Testimony of a Teen ~By Persephanie "Penny" Reyes

A thank you letter to God

When I was asked to write my testimony my throat grew small, and I had no idea how to put my words on paper. I am sixteen, and I was queasy on how to even write a testimony. I finally sat down on my bedroom floor and prayed.

"Lord what do I know of your incredible Holiness? What can I possibly bring to people who read this? Please give me your wisdom, put words in my mouth that will encourage, open eyes, and help to brighten people in their lives. Lead me the exact words you want me to write, and I will gladly re-write them a thousand times. Amen."

I can share one similarity with all of you, I am 100% human. I have made mistakes. I was the one who snuck an extra cookie at age six when I was deliberately told not to. I was the one who stole car keys and treated people who were older than me with little or no respect. I was the one who experimented with swear words and revolting sex jokes when I first entered middle school. I was the one who treated her body, her spirit, and her mind like none of it mattered. I was also the one who found the number one reason I am living and breathing here today. I am one of God's little children, and he presented me with a remarkable gift that people would be absolutely mad to deny. The gift of everlasting life!!

While praying I constantly thought, "What am I going to write? What do I possibly know of the Holy God?" That's when these words sounded unusually familiar. After a couple of seconds of you-tube browsing, I found it. Addison Road; What do I know of Holy.

Not many songs about God make me stop and think why the artist would choose a certain phrase or verse, which is why this song is important to me. I am using this song as the foundation of my testimony, or am using it to help explain it. "Here I go God!!"

"I try to hear from heaven, but I talk the whole time. I think I've made you too small."

These words burn so painfully because I know they are true. When I listened to this, I couldn't help thinking how selfish I am on a day-to-day basis. I throw random pity parties about the little things that get me in life. I can hear my Mom's words in my head "You baby, get over it!" Tough love hurts, but as always, she is right. How often do I press the pause button on my life just to listen to my Father speak? Why do I talk and whine about things that won't even matter in twenty years? Even if I know He will still be the most important thing in the universe in twenty quadrillion years from now? He has so much wisdom to share with me and you, so why do we often forget how GREAT He is?

"If you touched my face would I know you? Looked into my eyes... would I behold you?"

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:19

If your like me, you hate being hated. However Satan already hates me because I accepted Jesus. I'm glad I realized that it's a privilege to be hated by the world, because it means I am apart of something so much BIGGER!! I know my AWESOME POWERFUL God died on a great big cross and went through a plethora of pain!! And I have to remind myself to double-take the decision to let my attitude affect others. I don't ever want to hurt someone with a negative attitude, when I could be sharing the gift of Jesus with them!!

I love knowing the fact that I am part of this GREAT BIG FAMILY, and my slate is clean of sin because Jesus died for me!! What an awesome thing to do Father!! I often get so frustrated when I lose sight of the path I am on. Top phobia on my list: burning in Hell for all eternity. I want to stay on the teeny-tiny, winding path that only few get to walk on!! Remember who your Father is, know that you are accounted for. Always hold onto God and it won't even matter if the whole world is against you!! I am waiting for Him to come someday. That will be the day He will wrap me in his arms and I will know him, because I have belonged to him since before time was even created.

"What do I know of You, who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood, but the shore along Your ocean? Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? What do I know? What do I know of Holy?"

I have known who Jesus was my whole life. It was only a year ago when I put my complete soul in Jesus' hands. I was not a nice person to be around when I was younger. I look back just a few short years ago and I feel ashamed. Teachers did not like my attitude, I swore, many of my peers were not my friends (no one liked my back-stabbing actions), I took the Lords name in vain, and the church was not my family. I have thought about the possibility of people being as grudging as I was at one point.

God has helped me so much in repairing my life. My mouth is a sharp as a two sided sword. That scares me, I could do a lot of damage. I pray everyday that I don't destruct the beautiful creation around me. He molded me, He knew what my quirks would be, He knew the exact genetic make-up I would posses. He gave me life, and I am so thankful. I am thankful I know and love the creator of the stars, sun, moon and sky. What an incredible question you have given me to ponder: "What do I know of Holy?" Now that I know with-out-a-doubt He is my Father I get to spend my life rejoicing and learning about Him!!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me such a soul-searching song to relate to. Thank you for giving me O2 to inhale and CO2 to exhale. Thank you for constantly picking me back up from the ground and standing me up again. Thank you for tugging my heart back to you when I become caught up in my own life. Thank you for giving me wonderful people in my life that you used as tools to guide me to you. Thank you for loving me first, and last. Thank you for putting me on this Earth so I can plant seeds in hearts using your breath-taking name. I need to love you, thank you times a quadrillion for letting me. Thank you thank you thank you!! I am golden, I am good; all because you worked on me and shaped me to be an image like you. You gave me happiness, You gave me tears, You gave me life!!

Love, your daughter Persephanie

Persephanie "Penny" Reyes, Snohomish, WA and Haileigh Bakko

Note from Ronda~

This is my darling Persephanie.  I have blogged about her before.  You can read it here: Penny

Penny,

I stand here, awestruck.  Praising God as I read each word, and now, praising God as I type each word.  I get to praise God for you.  For the blessing you are to me, and for the blessing you will be to all who read your beautiful words that flow from a beautiful heart.

