Letter from Shay (Shannon) Hensley. Dated May 7, 2019
My blessings from God, I will only be speaking on my conversion, my awaking, because there are many blessings from God that I realize now.
So I was 44 in jail with ten felony charges (All “A” & “B” Class felonies), the main one 1st degree murder threatening me with the death penalty!
Well, one night I had a dream (or something), that must have had something to do with my wife, cause I woke up crying and thinking what is going on. I felt a ‘spiritual’ presence in the cell, so I began to bang my head and face on the wall and telling (what I thought was) my wife’s spirit to “go and be with your loved ones”. For my wife Laura Jean Hensley had been taken from me five months before this time. So I was very distraught hurting badly. I still miss her now.
Anyway I continued to talk to this spirit being and asked them to take over my life, because I couldn’t deal with all this Pain. I felt crushed, ruined like an old building. I didn’t care what happened to me for real.
SO I asked JESUS to deal with it for me, help me because I obviously couldn’t help myself. Well, I woke up not so sad, but still in Jail. Then I made a commitment to myself and God to read a chapter (of the Bible) a day, to read something out of the New Testament before bed. And true fully I didn’t’ notice much change.
Then I went to Jail. Got in a couple of fights, got my head pounded in the last one pretty good. I went back to my cell and felt dizzy. (UT-oh), I forgot about the hole I had in my head (a drill hole I had in my head from about six years before when I had an aneurysm), so I told the guys if I die, don’t trip. So I was scared to go to sleep, but I (I should say We), made it through the night. And that was the first time I thought God was with me, looking out for me in a way I could not explain.
Then a few weeks later a cellmate showed up and he asked me if I realized how much I had changed, and I said “no, not really, How?” He said I was very much nicer than before. So I just kept doing my Bible readings, first thing in the morning, and the last thing at
night before bed and I would go to the services there in jail and listen and ask questions. Chaplin Rick and Chaplin Gary were very helpful.
But over all this time I was reading my Bible and like material. I didn’t have an interest in any other books, or TV. I read and read; then one Saturday Pastor Gary says “God has put on my heart someone here has back problems – BAM – I stood up because I have been a laborer in construction all my life, doing all hard jobs. So at this time in jail I was taking 600 mg of Gabapentin (from depression, mania and anxiety), other mood stabilizers, plus 20 mg of Lisinopril for blood pressure, all these twice a day. I had x-rays done on my chest and spine before jail. The doctors told me to live with the pain because there were no more fluids in my spine and they could see between my vertebrae.
Now here is Pastor Gary a man filled with the Spirit of God asking about back problems. That’s me a walking back pain! It was bad and it hurt all the time. Well, he prayed and had me do a few movements to see where I was out of alignment. While speaking to me and God I imagine, then all of a sudden I started to feel better – first was my leg, Dennis said he sees it (the leg) move and grow two inches. I couldn’t see it from up above, but I felt it. Then he (Pastor Gary) stood me up and placed his fingers on the sides of my neck, and it felt like I was getting taller. My entire spine was realigned and the pressure released by God through Pastor Gary Almquist. My back has been healed!
I thank God all the time for it, and tell people all about it. Just think God Healed my painful back, the doctor said He couldn’t see any fluid between the vertebrae, and you are just going to have to learn to live with the pain. But God was not done yet with my healing. But I kept up my studies and found insight here and there like the Bible is all God’s Truths revealed to us for our use!
I put all things in His care. He said He would take out the stony heart and put in a new one in our flesh. I prayed and asked Him to do this also! God is still God. He can do all things, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! AMEN.
Now when I got to another prison I prayed to God to just look out for me, and I put all in His Hands, my whole life. And you know what else; I don’t take any medications at all. No blood pressure pills. The doctor asked me how I was feeling, how the pills were working. I told him I don’t know because I never took them. His nurse said “WHAT? You could have a stroke, how come you are not taking them? I said because “Jesus has healed me”. She made some funny faces, boy she looked silly. But the doc said, “Well if you ‘aint’ been taking ‘em’, then don’t be taking ‘em’ now, THROW THEM AWAY”. So I did.
It’s been eight months since I have been in prison; I got to St. Joe on Halloween, October 31st, 2018. No meds, PRAISE GOD! I’m here to tell you all, that God is still doing miracles today. I’m still being rejuvenated, I work workout here at the center 4 times a week (Shay was transferred to another Correction Center), and I’m 195 lbs. and Praising God all day, every day. I am fixing to be baptized soon, and I’ll let you know how that goes. I think the spirit inside of me is telling me it’s time to take the next step in my journey in Christ. Praise God.
Oh, Yeah, I wrote my Grandmother a long letter, about how I loved her and wanted to see here in heaven. That Jesus loved her and that I pray for her soul. And when my mom read it to her, she then cried and asked Jesus into her heart at 87 years old. Now mom says she also has also changed into a sweet old women – THANK YOU Jesus.
Well, Gary let me know what you think. I kept being interrupted and such, so maybe someday something will happen I don’t know yet, but I still think God has BIG PLANS FOR ME!.
God Bless you and thank you for your guidance it is not forgotten.
Shay
English 