Testimony Tuesday: Sister Savannah - Part 1 of 2

Pain has a way of rewriting your story, especially when it starts early. Savannah walks us through a childhood shaped by family upheaval, poverty, sexual abuse, and exposure to violence and addiction, then into adolescence marked by depression, grief, and a growing anger at God. It’s not a polished testimony. It’s the kind that sounds like real life when nobody is editing the hard parts. 

Then comes the night that stops you in your tracks: too much weed, a scary movie, crushing paranoia, and a prayer she barely knows how to pray. Savannah describes a bright flash, a wave of peace, and being instantly clear minded, like she’s seeing the world with new eyes. She believes that moment is the Holy Spirit breaking through, turning doubt into certainty and fear into faith. If you’ve ever wondered whether God can meet someone in the middle of a mess, her story gives you a lot to sit with. 

We also talk about what happens after the “moment” when life is still complicated: an unhealthy marriage, the weight of motherhood, and the shock of an unexpected divorce. Savannah shares how that heartbreak led her to Christian fellowship on TikTok, mentorship that pushed her back to the Bible, and a “trust but verify” approach to discernment that keeps her grounded in Scripture. She even describes quitting vaping abruptly, without cravings, as part of the change God works in her life. 

If you’re navigating trauma recovery, divorce healing, Christian discipleship, or you’re simply trying to rebuild faith one step at a time, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more testimonies and Bible-centered conversations, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with the part that hit you hardest.

Transcript

Passing The Mic To Savannah

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So I'm going to turn over the floor to Sister Savannah to let us hear her testimony and how the Lord has dealt with her in her Christian journey. Savannah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 0:10

Okay, so I'm gonna be like reading from my computer. Hold on just a I I said I was gonna be busy. I know I'm okay. Thank you. Okay.

Childhood Faith And Family Turmoil

SPEAKER_05 0:26

Alright, so I was born in 1993 in Prescott, Arizona. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian family. I was baptized at six years old in 1999. And I I remember my baptism because they they wanted the like we were part of a church and they wanted my family and I and they wanted to make sure like I understood like who Jesus was. I remember them asking me all kinds of questions. And I don't remember the exact questions, but I remember them asking me questions, and I remember being so small, like when they baptized me, I was floating in the water, it was and the whole church laughed. It was kind of funny. But yeah, so as a young child, I remember going to Sunday school and learning about Jesus. And when we went to we went to church regularly as a family, but that stopped for the most part after my parents got separated. My parents got divorced at a young age. They would get back together and separate. It messed up my idea of what really of what love really was at a young age.

Abuse, Violence, And A Suicide Loss

SPEAKER_05 1:50

So from the ages of five to about nine, I was molested by my childhood best friend. It wasn't in a forceful way, it was more of a in a way that was manipulation. So from a very young age, I thought that was normal behavior. So it was really confusing for me, and I felt and I feel like that took away my innocence as a child. And I was also essayed later in life as well by my uncle's friend that would always hang around. My parents worked a lot due to being poor at one point. My dad had two jobs and my mom had three, so I was forced to grow up quickly from having to take care of my two younger brothers a lot while they were away. And we moved around from place to place throughout my childhood, but mostly my brothers and I would spend a lot of time at my grandparents' place. So from like about the age 7 to 14. I I grew up around my uncles and my yeah, I grew up around my uncles and my my grandparents' children, obviously. So I was around them a lot. They did rugs, so I was subjected to witnessing a lot of violence at a young age. I remember my uncle Sean would get very angry regularly and take this metal bat and go around screaming, smashing things. And one day I remember my uncle Sean in the kitchen screaming, like I was very young at the time. I was probably like seven or eight. But yeah, he was screaming and he was sholding a sharp object like to his neck and pressing it up against it, saying, you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it. And so yeah, so of course I was very terrified. And then my grandfather, my uncle's father came in the room and told me not to look and took him into the other room next to the kitchen. There was a little window in the kitchen connected to the other room, so of course, being a kid and being curious, I looked through the window anyway and saw my grandfather holding my uncle against the wall with his hands around his neck. I was about seven years old, so of course this was trim a traumatic event for me. Uh my uncle Dana was also using rugs, but he decided to get clean. Uh, but coming down off of that type of rug on your own like that is very dangerous. He ultimately ended his own life. I was there that night when it happened. I was young, probably about nine years old. I remember trying to go to sleep when it happened. I knew something was wrong because I heard like the most real scream I've ever heard in my life. And later I came to find out that my cousin found him outside hanging there. I fell asleep that night, listening to my grandfather outside screaming repeatedly, Dana, come back, Dana, wake up. Although my uncle and I were not that close due to age difference. He was 18 when he unalived. I was about like eight or nine. And his death was hard for me because of how it happened. And I felt like no one cared about how his death affected me.