I praise him for putting you in my life.  I am so grateful for you.  I am so proud of you.  I love you so much you might as well be my daugther.  Although that would mean I had you when I was 13 and that would just be strange.  So, I shall love you as a cherished friend, and Sister in the Lord.  Treasured as a gift, because that is what you are.

I am so excited to see all God is going to do in your life as you grow in him.  Your energetic vibrant light shines...keep shining.

xoxo

Ronda

Oh and one last thing...be gentle with people...our bodies can break. (She is a forceful hugger, BUT I LOVE HER!)

God's got plans for you ~By Serena Carr

When I was asked by Ronda, via Facebook, to give my testimony for her blog, I didn’t think that was something that I would be able to do.  I have given my testimony several times in front of people, but to write it down for people to read, I wasn’t sure how to go about that or what to even say.  I’m not much of a writer, but then Ronda called and asked again and mentioned that others felt the same way until they started typing and that people were being touched by the testimonies, I thought, ‘OK God, if this is something that you would have me do please give me the right words.’ And with that, I sat down and started typing.

I was born and raised in Arlington, TX, and my whole family lived nearby; we always had family around.  We all went to Bethel Baptist Church where my mom helped in the nursery and my dad drove a church bus, and as a teenager I loved to sing on the bus and help with the smaller children at church.  I remember playing church as a kid (baptizing was always fun in our little pools).  We would go to church every Sunday morning and night and also Wednesday nights as well, but that is about as far as it went.  I grew up knowing about God and knowing that I needed Jesus in order to go to heaven and so I asked Him to come into my heart. At 8 years old, at a slumber party with our Sunday school class where my aunt taught us about Jesus.  Shortly after, I was baptized.

Going to church was just something that I grew up doing and knew that I needed to do.  As a family we read Bible stories at night and would pray at meals and knew to pray before we went to bed.  We knew that God was there. 

As I grew older, things began to change. My mom stopped going to church as much and stayed home to cook lunch for us. We would only go on Sunday morning unless there was something ‘special’.  I found myself going to church on Sundays, but then living a different life throughout the week.  When I started Jr High School, I found that boys were pretty cool and that was pretty much my focus from then through High School.  I made bad choices of friends, and did things that I should not have done.

I found out later that my mom prayed for me whenever I would leave with friends, and I know that is what kept me from getting into too much trouble.  I would always hear a small voice telling me when something was wrong.

Don’t you wish you could go back and erase those things that don’t go with a life for Christ?

When I was a junior in High School, God woke me up some and I found the guy of my dreams.  He was in the military and seemed to have his life in control.  He was clean cut and stayed away from the things that my friends liked to do and that I knew that I shouldn’t be doing either.  He would go to church with me and my parents really liked him.  Again, I found out later that my mom had been praying for the perfect husband for me since I was a child.  God is so good! We had planned to marry after I graduated but since we both had Christmas vacation and I had recently turned 18 we decided to have a Christmas wedding.  No, I didn’t have to get married and Yes, I did graduate.  We then moved about a half an hour from home.
 
Four years later, my husband got orders for our family to move to Wiesbaden, Germany.  We were so excited to go to a new country and see new things, but it was really hard for me to leave my home, family and friends and everything that I had known.  We lived there for 10 years and God really used that time for us to grow in our marriage as well as in our relationship with Him.  You see, we couldn’t just pick up the phone to call family anymore; it was too expensive, so we learned to depend on each other and to trust God to help us through the tough times.  After settling in, we decided to look for a church but didn’t seem to fit in anywhere so we quit going for awhile, several years actually.  When our second son was about 3, things seemed to change; I started realizing how much we needed God and church in our lives again and started praying.  I remember getting on my knees, crying, God please help our family find you again.  I didn’t realize my husband was feeling the same way.  You see, God had a plan.

I rededicated my life to the Lord that night and shortly after He surrounded us with Christian friends and they soon talked us into getting our two boys involved with AWANA, it is like Boy Scouts but through the church.  God used this program to get us more involved in the church and the people there. We learned what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus and how much we needed Him in our lives.  He surrounded us with a loving family through the church.  We began to meet missionaries there that would come and help with the AWANA program and we would spend time with them while my husband would help them with their computers.  This was such a special time for us.

God then started prodding our hearts for ministry.  I started thinking about being a missionary and how neat it would be to go to different places to tell others about Jesus but my husband had a different idea, so we thought.  He informed me that he felt he was being called to be a pastor.  After crying to a friend and telling my husband that God didn’t tell me that, and that I could never be a pastors wife, God began to work on me as well.  Things happen when you pray to God and read your Bible.  God works on your heart.

After attending a men’s retreat, where a gentleman by the name of Ron Sallee spoke, God opened the door for him to go to Contenders, a Bible school at Machias Community Church.  After 2 years of going through this school, my husband retired from the Air Force and was ordained as a pastor to go into Village Missions as a Missionary Pastor in the same day.  We started praying on where God would send us, our upcoming move and all the details with selling the house.  God worked everything out in his perfect timing.  We felt total peace and excitement for our new adventure.

