I was asked to give my testimony at an evening service at my church. Here is what I said:I did not go to church in my early years, but I did go to a vacation Bible school once as a child, and I was always fascinated with Jesus and the beautiful pictures in our big Holy Bible. In my teenage years, my mother got involved with a church and wanted my sister and I to both be involved in their youth group. I was baptized as part of the membership requirements of her church and starting learning about things I did not really understand. Being very inquisitive, I asked several questions, never got satisfactory answers and I did not feel very close to God. Since the church was the only place I was allowed to see boys, I dragged my future husband along with me to the activities and he also was baptized. However, soon after we got married, we fell away from that church after questioning the things they were teaching. I didn’t know it at the time, but God obviously had His saving hand on me. But I did start to question everything in my life…why is God so limiting, why do we even need religion, why go to church at all? So in my rebellion, I stayed away from anything and everything that had to do with God and went my own way, having fun (so I thought) getting deep into sin. However, looking back, I can see how the Lord continued to be faithful to me during that time and was waiting ever so patiently for me to answer His call.
15 years ago, we moved our family to Oregon. We wanted a fresh start and promptly dove into acquiring things that we thought would make us happy. After a few years, I could say that I had a decent husband, 2 kids, 2 cars, a nice house and a good career. But now what? I wasn’t really happy and I kept thinking, “Is this all there is to life? Have I become all I am supposed to be? Isn’t there a higher purpose or meaning to live for? Does God really care about me?” The urge to seek the Lord returned and we started visiting a couple churches but again did not feel right about what they taught. I was dissatisfied with churches in general, didn’t understand the difference in denominations, and I was confused about what the truth really was.
A number of events happened that kept me searching for meaning in my life. One Christmas, we visited an old friend in California. She was still dabbling in the old lifestyle we left so many years ago. She gave me a Christian book, saying that she received it as a gift, wouldn’t read it, and asked if I would take it. I did, although I did not understand why I was so drawn to it in the first place. A couple months later, some longtime friends said that they never wanted to see our family again after a minor disagreement and I was very upset about the situation. Then my grandfather died and when I attended his funeral, it got me thinking about what happens to people when they die and specifically, what would happen to me and my family. A little while later, my daughter was witnessed to by a friend from school and she asked me why we did not go to church. I had no answer to give her. Eventually I picked up the book my friend gave me and read it from cover to cover, pondering each and every page.
As I was still searching, I distinctly remember saying to myself that it would be nice to be able to study the Bible with someone at lunchtime, instead of having to go to a church on Sunday. I work in downtown Portland and I saw some of my coworkers gathering up to go somewhere every Wednesday. When asked where they were going, one of them mentioned Downtown Bible Class and asked if I would like to go. God sent a perfect opportunity for me to continue to learn about Him.
At DBC, the Bible teaching was so clear and applicable to my life. There I learned that I was definitely the sinner the Bible talked about, as Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." And Romans 10:9 says "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." These are truths that I had never really heard or understood before coming to Downtown Bible Class. Suddenly, it became clear. There really was more to life than I had already experienced. God does care for me very much and there was a higher purpose for me. But first, I needed to recognize my sinful nature and my need for a Savior. It was there that I fell in love with Jesus and I surrendered my will to Him. I asked Him to take control of my life and make me the kind of person He wanted me to be.
As I started attending DBC every week, reading my Bible every day, and learning more, I knew that I had finally found what the Lord wanted me to be - a committed believer in His Son Jesus Christ and to grow in a relationship with Him. We started attending SW Bible Church and I was so excited to find that it was a non-denominational church where the Bible was clearly taught. Since then, my husband, Sheldon, and our 2 children came to know the Lord as well. As a family, we grew in our faith and obedience every day and we have enjoyed serving together in the various ministry opportunities the Lord has given us.
Remember my old friend in California? She was amazed at the changes in my life and that of my family. As I gave her the book back and told her to read it, I shared the gospel of God’s love to her. After she watched The Ultimate Question video that explains how to have a relationship with God as He intended it to be, she gave her life to the Lord and now her son, her mother, and many of her friends have also given their lives over to the Lord.
The Lord gives me a burning desire to share His message of the free gift of salvation and the great joy and peace it brings with everyone I can. He has given my husband and I a special heart for the Jewish people. A verse that is very dear to us is Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The Lord has opened many doors to us in this area and we have been excited to serve with Jews for Jesus in various capacities for the last few years.
The very first scripture I memorized is from Proverbs 3:5-6, that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." What a joyful, wonderful, and adventurous path the Lord has laid out for me and I eagerly anticipate where He will lead next!
PS – the church I first went to when growing up was the LDS church (and my mom is still attending) and the book my friend gave me was “The Grace Awakening” by Chuck Swindoll