Teen Grief, Anger At God, And Self-Harm

SPEAKER_05 6:06

So in my teenage years, I was very depressed and thought about unaliving myself often. I didn't really tell my parents or anyone because I thought it was normal. And when I was about 13, I met my first love, or at least what I thought was love, because of course I was still young. We fell in love quickly, and he asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. We were together for about sorry, I lost my voice, we were for together for about a year. It was a long distance relationship, and we had plans to meet each other in person, but he unfortunately lost his life before we were able to meet. It really messed me up and threw me into a deep depression. Honestly, I was very angry with God at this point and was questioning if he was even real or not. I cried my I cried to sleep almost every night and struggled with self-harm daily. My dad and I were very close, so of course he noticed something was up, and I eventually got some medication. But I stopped taking it because it made me feel like a zombie, like I wasn't myself at all, so I stopped taking them.

Party Era And A Night Of Fear

SPEAKER_05 7:34

Around this time, I was about 15, I met my ex-husband, let's just call him AJ. Our relationship was always rough because it started terribly. He cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend after dating for three months. We would always break up and get back together. When I was about 17, AJ broke up with me, so I of course was distraught about it and decided to run away to Missouri with my best friend. That's when I hit my party era and I started drinking a lot and smoking weed. I lived in Missouri for about a year. I eventually decided to return home to Arizona around Christmas time just to just to visit. Hold on, I lost my place. Hold on. Yeah, so I lived in Missouri for about a year. I eventually decided to return home to Arizona around Christmas time just to visit because I got homesick. I ended up staying in Arizona and not returning to Missouri but continued smoking.

Prayer, Holy Spirit, And New Vision

SPEAKER_05 8:57

So on my 18th birthday, my brother and I decided to celebrate by smoking a lot of weed. When I would smoke too much, I would get really paranoid and just start seeing things and hearing things that weren't real. So after my brother and I were done smoking, he suggested we watch a scary movie. And I was like, all right, cool, let's watch. And eventually he fell asleep, and I was just watching this movie by myself, like paranoid out of my mind and scared beyond belief. I was still mad at God at this time, so I really like didn't know what came over me. I just fell to my knees and started praying repeatedly, you know, God, just please take this feeling away. I'll never, I'll never get high again, I'll never smoke again. I just say that like over and over. And while I was praying, and like less, like I don't really know how to describe it, like there's not really words, but while I was praying in like less than a second, there was like a bright like I was closing my eyes and I was looking up, and there was like a bright white flash that came down from above me, like all around me, and and this is all happening like at the same time, and I felt like like a like a feeling wash over me. I don't know how to describe it. And when I opened my eyes, I went outside, like, and I was no longer intoxicated, I was no longer high, and that all happened like in within less than a second, and I went outside and I remember like opening my eyes, and it was like I had brand new eyes, like I physically saw everything more beautifully. Like I don't like I don't know how else to describe it, but but I believe that was the moment that I received the Holy Spirit because after that I just knew God was real and there was no way I could you know deny it after that.

Marriage, Motherhood, And Unexpected Divorce

SPEAKER_05 11:21

Um and after after that, I would occasionally like pray to God and read the Bible. I read about like over a course of like time, I read about half of the Old Testament, but but eventually, so back to AJ. I eventually ended up getting back together with AJ. It was still not a very healthy relationship. We stayed together about two years and I ended up breaking up with him, so I was about 19 at the time. So hold on. So yeah, so I was about 19 at the time, and I broke up with him for someone else that I I had met previously, and he lived in Colorado, so I moved there to live with him. His dad was very religious, so we went to church there and had one of the best, and I had one of the best pastors I've ever met. And when when he preached, it really spoke to my soul, and thankfully I grew closer with the Lord. I did eventually decide to move back to Arizona because the people that I was living with kicked me out. They did offer to stay with some, they did offer me to stay with some people from the church that we went to, but I it was a hard decision and I prayed about it, but I ultimately decided to go back to Arizona. So when I came back to Arizona, I ended up like breaking up with the person that I was with in Colorado, obviously, because I'd moved away. But long story short, I ended up getting back together with my ex-husband AJ. And when I was 21, we ended up getting pregnant, and he didn't want the baby, and he wanted me to get an abortion, but he said he would leave the decision up to me. So, knowing myself, I knew I I wouldn't be able to carry a baby to term and give the baby up for adoption. So my only options were to get an abortion or keep the baby. I thought about it for a really long time, but eventually I just decided to keep the baby because I didn't I didn't want to regret my decision to take away potential life. So I kept her, and now I have a beautiful almost 10-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son. But long story short, our marriage was not ever a good one. He treated me badly to the point of mental abuse and essay abuse. It was never he was never faithful to me with me either and always talked to other women and even cheated on me at one point. But I stayed with him. I stayed with him though for a long nine years because it took because I took being a a w a wife very seriously, like a good wife very seriously. Like when I was growing up, my dad would always tell me like what a great wife I would be to someone someday. And I did I did love him, you know. And I also knew that like God takes marriage very seriously. But even though during all this time, like I knew for sure God was real, I never really pursued a relationship with God. I would pray, you know, every once in a while, but I didn't go to church or read my Bible. But what truly brought me to Christ was the day that AJ unexpectedly told me that he wanted a divorce. I was truly brokenhearted about it, but I'm so thankful for it because it's what like it's what brought me to Christ.

