Born December 31st 1986 in the mountain state of West Virginia, for those of you who have
been to this state would agree that it’s very beautiful, but as for me, it was a very deprived
place, a place where your life dream’s are just a figment of your imagination with no chance of
it becoming reality.

Here I was a child to a 15 year old girl and at this time she herself had already discovered many
disadvantages and setbacks in her life.

Over the years our son and mother relationship had grew apart, in my child like mind I did not
comprehend what my mother had went through, I didn’t know her hurts nor pains, but I knew
she was very depressed with a need to be loved, I used to ask God why was I born? I felt it was
me that caused this pain, I had ruined her life, because of me she never got to be a normal
teenager, so I became depressed as well, I became more depressed when I was sexual abused
repeatedly by a uncle, and because I felt like I was a problem to my mother, I wouldn’t go to
her and tell her what was happening to me, because of that I became angry with my mother, I
needed someone but I was tired of feeling like a bother.

My Step father would soon enter our life, the most joy I ever had was when they told me
they were getting married, I was thrilled that my mother was finally happy and I had a chance
to have a dad and more than anything a chance of being protected. But I became quickly
disappointed.

My brothers adored their father, and I became bitter and jealous, why was I so unlovable I
shouted to God many nights in my room with tears pouring down my face, it seemed so easy
for my step dad to ignore me, I felt needed by my family only for cooking and cleaning, I hated
my life and I had begun to despise my parents.
I’ll never forget many Christmas’s when my step father’s mother would send a big box to our
home and in this box would be full of gifts, but the box of gifts would only be for him and my
brother, nothing, not one thing would be for me, I would painfully wonder, why would my step
dad never take up for me, why wouldn’t he tell his mother that I was his son too and I needed
to be accepted as family.

Feeling so neglected I took it up on myself to find my biological father, I felt I had the right too,
I wanted a father and I wanted to be a son to someone. One Christmas eve I finally found my
father’s number and I called to wish him a Merry Christmas and ask him to please be a part of
my life, in my mind he was the answer to this emptiness I felt, and I just knew he would be the
one to heal my pain.

His response was very quick and cold, he made it clear that I was to never call him again.
Christmas of the year 2000 was the worst day of my life, a part of me had died that day, I had
been hurt and humiliated, I wanted nothing more to do with any type of a male figure or my
family, I wanted to be alone and I wanted a escape, I hated school because I was made fun of
by my biological father’s nieces and nephews for thinking I could be a part of their family, they
acted as if they hated me. I wanted so bad to leave West Virginia to the point that one day I
dropped out of high school and took the first chance I got to leave and move to GA.
For many years I struggled day to day to make ends meet here in GA, but in my heart I had to
because I didn’t want to go back to west Virginia, I worked as many jobs I could while I retrieved
my high school diploma, if I had no money to eat then I would wash my friends laundry for 20
dollars a week to feed myself, I was very stubborn during that time in my life, I was determined
to make it with no help from my family.

I would soon marry my wife Christy and shortly after our marriage I was laid off from work and
had to drop out of nursing school because I became very ill after gaining over a 130 pounds,
along with depression I battled the pain from the past and with what my in-laws had made
me out to be, I literally broke down into a deep dark place in my life, I contemplated suicide, I
didn’t know how to show love to my wife anymore and I literally would wish to die, I had giving
up all little hope that I thought I once had.

I would ask God to show me that there was a chance that he might be interested in my life
enough to fix it, which was about the time I was introduced to my home church Abundant
Life. There I met a group of men that became very interested in my life, they knew I was in
need of spiritual help and they wanted so hard to help deliver me, but I didn’t trust them and
I didn’t have the strength to be hurt again, I was barely hanging on by a thread, I had just had
2 surgeries prior to this time, I felt like my body had begun to give up on me just as much as I
had giving up on myself. But these men and people at abundant life would not stop praying
for me, they took the time to help me find the root to this evil that was taking over my life,
which helped me heal and forgive, I begun to love again, I felt restored, I was rescued from the
hands of Satan, Jesus had showed me through these people his love emotionally, physically and
spiritually, God knew I needed this to be fully restored, I fell in love with abundant life, and I fell
deeply in love with God all over again, I became involved in church and started deeply searching
for my calling in life, it was a time of great joy.