We are now serving as missionaries in Lenwood, CA in the middle of the desert.  We have been here almost 7 years now and God has been so faithful.  We are seeing lives change including our own.  It has been a real adventure and blessing.  Ministry hasn’t always been easy, but we are learning more and more that if we lean on Him, He helps us through and opens our eyes in the process.  God has a special plan for each and every one of us, I never thought I would be in the desert telling others about Jesus Christ, but here we are!  It is so wonderful to know that God doesn’t give up on us and that he will forgive and help us if we ask.  What an Awesome God we serve!

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.

David and Serena Carr serving in Lenwood, CA

Note from Ronda~

Serena,

We don't know each other well, but you have a special place in my heart.  Without knowing me, you pulled me out of a pity party one day about a year and a half ago through a letter.  The letter was actually  written by your husband, but this letter changed my perspective on things and I was very grateful for that.

I was having a ROUGH young moody momma moment, and was whining to my Dad this particular day.  He listened patiently while I made sure to bullet point every gripe, emphasing the real BOO HOO parts.  When I was finished he said, "I just got a letter from David and Serena Carr, they are serving in Lenwood, California.  I want to read it to you."  He read me the NewsLetter and I got served!  God showed me in that moment that every little gripe I had was silly and petty, and that the world DOES NOT revolve around me.  There are people, like you, the Carrs, serving in down and out places.  Not the glamourous mega church with gold trim, and red velvet, and not the world recognized "mission field" in a foriegn country, but the mission field on our own country's soil.  The places that need to be reached, but no one wants to go.  I am so grateful for you.  For going and growing where God called you.  What a blessing!

Also, I laughed out loud when I read the first paragraph of your testimony above, because it confirms what many of my friends have told me...I am 'Ronda the pusher', I like to think 'Ronda, the persistant encourager!' :-D  Thank you for being so gracious and obliging to write this out for others to be blessed by.

I am very glad that you did.

xoxo

Ronda

For RondaHonda READERS: Oh and if you are having a 'ho-hum-woe is me' day shoot me a message and I will email you a copy of that NewsLetter.  Just might help you like it helped me...

More than a Conqueror~ By Nicole Tabert

When Ronda asked me to share my testimony, I thought, ‘Sure, no problem.  I already have it written down and I can just email it right over.’  If you want to read it, you can follow this link to: My Testimony.  Well, unfortunately for my to-do list today, I feel compelled to share another side of my walk with God.  I pray that the reason God put this on my heart is because someone needs to hear this message and that it will sustain the weary, (Isaiah 50:4).

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for 19, yes 19, years.  It has been brought on by childhood experiences, relationships, trials and hardships, chronic illness, etc.  Over the past 10 years, I have found faith in Christ and am freed from being a slave to mental illness. I have been to counseling and worked through many issues, I have a better understanding of myself and how to identify and avoid my triggers, and overall I am actually happy and find a lot of joy in life.  But I still struggle and I think that I will always battle depression and anxiety in some way.  However, I believe God can use it for His glory.

There is a lot to be sad about in our fallen world and God has made some people more sensitive to suffering and more empathetic to help those in need.  God has used me to help those in pain, to have a unique perspective when sharing the gospel, and to be a voice for those suffering with mental illness so that others might understand it and be empathetic.  God can heal you and use your story for His glory too.

There is an enemy.  And the enemy wants us to live in our sadness, to focus on the bottomless pit of despair, and he wants to render us useless.  Satan is the father of lies, (John 8:44), and he is whispering temptations to not trust God and to doubt His saving grace and redeeming power.  I tend to wallow in my sadness and believe the lie that I’ll never get better.  I get mad that I struggle so much with fear that I have panic attacks that threaten to overtake me.   I also have had chronic pain issues since 2001 that often make it hard to get out of bed.  So that doesn’t help matters.  There is a daily struggle to take my thoughts captive and focus on whatever is pure, whatever is true, and whatever is praiseworthy, (Philippians 4:8).  But God has defeated Satan and it is on us to take on the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13) that we might stand firm against the enemy’s attacks (Galatians 5:1).  If I am not reading my Bible and praying everyday, then my thoughts take a quick nosedive into despair and hopelessness.  God offers me my daily bread, (Proverbs 30:8), and in obedience I need to accept it and depend on His provision alone.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6.

Jesus wasn’t a Prozac happy hippy going around sharing pithy messages that He couldn’t relate to.  He was tempted in every way yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), He wept for His children, (John 11:33-35), He comforted and healed the sick, and He suffered persecution, torture, and death for our sake.  I am comforted by the fact that Jesus can relate to my suffering.  He hears my cry and He comforts me through the Holy Spirit and His word.  I have an unshakable joy that comes from knowing that He cares and provides for me.  I have been blessed beyond measure with a wonderful family...

