2026-2027 EVAN 525 Contemporary Evangelism Module 2_Week 2
RECOVERY TESTIMONY ESSAY Liberty University
Recovery Testimony Essay
John L. Bolton
EVAN 525: Contemporary Evangelism
, 1. My life seemed normal until I returned from Operation Desert Storm. I can say that military
life can at times be everything but normal but it was as normal a life as it could be for a military
family. I thought that I had suffered the worse when I witnessed close friends and fellow soldiers
being injured and killed in combat. I can truly say that I carry the names of the individuals I
knew in my heart and I will never forget them but even that could not prepare me for what I had
to face when I returned home. The first impact came when my unit returned to the receiving area
of the post I was assigned to. As all the soldiers filed off the busses, I constantly look around for
my wife and children. They were not there! I watched all the families being reunited and I was
alone. I remember standing at the end of the parade field after everyone departed. I was telling
myself that something had to have happened, maybe the car broke down, maybe my wife was
working. I soon shook it off, grabbed all my gear and walked to my office. I decided to walk the
7 kilometers to the housing area where we lived. I unlocked the door of our apartment and
walked in. No one was there. I sat on the couch for what seemed to be hours. The I received a
call from the babysitter. She told me that my kids had been with her for the last week. So, I went
to pick them up. It was a joy to see my children finally after 7 months. The next day my wife got
home and I expected her to be excited to see me but instead, I got a cold “what are you doing
here?” that shocked me because I had been sending her emails keeping her up to date on when
we would return. After a couple of weeks, I confronted her with the credit card receipts,
statements from my babysitter saying she would drop the kids off with her for weeks at a time. I
plainly asked her, what was going on and she responded with, “I am filing for divorce!” that is
when my entire world stopped. I tried to convince myself that she was just stressed out from
work. She was a Military Police so I just decided to give her some time. The next day, the MPs
was knocking on the door and calling out my name. When I opened the door, they placed me in
RECOVERY TESTIMONY ESSAY Liberty University
Recovery Testimony Essay
John L. Bolton
EVAN 525: Contemporary Evangelism
, 1. My life seemed normal until I returned from Operation Desert Storm. I can say that military
life can at times be everything but normal but it was as normal a life as it could be for a military
family. I thought that I had suffered the worse when I witnessed close friends and fellow soldiers
being injured and killed in combat. I can truly say that I carry the names of the individuals I
knew in my heart and I will never forget them but even that could not prepare me for what I had
to face when I returned home. The first impact came when my unit returned to the receiving area
of the post I was assigned to. As all the soldiers filed off the busses, I constantly look around for
my wife and children. They were not there! I watched all the families being reunited and I was
alone. I remember standing at the end of the parade field after everyone departed. I was telling
myself that something had to have happened, maybe the car broke down, maybe my wife was
working. I soon shook it off, grabbed all my gear and walked to my office. I decided to walk the
7 kilometers to the housing area where we lived. I unlocked the door of our apartment and
walked in. No one was there. I sat on the couch for what seemed to be hours. The I received a
call from the babysitter. She told me that my kids had been with her for the last week. So, I went
to pick them up. It was a joy to see my children finally after 7 months. The next day my wife got
home and I expected her to be excited to see me but instead, I got a cold “what are you doing
here?” that shocked me because I had been sending her emails keeping her up to date on when
we would return. After a couple of weeks, I confronted her with the credit card receipts,
statements from my babysitter saying she would drop the kids off with her for weeks at a time. I
plainly asked her, what was going on and she responded with, “I am filing for divorce!” that is
when my entire world stopped. I tried to convince myself that she was just stressed out from
work. She was a Military Police so I just decided to give her some time. The next day, the MPs
was knocking on the door and calling out my name. When I opened the door, they placed me in
