If you don’t know where Hydro, Oklahoma (Route 66) is, you might need to pull up a map. We are a small town with maybe 1,000 people. But if you think nothing happens in a small town, you haven’t been to New Life Church, led by Pastors Mark and Brianna Lumpkin.
The live testimony given was just a glimpse. Therefore, I’m writing this full account, anchored by what I witnessed on November 21st and 22nd, 2025, to share the complete story of God’s love and my transformation.
The Proof Is in the People
Not long ago, I walked into the 10th Encounter (March 7th and 8th, 2025) here completely hopeless. I was questioning my own sanity. I carried a weight I couldn’t explain. The script flipped for this event—the 11th New Life has hosted—just eight months later, I had the immense privilege of serving on the Ministry Team under the leadership of our Encounter Pastors, Ryan and Krystin Turney. Thus, I went from the one needing the breakthrough to the one helping others find it.
The weekend of the 11th encounter didn’t start with a sermon; it started with living proof. I was one of the four who took the stage that night to testify, gripping the microphone to tell the attendees the raw truth about who I used to be.
The Crushing Blows
To the outside world, I used to look like a success story. I had an amazing husband (my best friend since 2020, and married since January 23, 2023) and two beautiful children, and a “normal” life. But the truth is, I was barely surviving.
My downfall didn’t happen all at once; it was a series of devastating blows. While pregnant with my son, health issues caused both my husband and me to lose our high-paying management jobs. Subsequently, between my six years and my husband’s nearly ten years of dedicated service, we lost the careers that had been our financial foundation. Not only that, but we lost our home. We had to move back to my hometown, which, in turn, forced me to face painful childhood trauma I had tried to bury. Finally, came a period of intense family conflict and a prolonged season of emotional and legal instability. This accumulation of devastating blows is what ultimately broke me.
Not only did anger, hate, and a struggle with my own identity consume me, but my body failed entirely.
- For example, I wasn’t eating or sleeping; my hair was physically falling out, and I couldn’t keep any weight on.
- Moreover, I broke out in rashes all over my body, had major panic attacks, and was physically making myself sick, puking what seemed like 24/7.
- In addition, I feared my phone ringing; I would physically be shaking looking at my phone with the terror of a text or call.
I couldn’t fight anymore. Ultimately, this brokenness was the exact moment I stopped fighting God and finally said ‘yes’ to walking into the Encounter.
The Decision to Surrender
The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” That is the woman who walked into the 10th Encounter event. I came in hopeless. Yet, in that room, I finally stopped fighting the world and surrendered my impossible burden to God. The world had told me my silly, bubbly personality was “weird,” so I tried to numb it.
I used to be someone who could take it or leave it, but somewhere along the line, the ‘every now and then’ turned into ‘all the time.’ Alcohol and marijuana became the lens through which I saw the world. I spent my nights numbing out with cheap red boxed wine, while my intake of marijuana escalated from simple pre-rolls to the heavy hit of concentrated wax. It wasn’t just a habit; it was a physical experiment in human endurance. I got to experience exactly how far a person can be pushed toward their breaking point—and I was right there, standing on the edge.
Something I would like to make very clear is my situation lasted about two years but the true downfall of me drinking and smoking only lasted a few months.
For over a decade, I was on medication to manage my anxiety and depression. Although I tried counseling, it helped but the pain was still unbearable. I reached my ultimate limit when I looked at my family and voiced the dark thoughts I’d been carrying. It was an expression of deep, overwhelming distress, but it never crossed the line into a choice I would have made. Feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of despair, broken, and fighting a battle I couldn’t win alone.
The Turn
I stood on that stage this weekend and told the crowd: “Are you ready for my proof?”
I instantly felt a peace I had never known. Unconditional love replaced the judgment and self-hatred. Truly, losing so much never felt so good.
| Before Encounter | After Encounter (The Proof) |
| Reliant to alcohol and marijuana. | I no longer drink alcohol or smoke marijuana. |
| On anxiety and depression medication. | I no longer take anxiety or depression medication. |
| Overwhelmed by despair and questioned my identity. | I am no longer overwhelmed by thoughts of despair. |
| Barely surviving as a wife and mother. | God restored my family. I am fully engaged as a wife and mother. |
| Hiding my “weird” bubbly personality. | I realized that joy is a gift from God, and I use it to serve others now. |
My life is no longer about addiction; it’s about dedication. Now, you can find me taking photos, and helping to create content for the church’s social media.
