Testimony
- Outline
I was born inWilmington, Delaware.
I believe I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of 5.
I started guitar lessons shortly after this. I told my parents that I wanted to be the best guitar player for Jesus.
I would say within 8 months after lessons I was playing my guitar at church in the worship team.
I went to Christian schools up until the middle of my sixth grade year.
It was here I started learning how mean people could be. Please remember I was brought up by Christian parents in a Christian home.
I was picked on that year and the start of my 7th grade year.
My father told me that the next time someone picked on me just to start hitting them until I saw blood then stop hitting.
That worked! I soon learned to become a bully.
At the end of my 8th grade year I fell in love with a neighborhood girl.
It is hard to say why I felt this way, but I felt closer to her than my parents and family.
Somewhere in the middle of my senior year of high school that neighborhood girl and myself quit seeing each other.
I was crushed. I felt suicidal, and felt that way for many years.
Quickly after graduation I moved out on my own.
I didn’t get an apartment. I got a house. This house had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, and an indoor pool.
Although, I went to church and played in a Christian band I still had one girlfriend after another, as well as many sexual relationships, followed by yet much heartbreak.
I lived in this house for about 1-½ years.
The Christian band I was playing in broke up, as well as the house I was renting was sold. Plus I wanted to run away from all the problems I created.
I had the chance to move to big city. Once again I had many girlfriends with many sexual relationships, followed by heartache.
My problems in the big city followed me there. I should say, “I created the same set of problems for myself up there.”
So I wanted to run away again. I went back to Delaware.
But before I did I tried to smoke a joint, but could not. I threw the joint into the neighbors yard.
Went back into the house and prayed. I said something like this, “God I give You permission to change my life, I can’t do it.”
I made it to Delaware late that night.
I awoke the following morning to a snowstorm. I drove back up to the big city anyway.
I never made it to the big city. Two tractor-trailer trucks hit me at the same time while driving a tiny blue car.
They said I was dead upon impact and was dead for about 20-25 minutes before help arrived.
The Doctors told my family that I would not live through the night. I did. Then the Doctors told my family I wouldn’t make it into next week. I did. Finally the Doctors said that if I ever come out of the coma I wouldn’t be the same. That statement the Doctors were right about. Although, physically I still had many things to overcome, I was a changed person from within.
I do remember waking up out of the coma trying to scream because my hands were tied down to the bed, and I did not know where I was or what had happened to me.
I started to scream, or at least I was trying with all those tubes in my mouth. I was also trying to ask what had happened to me. I started squirming around on the bed and I remember a nurse in a panic voice calling for help. I am not sure if they gave me a shot to clam me down or if I just had a seizure. Either way it was the last thing I remembered.
The next time I remember waking up I was still very scared. I was trying to ask what day it was. Everything I said sounded funny. I wasn’t able to talk correctly.
I found out that it was Thursday. I tried to say, “Great, Hill Street Blues comes on t.v. tonight.” No one had the heart to tell me that I was in a coma long enough for the show to be canceled. I also missed the super bowl that year.
Family was in the room and I could not recognize any of them except for one; however, I did not know his name. Later I learned it was my dad.
If my accident happened just a few miles either way on the turnpike I would have been transported to another hospital. The hospital I went to was the number one head trauma unit, and a closed head injury is what my injuries were.
People would ask me if I remembered playing the guitar. I could not.
There is so much about myself that I did not remember. I just recently learned my name and my family and that I was living the big city. However, I still could not remember how I got in the hospital. Slowly things started coming back to me.
There was a lot of trauma that came from the injury I received. Besides all the physical healing I had to go through; I had many emotional and mental scars that had to heal. I'm going to try to let you experience some of the pain and mental torment I went through.
As a result, of being in a deep coma, I lost most of my muscle definition. Therefore, I was unable to stand on my own, so walking was impossible. I couldn't lift the weight of my own arms, so feeding myself was an unrealistic dream. With each breath, I felt pain. It felt like one of those trucks rolling over and over my broken ribcages.
When I was finally able to breathe without pain, breathing became a luxury.
