BY JACLYN ROSE –
After enduring a life-changing loss, Laura (Logan) Kiersey, a Mena native, has found a unique voice through healing from the tragic death of her husband. Kiersey graduated from Mena High School in 1991 and received her Associate’s Degree from Rich Mountain Community College. She began working at the Polk County Court House in the Sheriff Collector’s Office 11 years ago.
In June of 2000, Kiersey married Brian Logan, and between them they had two daughters: Emilee and Lindsey. “When I graduated the one thing I said I would never do was live on a farm, Brian and I had seven chicken houses and cows,” said Kiersey with a grin. On August 21, 2013, after 13 years of marriage, Kiersey and her youngest daughter, Lindsey, were driving home from Hot Springs, when a State Trooper passed them driving very fast. “Lindsey said, ‘I wonder where he is going?’ and I responded that it must have been a bad accident. As soon as I said, it I knew it was Brian. The whole way home I tried to keep it together for Lindsey’s sake and as we pulled in to the driveway, I was just praying the lights would be on, but they were not,” Kiersey explained.
Not long after they arrived home that evening, Sheriff Godfrey, Kiersey’s employer, came to her door to tell her Brian had been in an accident and was killed instantly. “In that instant, it was as if God just picked me up. I was upset but remained very calm as I told Lindsey and my parents,” Kiersey said. “From that moment on, God held me up.”
Over the course of the days following Brian’s tragic accident, Kiersey began to use several scripture iPhone apps to do her daily Bible reading. “For the longest time every morning, the scripture I read was exactly what God wanted me to hear. It was like my own personal message from God. I started sharing the scripture on my Facebook page with just a few short paragraphs about what God had shown me. It began to help me to heal every day and now, more and more, what I write is for other people, not just for me,” Kiersey explained.
Six months after the accident, Kiersey was at the cemetery visiting Brian, and struggling with the future. “I knew I couldn’t go back but I didn’t know how to go forward. I was stuck. I was crying and praying and I felt like God audibly spoke to me and said, ‘Brian is ok and life is for the living. It’s ok to move forward,’” Kiersey said. Three days after her visit to the cemetery, Kiersey received a Facebook message from Scott Kiersey, whom she had known in school. Scott told her that her Facebook post that morning had encouraged him and slowly they started talking and ultimately married on July 4, 2014. Scott and his daughter joined Laura and her girls and they’ve been able to see God’s redemption of their lives first hand.
“One thing I tell so many people is to let go and let God. The only thing I could do is let go of everything and let Him have control. I have not held any thing back, if I felt it, I was writing it, good days and bad days, it was a release for me. I am so thankful God has given me the opportunity to reach other people and touch their lives. So many people have messaged me and told me they were encouraged. God is that good. I never accept any credit, but give God the glory for everything. Brian died instantly, but I knew where he was immediately. Some people have long death bed experiences but he didn’t and it scared me to pieces to know that I knew people out there that if they died instantly, like Brian, wouldn’t know where they would go. I didn’t want him to die in vain and am thankful that God has used me to help share His word,” explained Kiersey.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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