I was saved at the age of 12 at the
funeral of an infant cousin; before I accepted Christ I
can only remember 3 incidents that made be aware there
might be a God and I wanted to find Him.
The first
incident was when I was 4 years of age I vividly recall
an incident that happened to me that I went outside by
myself and looked up in the sky and begged an
acknowledgment of God if He existed.
The second incident
was when I finished 2nd class at school we lived close to
a chapel that sponsored a holiday Bible school and we
learned the song How Great Thou Art, I just didn't know
who Thou referred to.
The third incident was when my
parents took me on a Saturday night to their square
dances because I was too sick to be left with my
brothers. They made friends with some people who attended
the Lutheran Church. They liked me so asked my parents to
let me spend the night with them some time; I so looked
forward to it, as I wanted to go to church with them.
Even as a child I couldn't quite figure out why a person
who went to square dances would also go to church but I
was just happy I would get to go to church for the first
time in my life.
The time finally came but I was so
disappointed because I didn't feel any closer to finding
God. God brought me to Himself in His own time.
My infant
cousin died and my mum was to find a preacher to conduct
the services so she found the church notices in the paper
and started calling pastors. She couldn't find a preacher
but Pastor James Kirkland had taken my aunts' phone
number in which he later told me he didn't have any
intention of doing the services and didn't know why he
bothered getting the number as he was not available at
the time needed but the Lord compelled him to cancel his
prior appointment and ring back to say he would take the
service if he was still needed and of course my mum was
happy to use him.
She told me later she regretted using
him as she blamed him for me becoming religious. Pastor
Kirkland gave a salvation message and extended an
invitation to anyone that wanted to be saved and I talked
to him after the funeral and accepted Christ as my
Saviour.
What was amazing to me was he had a family in
his church who lived 3 miles from us who would be willing
to pick me up for church, I was so excited but little did
I know the battles in my life were just beginning.
This
family enrolled me in a Bible memory course of which I
have always been grateful, I would learn the verses
during the week and then quote them on my way to church
for assessment. It didn't take long for my mum to begin
to be concerned I was getting too religious in her
estimation and our battles began.
She would use any
excuse to keep me from attending church and the church in
turn told me I had to attend church for my own good so I
had this constant struggle with her and the people at the
church. I didn't have the spiritual maturity to
understand on my own to obey my parents and the Lord
would honour that.
These battles continued until I
finally told her I would make her happy and never attend
church again. My stubbornness was not blessed of God and
after a year of staying out of church I got right with
God and started back to church. It was after this time
the Lord began to speak to me about missions.
The people
who faithfully took me to church had relatives who were
missionaries and he spoke in our church and at that time
I surrendered my life to whatever the Lord wanted for me.
I had been praying not long after I was saved to marry a
preacher, I just wanted a guarantee of a Christian home
more than I wanted to be a preacher's wife.
I married my
preacher and thank the Lord for my husband. I thank the
Lord for saving me and allowing me to serve Him alongside
my husband.
My
Favourite Verse:
Galatians 2:20 "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me."
My Favourite Hymns:
Be Still My Soul,
Take My Life And Let It Be,
and I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
