I feel the sweetness of His faithfulness and gladness fills my heart. It’s impossible to not share all the
works He has done in my life, but with my mouth I will make known of His wonderful power. I praise
His name for His wisdom is like the vastness of the sea. I find shelter in the shadow of His wings, He 
is my King, and His stead fast love reaches as high as the sky. 

I haven’t always felt this way. It took many years to get to this point in my life. I had a rough child hood 
and was a little wild in my teenage years. My parents were Etienne and Annette Dugas. I was raised 
Catholic, so I had no idea what the Bible consist of ,or what it’s purpose was. In this religion you didn’t 
have a Bible. The priest spoke in Latin, and most of the time I never understood what was going on. So 
to leave the church wasn’t such a big deal. I had a problem going to confession, and having a man tell
me that what I had confessed was for given, if I’d say ten Hail Mary’s and 4 Glory B’s and 5 Our 
Fathers. I just didn’t believe it that.

I quit school on the 11th grade and got married to my first husband when I was 17, and by 23 I was 
divorced. It was real hard bringing up two little girls three and four at the time. My first job was selling 
wigs making $99.00 a week, and received no child support. I had to get a job that paid more, so I 
started working in night clubs, tending bar, and working as a dancer ( not a stripper). Then got a job in
LA. working as a dancer and running their club. I didn’t find out until I had started working there that it
was ran by a small time Mafia ring out of Lake Charles. It wasn’t a bed of roses, but I could make 
enough money to support my girls. One night in walked the sweetest guy I had ever met. He bought 
me a coke and we began to talk. After three weeks we started dating and nine months later Bucky 
and I got married.

We had it rough the first few years we were married, but most young people do. We didn’t go to church 
in fact it was never a thought, I’m ashamed to say. We were married for three years then we were 
introduced to pot. At first it didn’t mean much to us, then a few years we got into it heavy and it consumed
our lives. It ruled our lives we were hooked, and hooked good. It didn’t seem to be a problem keeping it
a secret for many years. But, the traffic at our house got so out of control and things got risky. We knew 
that things were going to have to change. We started going to a local church, but we were still smoking pot,
to us we had decided that it wasn’t a drug. We were only trying to justify it to ourselves. Well things 
change, we got busted for pot. off. Nothing happened to me, but Bucky was put on two years probation. 
It was so hard to face our families, but the devil still had a hold on us.

A few years later we were introduced to cocaine and pills. Now, we were on a roller coaster ride for a few 
years. But one night Bucky, came in the house and said something had just happened to him in the car that 
made him come back home. He really didn’t know what it was, but that we weren’t going to do drugs 
anymore. He had a dream a few nights later that woke him up. He tried to tell me everything that happened 
that night, but he was so excited it wasn’t until a few days later he could sit me down and explain the dream to me.

We have made many mistake in our life. But the Lord was watching all the time waiting for us to call him into 
our lives. After almost loosing everything and having our world tuned upside down in 1998 we decided to 
come to this church. Really it was to get Don Ball from calling us every Saturday night and reminding us of 
church on Sunday. We had been to his church a few times and every once and a while he’d call. I told Bucky 
if we just go a few times he’ll leave us alone. Well, God had other plans for us. He was ready for us to do 
some changing in our lives, and this was where it wa going to start.

We had been coming here for three tears when I found out that I needed a second hip replacement. We didn’t
have the money to even get me into a hospital. Well Marilyn Ball our Children’s Pastor got a brain storm. She 
said that god told her what to do and her kids would help. The kids from this church raised enough money to 
get me into UTMB for my second hip replacement.

Without their help it would have been nearly impossible for us to raise the money needed, and they raised the 
money I needed in two weeks. This was in June 99 I know it’s because of His great power, I have no fear, 
and because He lives in my heart, I will be strong. I take courage, because He has showed me that He is a 
forgiving God, and He has made a way for me. For when there was no way I could find myself; He showed 
me that through Him all things are possible, and I could start forgiving myself.