But as many of us know our faith and strength in the Lord will always be tested.
Because of my weight the doctors told me I was a border line diabetic, I quickly pleaded with
them to give me the chance to lose the weight and not put me on any medication, my exact
words was that God had healed me emotionally, I want to give God a chance to heal me
Physically.

The Doctors agreed to allow me to try but I had to be monitored weekly, so I began to diet
and exercise very hard and was beginning to make a good lead way when I was diagnosed with
a heart problem which had me hospitalized, it was so much fluid around my heart that they
thought I had a heart attack, they put me on so many medication that I began to have liver
problems, I was bed written and at night I would lay in bed terrified that if I fell asleep I might
not wake up the next morning, I cried my heart out to God, I felt so trapped and Satan was
holding me captive once again.

Just as I was beginning to give up, there was something different about this trial and the
difference was that this time I had a family at abundant life that was praying for me every day,
they would meet me at the altar and lay hands on me and rebuke all the demonic forces that
was upon me.

I was able to sleep at night again knowing I wasn’t fighting this alone.
Often I wondered when was my break through going to come, how was I going to fight being a
diabetic if I couldn’t exercise and I couldn’t exercise because of this heart condition.
One night I couldn’t sleep and I cried out to God, I said I hate not having no control over my
life, he replied to me during my outburst, saying give me control of your life Braxton, surrender
it all to me, everything! So I ran outside in the middle of the night and I began to scream, “is
this what you want God! You want me to surrender! Well here I am Lord! I surrender all! I’m
trusting in you fully, but promise me Lord that you will use me, please don’t let all that I have
been through go in vein.

Instantly I felt relief and the Joy of the Lord felled me and I felt so happy and set free, Satan
would still try to bring me down but it seem to just not even bother me anymore, I was on a
spiritual high and I would just praise and dance to the glory of the Lord. I quit taking every bit of
my heart medication because I just knew I was set free.
Shorty I went to the doctor and there they told me that their were no signs of me being a
diabetic, I went to Atlanta heart for my routine checkup and they couldn’t fine any signs
of fluid around my heart, shortly I had to go have a test done for my liver, I was told my
liver was healthy and normal, 9 months later after long prayer, changed eating habits and
exercise I went to the doctor for one last check up and my weight had dropped 95 pounds.
I became on fire for the Lord, I wanted to do whatever I could to share the gospel and to find
my heart’s desire in ministry, I knew that God had choosing me to break generations of curses
that was upon my family, if you read my mother’s testimony you would notice that we have a
very different testimony with similarly setbacks, this is how many people and cultures live for
many years blinded by this generational circle of captivity and bondage, they don’t see the evil
that is holding them down, it was the grace of our dear Lord that I was able to see this evil for
what it was, then God placed me around Christian that would minister into me daily to break
those chains, now when I have children, there will be no curses passed to them, it stopped with
me. THANK YOU LORD!

I found the joy I’ve been looking for and I express my joy in my praise music that write, and the
dance I give to the Lord, these are my gifts that the Lord has giving me, and on my 24th birthday,
December 31st 2010, I will be sharing this testimony along with a glorifying dance tribute to my
Lord and savior, a powerful women in Christ Mrs. Jennifer Wiley, encouraged and pushed for
me to be bold in the Glory of the Lord with her motherly love and musical knowledge, she has
been a blessing and a big part of my growth, she will never be able to comprehend the love and
gratitude I have for her along with Josh Gentle, Justin Cook, Merrell Smith, Antwan Slaughter,
Pastor Don and Scott Wiley, they are the men God used to heal me, these men showed me
so much love of Christ that it broke the chains of bondage, because of these men of God I no
longer understand how It feels to not have a father or a male remodel, it is as if I had never
experienced any of those hurts in my past.

I was able to forgive and be forgiving, I’ve rebuilt a new relationship with my mother, step
father, and I pray for my biological father daily.

Today my mother, step father and brothers have moved to GA and attend abundant life with
my wife and I, they are beginning to find their path along with what God has planned for them.
I’m so blessed. Bless to have a wife that held my hand with love and patience during all of this,
and she never doubted the plans the Lord had for me, it was as if the Lord had already prepared
her for the journey.

A close friend had repeated 3 things to me and during the toughest times in my life, he would
also make me repeat it after him, until the day came when he and I both knew I believed it in
my heart.

To this day when I’m under attack, I still recite this saying over and over again, “I’m a blessed
joker! I’m highly favored! And I walk in VICTORY!
Braxton Berry