Exactly one year ago today I had double quadruple bypass open heart surgery. I am still alive and well, and I survived an experience that statistics show only six percent (6%) of people who went through this survive. Looking back over the past year I can see God's hand so plainly in all of these events.

"...the sunshine AND the shadow,

serve alike

the Will of God..."

First, I praise God for the many wonderful friends God has placed in my life. My television ministry reaches ALL audiences, ALL types of people -- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered (GLBT) -- hetereosexual "straight" people -- religious people -- charismatic Christians -- nonreligious folk ("agnostics" and "atheists") -- educated and uneducated -- rich and poor -- people of both conservative and liberal ideologies. And the friends God has placed in my life also come from all of these classifications.

When being wheeled from one part of the hospital to another, immediately following my surgery, I looked up and, lo and behold, SpongeBob Freddie was smiling down at me. After coming back to life, there was the balloon of SpongeBob along with other balloons, and flowers, at my bedside. The love represented in those balloons overshadowed me during my surgery.

For about 10 days after I collapsed on the street and my heart stopped beating, I lost all sense of time. For some of that time I was placed in an induced coma inasmuch as any sudden movement could have been fatal. While I remember, briefly, a couple of things during that time, I had to be told by friends what transpired during those days prior to my open heart surgery. Apparently the hospital switchboard was jammed with calls inquiring about me. The Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry, Founder of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) sent flowers and called me from Los Angeles. One day, Daniel, my producer and manager, sat at my bedside all day. My sister Teresa came in every day and prayed over me. My long time friends, Darcelle XV & Roxy, were there almost every day.

Pastor Larry Spousta, then pastor of Portland Foursquare Church (P4) visited me. He and his lovely wife Sue sent me flowers from the church. Jean Lund, a retired Foursquare minister, and teacher of the Forerunners (seniors) Sunday School class at P4 came in and saw me several times, including my week (last week of March) in a rest home where I was transferred for therapy, kind of like learning to walk again. (NOTE: This does not mean that they "endorse" or understand transsexuality -- it does mean that they are loving and compassionate Christians).

Also, a man on P4's visitation committee, whom I did not know personally, came in and prayed over me and gave me the scripture promise:

"The eternal God is our refuge,

and underneath

are the everlasting arms."

The Holy Spirit illuminated and applied that scripture promise to my situation -- and I started to cry. The God who reached down and saved me when I was 12 years old (I am now 67) was still watching over me. God spared my life.

And for about three weeks, after returning home, I was deluged with cards and get well notes. Many of them were from the Forerunners Sunday School class at P4.

Several friends, from all of the above-mentioned categories, said: "Someone is watching over you", "God is not through with you yet", "God has a definite purpose for you being here."

This experience made me grateful for the many wonderful friends in my life. It also made me grateful for the blessing of being able to be out and about, and not confined to a bed 24 hours a day. When I was first released from the rest home, my walking was very slow. Even so, it felt so good to be out and about. The first Sunday I was able to attend church was a special blessing to me. Like Kathryn Kuhlman would say (on her radio programs): "If you've got two good legs, two good arms and two good hands, and are able to be out and about -- you are RICH."

So, on this the first Anniversary open heart surgery -- I am pleased and delighted to share this PRAISE REPORT with you. Like I said to someone last Christmas Eve -- "orthopedic shoes and a cane, but I am still here!" Hallelujah!

Always remember, there's someone who loves you, who is with you whenever you pray. That one is Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of God, making intercession for us, the One who understands and cares -- know that!

SISTER PAULA NIELSEN

PS: Remember TV airing times - Channel 21 - Tuesdays at 8 pm & Fridays at 10:30pm /// Channel 11 - Thursdays at 11 pm. Scheduled programs for March are: Parts 5, 6 & 7 of DEVELOPING SELF CONTROL -- "Make Yourself Accountable", "Avoid Temptation" and "Depend on Christ". The last week in March is a special program on FRIENDSHIP.

We are preparing to shoot a series of programs in my producer's kitchen -- The HOLY GHOST KITCHEN series, practical "coffee klatch" talks. We did this format about 12 years ago and folk still inquire when we are going to do that format again.

In the very near future I'll have my new Web page set up -- and will be making "Podcasts".

The publisher is bringing me a laptop computer next week so I can work on my autobiography, THE TRANS EVANGELIST, in the privacy of my apartment. (The apartment building where I live has computers in the basement available for the tentants; hence I am able to do this weekly e-mailing).

And so, in my retirement -- truly "golden years" -- and as Pastor Abe (formerly on the pastoral staff of P4) said, I am a "walking miracle". Oh, what a mighty God we serve! An awesome and compassionate God.

"...there comes a word of promise,

like the promise in the bow --

"that, however deep the waters,

they shall never overflow."

God bless!