Post by Pam on Aug 20, 2009 19:13:13 GMT -5
My Testimony ...
Hello, my name is Pam (which you’ve probably already guessed). I am married and I have three grown daughters. My husband and I live in Wenatchee, Washington (state). The following story is of my journey and the rocky road that lead me to Christ.
I grew up in a family of seven siblings; I was number five in the group. In my early years my parents attended church, dad was a deacon and mom was a Sunday school teacher. I remember how I loved to hear about Jesus, sing hymns and learn Bible verses. I received my first Bible (which I still have) by memorizing John 3:16, the 23rd Psalm and by reciting the books of the Bible in their sequence.
The first ten years of my life were happy ones—then we stopped going to church! In the three years that followed, mom and dad started arguing. I would hide myself in my room and listen with sadness and confusion. Sometimes, I would hear slamming of doors and one or both of my parents would leave the house. Sometimes they would leave for days. Eventually, they divorced!
As the result of being left alone for days and missing a lot of school, the court placed my younger brother, sister and myself in separate foster homes. Being a product of a divorce left me unhappy and rebellious. I ran away continually from the homes I lived in; at one time I ended up in juvenile detention. Schooling didn’t fair too well either; I did poorly and hated it.
At the age of eighteen I fell in love and married my first husband (Ed). Soon we had three daughters born two years apart. We attended church off and on, but Ed wasn’t too keen on going. He had problems with church and had his own reasons for not wanting to go. Thirteen years into our marriage Ed died in a motorcycle-car accident. I was devastated and turned my resentment toward God. I was young and lonely with three small children to raise. I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) turn to God. I tried to make up for a lost father (for my kids) and a mate for myself. I stumbled around making all the wrong choices. Somehow, I survived two suicide attempts.
Two years after Ed’s death I met and married my present husband (Vaughn). My children and I moved into his home and hoped for a better life. Life didn’t come together as well as I expected. Conflicts between my children, husband and myself spurred. Bickering, jealousy and resentment put me in the position of a referee. Life became so upsetting I considered divorce and I started to make arrangements to move out.
One evening a friend of Vaughn’s (from his workplace) came with his wife to visit us. I was very pleased because we didn’t have too many friends and their company was a welcomed visit. During their visit we played cards and shared snacks. Finally, our friend told us what led him to drop by to see us. He told us God had laid us on his heart and he felt the urgency to comply. We shared the problems we’d been having; he prayed with us. When the evening had ended we had agreed to go to his church the following Sunday. After he and his wife left, we found ourselves wondering why we had agreed to go to church with them. I wasn’t particularly interested and I didn’t think church would solve any of my problems. I hoped by Sunday the prospects of going to church would be forgotten. No such luck, Saturday evening our friend called to remind us and told us they would drop by our place to pick us up. We decided to follow them in our car (we thought it might be better in case we needed a fast escape).
The church service seemed pleasant enough. I enjoyed the singing and the friendly greetings I received before church begun. As the service was coming to an end, the pastor made an altar call. I watched as some people went forward to receive the Lord. At the very last moment I felt a sudden urgency to go forward myself. I actually thought I heard the Lord speaking to me and telling me to go forward before it was "too late."
The days that followed were miraculous. Suddenly I had a craving for the word of the Lord. I began reading my Bible and to my surprise it actually made sense! In the Past, Bible reading was just Bible reading: it didn’t make any sense. And the feeling! I was definitely a changed person! I loved going to church; I went to every service offered. I participated in many areas of the church; I joined choir, volunteered in the church office and even taught Sunday school!
It’s been sixteen years since I gave myself to the Lord. This July my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Al; of my daughters are married, I have 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. We moved ten years ago from the community where I was living, when I first came to the Lord. We live about two and half hours away from our previous location, in a valley. We attend an Assembly of God church here in Wenatchee.
Life still has some ups and downs, recently I went through some serious illnesses, he seen me through it and healed me! Through this all the most important thing I’ve learned to do is to take one day at a time! When troubles arise, I take them to the Lord and wait on him. Staying in the Word and prayer helps me remain close to God and keeps me on the right path!
† PamTayl 2009