My Testimony
Although my cultural environment was Christian, my parents were non-believers. I was baptised as a baby, but that was only a tradition based on superstition.
I did believe in God though, but to me He was some sort of remote person who did not really have any positive personal relationship with me. I saw Him as someone who was always ready to punish for every single wrongdoing. Thinking of the 10 Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins, I was convinced I would directly go to hell after death. I also did not understand the significance of the cross at all. To me there was a God, but Jesus was someone I didn’t really consider as being part of the equation.
Before attending MCC, my life was that of somebody who was not very focussed. I was never content with anything; I was never sure of what I wanted out of life either.
I did have one plan in mind, though, which was to relocate abroad. It wasn’t just a simple move abroad: I actually had big plans for myself on the back of it. I also thought that once I was there I was going to join a church –although why I never joined a church here, I wonder!
However, the relocation plan fell through. I was devastated and I felt at a loss as to what to do next with my life. This had put everything back into question. I actually experienced a lot of distressing feelings at that time.
That’s about around the time when I was visited by both the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. I started to explore the Mormons –at that time I saw their visit as a sign that I was right to be contemplating joining a church. However I was never sure if they were “the true church” that they claimed to be. But I thought: “God surely would point me out in the right direction!”
Well, He did. It’s while investigating other churches that I walked past the MCC. I remember feeling that I really would like to go, but I had made a commitment to attend the Quaker House that day. Shortly after, though, I enquired at MCC, and it went on from there.
I don’t remember exactly the time when I asked Jesus to come into my life, I think it happened gradually as I learned more about Him. It was an awakening to the truth rather than a sudden moment. However, a few key points during my journey of faith were: attending the Baptism class with Pastor Dave, having many questions answered during home fellowship group, listening and responding to Roger Carswell’s message about the cross and praying a prayer of salvation with Pastor Dave.
More recently, my faith has been stretched with recent stressful events, such as my redundancy and the near-collapse of our house move, events through which God has carried me to bring me into a better place, increasing my faith and my understanding of Him in the process. I remember there were a few key points during the whole thing:
- On the way to the interview that was going to land me the job that I needed to secure the mortgage, I experienced a strange but comforting feeling that lasted about 10 seconds, as if the world around me did not matter because I was not really part of it, I belonged somewhere else.
- After this very interview, whist on the journey back home, the train stopped right in front of a poster. In the corner of my eye I saw the word “GOD” in big capital letters. I read the poster and it said “Trust your GOD. He will never leave you nor abandon you”. A year ago, I would have thought “Oh, what a coincidence”. Now I am thinking: “Father God is speaking to me!”
- Finally, after I got the job I still needed the new company to send me a contract to secure the mortgage. But my post had started to be redirected to the new house, which I could not access because the owners had vacated the property. Well, I did receive my contract by post, and, would you believe it, it was the only piece of mail I received during the entire time our mail was redirected.
I was recently asked what I would have done when faced with all of this, had I not been what I call “a proper Christian”. I would have simply given up! I would have relied on my own logic (I would have thought: “I’m going to do my best but I’m not holding my breath; it’s probably not going to happen, but you never know…”) instead of considering the possibility of the supernatural taking place to turn things around.
Since coming to MCC, I have experienced much more certainty in my life. I listen to God and now:
- I know where I am meant to go
- I have come to realise all the blessings He has given me during my life
- I now have insight as to why certain things happened the way they did
- I have come to find out the gifts that I have, which I am meant to use to serve His purpose.
I have chosen to be baptised because to me, baptism means three things:
- I am now acknowledging God in my life, and by being baptised I am making an official declaration that I am on His side.
- This baptism is a symbol of a new life. I am now choosing to follow Jesus and start afresh –the right way! Along that line, I am choosing to get married to my boyfriend this summer, after 10 years spent together.
- Moreover, it’s the right thing to do. Since the Bible is God’s Word then it makes sense to do as He says.
It’s comforting to know that I have a Father God who is looking after me and helping me be the best that I can be.
The verse I would like to quote in conclusion, and which has had the biggest impact in my life, is that of {bib=Matthew 7:7}.
“Ask, and it shall be given you;
Seek, and you shall find;
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”