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My Testimony Of Faith I was born into a non-Christian family back in 1960. My mom was an atheist and so were my grandparents. My mom didn�t marry my biological dad and when I was 3 yrs old she got married to my step dad who also was an atheist. I had a tough time growing up with my friends for they believed in God and went to church while my parents kept teaching me that there was no God. Now as the rule goes you are to trust in your parent�s teachings and consider them as right. Well I trusted them in everything else but this. In my heart, even as a child I believed they were wrong about this. What puzzles me to this day yet and I will never find out the answer for my mom and grandparents all passed away but at the age of 8 when my sister was born they did baptize me as a Protestant. Why I don't know since they didn't believe in God, maybe others talked them into it, I just don�t know and this will forever be a mystery to me. I felt God did exist and unknowingly back then at the age of 10, I was going to start the journey of a lifetime in search of Him. Now take my hand and walk with me and I'll take you with on this long journey from the age of 10 when I knew nothing of Him all the way through to today where my heart and life belong completely to Him and my faith is deeper than the ocean and higher than the heavens above and my relationship is very close with Him. So lets begin. Between the ages of 10 and 14 there wasn't much in my search being so young and not really knowing how to go about it and more or less just enjoying my childhood. I did many of times, unknowing to my parents, sneak away to church with my friend who lived next door. At first I was curious as to what a church service was like and what went on over there. Ironically or maybe as I now believe He sent me, my first service attended was on Good Friday and then again on Easter Sunday. What a beautiful way to start my journey by finding out what Jesus was about right from the beginning. Praise the Lord. I didn't fully understand everything that was being talked about but I did ask a lot of questions to my friend. She answered them and the answers brought a light understanding of what was going on. I went to church a bunch more times with her in the next two years but then her and her family moved out of state. So between ages 12 and 14 my spiritual growth was pretty much at a standstill. At the age of 14 it was time for me to start High School. My mom and step dad didn�t like the public school that was in our jurisdiction. It had too many drugs and gangs in it. My mom told me they were going to send me to the all girls Catholic High School, which was a block away, but she told me to make sure I told them I am not Catholic. The question never arose so never had to say anything there. I was so happy when they sent me there though. I had extra credits that I needed fulfilled and I was able to take whatever classes I wanted to fill them. I chose religion classes without my parents� knowledge but they brought me closer to Him once again, closer to the knowledge I was searching for. The classes I took gave me more of an understanding of Him but wasn�t all that I needed. I got thrown off my path after my 3rd yr. of High School. Met my first ex and was married and had a baby at the young age of 18. The marriage lasted for only 9 months, which I wont get into the reason here for this is just a testimony of my faith. After the divorce at 19, I was lost. Didn�t know in which direction to turn to. A lady I worked with saw how I was reacting for months. One day she asked me if I wanted to go to church with her and her family that Sunday. Without hesitation I said yes. It was a very nice Catholic Church and the people and the priest were all so very nice. I went there each Sunday with her. After a couple of months I talked to Father Fitzharris in private who was a Priest like no other I have ever met. He really had a love for people and went out of his way to help everyone in need. I told him I wanted to convert to the Catholic religion. He questioned me and asked if I was sure since he never heard of a Protestant wanting to convert to Catholicism. I said I wanted this more than anything. I then went to catechism classes the next few months every Tuesday night after work. I was the only one taking these classes with him, which made it even more personal for me and was able to get everything out of it that I yearned to learn. Father Fitzharris to this day was a very special person to me, who I know was sent by God, and he was my stepping stone to the faith and personal relationship I now have with God. He opened wide the doors for me so I can see and feel God and truly begin my journey with Him. I will forever be grateful to him for what he did for me. Little does he know the impact he made on my faith, on my life and I now am trying to locate him to tell him thank you for all he did. He no longer is a Priest I found out but is doing some kind of ministry work out of his home. I have found a few numbers in the area and will be calling them in hopes that he will be one of them so I can tell him thank you. I stayed with the Catholic Church for one year and then decided I�ve learned what I could there and there were many beliefs of theirs that I didn�t believe in. I then got remarried again and that marriage took me off my path just a little bit. I went to church here and there; not very much at all in the 18 yrs I was married but instead went on my own search. I read a lot, listened to the many different faiths and prayed a lot. I brought the Lord completely into my life. Many burdens came my way the last 7 yrs of my marriage and those burdens brought me even closer to Him. He was the only one I could talk to and I knew He was with me through it all. All my prayers were always answered by Him. Thank you Lord. I also lost my mother in 95 to congestive heart failure and that came in between the down falling of my marriage but the Lord brought me through it all. My faith in Him grew so strong; my relationship with Him became so close. After my divorce, I remarried one more time and that marriage lasted only 3 yrs. Sometimes I would ask him when going through the trying times, why me, why me Lord? Haven�t I had enough already? Twenty-five years of which most of it was unhappiness was too much for any person to endure. After my final divorce, He gave me my answer. Without those burdens I never would have came to Him for help. I never would have gotten so close to Him. My faith never would be as it is today. I thank you Lord for always being there for me and I wouldn�t change what I went through in my life for without all those things that happened to me, I wouldn�t be at the level of understanding as I am today. Yes, I need to learn so much more but since 4 years ago when the marriage was over with my last ex, I gave myself, my life, control of my life, completely to Him. The day I gave myself completely and never took any of the burdens that I gave to Him back was the beginning of the most beautiful worry free life that anyone can live. I was saved back then when I was 19, gave my life and problems to Him so many times but always took back the problems. I finally have learned how to give them to Him and to let Him keep them and not take back. Now I look at all the burdens in a positive way. I take the positive out of them, the lessons learned, the deepening of my faith and the strength I gained through them and hand Him the negative parts of it and let Him keep them. For the past year or so now I have been in search for a new church to go to. I am looking through all the denominations. I did go to the Assembly of God Church for 7 months. Felt very comfortable there from the beginning but after 7 months I felt it was time for me to move. Have been checking others now the past 6 months but haven�t found the church that I can call home yet but I continue to search to this day. I know He will give me the peace in my heart when I step into the one that He wants me to join. I am letting Him guide me through all of this but in the meantime I continue to learn, to read His word, to listen to others and most importantly pray to Him for guidance and answers. God is number one in my life right now and in the center of mine and my children�s lives. I teach my children of Him and try to keep them on His path because I want them to know this loving Father of ours and what He did for us and want them to be just as loving to everyone as He is to us. I had a hard time in my search for Him, having to do it all on my own since I wasn�t born into a non - Christian family but I am making sure my kids will always know Him and love Him. I hope this testimony of my faith will deepen your faith in Him and for those still searching I hope this has in some way opened a window for you and that you will begin to walk on His path. Ask Him into your heart and ask Him to guide you through your faith and everyday life and always remember Jesus loves you so very much and will always be by your side. Just ask Him into your life. By: Ramona August 15, 2004 Update: November 24, 2006 I moved to Kentucky and got married on October 21, 2006. We found a nice little church out here that we�ve been going to every Sunday. My faith and growth in the Lord continues to grow. |
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