God's Saving Grace

My testimony starts at the age of 15. That's when I started doing drugs and alcohol. My battle with that would last for 21 years—yes, 21 years.

It was a battle I was not willing to give up. It was my life—I lived for the drugs and alcohol. It got to the point where I just had to have them. I loved them that much. They made me feel good—real good.

There would be times where I stayed up for days. One time, I was up for a whole week! I thought it was totally normal, and that I had everything under control. Needless to say, my life was falling apart. My family started falling apart. Fred and I would be at each others throat. I would start seeing things that weren't really there, but that didn't stop me. I started thinking people were watching me and my house, and that didn't stop me. Bryon was just a baby at that time, and things only got worse as he grew older. The fighting got worse, people coming and going all the time.

I believed that there was a God and that he was real. I just didn't know, or understand anything about him—like his saving grace, or about his love.

One day I had just had enough of that life. I was in a program for a job program, and the speaker was talking about how your body starts to heal the minute you stop with the drugs and alcohol. She said anyone was welcome to talk with her, and no one needs to know who you are. That got my attention. I didn't want everyone to know I had problems, so I took her up on her offer. I got into a program, and started working the steps. That seemed all good in the beginning, but it wasn't enough.

At that point when Bryon was around the age of 15 or 16, he started going to church. He asked us to go, but of course we refused. But, I had gotten a Bible and started reading it. Instead of doing the steps I was supposed to be doing, I would read the Bible. Even though I didn't understand too much of it, I felt a difference. So I kept reading everyday in my program. God was doing something inside of me that I didn't know. He had started the healing process in me. So one day I did go to church. Wow, I thought, this is so cool! Look how kind and loving and Godly these people are. I want this—to be part of this. The day I got the Holy Ghost was a day I will never forget. I went to the altar which was very hard for me to do. I repented of my sins and that's when it happened, God's saving grace took hold of me. It started from my feet and went clear to the top of my head. It felt like electricity went right through me! I started speaking in a language I had never heard before. I felt like a new person. Life started looking different. Everything I looked at looked different. Flowers were more pretty! The sky was more blue! The air smelled better! Life was so much better after that! I will never forget what Jesus has done for me and in me. So, I was born again October 2001, and baptized December 31, 2002. I have been serving him ever since, and I will continue to do so until the day he calls me home. Amen!