that time, I was asked 3 times if I had read The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. All 3 times, I denied any interest, because I was DONE with anything alternative. A few weeks later, I saw Jordan Rubin on the front cover of Charisma magazine. That was it! I had to at least read the article. As I read, I was stunned...completely blown away as I could relate to so much of his testimony. The Holy Spirit compelled me to ask Him what I should do. I reluctantly did, counting the cost, and that night I bought The Maker's Diet. My husband made the 40-day commitment with me. It was very difficult, but God was faithful. I was able to get off one prescription, and I had much more energy and less pain.

Jordan's ministry complimented mine so well, that by January 2006 he was ministering at Calvary Temple. Two days later, I launched his 7 Weeks of Wellness class with 430 in attendance! Not only was it time for our church to get healthy, it was time for me to get well. Jordan heard my struggles when he came, and not only opened his heart but his schedule to help me. He told me that he would not be a part of my list of things that failed. He rekindled a faith in me to believe again. I consider him one of my heroes. The first hurdle was to get through my 3 days of chicken soup detox. I couldn't eat anything but organic chicken soup with chicken feet! It was awful, trying not to bite into toenails. Worse than that was the horrifying flare-up that I faced. Head to toe severe inflammation that had me bedridden with my husband carrying me to the bathroom and bathing me. We both literally cried out to God. There wasn't an instantaneous healing, but less than 2 months later; I was off 4 prescription medications! It was another miracle! I was faithfully on The Maker's Diet and taking natural supplements, awaiting the day I could go off Enbrel.

By summer 2006, I was feeling great! On Memorial Day, I went to the lake to get some sun. Surprisingly, I came home with a red rash on my face and across my chest. First, I contacted my health mentor, Jordan, who coached me through 3 months of remedies that didn't touch it. I finally saw a rheumatologist in August who diagnosed me with Lupus and Fibromyalgia, along with RA. I was so shocked, so devastated. I couldn't take the disappointment one more time. "God, why?" I asked. I didn't get answers, but direction. He led me to re-read the book of Job in the Bible. I sobbed as I read. I had Job's attitude of pleading my innocence, so when he broke and had a heart change, I did too. Job had a change of heart before he was healed and restored. God then prompted me to read the book of Joel in the Bible. Chapter 2 gives a call to repentance before the restoration comes. God confirmed to me that He was after my heart, and that He would heal me. I was then led to read the book, Under Cover by John Bevere. I had great revelation on areas of rebellion, submission, lawlessness, and honoring your father and mother. God revealed to me that I was in rebellion to my parents with our move to CA, and His covering of protection had been lifted. This was why I got sick. I wept with this revelation from God in His word in Deuteronomy 27-30. I repented to my parents in January 2007. Within a few weeks, the rash had disappeared and there was no sign of Fibromyalgia in my body!

By March of 2007, my husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby! It was a fulfillment of prophesy God gave my husband last year. Another true miracle! I am still on Enbrel, and continue to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11). I will be completely healed and whole, and you will, too. God desires to have an intimate relationship with you, to speak to you, to lead you, to love you. Go back to Him, repent, and walk in obedience. He wants to bless you abundantly (John 10:10) and make you whole (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Believing for Miracles,
Kelli Williams