Testimony of my sister's shooting

[Renewed 0]

The Work of the Holy Spirit
(My testimony of my sister's shooting)

Every day the Holy Spirit is in work in our lives. To teach-To Guide-To enlighten To comfort To reveal and to help us to pray. His work in our lives is to glorify Jesus and to deepen our relationship with our Father in Heaven. We cannot live our lives apart from His presence, because for through Him we have access to the Father.
In January 2006, I felt a heaviness upon me. Sleep didn‘t come easily, couldn’t concentrate reading the Word , I was experiencing dry periods of prayer, my quiet time wasn’t still, my spirit felt troubled and at the same time, I was struggling with personal and financial difficulties and job related issues I took this to be under some kind of satanic attack, but somehow I could not shake this heaviness off of me. It stayed with me.
On January 20, 2006, I was awaken from my sleep to the sound of glass crashing, I last remembered one of my sons was watching TV downstairs in the Living Room, I called out his name to find out what was that noise. Apparently he felled asleep and was startled by the sound of crashing glass. I went downstairs and discovered my 3 piece large mirror set on the living room wall fell and crashed to pieces. That’s strange we thought, the support gave way, but how? The set fell behind the sofa, the same sofa my son was sleeping on.

After interrogating him and my youngest son on how the set felled, they both declared their innocence and had no explanation to what happened... We all was tired and decided to clean the mess up in the morning. As I was walking up the steps to my bedroom, I felt a very strong presence of the Holy Spirit. I began pleading the Blood of Jesus, began speaking in my prayer language and thanked God having no idea what was about to take place.
I attempted to go back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later I heard my youngest son running up the steps hollering” Ma ,Granddaddy on the phone , Aunt Lenny got shot. “I jumped back out the bed grabbed the phone and found out that one of my sisters, Michelle( Lenny) was one of five people in a house shot by a gunman who was in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. Lenny was shot in the head. My sister just celebrated her 39th birthday six days earlier and had just moved in with her friend and her kids five days ago, ran in the basement when the shooting occurred to escape the gunman along with the two young boys.

The gunman shot at them while they were escaping, she was shot in the head and one of the boys was shot in the face. She managed to called 911 and our dad on her cell phone while the gunman was still upstairs. Bleeding and in shock she remained in the basement, to scare to move, waiting for help to arrive.
As I drove to the hospital and thought ‘not again‘, this is her second shooting to the head, as I was pondering on what happened, the Holy Ghost reminded me that this was what He was warning me about and that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t under some spiritual attack, that heaviness that I felt was a warning from the Holy Spirit, He was preparing me for what was about to take place, it was a call to prayer. My focus was on my problems where they threw me off track to distract me from praying diligently and with force. That’s why I couldn’t shake that heaviness off of me. But He was still faithful.
Since the beginning of this year, I prayed to God to bring me back to my first love, to rekindle our relationship, I wanted an encounter with Him. Little did I know that in rekindling my first love that I will experience an encounter that I never expected.

After talking to family members on the cell phone enroute to the hospital, we concluded that my sister must have suffered a graze wound for she was alert and talking. At the hospital the doctor came and spoke with us and said’ I never seen anything like this, your sister is a very lucky young lady, someone was looking out for her, she should have been dead.. The bullet did not grazed her, the bullet went in her head, bounced off the skull and came back out.. Praise God.
The other family suffered one death, a 12 year old girl. One boy suffer a gunshot to the face, another boy suffer a gunshot wound in the neck, he ran back upstairs to check on his mom, the gunman who was still in the house, grabbed him and the young boy tried to wrestle the gun from him, the gunman shot twice at him but missed.. The 12 year old girl was the last victim shot. The mother of the children was shot between the eye at close range and was on life support. The gunman later killed himself in a police standoff in Pennsylvania. All have been shot with 38 caliber bullets.
The Holy Spirit is constantly working in our lives, always moving on our behalf. We have to ask God to make us more sensitive to the Spirit. When we obeyed His directions when we yield ourselves to Him in prayer, we become more sensitive to His promptings. The Holy Spirit is the Author of prayer. When we sense an urgency to pray and at times you might see a person face in prayer or answers to a situation that will need immediate attention, that’s His promptings. You may not always know specifically, such as the case with me but God knows, The Holy Spirit knows the will of God, He knows the deep things of God and guides us to move on what God has purposed.
Every believer is called to prayer. The source of our praying dwells within us. God sent the Holy Spirit to us to be our personal Teacher. And for those who are anointed and called by God to intercede,(intercessor) God makes their spirit heavy for someone or a situation, His Spirit is telling them that a person or situation is facing a crisis and needs prayer immediately. Then they respond with a urgency to pray.

The Holy Spirit leads us to pray for people, their needs and salvation. He knows the Heart and Mind of God. We can’t do anything effectively without Him. I am forever grateful for the working of the Holy Spirit in my life. I can’t live without Him, He empowers me and enable me to continue to have a right relationship with my Father. I have a fresh appreciation for Him.
The two boys was discharged from the hospital five days later. One had surgery on his jaw, the other had surgery on his neck and chest. They both have no complications. My sister left the hospital three days later, no surgery just stitches. At the age of 18, she was shot close range in her right eye, the bullet miraculously stopped. She lost her right eye, this current shooting was on the same side she was shot 22 years ago.