Good friends, food/shelter, etc.   And I look forward to the day when God’s creation is restored.  “{When Christ returns} He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Many people go to God thinking that he will instantly fix all of their problems and that they will never suffer again.  But when that doesn’t happen, they feel like God either doesn’t care about them or that He can’t fix them and is unworthy to be worshipped.  But God never promises that you won’t suffer or that everything will be perfect after you become a Christian.  In fact, He promises that you will suffer in this life but that He will never leave you nor forsake you, (Josh 1:5).  Will you put your faith in God even if you still suffer, even if your circumstances don’t improve, and eve if it’s still a struggle to get through the day?  God will reward your faithfulness and give you peace that surpasses all understanding, (Philippians 4:7).

God doesn't expect us to be strong but to draw upon His strength.

Thanks Ronda for using your blog to spread these messages of hope.  We're all blessed for knowing you.

Nicole Tabert, Washington State

Note from Ronda~

Wow, Nicole...Thank you so much for sharing what God put on your heart.  I whole heartedly agree that there will be someone reading this that the Holy Spirit is ministering to right now and this will bless them.  You have a beautiful little Family, and I adore the woman of God that you are.  Thank you so much for all the awesome scriptures, they blessed me so much this morning, and I am going to have energy all day because the Word makes me full!

xoxo

Ronda

Googling for God~ By Ashley Hawkey

“Google (verb) - The transitive verb to Google refers to using the Google search engine to obtain information on the Web.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_%28verb%29).

I, Ashley Hawkey, Googled.  And, in case you were wondering, Google was absolutely no help regarding the topic of the Christian Testimony; not surprisingly, you can’t find God hiding in the search engines at Google.   It seems like such an easy story to tell, a story about love.  Such a basic concept, to love and be loved in return; in fact, love is such a simple concept it’s been alluding explanation since the beginning of time. They say that when you’re learning new things, you should model someone who does that thing well. You’d think that Google would have stored up a compendium (I learned that word from Giles, on Buffy - smart guy, that Giles) of testimonies for reference. Thanks for nothing, Google.

So, a story.

I’d never put much thought into a belief in God, although I had been to church as a child.  I’d been involved in the youth group, summer camp, and Bible study.  I’d been to Wednesday dinners and choir and held a position as an Acolyte. I’d done all of these things without ever seeking to find God. It may sound strange to state that God wasn’t important to me; but, He wasn’t. I didn’t feel lost, I didn’t feel alone, and I didn’t feel as if there was a bigger purpose I was missing or needed to understand. I went to college and it was there that the concept of a belief in God took on a metaphysical form. I wanted to understand religion. I wanted to understand the philosophy of God. I didn’t want to believe in any one thing or another, over any other thing or another; I just wanted to understand what others understood.  But, like many things, college has its seasons and mine came and went.  Without a course, or a book, or a grade looming – I had no need to know more about God. Any god.

Life went on. Love came and went, boyfriends came and went, nights out and bar fights and tears and loss would come and go. Happiness and laughter, memories with friends and bonds stronger than those of family were forged. I never felt a loss, or a separation from God. I never felt guilt, or shame.  You can’t lose something that isn’t important to you, and God hadn’t been important.

But, priorities change.

Some months ago, it became important to me to discover God. And, if discovering meant believing than I was fine with that.

Looking at my belief system looked…nonsensical, mashed together, and confusing.  It might have been more helpful for my belief system to have been written in ancient Sanskrit, because unraveling the system I did have was undoubtedly more complicated. My thirst for knowledge, for knowing things, for understanding things, for getting to the bottom of things had not dissipated since college, it just didn’t have a place to be directed. 

They say that the most important journey a person can take is the journey back to themselves.  And, if you look hard enough, I think you'll find that there is a truth to that statement beyond the concept of places, a state of being, or an adjective.

And so it was with that, the question “Do I believe in God?” set out to be answered.

I talked about God with the Boyfriend, with the best friend, with the friend friends.  I found a church, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were not brain eating zombie cultists…even though I still think that the size of the ‘mega church’ is to blame for that. I found that the pastor was funny, clever, witty and honest. I found the topic the church was studying (sex, love, and relationships) was eerily applicable to my life, and that the things they taught made sense.  I joined the Boyfriend on a once a week epic voyage to the land of Machias for a class on Ecclesiastics (Google it, dare you). I was blessed enough to meet a great many people full of love and knowledge on this journey, people who were willing to open their hearts and their minds and their arms to teach.  Months passed, and I found myself no closer to believing in God…more educated, yes. Closer? Negotiable. 

Then, mid study…mid path…mid journey…mid flight…the Boyfriend was called away, to a land far, far away. Boyfriends being transplanted to faraway lands, no matter the just cause or reason, do not make for very happy Girlfriends…but, happy, whole, fulfilled Boyfriends do make for happy Girlfriends. Of course, at the time, it was very easy to be angry with God…because, of course, it was so totally UNFAIR! (lol).

Additionally, for no good or apparent reason, things at work were reaching an unstable tipping point.  Apparently when you inform a company that they’re being bought by a bigger company, things start to come apart at the seams.

Things were not pretty. My heart hurt, my head hurt, and I spent a great deal of time crying.

And then there was Ronda.

