My name is Gary N. Oglesby and I would like to say that this testimony is one that is awe inspiring and truly a work of God.
Let me start with this scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." My story begins when I was in my second year of college and I fell in love with a beautiful young lady. We were both convinced that we would spend the rest of our lives together even at a young age. (I was 21 and she was 17.) I was an athlete and because I was on scholarship I was not able to finish my senior because I did not have enough credit hours to be eligible. I returned home disappointed but motivated to find me a job and prepare for my life with my girlfriend.
Even before marriage we did what sinners do--- we had sex and we both wanted to have a child together. Well God had other plans and after months of trying she was not able to conceive. Our relationship eventually ended and I was devastated. I was never a young man who had a lot of sexual encounters with different girls, but because of my pain I got really wild and crazy. On this particular job I met this very cute young lady and sometime later we started a sexual relationship. It was something about her that intrigued me and my feelings for her became genuine. This young lady was also in a recent breakup of a relationship, so we had something in common.
Eventually she became pregnant. At the time she did not know who the father was because right before she found out she was pregnant, she reconciled with her former boyfriend and she informed me she felt her future was with him. I didn't know for sure, but I had a gut feeling this could be my child. I later found out that her boyfriend convinced her that it was his child. Well months went by and I had a serious medical condition that popped up in my life. By this time this young lady had her child and it was a boy. She visited me in the hospital and there at my bedside told me that the child was mine. Of course I was elated. After getting out of the hospital she let me keep him one weekend. She was married at this time and I had no idea what she had told her husband. It really didn't matter to me anyway. After that visit only God knew how long it would be again before I saw him again.
My life seemed to be spiraling out of control. A lot of women, drugs to hide pain, partying and the club scene and the worst thing, playing church. Everything seemed meaningless. I decided I needed a change of scenery in my life so I took a job in the Atlanta area. There I met my current wife. She was young and immature, but she had all of the qualities that I always wanted in a wife. The first thing I told her about me was that I had a son back in Florida. She had no reservations about it. In fact, she encouraged me to try and contact his mother for closure. We eventually moved back to Jacksonville after a little over a year in Georgia. and started our life here. She had two boys from previous relationships and I had no problem being their father. Both were very young ( 3 and 6 mos.) so my influence would be easier.
Because of my upbringing by strong Christian parents, I was instilled with moral values and I knew what was expected in raising children. Of course I grew to love both of my boys like they were my biological children. We had another child two years later. A girl.. When all of them were of age I explained to them that they had a brother out there somewhere and one day he would be part of their lives. They all were truly excited about that; probably more than I was.
After many, many years went by I tried several times to contact my son's mother but any message that got to her came back with , "I have nothing to say to Gary. He needs to move on because this is not his son." Now I am really confused. Is he my son? Is he not my son? Does he look like me? The short time I had spent with him years previously I felt he looked like me but now I'm not sure. Could I be wrong? I couldn't because I feel so strongly about this. Should I do as she says and leave it alone? Little did I know God was about to show up and show out.
More years and more try. No results.
Well at this time I didn't know God, in his infinite wisdom, knew I nor my wife was ready spiritually for this union to happen right now. Something was missing and it became quite evident what that was. When I decided to let God be ruler of my life. I had played church for many a years, but God placed me in a ministry where I would receive life restoring principals and a convicting word. God was and still is in complete control of my life. With this new found revelation in my life, I began to think about my son more and more and started taking a more aggressive approach in finding him. God started putting people in my life that had known my son's mother for years and through interacting with them via phone was able to talk with my son's aunt. She assured me that this was my son and she always felt that, but she didn't want to interfere in her sister's life. But the most inspiring thing she said to me the last time we talked was "don't give up".
Through prayer and God's timing I was able to eventually find my son's mother on Facebook. This was another example how God did things in his own time. I was always skeptical about Facebook, but God used Facebook to help me to my destiny. I eventually sent her a message to be my friend and low and behold she accepted my request. By this time she was divorced from her husband of over 20 years. See how God is setting everything up. It had been 26 years since I had seen or heard from her. After a few more correspondences she was still saying I needed to leave it alone. Her son had been raised in love and he is happy and she didn't want that to be disrupted. But God had already put a spirit of persistence in me and I wasn't giving up. I was too close. He would be with me and I had an unwavering faith that in the end GOD would get the glory.
Because my son's mother was a Woman of God, she was being dealt with by God on her end. I just had to sit back and wait. She eventually contacted me and said we needed to talk. That was the beginning of how God had manifested his will in his scenario. Within three weeks I had met my son and because of the overwhelming resemblance in our physical appearance no one could deny he was my son. Not even the man who raised him as his own. When I met him it was as if God said now your void is filled. Now you have an assignment to be the spiritual example in your son's life that he was not seeing in a male figure that was significant in his life. This is why God waited. Glory to his holy name.
In ending, we have connected as if we were always together and our bond is genuine. My wife has been a rock in this whole situation and I thank God for her spirit. My other children are still riding high on a cloud about having another brother in their lives. Our families have connected and even fellowshipped together and I can't begin to go into detail all the things God has done to make this transition go so smoothly. I thank God for salvation and in the end HE has gotten the glory. I encouraged any man who has a child out there somewhere and wants to be a part of their lives to seek God first and wait on his timing. It will work out. I hope this will inspire someone who might have a similar situation.
Be blessed.
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Gary N. Oglesby
