An Introduction of Myself & Testimony

I want to apologize, first of all, to all of you who are reading out there. Because I sent the link to only friends and family who I know, I neglected to introduce myself to my audience. I figured they already knew me! But this morning, as I was thinking about this blog, I realized that some might be reading it that do not know me, or my background. So let me make an introduction to myself.

My name is Sarah. I am 25 years (soon to be 26) and I currently live in the U.S. Territory of Guam on Andersen AFB with my husband, Jeff. We have two beautiful children: Mariah (5 yrs. old) and Krischan (2 yrs. old). We currently attend the Andersen Church of God, which is a pentecostal denomination, although we do not yet define our own denominational beliefs. I am currently working at a Christian preschool, teaching 2-5 year olds the Bible. I have recently accepted the position with my church of Clerk, which means I am a secretary/treasurer for my local church body. Jeff and I both teach Children's Church at our service, and Jeff is getting involved with being the webmaster for our church as well. My daughter loves the Lord, and especially loves telling people what she is learning, reciting verses and Bible stories to the adults! (I love it!) and Krischan is busy at the daycare where I teach, making friends, learning colors and to count! We are a busy family, but we love our lives together, and the Lord has truly blessed us with a family that loves to be together and serve God together! God is the glue that holds us together, and He is something that can never be taken away.

Before I met Jeff, I was a single mom for three years. I was not walking with the Lord, although I had confessed Christ as my Savior and been baptized. I was not living in God's commandments, therefore, I was not receiving the abundant life that God had promised. My husband grew up going to church sometimes as a Presbyterian, but stopped going when he left home and moved to Tucson, Arizona. That is where I met my husband and we were married, moved to Guam and received Krischan from the Lord! For the first two years of our marriage, until one year ago, Jeff and I were married but seriously struggling in marriage. We didn't have a lot of common ground. We had been married very quickly after meeting, then went on to move 8000 miles away from the U.S. and then had another child. Life was full of stress, and we came to the brink of divorce. I went back to Tucson while Jeff was deployed to Iraq for 5 months, and I really wasn't sure if I was coming back to Guam. I wanted to return to the life I knew, even if it had been really bad at times. During this trip, God did a miracle and he gave me the revelation that he could give me a new life, a fresh start, and I could walk with him for all the days of my life. All I needed to do was admit my sins to him, believe in his Son Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, and receive his forgiveness.

That day...I will never forget. I had been convinced of my sinfulness (convicted) by the Holy Spirit that something was terribly wrong in my life, and through two short scriptures (including Psalm 51), my whole life changed. I confessed my sins to God, and I received Christ as my Lord and Savior. A warmth that I cannot explain, except I know it was from God, washed over my body and soul and suddenly I knew everything was going to be just fine. God had forgiven me, and I couldn't explain it at the time, but I knew life was going to get a whole lot better for me! God had given me the faith to believe in his Son Jesus, and I remember one of the first things I said to God, "I don't know HOW you are going to fix this mess I have made with my life, but I trust you to do it, and I know you will." And he HAS. He has helped us get almost completely out of a $18000 debt, he has healed my marriage, given me peace and hope, and he has walked with me faithfully every day since that moment. He has never left me, nor forsaken me. Just as he says in scripture. People might say "How do you know God is walking with you?" There are a couple different answers to that, but one true answer.

The first answer is that I feel God's presence all around me at times, especially when I am suffering and he is comforting me. I feel Him when I worship Him, and I feel his protection around me when I am alone and afraid. But that is just a feeling. You see, believing in God means we have to have FAITH, believing in something we cannot see, hear, feel or touch. But God knows we struggle with that at times, so he allows us to feel Him. The second answer is that I see him working in circumstances, changing things for the better in answer to my prayer. Answered prayer is probably the one thing that has built my faith more than any other. Sometimes, I am not even "praying" out loud, but I am just thinking about something, and suddenly God will change the circumstance and answer my prayer. Before I had even asked. He knows what we need and he gives to us because he loves us. I have seen this in my own life, and as I have, my faith has grown and I have walked in a deeper, closer relationship with my Lord.

The final answer is that God tells us in the Bible that these things are true. The deeper I get into reading scripture, and seeing him work in my life, the more peace I have knowing that I will be with him forever....and be saved. Just like he says in scripture. I believe Him!!!! It has completely changed my whole life, and anyone who DOES know me can be a witness to that. I am not WHO I WAS, but I am WHO I AM because of what Christ has done for me.

I pray today that you all come to know Christ in a deep, meaningful, personal relationship that goes far beyond sitting in church every Sunday, or reading your Bible once in a while. This is a daily intimate walk with the God of the Universe. I believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit as one God, a holy trinity! So when I say I am walking with Jesus, I am walking with the other two as well. They are ONE. I pray that this introduction and testimony would bless you, and that you would allow God to forgive YOUR sins, be reconciled to him and live out the rest of eternity in God's amazing presence and grace!

Peace be with you in Jesus name.

Sarah