Met by Christ in Her Overwhelming Despair<\/b><\/p>\n
Gerry Walquist would never wish on anyone what happened to her on December 30, 2013, but she also knows she wouldn\u2019t be who she is today if not for that tragic day.<\/span><\/p>\n On the day before New Year\u2019s Eve nearly eight years ago, an intruder, out of jail one month, broke into the vacation rental that Gerry, husband Brett, and children Rachel and Thomas enjoyed during a Christmas trip to Puerto Rico. Gerry woke up after 1 a.m. and realized Brett wasn\u2019t in bed. She went out to the kitchen and saw him there, along with the man who broke in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gerry jumped on the man, Rachel ran out of her bedroom screaming, and the man got away through a window in the kitchen. But the unthinkable had already happened; the man had stabbed Brett, who was now lying on the kitchen floor. Crying out at first, \u201cLord, please save him,\u201d Gerry realized quickly Brett was spending his last moments this side of eternity.<\/span><\/p>\n What happened in the days, months, and years that followed are a testimony to God\u2019s faithfulness in the midst of terrible, life-shattering tragedy. Gerry\u2019s faith, and the faith of her children, has grown, and she has seen the Lord bless them all in ways she could not have expected after this devastating loss. Which includes forgiving Brett\u2019s murderer.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was brought to my knees,\u201d Gerry shares during the podcast. \u201cI called on the name of the Lord; I needed Him. In the first several weeks afterward, I was so broken. People would ask me, \u2018What can I do?\u2019 and I\u2019d say, \u2018Just keep praying.\u2019 The Lord brought people into my life who helped help me in times I just didn\u2019t know how I was going to manage. But He was there for me, and He\u2019s been there for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n