Kierston

"Even though I was one of those kids who has grown up in the church, that doesn't mean that I always acted like I should.  I began kindergarten in a Christian Elementary School, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 5 years old; however, at such a young age, I didn't fully know what it meant to follow Jesus in my daily activities.  My first misconception was that I thought I had to accept him over and over again everyday.  But I later learned that you only need to commit your life to him once.  Also, later in my life, I struggled with things every kid goes through: peer pressure, listening to bad music, and just doing things that I knew were wrong.  Then I went on a mission trip to Peru with our Youth Group in 2003.  The trip was a lot of hard work, but in the end, it paid off when I realized how much I had learned.  God taught me to follow him even when it is difficult.  I learned not to do things just because other people are doing them.  And, most importantly, I learned that God is always there for me no matter what.  While I was in Peru, I was in bed for a few days with a fever, and through that experience, God taught me that everything happens for a reason, and that he is always watching over me.  I have grown closer to God because of my trip, and I have become a stronger Christian: but that doesn't mean that my life is perfect.  Just this past January, one of my best friends died unexpectedly in his sleep.  It was a frustrating time for our whole school, but we took the experience and learned from it.  We learned that you have to take nothing for granted and live every day as if it's your last.  This lesson applies to a Christian life as well, because you never know when God is going to take you from this world, and you want to be happy with your life when you are finished."                                                                                                               Kiersten

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Brittany

A mission’s service was held at church one evening where my dad and brother Ryan had shared about their mission’s trip to Mexico. They showed a video that had talked about how people need to know Jesus and how to get to heaven. My dad was talking about how people can accept Jesus into their heart. That night, I was getting ready to go to bed and I asked my mom if I was going to heaven. I told her that I wanted to go live with Jesus in heaven just like the people in Mexico. My mom told me how I could know that I was going to heaven and explained how I could become God’s child. She tucked me in bed and then prayed a prayer with me to accept Jesus as my Savior.

I began to learn more about God’s love as a Christian through my parents, studying the Bible in Awana club, Sunday school, and through my youth pastor, Curt. He had taken our youth group to the National Youth Conference where I had been inspired by a great speaker to put God #1 in my life.

Then God called my family to move. My father pastored a church for 14 years (in a small town in WI). I had grown up in one church and one school and had very special teachers and friends. This was a serious test in my faith. I realized that I had to seriously trust God with what was to come ahead. I was scared about making new friends and starting in a new school.  The first year, I might say was rough. I was now in a very liberal high school and very frightened by this new environment. I didn’t have the teachers I wanted and I didn’t feel comfortable around my peers. My G.P.A. went from a 3.0 to a 1.9 in my sophomore year, and I lost all confidence in myself that year. It took a serious step in my faith to allow God to get me back on track. God helped me with this verse. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Having had a rough first year at Mt. Greylock I was very discouraged and not happy. God then answered prayer by sending a youth intern to minister at our church for the summer. He was an encouragement and real blessing to me. He challenged me to trust God in my upcoming years.

At Acquire The Fire (another youth rally) this past year, I made a commitment to date God. Ron Luce, a speaker, challenged us to spend one year seeking God rather than romance. Instead of developing a relationship with a guy or a girl, I was to develop my relationship with God. It was a commitment to quit the games of dating in order to seek the truth and live a life of purity. I was to forget small time love and go after God’s love. I was to invest my emotions and passions into dating God for 12 months. I decided to take that challenge. To this very day I do not regret standing up when he asked us if we wanted to accept this challenge. It is amazing how God has changed my life and how my habits have changed since then. I realized that spending time with God is necessary and is not an obligation. I never really sat down and read and studied God’s Word until this past year. I have read several great devotional books that have been inspiring to me and make me yearn for more of God’s love. I have learned throughout this past year that if you are struggling or need help, you need to give it all to God and trust that he is going to take it off your shoulders. Proverbs 3:5, 6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understandings but in all your way acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” This past year has been wonderful and I have seen God’s work and love in my life in so many ways. I had an amazing school year and wonderful friends to help me through it! Psalm 25: 4-5 says “ Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” I am excited to see what God brings for me in the years to come!

