Testimony

From the day I was born I knew that the Lord has been with me. It started when I was a small child; my parents would make me pray before dinner and when I went to bed at night. When I was 5, I started going to Sunday school and really started to learn more about Jesus, his life and things in the Bible. Most of my childhood I didn't really form a tight relationship with Jesus, but when I entered into the 8th grade the Lord really touched my life and has been sticking with me ever since. I would like to share with you my journey of faith ...

On June 12, 1992, my best friend was killed in an accident. I was in the 8th grade and alone since my friend was killed and I felt I had nowhere to turn. The year went on and I had problems with my step mom and friends at school. Every little thing that could go wrong did go wrong.

That next summer I went to a church camp called Winmor. I had never gone to a camp before but I just really felt the Lord calling me to go. That week was the most powerful week in my life. I asked Jesus into my heart, and asked him to take my pain and sin away. Within minutes I felt his presence with me and it's just something that is so hard to describe. I left camp that week a changed and new Christian.

Time went on and I entered High School which ended up to be the hardest four years in my life. During those four years I was up and down fighting with God. Satan was also there every step!!! I was tempted all the time with different guys, alcohol and the friends that I chose to hang around with. My junior year was the hardest just because I was going through so many different emotions. First I lost my boyfriend who I had been dating for two years, my friends turned on me, I was struggling with what to do after I got out of High School, and my life at home just seemed to be getting worse. It got to the point where I just didn't want to stay on earth anymore, so I attempted suicide. That was one of the hardest things that I ever had to go through and I thank God that I didn't die that night. After that I just said, "Jesus I need you more than ever and I pray that you would pull me through." I felt like I was on a mountain top experience with God and I didn't think anything could bring me back down. I wish it was that easy, but it's not with Satan around. I made it through HS and went on with my life. Then about a year and a half ago I met this guy whom I thought the world of and I would give him anything. My time, thoughts, energy, etc. God slowly disappeared in my life once again. As time went on we dated and had a great time. One night out of the blue he left me. I was heartbroken and didn't know where to turn.

After that night I made a big change in my life as I prayed, cried and talked with my Pastor. After listening to myself talk and think about all these different things that were going on in my life I noticed so much about God. I noticed that in all my good times in life I was close to Jesus and all my troubled times I was the farthest away from him. I know that in each step he was there, but I wasn't serving him in all things like I should have been. I took hold of that and made a life change. I now take each day one day at a time to serve Jesus and to be an example to everyone around me. I feel so much more whole, full of life and it's just a joy to live for Jesus. I'm very involved in my church, leading different youth groups of all ages and just taking time out to pray. My relationship with the Lord is growing and it's great to say that I'm a Christian!!! As you read this testimony I want you to know that I left out some stuff, but know that no matter where you are in life Jesus is with you each step of the way. It doesn't matter whether you're on a mountain top experience or way below the valley. Always remember you are his precious child and he loves you so much!!!! He died for you and doesn't want anything back.

Your sister in Christ
Kim Johnson

I had waited the whole week for this moment... we were going whitewater rafting. My name is Susan Palmer and I was on a youth trip to Tennessee with my youth group from Deltona Alliance Church in Florida. It had been a perfect week of sunshine, working on houses, and bonding with the group. I was having the time of my life. We woke up on Saturday morning and the weather was terrible. There were tornado watches and it was very cloudy. We decided we could finish the river before the storm hit. Everyone got suited up and we started. I would never have been able to be prepared for what was going to happen that day. The water was freezing. I was shivering at first, but once my adrenaline started flowing I stopped. My raft consisted of a trainer, a youth leader, Mr. Huber, and four other youth. We had a young inexperienced group. As we made our way down the river we were running into every rock we could and even got stuck on one for a couple of minutes, but we were all having a blast. As we got farther along the river the weather got worse and worse. At the end of the river there is a small drop and the raft has to go down it a certain way or else everyone would fall out. As we got closer and closer our raft started to turn and we started to go down backwards. Mr. Huber saw what was happening and decided since he was a big contributor to the weight in the raft he would jump out. When he did, because I only weighed 98 lbs, I was flung to the other side out of the raft and my knee came down right on a rock. Finally, our boat reached the side of the river and we started to unload. I couldn't move. My entire leg was numb. Everyone came running towards me. By that time my body temperature had dropped and I was going into shock. My youth pastor, Rob, carried me to the front of the bus. I sat there with the bone in my knee popping out, with a shock blanket on me because I couldn't stop shaking and all the people I love circling around me. Everyone on the bus circled around and prayed for me. I was taken to the hospital and about two hours later I left with x-rays showing no damage to my knee besides a bruise. Everyone was shocked. even though I was limited to what I could do the rest of the trip and still have pain once in a while I learned a life lesson that I will never forget.. never doubt the power of God! Through him all things are possible.

Your sister in Christ,
Susan Palmer

All of my life, I have attended church on a regular Sunday basis with my family. My mom has always been the "hard core Christian" as my dad called it. She led my brothers and sister to the same beliefs as she had, but growing up I had my own beliefs. I always thought too hard about things. My mom would tell me that I needed to stop thinking so much and just have faith in the things around me. I always lived my life as a sheltered kid, never having anything bad happen to me; I lived a perfect life, but in the middle of my fifth grade year, one of my really good friends committed suicide. I never expected it, and having to take care of her best friend that whole week was like living in hell the whole time. I remember the second night she stayed with us, that the cops were over to our house and I guess she had done something really bad; I still don't know what. I remember listening to her friend scream out the girl's name who killed herself as if she were there. Within two weeks, things started to settle down for me, I got back on track with life. By the beginning of sixth grade, my brother attempted suicide. That's when I decided God was no longer on my side, if there was such a thing. I didn't understand how he could try to take away all of the people I love from me. I spent that year hanging with the wrong crowd, trying out drugs and alcohol and things 12 year olds shouldn't do. Soon my friends left me and my parents didn't trust me. I wasn't allowed to hang out with the rest of the friends I had, or stay home alone. With all my problems I started talking to a psychologist. By June of the summer, going into seventh grade, I started taking medication for my depression. About two weeks after I started the meds, I decided there was nothing left for me, that God totally left me in the shadow, and would not come back to get me, so I too tried to commit suicide. Thankfully, I told a friend who drove me to a hospital. The rest of that summer, I gave my time to my family trying to make up all my mistakes, although I still stayed mad at God. In the beginning of seventh grade, things just went crazy for me. Friends kept taking advantage of me, my dad and I did not get along at all. It seemed as though everything just left me to die there, and things never really seemed to get better after that. Because of all my problems, I took up cutting myself. It became a regular habit leaving sick scars all over my arm. Luckily, Elli took it in her hands to tell a teacher at our school who contacted my parents about this. My faith in God was completely lost. My best friend, Elli, was starting to get confused as to why I would still go to church and to discipleship, but then not give a thought about God at all, so I decided to go on the mission trip down to Tennessee. On the way down my instructor, Steve, asked what I expected from the trip and I just said, "Whatever happens, happens," when really the only reason I went was to get out of Lake Mills. Once we got there, and got settled in, George the missions coordinator took us to a little place called "WWJD." The people there were amazing. They weren't afraid to be themselves, they weren't afraid to say that they were Christians. At one point I started crying and a lady came up to me and said things that totally changed my point of view on life. I won't get into the rest of the story, but the fact is, because of that lady, I am now a strong believer in Christ. I could see Him through her, she was definitely an angel of some sort. I feel God sent her down to have someone else besides Himself tell me that He truly is there for me wherever I go. Now, I can feel him everywhere. God is always there for you.

Blessings in Christ,
Emma Ommeren