The mother of the children was taken off life support. She had hours of reconstructive surgery and most of the bullet fragments have been removed. Her doctor said in all his years in OR he had never had someone with the gunshot wound she suffered come out in OR alive.They placed a feeding tube in her which now have been removed , Initially she was responding to commands by blinking her eyes and squeezing your finger. Now she’s talking but a little hoarse from the feeding tube.After she came out of her coma, she recognizes family and friend’s and was very aware of everything, except for the shooting, her family had to tell her about the shooting and the death of her daughter two weeks later. She 's been discharged from the hospital and now in Rehabilitation. She 's blinded in one eye and may lose her sense of smell. These are her own words: I am on a mission for the Lord, I have work to do, God did not bring me out of this for nothing.
Her family and ours have offered support and prayer for one another and have grown closer. We are in continually contact with one another. The work of the Holy Spirit caused new friendship and everyone to re-evaluate their life, their walk and their calling. He gave everyone a new perspective in life
For me, it was a answer to prayer, an encounter that I asked for that will drastically changed my life forever. It has deepen my praying, it has strengthen my faith.
The night of the shooting, and after spending hours in the hospital, I slept peacefully.
His Work was accomplished, He revealed God’s purpose, that they may live and declare the mighty works of the Lord.

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_021115017.html

COPYRIGHT 3/25/06
Minister Vivian Staten
Kingdom Worship Center


As of this reading the young lady have been discharged from the Rehabilitation Center and living a normal life without any complications.
My sister Lenny is also living a normal life without any complications, She started a new job a week after she was discharged from the Hospital.

Today as of 9/5/2008, the young lady (Ann) is now married, she met her husband at a brain trauma center, my sister and the two boys lives normal lives. BUT none of them still have not dedicated their life to Christ.

The webpage is no longer available.

[Desiree (Starpop) 1]

OH MY GOD!!! GOD IS SOO GOOD! HE PROTECTS THE RIGHTEOUS!! ITS AMAZING how you sister survived TWO shootings basically unharmed!!! GOD IS GOOD! You're right, we never know what we're praying for or why we're praying. God knows, we just have to be obedient to his prompting!! PRAISE GOD!!! HALELULIA! THANK GOD THAT HE PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE!!! thank you for posting that!!! God will turn your MISERY INTO MINISTRY AND YOUR MISTAKES INTO MIRACLES!!We're praying for you and your family and the other famiies involved!!!
desiree

[Dove-Solutions 0]

We have such an awesome God!!!!! And people try to claim He isn't real......baaaaaaaaa..........What do they know about my Father..Amen and I am so glad there is a happy ending. I pray that they all receive the Lord as their Savior. God bless.

Connie

[Renewed 0]

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_021115017.html


Amen God is good, it's just lets you know that while we are yet sleeping, He is not.

I know this is long but here is the news story....

WJZ) BALTIMORE, Md. WJZ.com has learned that the gunman who took his own life after he allegedly shot five people, killing one, in northeast Baltimore Saturday morning had a history of domestic violence. The murder was one of five over a span of 24 hours.

Baltimore City Police Detective Donny Moses confirmed to WJZ Eyewitness News that the suspect, 34-year-old James Lydell Ray, died after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Moses says that Ray had fled to Clarion, Pennsylvania after the shooting in Baltimore and barricaded himself an elderly couple's home. Police surrounded the house and a SWAT team eventually entered the residence before hearing a single gunshot and finding Ray with the gunshot wound to his head. Paramedics attempted to revive him, however he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

No one else inside the house was injured.

Ray was wanted in the quintuple shooting in northeast Baltimore early Saturday morning that left a 12-year-old girl dead. Police tell WJZ. Eyewitness News the shooting occurred after a domestic dispute inside the house of Ray's girlfriend.

According to Moses, police discovered the girl's body and four other victims after they responded to reports of a multiple shooting at 1335 Sherwood Avenue around 1 a.m.

Police say Ray shot his girlfriend, her two teenage sons, and a family friend before shooting and killing her 12-year-old daughter.

The woman, who was shot in the head, is listed in grave condition. The teens, 15 and 16, and the friend are expected to recover and listed in critical condition.

A search of court records reveals that Ray was charged with second-degree assault in 2001 and he was ordered to stay away from the 12-year-old girl killed in the shooting. But the case was later disposed.

Police also confirm there was a history of complaints between the couple.

The shooting is the second high-profile domestic violence case in the area this month. On January 12, police accuse Jason Woodward, who escaped from the detention center in Westminster, of stabbing his girlfriend multiple times at a gas station during a showdown with police.

"In domestic violence cases this is always our worst fear. There is always the potential in any domestic violence case that it will escalate to a situation like this," Maria Oesterreicher of the State's Attorney's Office tells WJZ Eyewitness News.

The State's Attorney's Office says in that case, just like the one in Baltimore, there were past complaints of domestic violence in the relationship.

