My Testimony

So a couple posts ago (gypsy girl at heart) I mentioned how going to Honduras changed my life. So I decided to write out my testimony. I've been wanting to do it for a while and finally did.

Hmm my testimony. It is my journey but I haven’t thought about it in quite a while. It’s fun to think back and look at where God has brought me.

I am one of three. I have an older brother and a twin brother. We were raised to go to church every Sunday unless you were sick or on vacation. My parents were pretty strict but not as strict as some. I don’t remember a specific moment when I was younger giving my heart to the Lord but I believed. I had no doubt that there was a God but I just thought he was a far of distant God who created the world and that you pray to sometimes.

So as I got older I got less and less interested in what the church had to offer. We switched churches when I was in high school and did go to youth group even though I hated it. I was pretty much just going through the motions in order to please my parents and because that’s what you do. Go to church and go to youth group. Then my senior year the church decided to go on a mission trip to Honduras. It was open to anyone and my parents were interested and asked me if I wanted to go. I said yes because I had never been to a foreign country before and this was my chance. Little did I know God had other plans for me on this trip. I went for complete selfish reasons and motives. I was instantly drawn to the kids there. Instead of working I would play with the kids all day. Boys and girls would come expecting to see me and we would play, cuddle, try and talk, laugh and just spend time together. I loved it. The hardest part was lunch time. I wasn’t supposed to give them any food because then others would come and they’d fight and so on. But it broke my heart to see children (without their parents) at our church windows just staring at us fat (not really) white people stuff our faces and not be able to give them anything. It was such a shock to me to see this other culture and how they lived in shacks and had to walk to get their water and to see kids with no shoes. It was a total shock to me. It opened my eyes and God began to soften my heart. I started talking to the leader of the mission we stayed at about doing an internship there that summer. Looking back now I see it was totally God guiding me every step of the way because it was my senior year and I was caught up in some not good stuff yet I was touched by these beautiful Honduran children and the beautiful country. So instead of partying the summer after I graduated I went to Honduras for 2 months.

It was amazing and totally changed my life. It was the first time away from my parents so that was a huge adjustment. I learned a lot while I was there about myself and how much I needed God in my life. There was a team of college students that came from Michigan and they were so on fire for God. They danced in worship which I had never seen before. They were so kind, genuine and loving. They were amazing and I found myself wanting that. Wanting to feel what they felt for God and love Him as much as they did. So this one girl Jesse took me under her wing and shared what she knew. Her story, her kindness, her understanding, and her encouragement is a big part of what brought me back to the Lord. She showed me that the christian life can be fun. One night while I was there I was lying in bed and I just silently called out to God and said “I surrender.” I didn’t fully know what that meant but I knew I needed Him to be a part of my life from then on.

So I just want to let you know that before I left Honduras I prayed that I would meet a christian guy. When I got back home I was definitely different but it was hard to adjust. My friends were a bad influence and I was embarrassed to talk about God stuff with them. While I was in Honduras my brother became friends with Peter (through our cousin) and he was around a lot. Long story short we started dating and were really at the same spot in our walk with the Lord. We both had accepted Him back into our life in that same summer and wanted more of Him but didn’t really know how to get it. While we were dating we attended my parents brethern church (great church but spiritually dry) then went to Honduras together which was awesome. We then went to an Assembly of God church which was spirit filled but not what we were looking for. Then we got married and decided to go to Peters parents house church which we still attend. It was so new for me. Its a small intimate setting so you have to be real. The point of doing a house church for us was to be able to be a part of the “service”. To bring something to bless others with, take part of prayer and worship etc. I grew up going to Mennonite/brethern church my whole life so this charismatic atmosphere was challenging and uncomfortable at first. Slowly but surely I realized how to have a relationship with God instead of a religious obligation. I started to see God in a whole new way and how to incorporate Him into my every day activities.

But after two years of marriage Peter and I were unsettled with life and we wanted more. We decided to go to a School of Ministry in Toronto, Canada. Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship is where there was a revival back in the 60s I think. Maybe 70s. They call it the Toronto Blessing. It’s a very spirit filled mega church with sister churches all over the world. So people come from all different countries to attend conferences and schools that they offer. We went to the School of Ministry (som) in 2007 for 5 months. It was 4 months of healing and training and 1 month of outreach. We learned soo soo much there. It was so amazing. And such an awesome thing to experience together as a couple. We were taught all kinds of things from how to hear Gods voice, how to use your spiritual gifts, heart healing, ministry life and simply relationship with daddy God. It totally changed our perspective on God and who He is to us and the importance of relationship with Him. We were stretched, challenged, and broken. We experienced God in a brand new way and basically just fell so completely in love with Him.

After we came home we had some challenges. We thought we were supposed to go to Africa for a month but did everything we possibly could to go and God totally prevented it. (passport got lost in mail twice) We were so bummed and confused as to how we could have totally got this one wrong. It was perfect to get back from ministry school and then go to Africa. Right?! Well we found out a month later why God stopped it. I got sick and had inteceseption and had to go to the ER. If that would have happened in Africa who knows what would have happened. So we settled down, bought a house, and started a family. Yay! Its been so fun and amazing to just trust God and follow His will. We are now ready for the next adventure. We are selling our house and going to get an apartment in order to save enough money to hopefully move out west. Or maybe not, God will show us. We hope to be able to find some new opportunities to grow and be used by God. The possibilities are endless right now which is so exciting, we are just trusting His guidance.

Phew!! So that’s it. My testimony. How my daddy God has totally captivated my heart! I love that this journey with Him is never ending and there is always more to be experienced! Thanks for reading and God Bless!!