Brittany

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Pam

   I once heard a friend’s brother give his testimony in our church while I lived in the south.  Among many illnesses in his family, his heart attack, his young son’s cancer, his family’s strength and faith persevered and amazed me.  I couldn’t comprehend the suffering that he and his family had endured since my life to that point had been uneventful.  He made me think of Psalms 73:26:

                        My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

   My husband and I were married in 1975 and by the time 1994 had come around, we had two children and lived in a little house in Pelham, Alabama.  Our life was “normal”; we attended church nearly every Sunday as well as Wednesday night for Bible study.  Neither David, my husband, nor I had been Christians when we had gotten married, but we had both given our hearts to the Lord before 1994 had come around.

   .  My husband had had some back problems over the years and had been in a severe car accident when he was in college that nearly killed him.  What remained of that accident were scares on his face, wires that were used to put his skull back together, and the never ending sorrow of the loss of his friend who had been killed. 

   David had gone to see his doctor for his yearly physical and everything looked good from the examination, as usual, but the doctor was a little concerned about David’s PSA count, a test for prostrate cancer.  After another test, the doctor had found that David did have cancer.  We, of course, were devastated.  He was only in his 40’s; no one is supposed to get cancer at that young age, especially that kind.  He had his surgery the first of September.  There wasn’t a great rush since that type of cancer isn’t fast growing, so he and some friends of ours had time to donate a couple of pints of blood for him.

   I must include that while all this was going on, my mother’s health was failing.  She had been on oxygen for several years from all the smoking over her lifetime.  So, while David was recuperating from his surgery, my father had to put my mother into the hospital.  She had been diagnosed with pneumonia and wasn’t expected to live long.  I spent several weeks traveling two hours back and forth checking on my mother as well as taking care of David.  David was slowly healing and was doing well, but he was going to have to face radiation since the cancer had spread to the outside of the gland.  There were times he was in a lot of pain, but he tried not to let anyone know.  Our friends were so faithful in helping us out; they brought food, mowed the yard, helped with our kids, and prayed for quick healing.  God is good to give us such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ!

   This wasn’t the end, however; before David’s surgery, I had found a lump in my breast that concerned me since it wasn’t quite like the others I had ever had.  I went to my doctor to have him aspirate it, but he told me not to worry, it was only another fibroid cyst.  Three weeks after my husband’s surgery, I had finally convinced my doctor to evaluate the lump.  On the following Monday, we had a message on the answering machine telling me that it was cancer and to call his office as soon as possible.  I had a mastectomy that following Wednesday; not even a month after David had had his surgery.  My prognosis wasn’t as good as his.  I was facing chemotherapy as well as radiation.  Would things have been different had my doctor been more aggressive?  I don’t know, but I do know only God knows what’s best for us, good or bad, and can use any situation for good.  I prayed that anyone who knew about what was happening in our lives would see the love and trust we had for our Lord and would want to know more.  In Psalms 9:10 it is written:

                        Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

   My husband had stayed by my side all night after my surgery.  I know that he was in pain, but he slept in a chair beside me anyway.  I don’t remember much over the couple of days of recovery, except that our friends were always there.  What a blessing to have them around.  Again I say God is good!

   Over the next several months, David was going to radiation and I was taking chemo.  I pray that anyone reading this never has to go through what we went through, but from what I understand nearly everyone will either know someone with cancer or will have it themselves.  Radiation and chemo are not pleasant.  Chemo takes all your energy away, leaves a horrible taste in your mouth, and usually makes you loose your hair.  It was something I knew would happen, but when the day came when handfuls of hair fell off my head, I was distraught.  The radiation that David had to endure was also terrible.  It left burns and hurt him deeply, but he never complained.  I was blessed because mine wasn’t as bad simply because of the location.  We still tried to make our lives as normal as possible.  We went to our children’s ballgames, attended church, and even went out for an occasional movie.