Ronda has a knack for showing up when things seem really impossible, which I think is her magic superhero power in my life.  And, because things were impossible, Ronda showed up! Sure – you can argue it’s because she had a plan to come to Seattle, and tickets to come to Seattle…and, sure, you’d probably be right. We spent a lot of time together during her stay here in Seattle, and she shared with me great insight and wisdom…understanding, and love.  The thing I remember the most from Ronda was her suggesting that I take what little faith I do have in God, and put that faith in God. Then, trust that God will teach me from his side…as opposed to trying to answer all my questions BEFORE believing in God.  This seemed pretty smart to me, and I was pondering it when…

I opened a Bible I had never read, and I opened it to the exact verse I had discussed at Bible study earlier that week.  Just as I was contemplating the concept of God knocking, putting faith in God, ironic Bible verses, faraway Boyfriends, and broken jobs…

This happened.

To say that I was particularly overwhelmed on that particular Sunday (EF5 Tornado hit Joplin Missouri where said "Boyfriend" had just moved to) is a bit of an understatement. That night, I decided that as long as God was willing to work with me on faith…on belief…on understanding.  As long as he was willing to accept that I wasn’t just going to accept everything for the sake of accepting and as long as we could figure out the dinosaurs…I was ready to put my faith in him FIRST, and learn SECOND.

In the short time that’s passed since that night, I’ve come to see God differently. I don’t know where this story goes from here; I just know that it goes. And, I’m excited to follow the road as it’s laid out before me.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."  — C.S. Lewis

Ashley Hawkey, Mercer Island, WA

Note from Ronda~

Ashley, you make me laugh, and I am so grateful for your friendship.  I know without a doubt that God put you in my life and I have been so blessed by our talks and discussions about God and that you have opened your heart to him.  Thank you for sharing your testimony in progress, your first steps in faith...you are a beautiful writer and I loved soaking up your words this morning.  Love you Boots!

xoxo

Ronda

Where man has failed God has prevailed ~By Gail Reichelt

When Ronda asked me to share my testimony, I was afraid.  Afraid that I didn’t have one to share, that no one would really read it.  So I prayed and prayed. 

Here goes….my name is Gail Reichelt and I have 3 beautiful children and a wonderful husband of almost 28 years. Our lives have evolved around my son Corey for almost two decades.  Corey had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (muscle weakening disease) and died at the tender age of 21 on April 30, 2011.  When he graduated from Snohomish High School, three years ago, I decided to leave my job to be his full-time (paid) care-giver and he became my boss!  It was the only decision I could make considering the circumstance.  Corey would not have wanted a stranger to take care of him, nor would I.



My Children

I have a lot of time on my hands without Corey to take care of.  I miss him so much, but it comforts me to know that he is with Jesus.   I don’t think I could have bared the loss of a child without that assuredness that Corey is with Him.  I like to think of it as; Corey fired me for the best care provider of all, Jesus Christ!  Hence, I lost my child and my job in one day.

Let me back up a bit and tell you more about me and how I came to this point in my life. I grew up in Seattle.  My family lived across the street from my dad’s boss, Al. They did landscaping together and Al let me ride on the big tractors!  I spent more time with Al than I ever did with my own dad.  My dad was kind of self-absorbed in his love of hunting & fishing.  He was also a drinker, but I never considered he had a problem.  It was natural for me to fetch him bourbon & water. (Side note: my dad passed away last year.)

My first recollection of church or God, I must have been about 3 or 4 years old.  I think it was the church of the Nazarene. I only remember the juice and cookies that were served.  I remember another church once, but just vaguely.  My mother told me I was Jewish and that Jews were “GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE”.   It made me feel special to know that God, whoever He was, chose me.  I found out when I was older that we were not Jewish.

I was born with a few issues and had braces on my legs and ear surgery when I was very young.  I know that I was a burden to my mom.  She always favored my sister (who is 4 years older) and compared me to her often. I can remember her saying, “Why can’t you be like……?” I don’t think it was her intention to be hurtful, it was just her way.  She had issues of her own.  I remember getting stung by bees (on purpose!) and running to her for help, just to get her attention!  (Ouch! What a glutton for punishment!)

My family (including two brothers) spent a lot of time at Al’s house.  We celebrated the holidays with him and his wife Marie.  We played cards often and sometimes other relatives would come over.  We even went on vacations with them, but I don’t recall my dad going…maybe he was fishing.

Al & Marie did not have any children of their own.  I was there often enough to be adopted along with my younger brother too.  Al had a “candy store” in his basement that we were free to visit whenever we wanted!  It was like a small version of Costco! (Eyes growing bigger-no appetite for dinner!) I sat in front of his TV eating one chocolate bar after another…just zoning out.

Al gave me my first Bible, a KJV with a zippered cover. It was very sweet. He inscribed in it for my 10th birthday. Now that I’m thinking about it, he also had pictured books with Bible stories about paradise.  I know his wife was Catholic and I’m not sure what Al believed. 

Al was very generous to me and bought me whatever I wanted. Perhaps Al was trying to redeem himself when he gave me that Bible.  Maybe he was trying to justify what he knew was his own wrong-doing.  He had sexually abused me and preyed on my every move for several years.  I only have snapshots, frozen pictures in time, in my memory.  I know that I was very small when it started and I know that I was a pre-teen when it ended.  He watched me from his car onto the school playground and from his house window into my backyard.  He would pick me up from school and take me to a burger place where I gorged on the biggest burger, fries and hot fudge sundae that I could order.  And somewhere during this time my own father was inappropriate with me. I cringe, to this day, when I feel someone is watching me!