The healing started with the 10th Encounter (March 2025), when my husband and I went through the event together and the following Sunday, we chose to be baptized as a covenant family. Then, during my service at the 11th Encounter (November 2025), I received my prayer language on the first night. Even more powerfully, however, my husband chose to attend the event alone as an attendee, and Pastor Ryan re-baptized him that following Sunday, fully embracing his crucial role as the spiritual leader for our home.
I told the crowd: “I have experienced God’s word, I have seen the proof. I have watched myself transform. Now it’s your turn.”
The 9 Steps to Freedom
With that atmosphere set—with the proof that this WORKS standing right in front of them—we moved into the teaching. We didn’t fly in famous preachers. Members of our own church taught all 9 sessions who, with the fire of the HOLY SPIRIT, set the entire room ablaze and made hell shake with fear.
| The 9 Steps to Freedom Taught | Reference Verse |
| Revelation of the Cross | Jeremiah 29:13 |
| Revelation of Grace | 1 John 1:9 |
| Inner Healing | Colossians 3:13 |
| Father’s Heart | Romans 8:15-16 |
| Redeemed from the Curse | Deuteronomy 28:45 |
| Victory over the Adversary | 1 John 3:8 |
| Blessing of Abraham | Psalm 107: 17-20 |
| Holy Spirit | Acts 1:4 & 8 |
| The Great Commission | Mark 16:15-16 |
Setting the Atmosphere
Worship Experience: I got to see over 100 people standing front and center at the stage during praise and worship. Our worship team was ON FIRE!—never missing a beat, every word sung with so much emotion and conviction. In essence, everyone had their hands in the air, some with their eyes closed, crying with surrender and finding their breakthrough. They all wanted the same thing: the encounter with God.
Photography Team: We also had a phenomenal team dedicated to preserving the weekend’s breakthroughs. Specifically, we had an incredible photography group there to immortalize the most amazing, intimate moments of the Encounter! These were members of our own church, working diligently and with an anointed eye, to capture the raw emotion, the surrender during worship, and the beautiful, visible transformations of every individual.
Hell Lost Another One
By the end of the weekend, the transformation in the room was undeniable.
“Hell Lost Another One.” I know that feeling personally because I am one of the ones hell lost. And this weekend (November 21st and 22nd), I got to watch the enemy lose his grip on a whole new group of people.
I seen, single men and women, newly married couples, couples who have been married for years, and those who were only dating all walk in carrying the same burden: lost, full of hate, and desperately searching for unconditional love. As the weekend unfolded, they learned and experienced the truth—they had that love the whole time. Every single person walked out with a visible, beautiful “God glow.”
Witnesses to the Miraculous
The Family Restored: I witnessed a family—husband, wife, and daughter—walk in broken and full of tension. By Saturday night, the light was back in them, smiling and full of love. God restores families!
The Resistant Heart: First, one guy, mad and not wanting to return Saturday, his wife told him “get your butt in the truck and lets go” they returned Saturday, fully engaged, and he was baptized Sunday.
The Runner Who Returned: Next, a woman ran out of the church Friday night. Yet, she returned Saturday morning, found her same seat, and was baptized Sunday.
The Victory of Forgiveness: Finally, I had the privilege of walking a woman through her difficult forgiveness session. When she reached self-forgiveness, she broke down (It was so hard for me to hold back my tears listening to her story, SHE IS STRONG) After we worked through it, she was baptized that Sunday.
If you are reading this—broken, addicted, or questioning if you want to keep going—please know that your brokenness cannot stop your breakthrough. God sees the real you. The victory has already broken the chains; therefore, all you have to do is surrender and step out of the prison. We’ll be here waiting for you in 2026.
🔗 Resources
The next Encounter event New Life will be hosting is in March 27th & 28th of 2026. To learn more about our church, get information on the next Encounter, or connect with our leadership:
- New Life Church Website: https://www.newlifeok.church/
- New Life Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Newlifechurchok
- Pastor Mark Lumpkin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577249112433
Nahomi Allen Writes 
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