   Along with the treatments we were facing, our daughter was having trouble with one of her legs.  She was an athlete and evolved with all sorts of sports, so we hoped that this was just a sports injury.  After some testing, however, the doctor had found she had a cyst growing within the bone below her knee.  It turned out to be benign, but truly scared us after everything else we had been through.  Our son had a small mishap as well; he had broken his wrist while playing football with friends.  Our home was beginning to look like a small hospital!  Our friends rallied around us once again.  Our lawn was mowed, food was brought, errands were run, and since I couldn’t drive myself home after chemo, a friend of mine, Jan Strempel, took over the job of making sure I always had a ride.  God is truly a provider as we read in the first couple of lines from the 23^rd Psalm: 

                        My Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… 

   My mother’s health improved to the point that my father was able to move her to a nursing home.  David’s radiation was coming to an end and mine was about to start.  Everyone at the Cancer Center at the hospital was wonderful and so uplifting to us.  The technicians were so compassionate to our needs and the nurses were caring.  They became our friends.  We started recognizing some of the other patients in the waiting room, since we had to go everyday, and realized even though we were probably the youngest, we still shared the same fears and concerns.

   When March came, my mother had a turn for the worst.  Her memory was failing rapidly and she had stopped eating.  Her weight was down to 85 pounds.  My father called me one afternoon to tell me she had passed away.  He was in the process of making funeral arrangements and needed me to help out. 

   I had been praying for my father for years for his salvation.  He brought my brother and me up as Unitarians but hadn’t been to church for many years.  I had tried on a number of occasions to talk to him about God, but he would refuse to discuss it and would change the subject.  My mother had been a Catholic, but I wasn’t sure about her real beliefs.  She had been an alcoholic all of my life, so we weren’t close at all and never talked about such things.  I will always regret not sharing the Gospel with her.

   My father had a wonderful memory and could remember all sorts of details.  So, when he gave me the information about the funeral, I assumed that he knew exactly what he was talking about.  He told me of the time, the location, even the spot they had chosen for the burial plot.  He had asked a local Unitarian minister to do the eulogy.  I prayed for God to intervene, I wanted my father to hear about God’s love for us and the eternal life we have after our bodies die and I knew that the minister he choose wouldn’t give us such a message.  On the day of the funeral, the funeral director called and asked why we weren’t there.  It seems that my father had gotten the times mixed up and the minister couldn’t be located.  Thank you, Lord!  Since we needed a speaker, I asked David if he would mind.  He had become very close to the Lord and was even a deacon for a number of years.  He was very active in church and on one occasion took vacation time to help out at our Vacation Bible School.  We were in charge of our youth group for a number of years as well, but he also helped raise money for our “seniors” to go on a trip.  Some of them had never been out of Alabama!  He was faithful to the widows as well.  So, when I asked him to do the service, he accepted with no question and found a Bible to use.  He sat by himself preparing and praying over the message.

   It was wonderful!  I was sitting beside my father praying the whole time that his heart was open to what David was saying.  David spoke of God’s love for us and our eternal life with Him if only we would give our hearts to Him.  I’m afraid that my father looked rather distracted.  Several days later I received a letter from him thanking us for helping him.  In the last sentence he wrote that he was especially grateful for what David had said and the good message he had delivered.  I was encouraged by this and kept praying for his salvation.

   Over the next couple of weeks, my father’s health started to deteriorate.  I got several phone calls from one of his friends telling me they were very concerned about him.  He wasn’t going out at all, had his groceries and medicine delivered to him, and didn’t look well.  We went to see him after he checked himself into the hospital and talked him into moving in with us until he got better.  He was on oxygen at that point; he had been diagnosed with emphysema and congestive heart failure.  He had also been a smoker all of his life.  He was with us for only a couple of days before I had to call an ambulance because he couldn’t catch his breath.  He stayed in the hospital for a couple of days and then was told he could go back to our house.  His mind was not getting enough oxygen for him to think clearly so he did some upsetting things.  It wasn’t long before I had to call the ambulance to come once again.  He was in the emergency room for many hours.  Several friends of ours came to pray over him and remind him how much God loved him.  My father was such a good man; did so much for our family, the Boy Scouts, his church, and the community, but we can’t get into Heaven by good works.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8