I stopped going over to Al’s house and eventually my parents found out the truth from another neighbor who thought something was going on.  Al died when I was 15. My mom blurted the news to me when I was coming through the door from school.  I went to my bedroom and cried.  I’m not sure why.  I had written a poem the night before titled “Darkness”.

My parents moved from that house to a bigger home where my mom still lives. I was in high school and remember a group of kids on the bus talking about a movie they had seen at the Northgate Theater, something about repenting and Jesus.  I have a faded memory that I attended one of their meetings and thought I didn’t fit. I didn’t go back.

Fast forwarding through the next decade or so, I wasted a lot of my young adult years looking for love in all the wrong places.  I was nightclubbing and dancing, drinking and romancing. I made a lot of bad choices; a lot of regrets.  I wish I could redo this part of my life and reap the benefits…like a college education!

I met Ed and we married when I was 29.  He was about the only guy I knew that had a steady job and he didn’t owe me money!  He was a keeper!  We bought a house, shortly after we married in West Seattle where Ed grew up. 

When I was about 33 I felt something missing in my life and started attending a Lutheran church because everyone I met went there.  I met some great people and I liked my pastors.  Took some classes that were offered, became a member and got baptized but I still felt I didn’t fit in. Ed would only go on occasion; he was raised Catholic and felt religion was crammed down his throat.

After our children were born, Ed had a desire to move to the “country.”  He wanted land and God delivered ... 2 ½ acres to mow!   We landed in Machias and I found another Lutheran church to attend.  Again I became a member, got involved and Ed attended sometimes.  My neighbors both attended this church too.

Then our lives took a devastating turn.  Corey was five when we found out about his disease.  Ed wanted to seek out whatever he could to heal Corey.  We went to some very strange churches in search of a cure. My mother-in-law agreed to pay for whatever it took to get Corey healed.  I even prayed with Ed with his rosary beads. Poor little Corey was so patient through all this nonsense.

Finally Ed was exhausted and he/we decided to give it to God.  He didn’t want to go to a Catholic church (Yay!) nor a Lutheran one.  So we went church shopping and came upon Machias Community Church (MCC).  We really liked Pastor Ron and he really grabbed our attention! (God working through Ron of course!)  We learned about a personal relationship with a living God. It wasn’t a religion to put in a box for Sundays. So, this is where God led us and where we continue to grow as Christians.

Sometimes I ask myself, why God allowed all the terrible stuff to happen.  I realize my bad choices in my twenties were my choices, but what about the times with Al or my dad?  I think the answer is out of that experience I gained a spirit of giving, sensitivity and strength that I would need/use much later.  Romans 8:28 comes to mind: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called (chosen) according to His purpose.”

And why did Corey have to endure such a painful life where his body failed him slowly over his short existence?  I don’t know, but I will know when I see him again in Heaven.  I do know that he was a gift to me and my family. God used him to lead us to Himself. God planted the desire in Ed’s heart to move to Snohomish, He led us to MCC, and continues to lead us in our everyday lives. He also provided for all the expensive needs of Corey in His perfect timing. 1Cor. 1:9 says, God is faithful, who has called (chosen) you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Many of the people in my life have failed me, misguided me, or mistreated me.  God has always protected me, led me to the truth and loved me. Where man has failed God has prevailed.

I still have issues to work on; I’m a work in progress. God has given me a great opportunity in not having to find a job right away.  I have some time to figure out what I can do with His leading.  I struggle with my weight and still use food to comfort me and I don’t always feel like I “fit-in”.  My relationship with God isn’t all it could be, but I’m working on it with Him.  This is my time now to grieve, work on my health, and my walk with the Lord.  

And you know what? My mom wasn’t totally wrong after all! I was chosen!  Maybe you are too.  If you are reading Ronda’s blog and keep coming back, but don’t know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ here is verse just for you:  Rom 10:9  Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

In closing, I want to thank you Ronda for allowing me to share my testimony and realizing that I actually have one!  God bless you Ronda and your sweet family.

Gail Reichelt Snohomish, WA

Note from Ronda~

You have been through so much and I cannot even imagine what it would be like to lose your child.  I praise God that he has been your source of comfort through these difficult times, and that you have never stopped loving Him.  I am so happy that right now Corey has a new body, that works right, and that he can walk, and run, and dance.  Thank you for sharing Gail.  I am so thankful for all my wonderful friends.

xoxo

Ronda

Got God? ~By Shannon Mercil

So this week Ronda asked if I would write my testimony.... I can’t help but feel on Ronda’s part that there must be some intense curiosity on how 'God got through to me J'...Alot of people think I became a believer as an adult, but to tell you the truth I believed at a younger age, but I was lured away by essentially the same thing that leads a lot of us astray. One way or another...I wanted to be 'like God.'  Genesis 3:5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil" (the serpent had said).