TikTok Community And Quitting Vaping

SPEAKER_05 15:47

It's what brought me to download TikTok. To be honest, like I just downloaded it to like Doom Scroll and numb the pain of everything, but God clearly had other plans, and I would just be scrolling on TikTok and I would always run into you know this person, simply Meg. I would always run into her on these lives, you know, and I was like, man, I keep running into this person, simply Meg. And and you know, eventually, you know, I I like one point, I think it was like the day my ex-husband told me he wanted a divorce. I was like crying and I was breaking down, I was freaking out, and I and I had run into Meg like on another live at some point, and I messaged her and I was like, Hey, I'm really freaking out. I like I know we're just strangers, but I don't know what to do. And you know, she was like, I'm here for you, you know, here's my number and everything, and yeah, it led me to all of you guys, and I'm super thankful for it. So, like the worst, like the worst moment in my life at that time turned out to be the best moment because it led me to Christ and it led me to TikTok, and and yeah, I quit. I you know, after coming on TikTok and everything, I quit vaping. One day I just threw it in the trash and God delivered me from that. I didn't have any like withdrawal symptoms or cravings after that. Like it was just like I just quit. And and yeah, now I'm here. That's pretty much it.

Q&A On Discernment And Bible Study

SPEAKER_03 17:43

Well, that's a very good.

SPEAKER_05 17:51

I can't hear you.

SPEAKER_04 17:53

You're muted.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

Oh, sorry about that. Can you hear me okay now?

SPEAKER_05 17:58

Yeah, I can hear you now.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

It's weird, it's still showing me as muted. But anyway, can you hear me okay now, Savannah, Savannah?

SPEAKER_05 18:05

Yeah, I can hear you.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Oh, yeah. Well, anyway, I was saying that I'm glad that you gave your testimony. It's a good testimony, and uh I'm so grateful that God has brought you to all of us and brought you to this place in your in your growth in your growth and grace. And we couldn't be happier to have you around here. I'm glad you had the courage to give us your testimony, sister. Sister Mary, what do you think? You had you seem to have, aside from your ubiquitous personality, you you definitely affected Savannah and brought her here. What are your thoughts right now? Do you have any questions for our sister?

SPEAKER_02 18:44

That is my sister.

SPEAKER_05 18:46

Um you know, I I think Brother Pennett, you got some you want Meg has some difficulties going on over there.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Hey Megan, I don't think I think your uh husband's uh earpiece is cutting through your your uh your audio.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Oh, can you hear me now?

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Okay, go ahead, Pennett. She'll come back. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Hey, Sister Savannah. Awesome testimony, sister. So I got some questions for you. Like, there's so much about you that I've always been curious about. So I don't know how long I've known you, what three or four four months maybe? I I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 19:48

I think maybe longer than that.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Maybe longer than that. Okay. And you know, my first impression of you when I met you was that you were well on your journey with God when I met you. And you had a what I refer to as Brayan spirit, in that you listen to people, but you're not just taking their word for it. You know what I mean? And you always had that thing of where when you hear something that maybe you've never heard before, you've never thought about before, you don't just accept it. You're gonna go dig into God's word and you're gonna go to God and meditate and let Him teach you, you know what I mean? And you want you want to be biblical about that. Where does that come from? Where did you get that sort of that ability to be a diligent student of the word and really dig in and and verify that things are true?

