He Was There All the Time--: From the Lowest Valley to the Mountain Top!

By Reverend Mary Ellen Brod

Born into a large loving Catholic family, Mary Ellen’s life was happy and wonderful. When she was just 11 years old, tragedy struck with the sudden unexpected death of her beloved father. The family was devastated. Sadness, insecurity and lack of self-esteem took over Mary Ellen’s life. At the tender age of 16, desperately looking for love and acceptance, she unwittingly enters into a controlling, abusive, alcohol-fueled marriage. Over the years, this union blesses her with five wonderful children; but sadly the abuse at the hands of her husband only accelerates. Her reality of being a high-school dropout, possessing no job skills, her inability to drive a car, along with living in constant fear of her husband’s threats and violent wrath, force Mary Ellen to remain in this toxic marriage for over two decades. Though she attended Mass every week and prayed to the Virgin Mary faithfully, she felt so alone. Searching for help, she begins reading a Bible that lay in her home for many years, but not once opened. Reading God’s word was amazing and sparked a deep spiritual hunger in her soul. Through this Holy Bible, she is formally introduced to Jesus Christ, and begins her transformation and spiritual journey through His love and salvation. She is able to break free of her chains of shame and inadequacy and find strength and hope in Him. You will experience laughter, tears and inspiration as you read this very personal and candid memoir of adversity, survival and triumph through the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664211032

Reverend Mary Ellen Brod

First-time author, Mary Ellen Brod, shares her remarkable story of personal hardships and amazing triumphs she has experienced over the past 84 years of her life. At 42-years-old, Mary Ellen surrendered her life over to Jesus Christ and through this book shares her extraordinary story of overcoming emotional, physical and spiritual adversities, and achieving her life’s dreams and ultimate victories through God’s love and promises. Mary Ellen earned an Associate’s Degree from Illinois Central College. She graduated at the age of 49 from the Methodist School of Nursing, and worked as a registered nurse until her retirement. At the age of 75, Reverend Mary Ellen Brod graduated from Western Bible College and is a licensed minister within the Assembly of God Church. To this day, she continues to serve the Lord and spread His Word.

Book preview

HE WAS

THERE

ALL THE

TIME—

FROM THE LOWEST VALLEY

TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP!

REVEREND MARY ELLEN BROD

27228.png

Copyright © 2020 Reverend Mary Ellen Brod.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names

of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New

International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by

Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked ESV taken from The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a

publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1102-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1104-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1103-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020921475

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/17/2020

Psalm 91 (NIV)

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, The LORD is my refuge,

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he[b] loves me," says the

LORD, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1     Meet The Family

Chapter 2     A Good Foundation

Chapter 3     The Middle Child

Chapter 4     Learning The Facts Of Life

Chapter 5     The Dye Is Cast

Chapter 6     Lady Bug Caught In A Spider’s Web

Chapter 7     Back Where We Started

Chapter 8     Show Me The Way To Go Home

Chapter 9     Birth Of A New Generation

Chapter 10   After The Marines

Chapter 11   Move To Glendale Avenue 1963-1975

Chapter 12   Graduation, Marriages, Losses, And The End 1971-1975

Chapter 13   Chapter After The Divorce

Chapter 14   A New Beginning 1978-1985

Chapter 15   Life As We Witness For Jesus

Chapter 16   God Fulfills Promises: Restores What Was Lost

Chapter 17   God Sends A Friend—Louie Gerber Brod 1984

Chapter 18   The Calling On Our Lives 1985-1994

Chapter 19   Mission Trips 1988-1994

Chapter 20   Hard Times, Trials, And More Loss 1994-2003

Chapter 21   A Time To Rest 2004-2013

Chapter 22   God Does It Again! 2013-2020

Chapter 23   Old Age—It’s Not For Sissies

Chapter 24   Closing Thoughts

INTRODUCTION

My name is Mary Ellen and I am excited to tell you about my tumultuous, yet miraculous, 84 years on this earth.

We’ve all heard the phrase, Life isn’t easy. This is very true, but it can be easier. Like all good Catholic girls, I went to Mass every Sunday, and prayed daily to the Virgin Mary and the saints. I even aspired to be a nun. Despite my daily devotions and desire to be holy, I was plagued with low self-esteem and deep insecurities throughout my childhood and most of my adult life. I felt foolish, lonely, and unlovable making me the perfect teen wife for an abusive controlling husband. Though blessed with five beautiful children, the trials and troubles in my life and marriage abounded. My children and I all suffered for the foolish choices and mistakes I made.

At 42 years old, after formally being introduced to Jesus Christ, I made a life-changing decision that totally reformed my entire being. I chose to follow Him, and at that moment I dedicated my entire life to Jesus. In Him, I have found new life, hope, healing and strength. Now when I face rough times and adversities, I don’t handle it alone. I give it to Jesus to help me. With Jesus, life’s burdens become lighter and easier to handle.

I have always been vocal to my family, friends, and people I meet about the love of Christ. At my advanced age, chances are I won’t be here on earth much longer. Therefore, I have written this book to share with you the extraordinary power of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want everyone to know Him and experience the joy and serenity of His love. My hope for you is that my life experiences will provide inspiration, courage and strength to change your life. Only through my faith in Jesus Christ have I been able to embrace my self-worth and fulfill my dreams.

What an extraordinary life I have lived as I serve my extraordinary Lord, Jesus Christ. This book is a chronological record of my life.

Reverend Mary Ellen Brod

1

MEET THE FAMILY

I once heard a man say, I was born at a very young age. So, I cannot be the first to say it, but I too was born incredibly young back in 1935 and have been amazed ever since that day.