I was raised in a broken home.  My father left when I was 7 years old, so it was just My Mom, my sister and me.  Despite the every other week visitation with my father (and his new family), there was a definite hole that grew inside me and a lack of security that was felt the minute he walked out the door.  As I grew older I started to think it was probably better that they divorced…They fought a lot.  My dad would reiterate to me that he still loved my mom but 'not in that way.’

As I'm typing this tears are coming to my eyes as I look back now with the Holy spirit inside of me I can put my life into perspective in a whole new way. If a husband is to love his wife like “Christ loved the church” (Eph 5:25), right there in real world application I saw Christ abandon it.  I carried this idea over into how I viewed spirituality and faith.....actually I applied it to ALL matters of my life. 'If it doesn't work with my lifestyle and it doesn’t ‘feel good’, I will just try something new'.  I was a seeker, though I mostly wanted to be the god of my own life.

I was raised as a 'Holiday' Christian....every Easter and Sunday we would get all dress up nice and shiny and attend a church service, my mom even had my sister and I baptized at the ages of 12 and 10. Truthfully I know my mom meant well, but I think at the time she thought she could secure our salvation through her faith.  During all this I still didn't have much of an idea of who Christ was and why he did what he did; it all just confused me. On a side note: I feel the need to mention that my mother is one of the most generous and faithful women I know.  I'm sure the trials she went through with my sister and I drew her closer to God. *smile* I look up to her so much for her faith, grace, and the peace she maintains even during time of trial. Her fight with cancer was definitely a testament to her faith and it planted seeds of faith in my own heart for God. She has been cancer free for almost 10 years; praise the Lord!

When I had my VERY first 'come to Jesus moment', I was 14 years old.  A friend of the family was staying with us and she was a believer. I have to say almost everyone that witnessed to me in my whole life were not your typical shiny' do good' Christian stereo types. It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures:

2 Corinthians 12: 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This woman didn't have everything perfect but she also never claimed to. She testified to miracles that God had done in her life, including the healing of her arthritic leg, and she considered herself a work in progress and seemed to make Jesus a bit easier to understand for me. That night I asked if she would pray with me to accept Christ. I felt the Holy Spirit wash over me; the feeling was so surreal I can’t describe it. I remembering opening the Bible and being able to read and understand it for the first time; like he was guiding me.

At the same time as my new conversion, “New Age” beliefs started to creep into my life and become very influential for me. I was by nature a people pleaser, and paired with a desire to simply follow my heart, this seemingly 'koom ba ya approach' to spirituality looked pretty sweet from the outside considering the Bible didn't promote the lifestyle I was gravitating towards.  During this time I started sneaking out, dabbling in drugs and alcohol, and had an unhealthy attraction to bad boys. 

In my teens and early 20’s I tried: Buddhism, Taoism, Eastern Philosophy. I played with Tarot cards and I knew just about everything there was to know about Astrology...I could tell you what your moon, rising, Mars, and Venus meant about you .I was pretty puffed up in my knowledge and Christians to me were just too narrow minded. Eventually I came to the idea that I wanted to seek truth, but Christianity was definitely NOT IT.  Just an FYI, New Age= not so new.  

1Timothy 4 1-2  "Now the spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, trough the insincerity of liars who's consciences are seared." 

My senior year in high school I left my drug buddies behind (sadly they adopted my younger sister as my replacement which led to a drug overdose that hospitalized her at the age of 15). What a mess I had made. I'm just blessed to have the relationship with my sister I have today.  It has only been made possible through God’s grace and her forgiveness.  My sister Stephanie is a GIFTED artist...you can see some of her artwork at Stephanie Broker

Ok…back on track...So my senior year in high school I had my first steady boyfriend. Our relationship was comfortable but just not exciting enough for me at the time. We had different ideas of what we wanted for our future. Despite our differences, we threw caution to the wind, flew to Reno and got married (quest for excitement).  It was only 3 weeks before I was in complete regret and filed for divorce. YES, those who do not know, I have been DIVORCED. Sometimes there are Christians (I have recently learned) that view this as a scarlet letter that ruins a person’s testimony. If you have ever been divorced just know that:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  Romans 8: 1-4

Romans 5:20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more…

So here is where Ronda's life and mine intersect...We had gone to the same High School, but God allowed our paths to cross again in the most random of places, and we became fast friends.  Our prodigal worlds overlapped....I made it clear to her off the bat that It would be fine if we were friends if she didn't push her beliefs on me...I think I even told her that I was raised a 'Christian' I just didn't believe that there could be 'one way' anymore.

About a year later I met my now husband and whoosh, John and I were married 3 months later. We were a train wreck waiting to happen.

Proverbs 27:1 says it best 'do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.'

Our heads were in the clouds and that scripture rang true.  Seems like two seconds later we were pregnant, my husband lost his job and battled a pain pill addiction; one could say our lives were upside down.  Here we were; me four months pregnant, both unemployed, living off of food stamps and emergency DSHS.  My dreams were shattered and I surrendered…

I remember the night I called out to the Lord, I was crying and in my head I asked if Jesus was really his son, and If he was real I wanted him back in my life. Immediately I remember I felt conviction for sin I had not known was there.  I know it sounds like a negative thing but I knew that it was a feeling I could not have created on my own...I felt like I needed a long extremely hot shower so it could wash the sins off my body. Finally conviction had come.