SPEAKER_05 20:56

So on the so on the beginning of like my journey on TikTok, I I I always came to this guy's live. I don't know if you guys ever came across him, but his name is uh his username is Servant Mandel. But I really I really like him. And he just I don't know, like every like every like every time, because he would have like some Bible verses and stuff and he would talk about it and read it, and then he would like bring people up and like help them like with ever whatever they were going on with, or like whatever was going on with them. And I don't know, I just like took after his example because he I he I always saw him like he always said like let every man be a liar and God be true, and he always told me like just take whatever I say and take it back to the Bible and you know read it for yourself. And I think it's also partly from my up. Upbringing as well, like with my dad, like he always told me like trust but verify. And I don't know, I just take the got word of God very seriously.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

That's awesome. That's awesome to hear this crap. I I love you and I hope you continue to keep up the journey that you're on because it's been wonderful. I I remember the the reason I remember you, like when I first uh wasn't alive with you, is sometimes I'll teach stuff that people have never heard before. And I think maybe maybe that's what I was in the middle of doing. But I just whatever it was, the thing I remember about you was one of the first things you ever said to me is I need to go study God's word and make sure this is true first. And that's awesome. Never change that about yourself, sister.

SPEAKER_03 23:00

Amen. Sister Meg.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

I'm back. Hey, I just, you know, I sister Savannah is so special to me. When I I always have, I always go on the back end a lot and talk to people, or when I when I see that something's going on, I like pull people to the back end instead of kind of like calling them out. But Savannah's somebody that I just I I met and I don't know, I I love her so much. I've I think there's there's very few times that we get blessed enough to be around people that we get to watch grow because usually things happen and or people go away or something's not temporary. But I think that I've known Savannah for a while now, like when she first came on TikTok. And to see you grow, oh my gosh, it just makes me so happy. Like we can be going saying something, and then all of a sudden you'll go into the word and you'll be like, well, what about this? And then you'll bring it up. And I just absolutely love that. I love how I don't take babes in Christ for granted because the things that you've shown me and taught me and that I've learned from you, just your mannerisms or you know, the way that you ask questions or all of those things has has really added to my journey. And I'm so glad I bring everybody to Jonathan's live. I'm like, okay, let's go to Brother Jonathan's, let's go to Bible study. And, you know, and you came and and we're almost finished with the book of Job, and you've been here almost the entire time. And I just love you, sister. And I I know that God has wonderful plans for you. And I'm thankful that you have that He has just endured you and keep kept you joyful and hopeful and learning that, you know, even through Job, that even what we go through, you know, we count it all as joy, and you have done that so well. And I'm so proud of what the Lord's gonna do in you and through you coming up in the next times. And I just love you so much. You're my sweet lady.

SPEAKER_03 25:02

So Sister Vanessa.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Hey Savannah. I just wanted to ask you what since you've been back with the Lord, how long has it been?

SPEAKER_05 25:19

Um this time it's been I wanna say like eight months. Which is like which is like the time that I really took everything seriously and really pursued like a serious relationship with God, you know, and prayed every day and read the Bible almost every day.

SPEAKER_01 25:46

So you've been studying since then. That's great. That is great. Yeah. Well, I guess you are a babe in Christ. She was calling you a babe in Christ, and you are, but you'll learn, and you won't feel like a babe. You've been growing a lot. I still feel like a babe. You're asked about, but you've been growing, I can tell. Thank you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

So I have a question for you, Savannah. So I noticed you started doing this thing where you're you're now reading live, reading the scriptures. Now, what what prompted that? What brought that on?

SPEAKER_05 26:18

I don't know. Honestly, I just wanted to like have Bible study with my brothers and sisters. That's pretty much it. Just wanted to fellowship and also just like spread the gospel. You know, if anybody else wanted to join the Bible study, they could.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

Right. Anybody else with questions?

TikTok Penalties And Final Affirmation

SPEAKER_03 26:43

Is this Mariah?

SPEAKER_04 26:48

Yes. So I just want to say that the kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:01

And by the way, somebody was asking about why the gifting was turned off. Some kind of thing that happens when I guess now TikTok penalizes you when the host turns off his camera. And so they they gave me some some weird thing about not being on camera for a long enough period of time. This is just weird. Now, you know, they give you features and then penalize you for using them. So I don't understand it. So it that's what's happening with the gifting thing. But anyway, go ahead, Sister Mariah.

SPEAKER_04 27:33

Yeah, I just want to say that you know, you do have some wonderful discernment, Sister Savannah. And you're just always so kind and gentle. And given everything that you've been through, what in you makes you want to be so proud?