Testimony

I was recently asked in an email to tell this person my testimony of how I came to know the Lord. Having just typed it up, I realize it is a good thing to put here on my blog too...so here it goes...

My relationship with the Lord began when I was a child, although I did not accept Christ as my Savior until I was 13. I grew up in a home where my parents brought us to church every Sunday and to Sunday school when we were too young for regular church. It is funny, but some of my earliest memories of childhood are when I was young sitting around in the circle of kids at Sunday school and singing 'Jesus Loves Me.' Looking back on that now, it is quite special and I see how Christ was already at work. :) Although my family went to church and both my parents loved the Lord, the home situation I grew up in was not the best. My parents fought constantly with one another. I would oftentimes cry myself to sleep and wouldn't understand why my parents would fight with one another. Sometimes I would ask God for new parents because I did not feel like mine loved me as they were so busy arguing with one another. God was always so very close, and I know that on those nights He was right there comforting me and working in my little heart.

When I was 8, for Easter, my sisters and I each received our very own Bible. It was a Precious Moments bible and I loved looking at the drawn photos inside. After a few weeks of looking just at the pictures I decided I should start reading it. So I did. Every night I would read several chapters. The chaos between my mom and dad continued, my grandma moved in with us as she had lymphoma and my mom began taking care of her. Eventually, my parents filed for divorce. As time passed, I continued reading but was slowly becoming a very hurt person...angry at my mom for having grandma move in, angry that mom filed for divorce, angry at my dad for yelling at my mom, and angry at my grandma for sucking away all my mom's time. I think I was mostly jealous for affection from one of my parents. But somehow, during that time period, I became most resentful of my grandma who I had loved so very much. I began pushing people away because I was so hurt. Eventually, my grandma passed away because of the cancer. I had in the months leading up to her death, pushed her away the most, making her feel she was an imposition, most likely. I did not intend on this to happen but it was my reaction to being hurt, and confused, and perhaps not even understanding what cancer was and how serious it also was. So, my grandma passed away when I was 11 and in the months prior, I do not feel like I loved her well. I held enormous guilt in my little heart and mind. My grandma had been there for me throughout the divorce. She taught me to draw well and paint, and I remember many special memories with her but somehow those memories grew dim and I wanted little to do with her.

From the time I was 11, my sisters and I would attend summer camp at a Christian youth center, at Camp Geneva and Cran Hill Ranch. I continued learning about Jesus and things were slowly soaking in. I especially was learning about forgiveness and that God still loved me despite how I had been so uncaring to my very ill grandmother. I realized that God did not want me to be angry, or bitter, or resentful, but to love people fully and deeply, even when I was hurting. I began to understand how Christ had been hurt by those who were closest to Him but it did not affect His love for them. Slowly, the words I had been reading in my Bible since I was 8 years old were all beginning to make good sense to me and I began to understand who Christ was in a new and real way. But somehow, I felt he couldn't love me...I felt like how could God love me when I hurt my grandma so very much? I felt very much unlovable. Yet, I continued reading my Bible, attending camps, and going to church and youth group.

I don't quite remember how or why, or what caused me to read this particular book, but when I was 13, I began reading this book about Discovering God's Will for your Life. I don't remember if that is the title of the book or not, but for some reason, that book landed its way in my lap. I was fascinated by it because the author wrote about how our lives have purpose and meaning and God had great plans for each one of us. I must have thought at the time, that really--even me who is unlovable, God has great plans for? Finally, I was excited. I thought maybe I knew God and accepted Christ, but I realized no, I didn't. I wanted to but I didn't because I didn't forgive myself. Finally, a few chapters later, the author was addressing those very feelings, writing about how they had hurt someone in their life and felt like God would never accept them, never forgive them, never love them. But then the author had this realization that Christ already did accept them, forgave them, and loved them and it was just that they had to forgive him/herself. There it was--my very question. And, in the midst of many sobs, I prayed that God would make a place for me in Heaven, that Christ would forgive me, and that I trusted myself now as His child and that indeed Christ forgave me. And from that day on, I had changed. My anger, bitterness, doubts, and feelings of unimportance all left. I began to love again...even when it was really hard. And slowly, Christ began working in my heart helping to heal the years of pain, so that I could be effective in loving others and reflecting His love.

Now, through the years, I have had some amazing answers to prayers...things I prayed as a young person, being answered years later...even my silly crazy prayers that really were just such silly requests, like "God if I am meant to sing, please let me one day have dinner with the Newsboys." Now, the Newsboys are a Christian rock band that I thought was the best thing ever when I was young. Funny thing, I think it was 10 years after I prayed that that there I was one day having dinner with the Newsboys! I think God did this to humor me but also show me that He had been listening to my heart all along--even when I wasn't even a Christian. But, through the years too, there have been more significant prayers that He has answered in His perfect timing and they have grown my faith and helped me to put all my trust in Him. I have learned that His hands are best and that we cannot fall out of His hands, ever. Because He was my rock through a very challenging childhood, He has grown my faith strong and it is solid. I know whatever comes to me in life, He will be my firm foundation. And, indeed He has been.

