Our guest speaker tonight was my sister, Debra Hedgeman, who is visiting us from California. I am so elated to see her after being estranged for so many years.
Debra’s husband, Paul, passed suddenly two years ago from a stroke that devastated her life after being marriages for 30 years. After he died, she thought she would go into a deep dark state of depression and anxiety. However, through her two sons, Charlie and Brian, God put her in touch with several good books that were life changing and helped save her.
Through her grieving, she learned more about her husband than when he was alive. She was able to see and experience why he had such a strong passion to help people. Although his father was addicted to heroin and absent from the home, he never held that against him. He understood his father’s plight and what caused him to escape to drugs.
Now Debra understands! What drove her husband now drives her. He constantly talked about, hoping, praying, crying out for a way to help his family and other people. Now Debra is on the same mission to follow the legacy of her husband to help as he did.
In closing, she advised the men to look inside themselves – to discover who they are and what kind of life they are living. No one can do that but them!! She applauded them for their courage and the huge step they have taken to come to DAP to change their lives. A major part of their success is to be in service for others.
The men were inspired by Debra’s personal testimony and delighted to meet her.