The last 7 years my family has been on an incredible journey, filled with serendipitous events that put the 'New Age' to shame.  You see, the enemy definitely tries to replicate what God does BEST.  It hasn’t always been easy but God was always there, his promises and his PEACE; anxiety gone!

I praise God that my husband was delivered from addiction (his testimony is an inspiration to me), our marriage has been restored, the lifting of poverty, for THREE beautiful children, and God’s precious gift of contentment.  One of my greatest joys now is when I get to see friends and family put their trust in Christ and see their lives transform!

1 Tim 1:13 Even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance.

On a final note God used my 18 month old son, Dash, to minister to me this morning. His face was really dirty and all I wanted to do was clean the little guy but with each wipe he fought me harder. It took a while, but he was clean.  Disobedient, Dash simply wanted 'his way or the high way.’ I gently corrected him but he kept pushing back.  Isn't this just like us sometimes! I think about when I cried out to the Lord, I was sooo dirty that it was more uncomfortable to stay it the state I was than allow him to peel back and wipe off the dirty layers.

Ha ha! OK this is the timing and humor of God....just as I was typing this very paragraph the top pops off my sons sippy and milk spilled ALL over his face and shirt.

Got Milk?

...needless to say I think this was he is done being stubborn...He was more than willing to allow me to clean him up this time (not so happy about the snap shot though!).

Shannon Mercil
Everett, Washington

~Note from Ronda

Shannon, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful tender heart and testimony.  I am so grateful that God allowed our paths to cross even though it was during our 'rebellious' years.  God brought us through...HALLELUJAH!  Prodigal daughters indeed; we are daughters who have been redeemed.  Like you said yesterday in your text to me "God is GOOD", and I say...AMEN!

xoxo

Ronda

A heart laid open ~By Alicia Dzurenko

I am a daughter of God, with a heart laid down for Jesus, a servant to His purposes for the fulfilling of His Kingdom on earth. But I wasn’t always.

I came from a home where my father had killed himself, and from that point on a very rocky childhood ensued. As an early teen I began using drugs and quickly became an addict. I had little stability or trust in my home and looked closely to peers. I had tried many times going to alter calls and getting “saved,” but it never seemed to stick. Until one day, at 19, I realized I couldn’t break the habit of needing a high. I held a great job, but few good relationships, and always turned to some form of fulfillment other than the Lord. I was hurting and broken, yet seemingly very strong on the outside. I looked and sounded put together, but I knew I wasn’t and in that place I cried out to the Lord and He heard.

In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, my cry to him reached his ears.  Psalms 18: 6

The beginning of my relationship with Him, me asking and Him always answering; that’s the Lord I serve. A true Father who never leaves me helpless or wondering, but takes me by the hand and walks me through a process to true redemption and restoration. The process has not always been fun.

Coming from a former life of instability, my desperate cry was and always is reality. I want truth and nothing else. Yet, the reality He started with was not exciting, the darkness of my heart. I was broken, I thought I was strong and had toughed it through so much of my life, but that was a lie. I was a very harsh and strong woman, lacking in gentleness and love, quite the opposite of Jesus. The depth of my shallow heart became very apparent. I was still a girl broken from the destruction of life whom seemingly pulled through with self-made bandages of strength. The strength only revealing the bandages were pride and they kept me from true healing. I needed Jesus to go to the innermost places of my darkness and release His healing and blood over situations, circumstances and sin. I had to become very real with my mentor, my husband and keep myself in a place of continual and quick repentance. Sometimes even going back to people and repenting.

The Lord began this all by showing me a picture of my body lying on a surgeons table, my chest wide open and my heart completely black, brown and gross. I needed to break up the fallow ground of my heart to allow His ever-flowing spring of life. Humbling, but ever so freeing, I needed Him, I couldn’t do it! This has become my process, one of intense transparency and humility. Diving deep into the depths of the past and allowing the Lord to touch even the most painful, hidden places. Some I didn’t even realize were hidden, but he’s always faithful. I bring every fear, every ill thought, every emotion before Him. Whatever doesn’t align with His life, I know I am living in some form of a lie. I am saved, but I am daily being redeemed and restored. I can honestly claim that it is no longer I that lives but Christ lives in me and that is owed to the restoration of my heart; I am my Father’s business. Whatever Jesus asks of you, do it, there is always freedom on the other side. Apprehend the truth, may the Lord reveal every aspect of His reality to you. To Him be glory forevermore.

Alicia Dzurenko, Woodinville, WA

Much Love,

Alicia

~Note from Ronda

This is my precious friend, a gift from God, a woman after my own heart.  She is a mother of two little boys and she has another little bundle on the way.  God blessed me with this friendship back when I worked for Wells Fargo.  Alicia and her husband Michael were customers of mine and now,  treasured friends.  I love her dearly, and I am so grateful that she is saved, that she is a strong woman, and that God is a constant stable source of joy in her life.  It is evident when you meet her.  She radiates beauty, and when she laughs, you laugh too.

xoxo

Ronda