                        For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

   God had given time to several of our Christian friends to speak to my father again about how God loves him, regardless of his sins.  While he was in the emergency room, my friend, Jan, sent me away.  I was exhausted and still dealing with the chemo treatments and didn’t realize how tired I was.  Jan told me that she had prayed and asked God for an open window for my father to be able to think clearly enough to hear what she had to say.  The Lord cleared my father’s mind so that he could hear her speak.  She told him of our Savior’s love and desire to have us all become a member of his flock. He accepted Christ that day!  Praise God! 

   He lived for only a few more days, but long enough for my brother and his family to get to see him.  He died two days before he would have turned 80.  He’s with the Lord!  Amen.

   After the funeral, I had to reflect on the happenings of our life.  It had only been eight months since David had his surgery and yet it seemed like years, not months.  The Lord held us through it all, and so, we were ready to get our lives back to some normality.

   It was now June and I had just finished my chemotherapy treatments and was beginning to get my energy back when we decided to take a vacation.  We loved camping and our favorite spot was in Cherokee, NC.  The Smokey Mountains were beautiful and we could always relax and enjoy ourselves.  We decided to spend a week recuperating there.  God gave us so many good memories from that trip.  We attended the church ceremony within the campgrounds that met beside a stream and under the mountains.  It was wonderful!  We heard of God’s love and also heard testimonies of some teens who had gone through a variety of challenges during their short life.  We hiked, biked, sat and read, swam, and just enjoyed each other.  The one clear thing I remember is when David tried to put up our new tarp to cover the picnic table.  He told me he didn’t need to read the instructions; what man has to?  He ended up putting it upside down!  It kept us laughing for a long time! 

   David and our son, Michael, were involved with the local Boy Scouts and had been preparing for a trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota in July.  Michael celebrated his 12^th birthday while canoeing with his father and friends through the lakes and camping along the way.  The very next morning, my husband had gone fishing before everyone else had gotten up.  He noticed that there were some storms coming, so he stopped off at the other camp to warn the second half of their group about the coming thunderstorms before he headed on to his group.  He and the troop leader, Ron, set up a tarp so the boys would stay dry when they were ready to eat breakfast.  My son had told me later that he was watching them when a blot of lightning hit the tree next to the two men.  They were both knocked down and the boys in the tent also felt the shock from the lightning.  Michael’s feet had gotten burned from the heat.  Michael ran out to his dad to find out what he could do to help.  David was barely conscience, but told Michael to get help.  He ran to the other group that was on the other side of the island. Everyone worked hard to save David, but he went to be with the Lord that day.

   I’m not sure how Michael got home, but I know that God had His hands on several good people along the way to get him back to us by the end of the evening.  I’m not even sure who paid for the plane tickets, but I do know that one of the older boys stayed with him the whole time to comfort him and watch over him.  Friends of ours started showing up not long after I got the call telling me what happened.  We were devastated.  How could I live without my husband?  I had lost my best friend and husband to a bolt of lightning and our children were now without their father. 

   I don’t remember much of the following days.  What I do remember is that God sent many of our friends, many who were Christians, and others to help us, pray for us, give us guidance, and support; I had help with everything.  My brother and sister-in-law took less than two days to drive back down to us, for the third time in five months.  Family and friends came from all over Alabama just to show their support and love.  We had meals brought to us, our lawn was once again taken care of, and we were ministered to. God provided the needed love and support from lots of different people.  We had many very difficult times following the accident.  Michael especially had a hard time dealing with what he had experienced and seen.  We went to several counselors for help, but he often would tell me that they just didn’t understand how he felt.  God reminded us of His grace in the Bible from Hebrews 4:16:

                        Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

   David’s funeral was in south Alabama where his family lived and where our church was.  It was a small country church, but it was filled to capacity the day of the funeral.  Some people had to stay in the fellowship hall while others stood outside to hear.  God truly showed His love and mercy.  It was sweltering hot, but no one seemed to notice.  The Scouts who were part of the trip had traveled a long hard journey home and still made it to the funeral.  Even their leader, Ron, through all he endured, was there.  He had been in the ICU for a couple of days recovering from his injuries, but he managed to come.  People I hadn’t talked to in years were there; even our radiation technician had driven two hours just to show her support, as well as many friends from other parts of the state. 