Even more important, since I was dependent on Doctor's and nurse's for everything; I needed them when I used the rest room. You may be able to image what a nineteen-year old young man felt. They would have to clean me up when I was finished with the rest room. Sometimes they would leave me exposed, which seemed like hours, before I was clothed again. That's not even considering the time I was bathed. I remember sitting there in the shower room shivering.
Not before too long, I was walking, feeding, and bathing myself, but with much trouble. I remember one night. I prayed, "God, I just want to die, I don't want to live with all this pain and humiliation any more." There were times I had to ask for help pulling up the zipper to my pants because my hands would shake so bad.
Meanwhile, I was going to a learning center, because I was diagnosis with a learning disability. I had to learn things over like: my ABC's, simple mathematics, tying shoes, and buttoning buttons. I felt so out of place because everyone was smarter than me. I didn't remember anything I was being taught. However, even more important, when I knew how to accomplish a task; I still couldn't do it.
At this point, it wasn't because I didn't have the strength. It was because of nerve damage. My brain would give a signal and my body would do something different. I felt completely useless. I could hardly take care of myself, and I couldn't learn either.
In any event, here it is 22 years later. Not too many physical signs are visible. The emotional and mental scars are healed. My wife and I, and our children, have a small business. I’m also the music director of a fairly large church in Delaware and I’m back to playing my instruments as good as, or maybe better then I was before. I still have a learning disability; however, I graduated with a 4.00 average and hold degree’s in “Radio Production” and “Television Production” with a minor in “History” from Delaware State University.
I feel there's nothing that I can't accomplish. I am learning to overcome all my disabilities, with the help of God and family. Every day I embrace life, and try to live each day as if it may be my last. Although, the injuries were tough on me; I don't believe I'd have it any other way, for I'm a better man having lost it all, just to gain it all back and more.
I believe I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of 5.
I started guitar lessons shortly after this. I told my parents that I wanted to be the best guitar player for Jesus.
I would say within 8 months after lessons I was playing my guitar at church in the worship team.
I went to Christian schools up until the middle of my sixth grade year.
It was here I started learning how mean people could be. Please remember I was brought up by Christian parents in a Christian home.
I was picked on that year and the start of my 7th grade year.
My father told me that the next time someone picked on me just to start hitting them until I saw blood then stop hitting.
That worked! I soon learned to become a bully.
At the end of my 8th grade year I fell in love with a neighborhood girl.
It is hard to say why I felt this way, but I felt closer to her than my parents and family.
Somewhere in the middle of my senior year of high school that neighborhood girl and myself quit seeing each other.
I was crushed. I felt suicidal, and felt that way for many years.
Quickly after graduation I moved out on my own.
I didn’t get an apartment. I got a house. This house had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, and an indoor pool.
Although, I went to church and played in a Christian band I still had one girlfriend after another, as well as many sexual relationships, followed by yet much heartbreak.
I lived in this house for about 1-½ years.
The Christian band I was playing in broke up, as well as the house I was renting was sold. Plus I wanted to run away from all the problems I created.
I had the chance to move to big city. Once again I had many girlfriends with many sexual relationships, followed by heartache.
My problems in the big city followed me there. I should say, “I created the same set of problems for myself up there.”
So I wanted to run away again. I went back to Delaware.
But before I did I tried to smoke a joint, but could not. I threw the joint into the neighbors yard.
Went back into the house and prayed. I said something like this, “God I give You permission to change my life, I can’t do it.”
I made it to Delaware late that night.
I awoke the following morning to a snowstorm. I drove back up to the big city anyway.
I never made it to the big city. Two tractor-trailer trucks hit me at the same time while driving a tiny blue car.
They said I was dead upon impact and was dead for about 20-25 minutes before help arrived.
The Doctors told my family that I would not live through the night. I did. Then the Doctors told my family I wouldn’t make it into next week. I did. Finally the Doctors said that if I ever come out of the coma I wouldn’t be the same. That statement the Doctors were right about. Although, physically I still had many things to overcome, I was a changed person from within.