My parents were Ray and Mary Huckaby Weitzel. Born in Springfield, Illinois, I was the middle child of five siblings—brothers Ray and Murt were older than me, a little sister, Margie, and the baby was Patrick, born in 1942. We were a good Catholic family. World War II was raging in Europe. Daddy wasn’t eligible to serve because he had small children at home. During wartime, mom had to watch our sugar intake since sugar was rationed. The war brought lots of restrictions, including meat, butter, even nylon hosiery. These sacrifices helped achieve what was needed to win the war, and that we did! Three of my mom’s brothers were serving in active duty during this time. My Uncle Ted and Uncle Mike returned home safely at the end of the war. Sadly, Uncle Murt, 21, died in a plane crash while on a training mission over Tucson, Arizona. In 1945, the war was finally over—life would be better; and daddy got a new job!

Yes! His new employment was as a plate inspector for Caterpillar Tractor Company in East Peoria, Illinois. This opportunity had opened the door to a more secure life for our family.

God had blessed the Weitzel’s. Ray and Mary were moving their brood an hour and a half away from their hometown of Springfield to begin a new adventure.

Our new address was 620 West Smith Street—a three-bedroom structure in the city of Peoria before zip codes were part of our addresses. The community was comprised of families from Irish, German, English and Middle Eastern descents, Italians too. We were part of the German/Irish clans. Back then, telephone numbers consisted of only four digits, and we shared a single phone line with four other families. It was a predominantly a Catholic, blue-collared, family-oriented, low-crime neighborhood—yes, perfect for raising a healthy, happy family. Our worldly needs were within walking distance—church, school, grocers, and friends. We even had neighborhood doctors—a father and his son—three blocks away. Best of all was Proctor Recreation Center—where we kids could swim in the guarded pool and enjoy sports. There were activities for all ages. Life would be good in this lovely new home.

Though mom did not go to church, dad stopped in at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church every Sunday morning for Mass. He worked third shift on Saturday nights, so we kids would meet him at the church on Sunday mornings after he got off work. Sometimes daddy would rest his head against the huge marble pillar in the rear rows of St. Patrick’s Church. This pillar supported the choir loft, as well as our weary and sleepy papa’s head. What a sweetie he was.

Mom worked at a laundry in the neighborhood during the day. She was the busiest person in the family, but she always enjoyed daddy and her children. She was easy going, had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. Laughter was a way of life in our house—we had fun, while learning good moral values. We also learned forgiveness. Not one of us ever forgot those basic lessons. Contrary to being rowdy kids, there was a sense of peace in our family. Our parents were dedicated to one another and to all of us. I have no recollection of either parent ever shouting at us or discouraging us.

I remember when our extended family in Springfield came to visit us in Peoria. Dad would walk across the street to the corner tavern, The Melrose Club, and purchase a gallon jug of beer to share with our guests. They would feast on rye bread and cheese, wash it down with a cold beer and share family gossip and such. Lots of fun, laughter, and memories. They always had a lot to talk about.

On the Huckaby side, mom’s father’s family consisted of Baptist preachers and schoolteachers. At one time, her father, my grandfather, was Chief of Police in Dime Box, Texas. He was a schoolteacher, too, but due to discrimination, prejudice, and the threat of tar and feathering by the Ku Klux Klan, he moved the family from Coalgate, Oklahoma to Illinois.

My Grandmother Huckaby’s family was from Ireland and were traditional Irish Catholics. As I mentioned, my grandfather, Theodore Sholto Huckaby, was raised in the Baptist church, but for the love of my grandmother, Bridget Marie Fahy, he converted to Catholicism to marry her. Through this union, the Huckaby’s had 10 children—my mother being the eldest.

Dad’s family was from Germany. My grandpa, August W. Weitzel, was a gunsmith and had a shop in his basement. I seem to remember a sign he had, A. Weitzel, Gunsmith. Grandpa Weitzel was stern and grandma, Martha Burchard Weitzel, was a sweet lady. I still recall the smell of their house on Sunday afternoons—chicken and potato dumplings. Goodness me, how wonderful. Grandma’s bedroom dresser had pretty doilies and figurines on it, with a piece of decorated glass holding her hair pins. I cherish these memories.

The Weitzel’s and the Huckaby’s were alike in some ways. Both families were Catholic. Grandma Huckaby had a sister, Margaret, who became a Benedictine nun—Sister Modesta. Grandpa Weitzel had a sister who was a Dominican nun, Sister Moblis, and a nephew who became a priest, my second cousin, Father Frank Weitzel who lived in Springfield. He died in 2015.

Historically, it appears our family has some interesting family ties. I have read on my mother’s family’s ancestry site that a historical western character, who designed a famous knife, is a distant cousin in our family lineage. He and another famous historical figure, who wore a coon-skin cap, died together at the Alamo while fighting in the war with a famous Mexican General. Also, it has been rumored that in my Grandma Huckaby’s family there is a relation to a famous marshal and his brothers, who ensured law and order in the Southwest.

Think about it—the Weitzel’s were gunsmiths and the Huckaby’s were gunslingers.

Recently, I found a possible Jewish connection to our family surname. In 1945, Holocaust records from the Nazi death camps listed a physician, Dr. Baruch Weitzel, as perishing in the gas chambers. Not sure if he was a relative or not.

When together, the Irish Huckaby’s would laugh and sing, while we young ones would dance. After the commotion settled down, we were gathered up, put in the car, and returned home. No one ever stayed too long.

When I was about eight years old, dad took mom to the hospital. I do not remember anyone telling me we were going to get a baby, but we did. Daddy came back home after a while and painted