The killing in Baltimore was one of five apparently unrelated murders in a 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday morning, The (Baltimore) Sun reported.

The five homicides bring Baltimore's 2006 total to 23 in 21 days.

Last January was just as violent, including one weekend when six people were murdered throughout Baltimore City over a span of 24 hours. The police commissioner blamed the drug trade.

Yet there have been signs of progress, as the number of homicides dropped from 276 in 2004 to 269 in 2005.

For more information on domestic violence as well what to do if you or someone you know is battling a domestic violence crisis, visit the Maryland Attorney General website for a list of hotlines.

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Family Fights For Their Lives After Shooting

http://wjz.com/topstories/local_story_021115017.html

(WJZ) BALTIMORE, Md. A woman critically wounded in a shooting that killed her 12-year-old daughter and wounded three others remained in a coma and in grave condition at Sinai Hospital Monday morning, Baltimore police said.

Antoinette Bennett, 35, was shot early Saturday morning during a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, James Lydell Ray, who later fled to the suburbs of Pittsburgh, where he fatally shot himself Saturday evening, authorities said.

Ray, 34, shot everyone inside Bennett's northeast Baltimore home. Her daughter, Kayla Baker, 12, was killed. Her two sons, Travon Baker, 16, and Devin Baker, 15, were wounded, as was a family friend, Michelle Hickson, 39.

Detective Donny Moses, a Baltimore police spokesman, said Monday morning that Travon and Devin had been upgraded to serious condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and that Hickson had also improved and was expected to be released from Hopkins soon.

Ray, who had a criminal history in Baltimore, shot himself as authorities closed in on him inside a home in Clarion, Pa., that he had broken into.


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Quintuple Shooting In Northeast Baltimore

(WJZ) Baltimore, Md. Baltimore Police tell WJZ.COM a 12-year-old girl is dead after a quintuple shooting early Saturday morning in Northeast Baltimore.

According to Detective Donny Moses, police discovered the girl's body and four other victims after they responded to reports of a multiple shooting at 1335 Sherwood Avenue around 1 a.m.

Police say 34-year-old James Lydell Ray shot his girlfriend and her 12-year-old daughter, two teenaged sons, and a family friend following an argument at the residence.

The woman is listed in grave condition. The teens, 15 and 16, and the friend are expected to recover.

Police have released an arrest warrant for the suspect and consider him armed and dangerous. They are looking for a 2005 Black Elantra with license plate #2BCP57. Anyone with information about the shooting should call 410-396-2100.

Stay logged on to WJZ.COM for the latest updates on this story.
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Quintuple Shooting Suspect Kills Himself

(WJZ/AP) BALTIMORE, Md. WJZ.com has learned that the man wanted in the quintuple shooting that took place early Saturday morning in Baltimore has killed himself after a standoff with Pennsylvania police.

Baltimore City Police Detective Donny Moses confirmed to WJZ Eyewitness News that the suspect, 34-year-old James Lydell Ray, is dead after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Moses says that Ray had fled to Clarion, Pennsylvania and barricaded himself an elderly couple's home. Police surrounded the house and a SWAT team eventually entered the residence before hearing a single gunshot and finding Ray with the gunshot wound to his head. Police initially said Ray was in "grave" condition.

No one else inside the house was injured.

Linda Ganoe, 62, said she and her husband saw the suspect emerge from behind a barn, run toward their house and enter their basement from outside at about 3:40 p.m. Saturday.

Her husband, Bernard, 63, went down to the basement, intending to confront the intruder, but after seeing the man quickly ran back up the steps and closed the door to their living area, she said.

"He gave us a real bad scare," she said.

Ganoe said the suspect then left their house and ran next-door to the home of her sister-in-law, who heard breaking glass and fled. The suspect stayed there until he shot himself to death sometime in the early evening, Ganoe said.

"Everybody's OK, thank God," she said.

D.J. Bevevino, 50, lives about 200 feet from the home where the suspect was found.

"The area was pretty well surrounded," he said. After the shooting, "they brought him up over the hill in an ambulance."

He said Clarion isn't used to police car chases and shootings.

"Clarion's pretty small and rural," Bevevino said.

Karl Becker, 49, said he was standing in his living room when he saw a black sedan traveling at high speed the wrong way down a one-way street.

"There were a lot of sirens and there was a helicopter flying around," Becker said.

Ray was wanted in the quintuple shooting in northeast Baltimore early Saturday morning that left a 12-year-old girl dead.

According to Moses, police discovered the girl's body and four other victims after they responded to reports of a multiple shooting at 1335 Sherwood Avenue around 1 a.m.

Police say Ray shot his girlfriend and her 12-year-old daughter, two teenage sons, and a family friend following an argument at the residence.

The woman is listed in grave condition. The teens, 15 and 16, and the friend are expected to recover.

The killing in Baltimore was one of five apparently unrelated murders in a 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday morning, The (Baltimore) Sun reported.

The five homicides bring Baltimore's 2006 total to 23 in 21 days.

Stay logged on to WJZ.COM for the latest updates on this story.

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Associated Press Writer Deborah Yao contributed to this report in Philadelphia.


BRIAN WITTE

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