   Everyone who had ever met David knew how special he was.  He often told me he didn’t like people, but everyone knew better.  His love of the Lord and his family were always noticed by everyone.  He was a friend to so many and truly did care.  He had been such a strong believer as well.  I’ve prayed many times for some good to come from all of this.  I know that God has used everything we had gone through for His glory in ways that I might not see now or understand until I get to Heaven.  The several times I’ve been asked to give my testimony, I’ve prayed that God’s love and mercy show through all the tragedy that happened in our lives in the short ten months and those who listen realize that God loves them.  He never promised us freedom from disease, loss of loved ones, marital difficulties, money problems, or heartache of any kind.  Satan attacks those who believe through many aspects of their lives.  It pleases him when he can turn believers against God, especially when sorrow arrives. 

   What He does promise is eternal life with Him in Heaven.  There are many references in the Bible teaching us about our eternal life with Him.  For further understanding; John 3:16, John 10:28, and Romans 6:23 encourages us in many ways.  In all of these passages, plus many more, the Word tells us that we will have eternal life with Him if we are willing to turn our lives over to Him.       

   Some time after the funeral, I received a package from one of the rangers from the park who helped try to save David.  Inside the package was the cross David was wearing the day he died.  The ranger had written a note telling me that the chain had been shattered and destroyed, but he felt I would like the cross.  The bottom part had melted a little from the heat of the lightning.  I’ve told many people about this cross and what it stands for.  God has broken our chains of sin and died for us, and the cross always remains. 

   We’ve have faced many difficulties since David died.  Both my son and daughter have had great difficulty growing up without their father.  God had provided strength to me lots of times when I felt that I just couldn’t handle raising two kids alone.  I had prayed on numerous occasions to God to let me just put my head on His lap and rest a while.  My son had become very difficult to handle.  It had all started when he began using chewing tobacco, then went on to smoking, even drank while at school.  I was called by the local police one day when they had caught Michael shop-lifting at a local grocery store.  Michael also became very angry one night and nearly hit me with his fist, but the Lord stopped him.  He stole my car on another occasion.  Things were getting out of hand.  I had called the local juvenile authorities to see what help I could get from them.  They did what they could, but the trouble and danger Michael was getting in to didn’t seem to sink in.  I also had him tested for drugs on numerous occasions.  I guess the final blow came when he stole $100 from a very close friend of ours.  I ended up sending him off to a Christian boarding school that was well known for helping kids like Michael.  I truly believe that God held him close to Him the whole time he was there and helped him grow into a much stronger person and believer.  God had to remind me that Michael has always been in His hands when we left him.   

  Michael has gone on to graduate from high school and is now in college majoring in graphic design.  He has grown so much.  The Lord is good!  My daughter has gotten married to a wonderful young man and is also doing very well.  But I know that the sorrow will always be there. It’s an emptiness that only God can fill.  God once promised me that I shouldn’t worry and that He would take care of me.  He has kept His promise.  I have been surrounded by good friends who have prayed for my family.  I have had a good bill of health since my fight with cancer and my children have grown.  

   I once heard that God doesn’t want these heartaches to happen to us, He certainly didn’t want Jesus to suffer on the cross.  But, if something good can come of it, if someone’s heart and mind open up to His word, then it’s worth all the pain and anguish.  I’m looking forward to seeing my father and David again in Heaven; I know that’s where I’ll be after I die.  Do you know where you will be for eternity?

   I wish you all the best; in His Blessed Name,

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