I was raised in a small town in PA. My father was a Quaker and my mother was a Presbyterian. Thus, I was raised in a “religious” home. We always said prayers at meal times and at bed times and I was a well-behaved child growing up. However, I never heard about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I basically believed in “salvation by works” that is, being good enough to get to heaven. I think that subconsciously, this belief drove me to be “good”. When I moved to Hawaii in 1969, I felt an emptiness in my heart because I had not yet found a church home. When my husband proposed to me in 1970, I told him that I wanted to start going to church again and he agreed with that decision. Shortly after getting married, my husband told me that he used to know a pastor down at the Baptist Church on Pensacola Street. He suggested that we go check it out. When we arrived, he discovered a new church building and a different pastor. My husband was not a church goer and had not accepted Christ as his Savior. He only rarely attended church after that. * However, I became interested in church and began attending. In 1971, I accepted Christ as my Savior and I have been growing and maturing in Christ ever since. God used a non-Christian to lead me to the message of Christ. The hardest thing for me as a new Christian was to tithe. My hand was shaking as I wrote the check. However, I quickly learned that you can not out give God. He always provides. At present, Christ does three main things for me which I remember with the letters C, D and E.
C: Confidence: God gives me confidence both about situations on earth and about my eternity. I know that God will never forsake me even when I do not see him working. I know that He is in control at all times. He has probably protected me many times even when I was not aware of His presence. I have learned to step out in faith and trust that God in His time will accomplish what he has directed me to do even when I do not see the “how” of a situation. I also do not fear death because I know that I will be with God in heaven after I pass away.
D: Direction or purpose: I know God created me for a purpose and as I pray, I get direction from God for short term and long-term goals. God recently led me to go on a seven-month mission trip to Asia. You can read about it by clicking [HERE]. I have hope and feel valued because I know there is a reason for my being alive even when things are difficult.
E: Excitement or Enthusiasm: I have tears of joy as I contemplate on what God does around the world. I have seen God work in some amazing ways. It is a joy to get up each day and see what God has planned for the day and how He lets me participate in his work.
To keep me focused, I have made a daily action plan which helps me stay fit physically, mentally and spiritually. Thank you for reading my testimony. Aloha ke Akua!
* When I became a Christian my husband and I became unequally yoked which caused some difficulties, but God sustained both of us through those difficulties. My husband accepted Christ about a week before he passed away. P.T.L.
