Saviour's Day

It was a time...

CECA — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:01:56 +0000

It was a time in my life when I was questioning my purpose. There had been a lot of pain in my life when my parents divorced and my mother left us. I thought that it was my fault that my mom left and if she couldn't love me who could? I wondered if there was a God and why we were here? I told God one day "If you are there please reveal yourself to me."

One day I was at the stove cooking something when I heard a voice. The voice told me "Go down stairs." I went downstairs not knowing why I was going there and wondered what that voice was that I heard. As soon as my foot hit the carpet at the bottom the voice said "turn on the TV." I went and turned it on and watched 100 Huntley street. The man on the TV was talking about Jesus and how he healed people and raised them from the dead. Somehow these stories of Jesus touched me and made sense to me for the first time. At the end of the program I said the prayer to accept Jesus in my life. On my knees I cried and cried. I could feel the presence of the holy spirit in my life for the first time ever.

A while later I had a desire to go to church. I was afraid to ask my Dad because I thought he would laugh at me. I took the chance and asked him if we could go to church. He thought it was a good idea. We went to one that one of his colleagues went to. Here I learned how to pray and how to live the walk with Jesus. One day when I was saying my prayers in bed a strange jumble of words and sounds came out of my mouth. It scared me so I stopped praying. I learned afterwards this was the gift of tongues.

That was 27 years ago. I haven't always been faithful to Christ. I have slipped away many times but he has been committed to me. Right now he is using my 4 year old autistic son to sanctify me (but that is another story).

Marlene Lawrence

Burnaby

I had grown up...

CECA — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:05:48 +0000

I had grown up in a Christian home but never really accepted it. When my parents divorced when I was a kid, I struggled a lot. I blamed everything on God and completely turned my back. I got into many things I shouldn't have. So one night when I was in bed, staring at the ceiling, I came to the conclusion that I needed out and there was only one way to do that. I got on my knees beside my bed and prayed and asked for forgiveness. I wasn't feeling any different afterwards but then I started shaking dramatically. I wasn't cold and I didn't have a fever. I then reached out to a small blanket on my floor. When it hit my back I stopped shaking and began crying.

I will never forget that night.

Tori
Niagara Falls, ON

One afternoon...

CECA — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:03:08 +0000

One afternoon I was just walking in the kitchen within my house and the radio was on PRAISE 106.5. Right at that moment there was someone talking about trying to make time for God and trying to make Him a priority in your life. There was a woman who shared some things that helped her to do so and at that moment God guided me into the decision to try this out, to spend a little time with Him. At this time I was in Grade 6 and I began trusting in Jesus. I found that my trust wasn't completely in Him and as I went through grade 7 my heart was still being transformed. In the beginning of grade 8 I went to a camp with my school and we had a time of communion. It was held in the woods where God's glory just shined in every direction. My life was truly transformed then and is continuing to be changed, as well as shaped, everyday. Thanks Jesus for a blessing me with an awesome radio station and an amazing family, as well as a life changing school, for the way I know Him the way I do today. (at the moment I'm almost finished grade 8) :D

Carissa Yuen
Richmond

God gave me "A future with hope"...

CECA — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:23:15 +0000

God gave me "A Future with Hope".

I have lived a HOPE filled life since 11.00 PM on Friday 10th April 1959. That was the night my life was changed for good, forever, after several years of traumatic experiences, including the sudden death of my wonderful father when I was still only 12 years of age.

Added to this grief, was the great sense of loss I experienced when our small farm was sold. It seemed that everything I had loved was suddenly taken away, and it was hard for me as a young boy to see my donkey and even my dog being taken away.

Five years later, at the age of 17, I was still grieving over the sudden death of my father and was so very unhappy at home with my Mother by adoption, in Ballygawley, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, that I ran away to England, not only to try and escape all the things that made me so unhappy, but to try and begin a new life.

This new life was to take me into the Army and the Royal Engineer's Regiment at Aldershot in Hampshire, but very soon, this new life became even more painful than the old life back in Northern Ireland. Whilst on a weekend leave from the Army, I discovered that the young lady to whom I was engaged to be married, did not love me any more, and our engagement was broken off.

