Wendy

I was born into a Catholic family, the oldestof four children. My parents were/are really good people. We didn't go to churchalot as I was growing up. We lived on a farm and between the distance to travelto church and milking cows, etc., we just didn't make it to town for church alot. 

My parents did manage to put us into parochial school through the primarygrades, and then into CCD so we received all the sacraments on time. Shortlyafter my confirmation, I really went off the deep end. I ran with a crowd thatwas into "sex, and drugs and rock-n-roll" and I embraced thatlifestyle fully. 

At 19 I met a guy on a Harley and rode away with him(he's now myhusband). I never told my family I was leaving, I just left and they never heardfrom me for a year and half, until my son was born. A couple of years later Ireally hit rock bottom and went back home to my parents along with my son. We had lost our 2nd child, my husband was sent to prison, and I had my 2ndabortion around this time.  They took me back in and helped me to start torebuild my life.  I went to college while my husband did time. Afterwards we got back together and we started doing pretty well.  We bothgot good jobs, we had plenty of money coming in, and things were looking up.

And this is when I started to think about God. It wasn't when I was at"rock bottom", then I was just trying to survive. It was wheneverything was looking up and going great, it suddenly hit me, there must bemore to life than this. So I started to seek. I figured if there was a God, thenthe Bible was probably a good place to look to find out about Him. At this pointI considered going back to the Catholic Church, but quite frankly, I was certainthat no priest would be able give me absolution, because there was not a singleone of the 10 commandments that I had not broken. And yet all along, I felt thatif there was a God worth knowing, then He could possibly forgive me.

I read everything I could get my hands on about the Bible at the public libraryand began trying to read and understand the Bible. I went through everythingfrom "higher criticism" to very orthodox Christian writers, with plentyof prophecy stuff thrown in for good measure. And just to help me along, theLord sent me a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses as well!  

They befriended meand I began to meet with them as well as continuing to study on my own in a veryeclectic manner.  After about 18 months of meeting weekly with thewitnesses they began to press me to attend meetings with them.  At thispoint I earnestly prayed to God, that if He was out there, I needed to hear fromHim about the beliefs of the witnesses.  Within a couple of days, I was atthe public library again and ran across a copy of Kingdom of the Cults, by Dr.Walter Martin.  I read the section on the JW's.  The good Dr.carefully pointed out the errors of the Witnesses by using scripture and thiswas what I needed to see in order walk away from them.  

I remember thatthese words came to my mind at that time:  "You shall know the truthand the truth shall set you free."  And I was free of the JW's butalso, I was feeling lost, and I didn't know where to turn for the truth.

After a process of about 3 years of study, I was reading Josh McDowell's"Evidence that Demands a Verdict" one night. As I read through it Irealized that everything Josh was talking about and giving proofs for, I alreadybelieved. This was what my soul longed for. And at the end of the book, whenJosh gives his testimony, it really hit me, that just as Josh had prayed ".. . Lord I've tried doing it my way and made a mess of my life, now I want totry it Your way. . . " (or something to that effect), I had really made amess of my life. And I was ready to try it God's way. So that night as I lay inmy bed, I prayed and asked Jesus to be my saviour. And He said He would.

Well, after that I wanted to be in a church, and I began to pray and ask theLord to guide me to a church. And my good friend who lived next door and wasCatholic invited me to go with her to mass, so I did. I was excited, but when wewalked into the beautiful church and I saw the two story high mural of theVirgin Mary behind the altar, well, it just upset me. I was wanting to share inpraising my Jesus, and instead the place of honor was given to His mother. Inever went back, but the next week a co-worker invited me to his church. It wasa small non-denominational church that studied the Bible chapter by chapter,verse by verse. The pastor taught in an expositional style. The people werefriendly, warm and really excited about what God was doing in their lives. SoGod had answered my prayer, and brought me into a Church fellowship that He hadprepared just for me, (and me for them!).

I just want to add that, my parent's unconditional love, the way they took meback in after all I had done, has been a picture to me of God's love. If not forthem, I'm not sure I would have believed that God could ever accept me, butbecause they could, I was able to believe that He could.  And I also wantto encourage everyone who wonders about God and truth to just pray and ask Him,and He will reveal Himself you at just the right time.  

He is a rewarder ofthose who diligently seek Him.

Love,
Wendy

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