Let me tell you, when I was 16, I prayed that God would take me anywhere He wanted me to go in the World and that He would use me as His vessel. Since I prayed that prayer, He has certainly remembered my words and taken me up on it! Sometimes, I have been reluctant to follow. This, I think, is what began my journey to Africa. It was also the beginning of a journey that took me to California and to China, but for sake of time and brevity, I will stick to speaking about Africa only.

Now, when I was growing up, I had always wanted to be a missionary. And, I had always had this fascination with Africa. I don't know if it was because the animals are what initially drew me or what...but my junior year in college, my professor showed us a brief film he had made when he was in Africa on a missions trip. He was in a church and people were singing in their native language. Something struck my heart and I was just sitting there in class sobbing. I knew God was calling me to Africa.

After college, I graduated and moved to California to work at a Children's Home with children that had been abused and neglected. I had a special place for these children as many of them dealt with similar anger issues that I too dealt with growing up. What I didn't know when I accepted the position as Residential Counselor, was that many of these children were HIV+. I think had I known that going into the job, it would have scared me and I would have been saying, no thank you--not for me! But, when I did find out about it, I was okay with it. I knew that the risks were very minimal and it was very unlikely that it would even be a concern. So, this time I began opening my life and heart to those who were affected by HIV. You knew what children were because they had to get their blood drawn every month to check their T-cell count. In our house, at any given time, there were about 30% infected. I wasn't afraid. I loved the children as if they were my own, and leaving that job was about the hardest thing I've done in my life so far.

After working there for close to two years, I moved back to Michigan and began looking for a new job. It was a 6 month procedure! In the middle of that time, I watched a documentary on Africa and the faces of the starving children got me. One little child had a tear rolling down his cheek and I thought to myself--my gosh, I have never been in a position of having no food, and being that desperate. Tears, I think, are a universal language. We can all identify with pain. This little child's tear really got me and I felt like God was beginning to stir something deep within my Spirit. I began praying that He would put in my heart a vision and purpose for my life. I would pray and listen and pray, and I would strain for an answer but never hear anything. Finally, one night, He spoke...two words...AIDS and Africa...well, three words, AIDS, Africa, and Zimbabwe. Then I got this glimpse of myself going all over Africa helping to start these community development projects, feeding people, teaching new skills, creating schools, working with orphans and the sick.

Well, eventually, I became employed at Habitat for Humanity. I learned a lot being there, was involved at my church in HIV and AIDS outreach, and began becoming involved as an AIDS activist in my community, helping the community to recognize that it was affected by AIDS. But, even though I was busy and involved and was doing a lot, there was this ache to be in Africa...and I slowly started realizing that was where I needed to be. I just didn't know how that was going to happen and began praying for God to direct my steps and connect the dots. He did. I passed up an opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip to Rwanda in 2005 even though I desperately wanted to go. I just felt like it wasn't right. Immediately after I called my church and told them I would not be going, I felt God say that I was to begin my work in South Africa. I did not know at the time that my church was becoming involved in work in South Africa. A year later, the opportunity to go to South Africa became a reality and I found myself on a plane with a team of 8 heading to Johannesburg for 2 weeks. Now, I should add, that there were 2 teams forming...one to go to Johannesburg for 2 weeks in October 2006, and one to go to Cape Town in February 2007 for 2 weeks. I told myself, I would only go on one trip because that was all I could get off for vacation time, that I did not want to jeopardize my job, and that it financially would just be best. So, I went to Johannesburg to learn about community development work, about the cultures, about Apartheid and its fragments that still remain very real in people's lives today, and to see if there was any way I could be part of bringing hope. It was unfortunate because our team left Africa and I did not feel that we had accomplished the goals that were identified prior to our departure. But God had been busy in my heart.

We got back, and I felt like God was pursuing me to go to Cape Town in February. I thought to myself, there is no way I can go. I don't have the finances, my donors just contributed for me to go in October--it's only been less than 1 month, and I cannot ask them again. I nearly dismissed it, but the pursuit was growing...He was pursuing me to pursue going. So, I began the conversation with my church. And, what a blessing--my team stepped up, affirming that they really had strong feelings that I was also to be part of their team. Many of them contributed their own funds raised so that I could go! So I did. And, God made it clear why I was there. A few days into the trip, we sat down with the founding couple of one of the community development organization's and our team leader asked Pastor Thomas what his greatest 2 needs were. John stated, 1) a grant writer and 2) more funding. He then stated that he was heading to the States in 1 week to find a grant writer, at which time, our leader asked, "why would you do that, when we have brought one to you." That began a conversation that came to fruition in April 2008 when I finally got back to Africa.

Looking back on my life, I just see and am even more in awe, of how God has always been there. He's always been working and preparing me for the next steps, and even in the midst of the hard times, I can rest in Him. I'm so blessed by that.