Right after I got back from my honeymoon in March of 2003, I remember that I had figured that I had about two weeks before going back to work. I had quit my job a month prior to getting married, so I needed to get back to work. I remember I had one week of getting out my resumes and that I had two full weeks of really having a chance to read the Bible for hours on end when the kids were in school. I had stopped reading the Bible when i started revolving my life and most of my thoughts on my job, the job that I had quit just prior to my wedding.
I was raised Roman Catholic and at that time I was praying the rosary, Mass, etc.. My daughter at the time had a best friend that was a Jehovah Witness that she grew up with since Kindergarten and i was good friends with her mom Christy. Christy would invite me to their bible studies and to their Kingdom Hall services….I never actually went to any of their bible studies or services. Back then I would either have the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on my door every Saturday like clockwork to talk to me. They would always come by because I wanted so much to talk about the things of God and they would come and talk to me. One day I was sitting on my bed reading Matthew 23:9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” Well I got this epiphany, kind of like when you see in the cartoons when a lightbulb goes off above a person’s head. I sat quietly at the edge of my bed and closed my Bible for a while thinking. I thought, well God the Roman Catholic Church calls priest’s, father and they call the Pope, the holy father? I then prayed, “God, if the Roman Catholic Church is not accurate to your teachings than please send me to a church that is accurate to your teachings…but if they are accurate to your teachings than I really want to stay Roman Catholic” I also prayed, please send me to a job that they will not take advantage of me anymore.I then said, amen.” Within like a couple of minutes the phone rang, at that time I would not answer to anyone who I didn’t know who was calling, I had caller ID. With this call though I was compelled to answer it…so I did. At the other end was a woman asking me if I were interested in their dental benefits that they were offering. The woman told me that she spoke to me 2 years prior through my daughters school. I informed her that I wasn’t interested in the benefits, but I was interested in working for their company, if they had any openings? I told her that I used to work in the insurance field and had experience. Within two weeks I started working for the company….and no they didn’t take advantage of me and worked for them for 5 years. Right around this time my daughter’s friend’s mom Christy came and spoke to me in private, Christy said to me, “Nina could not hang out and play with my daughter Jennifer anymore.” I asked her why? Christy said, “Because you are not Jehovah’s Witnesses and they are forbidden to hang out with non-Jehovah’s Witnesses.” I said at that time, we believe in God, so why than can’t Jennifer be best friends with Nina anymore?” Christy said, “She was sorry.” My daughter at that point never hung out with or stayed best friends with Nina again.
One day I was sitting in the office with my co-worker Jennifer (The same woman that called me about the dental plan) we were between clients and she noticed that I had a crucifix ring on and asked me about what I believed? I told her that I was Roman Catholic and that I was very religious…she chuckled in a non mocking way and said, “Do you know that when you say you are very religious that what you are really saying is that you are very Catholic!” I laughed and informed her that I had never knew that.
Jennifer told me her testimony and her dad’s testimony on how they got saved through Jesus Christ. Jennifer and her dad were ex-Roman Catholic’s. Jennifer’s dad is a pastor of a non-denomination church off the Baptist church. When Jennifer was done telling me her testimony and her dad’s testimony, she then invited me to their church. At the time I told her yes to be nice, but in my mind I was just going to blow her off. I then got up to take a short cigarette break outside, when I was outside I was getting compelled to ask her what her church was about, what they teach etc.. I went back in and sat down and asked Jennifer about her church. Jennifer said to me, “We only read from the 66 books of the Bible, accurate to God’s teachings.” Well when Jennifer said, “Accurate to God’s teachings.” I got that epiphany again, you know like the lightbulb going off over my head. I informed Jennifer this time joyfully, “I will attend your church, what are the service times?”
