Alone in the waiting room, I thought about the New Day Conference in October when Bishop T.D. Jakes pleaded with the congregation, “Whatever it is that you need! Whatever it is that you believe God for, ask Him for it, right now! Immediately, I asked God for a healthy kidney for my husband, one that would not reject, and before the year was out.
 
Elder continued dialysis and seemed a little weaker each week. His dialysis friends started passing away. Each Sunday he pushed his way to our 9:30 service. As his wife, there were times I wanted him to stay home. Fluid retention made it extremely difficult to wear his suits. He told me, “Fasten it anyway. I’ve got to hear Bishop. I need to hear the Word.”

Suddenly, on the evening of Saturday, December 2, 2006, the phone rang. Dr. Kelli Turner Mollette needed the name of Elder’s transplant hospital. Kelli and Elder spoke briefly and she told him she would call back later.
Bishop has always preached about God working behind the scenes and “delayed is not denied.” We had no clue of the events that had taken place behind the scenes:

Joshua Brown, age 19, was rushed to Vanderbilt after being shot on the interstate. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe and he passed away. Joshua was also a member at the OHB location and an employee of Deacon Lee Mollette. When Joshua was taken to the hospital, his mother, Ms. Shanda Brown, called the Mollettes. In earlier conversations with his mother, Joshua told his mom if anything ever happened to him, he wanted a friend of his to receive one of his kidneys. Dr. Turner, who is Elder’s dentist, knew about his medical history. Brown and Turner discussed and made plans to honor Joshua’s wish. During the discussion, Ms. Brown learned about Elder Garner and without hesitation instructed Dr. Turner to get his information. The rest, as they say, is history.

• Elder, we all have those moments in our life that we will never forget what we were doing. What were your immediate thoughts when you hung up the phone? “Thank you, Lord! You did it!”

• You had frequent surgeries this past summer due to complications from dialysis. Despite the surgeon’s best efforts, the surgeries failed. How did you get through those times? “I was disappointed and could not believe this was happening to me. I asked the Lord what is the lesson He wanted me to learn? I resolved that if He did not heal me, it was still alright, and that He was still God.”
 
• After surgery, what were your thoughts? “I kept singing, thinking about the goodness of God, and that He always keeps his promises. I was amused that the next morning, the anesthesiologist came to check on me and told me how good I looked. Those guys don’t usually check on a patient after surgery!”

• Do you believe God gave you a kidney just to be nice? Elder smiled, “Oh without a doubt, this is part of His divine plan; I know he has more work for me to do! When I found out surgery took 2 hours and not 4, I knew God was in this.”

• Elder Garner, in closing, do you have anything else to share?

“I want to thank each and every one in my Mt. Zion family for your prayers and the love shown to me and my family. Please pray for Ms. Brown; in her grief, she was brave and unselfish. Thank you Ms. Brown for your courage.”