I do remember waking up out of the coma trying to scream because my hands were tied down to the bed, and I did not know where I was or what had happened to me.
I started to scream, or at least I was trying with all those tubes in my mouth. I was also trying to ask what had happened to me. I started squirming around on the bed and I remember a nurse in a panic voice calling for help. I am not sure if they gave me a shot to clam me down or if I just had a seizure. Either way it was the last thing I remembered.
The next time I remember waking up I was still very scared. I was trying to ask what day it was. Everything I said sounded funny. I wasn’t able to talk correctly.
I found out that it was Thursday. I tried to say, “Great, Hill Street Blues comes on t.v. tonight.” No one had the heart to tell me that I was in a coma long enough for the show to be canceled. I also missed the super bowl that year.
Family was in the room and I could not recognize any of them except for one; however, I did not know his name. Later I learned it was my dad.
If my accident happened just a few miles either way on the turnpike I would have been transported to another hospital. The hospital I went to was the number one head trauma unit, and a closed head injury is what my injuries were.
People would ask me if I remembered playing the guitar. I could not.
There is so much about myself that I did not remember. I just recently learned my name and my family and that I was living the big city. However, I still could not remember how I got in the hospital. Slowly things started coming back to me.
There was a lot of trauma that came from the injury I received. Besides all the physical healing I had to go through; I had many emotional and mental scars that had to heal. I'm going to try to let you experience some of the pain and mental torment I went through.
As a result, of being in a deep coma, I lost most of my muscle definition. Therefore, I was unable to stand on my own, so walking was impossible. I couldn't lift the weight of my own arms, so feeding myself was an unrealistic dream. With each breath, I felt pain. It felt like one of those trucks rolling over and over my broken ribcages.
When I was finally able to breathe without pain, breathing became a luxury.
Even more important, since I was dependent on Doctor's and nurse's for everything; I needed them when I used the rest room. You may be able to image what a nineteen-year old young man felt. They would have to clean me up when I was finished with the rest room. Sometimes they would leave me exposed, which seemed like hours, before I was clothed again. That's not even considering the time I was bathed. I remember sitting there in the shower room shivering.
Not before too long, I was walking, feeding, and bathing myself, but with much trouble. I remember one night. I prayed, "God, I just want to die, I don't want to live with all this pain and humiliation any more." There were times I had to ask for help pulling up the zipper to my pants because my hands would shake so bad.
Meanwhile, I was going to a learning center, because I was diagnosis with a learning disability. I had to learn things over like: my ABC's, simple mathematics, tying shoes, and buttoning buttons. I felt so out of place because everyone was smarter than me. I didn't remember anything I was being taught. However, even more important, when I knew how to accomplish a task; I still couldn't do it.
At this point, it wasn't because I didn't have the strength. It was because of nerve damage. My brain would give a signal and my body would do something different. I felt completely useless. I could hardly take care of myself, and I couldn't learn either.
In any event, here it is 22 years later. Not too many physical signs are visible. The emotional and mental scars are healed. My wife and I, and our children, have a small business. I’m also the music director of a fairly large church in Delaware and I’m back to playing my instruments as good as, or maybe better then I was before. I still have a learning disability; however, I graduated with a 4.00 average and hold degree’s in “Radio Production” and “Television Production” with a minor in “History” from Delaware State University.
I feel there's nothing that I can't accomplish. I am learning to overcome all my disabilities, with the help of God and family. Every day I embrace life, and try to live each day as if it may be my last. Although, the injuries were tough on me; I don't believe I'd have it any other way, for I'm a better man having lost it all, just to gain it all back and more.
If you would like me share my story, my testimony and my songs about how God delivered me with you and your Church please contact me at (302) 423-3667.
May God richly bless you.
Yours in the King’s Service,
Rich Lambert
Capt’n
Richie
Rich Lambert, Jr.
captnrichie@hotmail.com
(302) 423-3667
(302) 423-3667
73
Greentree Drive, #167
Dover, Delaware 19904
Dover, Delaware 19904