By Lisa Tiernan

Can the prayers of a mother really make a difference in a child’s life?
Just ask Jearl Trammell that question and you’ll get a firm “Praise God, Yes!”
“I was raised in a Christian home,” said Trammell of Carbondale, “but at the age of 13 I hit a rebellious period in my life. One of my best friends introduced me to the party scene, and my downhill spiral started then.
Trammell began experimenting with “the light stuff,” drinking, pills, marijuana, and hash, and got his first DUI at the ripe old age of 16. 
 He found himself in a violently abusive marriage with a child at the age of 17, and divorced by the age of 19.
“I was dealing with a lot of anger issues,” said Trammell. “My first wife and I fought continually for three years.”
After the divorce, Trammell’s life raced even further out of control.
“I had “a friend” who had just got out of prison, and he introduced me to cocaine, and intravenous drugs. My mom continually prayed for me during this time, and she would request prayer for me every church service. God was always in the back of my mind. I couldn’t go to sleep at night without knowing that, if I died, I was on my way to hell. But I was dealing with a very rebellious heart, and confusion. Nothing really mattered in my life,” he said.
“I feel like God really protected me from knowing how deep my son had sank into sin,” said Jearl’s mom Pauline. The Scripture says that He won’t put on us more than we can bear, so I believe God only allowed me to know so much. Many times while Jearl was away from God I would pray for him, and I would tell the devil that he couldn’t have my son. I did a lot spiritual warfare for Jearl, but I also always tried to love him with unconditional love. Even in his worst state, I loved him,” she said. 
Trammell’s life hit rock bottom when, at the age of 21, he got his second DUI.
“I had no hope whatsoever. I felt like my life was over, empty. I didn’t feel like anyone cared for me. All I had left to my name was a trash bag full of clothes, a car that didn’t run, legal problems, and a lot of addictions. I’ll never forget the day that God changed all of that. It was July 8th, 1990, and I was sitting outside of the place I was staying drinking iced tea, when I saw my mom’s car pull into the drive. She told me that she felt like she needed to invite me to a revival service at her church that night. Even though I had felt hopeless for so long, the words out of my mouth to my mom were ‘I’ve been expecting you.’”
“I got myself cleaned up and headed for church that night. And that night I went to the altar a long haired hippy fellow, and in 10 minutes God completely changed my life. You hear about people who have to battle addictions, but in that instant of my life, every addiction was gone, and God filled me with HOPE!”
Fifteen years later, Jearl Trammell is still serving the God who set him free from a nightmare of drug and alcohol abuse. He and his wife, Jacqui, serve with their three children as Care Pastors at their home church, Victory Christian Center off Southern Illinois at Carbondale.
“There are many times I should have died when I was away from God, but the hand of God and the prayers of my mom brought me through,” said Jearl. “After I became a Christian, I was forever telling God thank you for taking all that stuff away from me, and finally the Lord told me, ‘I didn’t take it from you, I set you free from it!”