I did attend Jennifer’s church. In the process of attending her church, I went to their bible studies and asked tons of questions. I even would ask Jennifer tons of questions outside of work, we became good friends. One day I was online and bought a book called, “The Divine Revelation into Hell.” Well the book came in the mail, I read it from like 6pm on Friday night until 6am Saturday morning. I had a meeting at the office on that Saturday morning. I called Jennifer up and informed her that I couldn’t make it, that I was up all night reading this book that just freaked me out to my very core. Jennifer asked me, “Donna, when I have asked you before if you were saved you told me yes, if you are saved than why are you so scared…don’t you know where you are going when you die?” I told her, “Oh yes, I’m saved, I read the Bible and know the truth Jenn.” Jennifer then said to me, “At the end of the service at our church, my dad asks who here would like to repent of their sins and surrender their life to Jesus Christ?” I interupted and told her, “I know I am saved Jenn, I told her plus I am to shy to raise my hand in front of everyone there.” Jennifer said to me, “Well whenever you are ready.” The next day I went to their church again and at the end of that service…I couldn’t tell you what that service was about, but at the end of the service, the Pastor said, “If anyone here is not saved and would like to surrender their life to Jesus Christ, raise your hand?” I remember raising my hand and all of a sudden at that moment, like for the first time I knew who Jesus really is and how much I really needed Him. I started to cry, asking the Lord to forgive me, I was going through my sins and repenting of them. I cried joyfully because I knew at that moment all my sins were forgiven. All that guilt and condemnation that I had carried around with me all those years was completely gone. Trust me, i had aot of guilt and condemnation!
In that 5 month time period from when I prayed to the Lord to send me to a church that was accurate to His teachings…..the only people that came to talk to me about God was an ex-Roman Catholic Christian woman and her ex-Roman Catholic dad that had become a Pastor. In that 5 month time period from when I prayed to God up until the day I got saved, no Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses came knocking on my door and they would always come to my house on Saturdays. As soon as I got saved though, guess who came back knocking on my door again….yup the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses…lol. Then the Lord wanted me to talk to them and tell them His true Gospel and my testimony too. In the 5 month period also from right after I prayed that prayer until the day I got saved, I just want to add that unfortunately no Roman Catholic’s came to talk with me at all either in that time period. Only Christian Born Again believers, followers of Jesus Christ.
I also found out later on from my nephew Bobby, Bobby is a Christian too. Bobby told me that after he had spoken to me that day…this day by the way was a couple of days right after I came back from my honeymoon, that the Lord had put on his heart to pray for my salvation. He remembers this day because he said the Lord had put on his heart hard to pray for me. Coincidentally right after he prayed for me at that time…coincidentally I think not…lol..I got the epiphany from God about the verse in Matthew 23:9. With God there are no coincidences!
God is good! Jesus is the only way to the Father, there is no other. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
By: Donna
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Thank you for sharing your testimony… God Bless You!
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Good testimony! If we keep on reading the Bible, we will keep on finding more truth. Gods’ Word is truth (John 17.) I have been a Christian 36 years (got saved aged 26), I went from believing in Jesus to believing AND being baptised (Mark 16:16), then to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost (because Paul says in Acts 19:2 “Have you received the Holy Ghost SINCE you believed?” In other words you do not automatically receive such until you are baptised and ask Jesus for this, coz He is the One who “baptises with the Holy Ghost and fire.” He said to us to ASK for this: Luke 11:13), if you receive the Holy Ghost, you will begin speaking in a language to God you’ve never learned like all the people in Acts did. This is a new prayer “hot-line”-all I know is that ever since I received the Holy Ghost 36 yrs ago, I have a great intimacy with God, I know Him personally, and He has used me to get many saved and healed and have demons thrown out by His Name. This Gift is continual intimacy (inward aquaintance) with Jesus, and fills the emptiness and thrills your heart! Ask Jesus for the gift of the Holy Ghost. There is only ONE church: it is in the Book of Acts-and we can ALL be in it. Love you all! Hope we meet in Heaven!
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