In September I found out that my first hip replacement had to be replaced. Again money was raised for me 
to get into the hospital, but I was put on a program that took care of the whole bill. While laying in my bed 
the third night, something entered my room something came to me in the night, and opened my eyes, and 
showed me that there was a way through His forgiveness to change my life completely. That there is none 
like Him. He and He alone changed my ways and cleansed my soul. He is such a awesome God, that it’s 
hard to fathom how He can forgive all of our sins. That all we have to do is put our faith in Him, and ask
for forgiveness and He will forgive us. I lift His name up high for He has redeemed me, and has given me 
a “New Life.”

The night that His Your Holy Spirit filled my heart in the hospital I could hardly keep still. I shared it with it 
seemed everyone that came into my hospital room while I was there. He took away a burden a vice that I 
thought I couldn’t let go of, I thought I was hooked. But I was wrong. My life has not been the same since,
and neither has Bucky’s. We are so thankful for His forgiveness. Our hearts are light having our burden lifted
from us. We give Him all the praise. If I tried to share all the wonderful things that He has done in our lives 
just since that day, I could write a book; “Thank You my Lord.”

He has turned my mornings into joy; He has given me healing in my body, and I give Him all the praise. Where
there was pain He took it away, and at the same time He opened my eyes, and I saw the light, and He lifted 
my broken heart and took the sins away that I was hiding and not letting it go.

He is alive in my heart and I give Him all the praise for all that He has done for me and my family. Jesus, name 
of all that is holy; He is my glorious Lord, and blessed Redeemer. For He and He alone has cleansed me and 
made me strong. Being a part of The First Church Of The Nazarene has helped me learn how to pray to the 
Lord. To feel that He is with me at all time. I am so thankful for that chance to have a church family that I can 
share my needs with. Through their unconditional love members of this church have helped me through many 
trials and tribulations. And still loves me no matter what my past consisted of.

I thank my dear Lord, for placing Bucky in my life for I know that He had a purpose for us. I really didn’t 
know of all the many wonderful things He did while He was here on earth, but through Bucky sharing what 
he learned when he was a little boy, and hearing the Word from church I have learned so much. I know 
Bucky doesn’t really think he has done that much to change our lives, but he has. His positive out look on 
life, and his strong faith in the Lord is so powerful I feel blessed to be his wife. I give my Lord all the praise,
and glory for our home changed when we truly let Him come into out lives completely.

In May of 1999 I was diagnosed with Septic shock, Hyperthyroidism, and I had no iron count in my body, 
no platelets along with double pneumonia and had to be hospitalized, my family was told that I would most
probably not make it .Bucky was told to get my affairs In order that I only had a few hours left maybe 48 at
the most. “Dear Lord You were there with me. I could feel your arms around me and knew that I wasn’t 
alone. I don’t remember most of went on in ICU, but I could feel Your angels all around me. I could feel 
the power of Bucky’s prayer to You.” There were so many people who were praying for me that I have no
doubt in my mind He heard everyone of them. I feel that He allowed me to continue to stay on this earth for
a purpose. “Please Lord help me fulfill what ever it is that you want me to do.”

“Dear Lord thank You with all my heart for giving me the time to find my way to Your forgiving heart for all I 
had to do was ask You into my life and it would be changed. For I know now without a doubt things would 
not have happened the way it did if I would not have accepted You into my life. “I know Father that it is in 
our daily lives that we most easily become anxious. Help us find peace in Your word.”

The Bible says “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” That means me too. Because of my 
prayer life, and if by chance there are obstacles that come my way, He is there with me, and I won’t face 
them alone. As I learn more about Jesus my prayers become quite conversations with Him. “He is my best 
friend.” Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure as factors in this matter of prayer, but a 
capacity for faith, the power of a thorough conversation, the ability of self-littleness, an absolute losing of 
one’s self in God’s glory, and ever-present yearning and seeking after all the fullness of God is all we need.

Thank you dear Lord, in Jesus name I pray, 
Your faithful servant