My Testimony

Well I will start off by telling about my family when I was growing up.  Both of my parents smoked and I hated it... just one of my pet peeves.  Anyway.... when I was 7, I was pretending to be cool and wearing my older brother's jacket around the basement.  He was 13 at the time.  I found a pack of cigartettes in his pocket and told my mom.  I mean come on!!!  I was 7 and I hated cigarettes... what do you expect!  So anyway, my mom did everything she could to get him to stop, but he just ended up getting into deeper and worse drugs.  By the time my brother was 16, he was an alcoholic and a drug addict.  He did anything and everything out there.  After wrecking two of our cars and getting 4 DUIs, my mom forced him to get help.  He went to rehab and just ended up dropping out of it and stopped going.  By this time, I didn't do drugs because I saw what it did to him, and I wasn't having sex like my brother did like 7 nights a week.  But I really didn't want to love God.... I prayed to Him to save my brother, but I wasn't sincere in loving Him.  When I turned 12, I had given up on God... didn't care for Him anymore.  I was sweiring really bad, and had the WORST attitude.  I didn't care for anyone.  I felt that when teachers or adults asked me why I acted that way, I could say "I come from a troubled home"...an excuse to get me out of things.  My grades went down, the friends came rolling in... but they weren't the friends I wanted to have.  I finally rekindled a friendship with my Icelandic girl, Laura that I was friends with in elementary school.  In 8th grade, I started going to her church.... just because we thought the high school guys in her youth group were hot.  Soon enough, I was listening to Christian music.... but I listened for the music, not the message.  We ended up taking a summer trip to a music festival called Creation in Mount Union, PA.  We went and I was having a blast besides getting food poisoning.... (not good!).  I heard one of the speakers one evening.... his name was Pat Meseti.  He was a short little australian man that had this squeaky voice.  His speech was called "Fan or Follower".  After hearing that, God hit me.... He woke me out of that deep slumber of darkness I was in.  About 2 months later, I was still strong on my path to stand by the Lord and I wanted to give my testimony.  I gave it in front of Laura and Val, who helped with the youth group.  After I had finished, Val had told me she bought the tape of Pat Meseti's sermon and she let me have it.  I still listen to that speech once a week... I know most of it by heart.  The Lord has blessed me with so many accomplishments.  I have done well in school, became Secretary of Youth For Christ my junior year, I got majorette captain my junior and senior year, He's blessed me with great trustworthy friends, and He's given me witnessing opprotunities that have helped out another teen just like me.  I'm hoping that I can help you... if you ever want advice or just want to talk or have questions about your faith or my faith, please EMAIL ME!

I have been crucified with Christ and I live no longer, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

~Galatians 2:20

HELP LINKS

THE SAMARITANS homepage VOICES OF DEPRESSION homepage LIGHT FOR LIFE FOUNDATION UIUC SUICIDE PREVENTION

I have taken the time to read and check out all the information on the above webpages.  I feel that all give hope and help to those who feel like noone cares anymore.