This stirred up all the previous grief that I had struggled with in the past following the loss of my father.
I was so devastated by what had happened, and it hurt so much to be alone, that I came to believe that I just could not carry on living the way I was, life seemed to be so very painful and pointless and I felt nobody really cared about me and nobody loved me, the pain of rejection was horrible. I knew about God from Sunday School and Church, but I did not know Him, I had religion without a relationship, so I never thought of crying out to Him for help.

Instead, I attempted to end my life by swallowing a handful of tablets with the help of alcohol.

I have read - "We can live for 40 days without food, 8 days without water, 4-6 minutes without air, but ONLY SECONDS without HOPE."

I was introduced to hope by John, a member of the Parachute Regiment, he contacted me in the Bar of the NAAFI Club in Aldershot, just a few days after my suicide attempt. John introduced me to a living God that loved me, a God that could give me HOPE and a NEW LIFE, a God that would never leave me nor forsake me and a God that could heal my broken heart. After a brief discussion, John and I left the Club and walked for about ten minutes, then we prayed together in Holy Trinity Church, in Victoria Road Aldershot. This was part of my prayer - "Oh God if you can heal my broken heart and dry my tears and give me hope, I'll go to the Nations of the world to tell them of the hope you have given to me."

Suddenly, I felt as if someone was hugging me and the hug felt so good, as I relaxed in the unseen arms, for my tear filled eyes were tightly closed, I felt all the pain and grief, also all the hopelessness and blackness drain from my life and in it's place flowed a river of life, joy and peace.

I got up from my knees that night, a changed man, as I began my personal relationship with Jesus, I had been born again and from that moment on, I would have the life of Christ inside of me. I had been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and was now a citizen in the kingdom of God's dear Son.

Rev Jim Patterson
London UK

I was very sick...

CECA — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:21:41 +0000

I was very sick, and I wanted to be healed, so I tusted God that He would heal me and I came to trust Him.

Jenna
Maple Ridge

...in 1966, my brother died tragically,...

CECA — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:44:05 +0000

Briefly, in 1966, my brother died tragically, our neighbours had sympathy on us and invited my sister and I to vacation Bible school that summer. We received the Gideon's King James vest pocket gold coloured centennial N.T. Psalms and Proverbs. It would be Canada's 100th birthday the next year. That Bible was a little brick of gold to me. Only 10, I struggled with the Old English but saw Life and Light in God's Word to me. I held that book to my chest and cried so deeply. My mother said, 'Your father and I have nothing to do with that.' God visited me many times, without words, a pervasive presence that gave me peace I'd never known before. 13 years later, I accepted the invitation of a T.V. preacher in Toronto, confessing Jesus as Saviour and me a sinner. I was changed inside (born again I'd learn later). I attended church for many years, was baptized, evangelized. God has never left me yet I've wandered away many years back and forth. Our life doesn't end at conversion, it begins. God saves us and will never leave us or forsake us, Heb.13.5. We make mistakes and He still loves us. We zig-zag our way to heaven, meandering here, wandering there, all the way. Jesus is Lord. Thank you for this opportunity to share.

Robert Woodhead
Saanichton

Our neighbours moved in...

CECA — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:20:21 +0000

Our neighbours moved in when I was nine. They were Christians and invited us kids (who weren't) to Vacation Bible school that summer. My brother (7) went and came home telling all about the fun stuff he did. They reinvited to me to come. I resisted until the very last day (I wanted to be cool) when I was so curious and couldn't stand not finding out what my brother was all excited about. So I went. I accepted Jesus that day, fully understanding what it meant and I felt Him literally "fall into" me. I was invited to Sunday School that weekend, and re-accepted Jesus into my heart a second time at the alter call, just to make sure He was good and truly in me. He's been close to me ever since; good thing, as I wouldn't have made it this far without Him on my life's journey.

He's my whole life, my Love, and wows me daily! Even when I am a stubborn child of His.

Heidi Beckerleg
Abbotsford

I first came to know Jesus...

CECA — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:43:27 +0000

I first came to know Jesus as my personal Savior at the age of five when I
attended a Kids Krusade meeting at my church. I was very shy at that time,
and I found myself unable to respond to the altar call. When I returned home
that night the missed opportunity was still weighing heavily on my heart.
Finally, I couldn't bear it anymore, and I called out for my parents to come
to my room and pray with me. We knelt down together beside my bed and they
led me through the prayer of salvation. I will never forget how I felt that
night when I knew that I was now a child of God forever. My life has taken
many twists and turns since then, but God has always remained faithful. Even
during times of rebellion, and the consequences of poor choices, He has been
here walking beside me. I have seen firsthand what His grace and mercy can
do. Jesus is the strength of my life, and I will always be grateful for the
ministry team that brought His message of forgiveness, redemption, and hope
all those years ago.

Dawn Thompson

I was a child...

CECA — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:41:05 +0000

I was a child of wrong doings by a family member, and was married at a very young age. Having 5 children by the time I was 30 and married 5 times by the age 38. I was in prison and a meth addiction but God's mercy healed me of all my addictions and sorrows. In January 2010 I asked God into my life and I was baptized on Good Friday 2011. Praise God, He is good! My life has changed so much and I've become a witness for Jesus Christ my Lord.. Thank you: Kriste

Kriste Cude
Sumas

Driven to live a purpose filled life...

CECA — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:05:02 +0000

Driven to live a purpose filled life I knew I was not a product of my environment but my future and environment was to be a product of me.

As young as I can remember I lived with my grandmother because my father was physically abusive and my mother fell into depression. I lived with my grandmother until I was in grade 8 (13 years old) where I decided to put myself into a foster home because I was living with three schizophrenic uncles one of which was sexually abusive towards me. The home was full of chaos and anger and I too was angry and so full of pain I wanted to take my life. I remember a time sitting at the edge of my bed and holding a butter knife to my stomach thinking that might work. I tried so many times to run away but didn't know what I would be running to only what I was running from.

I lived in group homes and foster homes and had no one I really trusted in my life. I turned to dating guys, unknowingly trying to find a safe place, someone to look up to, someone to love me. I just always wanted to be loved but I was so broken, so I too attracted broken people in my life. Because of a series of bad choices and a lack of guidance, I ended up getting pregnant at 16 years old and had my son two weeks after my 17th birthday.

At 19 years old, the fostercare "system" lets you free into the world. I knew I would be okay but was I ever scared. I always had top grades, and always had at least one person in my life at a time who told me they believed in me and I would grow into an influencer. I never saw life as a burden rather a blessing and wanted to use my life experiences to help others. But how?

I worked full time and had to survive. I had no drive to go to school to further my education and was firm on not getting in debt or taking out loans. I fell in to the 9-5 grind 40 hours a week, but was this really to be the rest of my life, at a low paying job.&! nbsp; I went from job to job thinking there had to be more to life, there had to be more.
I went from guy to guy, church to church, school to school, job to job, the only common denominator I saw was me. I had to change, I knew I was created for greatness.

Lost in this world having no clue what my purpose was, I turned to finding acceptance in parties, drugs, sex and "friends." My life got so low I didn't know what to do any more.

A friend invited me to church and I felt so moved in that short time, I wept and wept. I always knew of God but never knew the relationship one could have. I had no faith in people, in this world, and in a god but I didn't see what else there was to turn to so I tried to challenge Him in that moment. I "told" God that if he was really real, to take my pain away from me so when I leave the church I will be painless. God revealed Himself to me when I left those doors and really had the weight of the world, lifted from my shoulders. I now know its on the cross.

God has turned my life into a miracle and guided me to an even more immence passion for wanting to help people. I have amazing support systems like the World Wide Dream Builders Organization who mentor people to live a purpose driven life and help them change from students to mentors, to pay it forward. Through this team, I meet with families on a day to day basis and see so many broken lives looking, searching for light. I have been blessed, and live to serve and bless others to help them know the purpose to which they have been called, to provide hope, and live as a woman after Gods own heart.

Tamara Sawrie