My Testimony?

I think it is so strange when people ask me to share my testimony in the singular, like there is only one.  Like God has only done one notable thing in my life. I will tell you that my testimonies are countless. YHWH has work wonders with me when I have allowed him. I hope to share some of these amazing turns in my life throughout this year of blogging. I choose to start with this one.  It really didn’t affect me as much as it affected my husband, but I was blessed to watch it unfold in front of my eyes.

I met my husband Larry in high school English. We started attending church in the town were we lived. A few years later after 1 year of college, we married and moved to a different town. A Different town meant we needed to look for a different church. Larry and I were proud Christians that loved Jesus and we wanted to find a church community because we felt that is what good Christians do.  So, every Sunday morning we would church hop. We went from church to church to find the right fit for us.

One Sunday we decided to visit a large church on a large corner lot in South Bend. We passed the church a number of times in our day to day activities, and we felt a pull to visit. There was nothing special about the Sunday morning we visited. We woke up, got ready, got in the car, and went to church. When we stepped into the church building we were surprise at the low attendance. There were only about 40 people in this large church building in South Bend. In side the building was simple.  There were no lavish decorations or saintly statues. The service itself was dry. They sang slowly to old-fashioned hymns. The middle-aged Pastor was new and you could tell he wasn’t super comfortable with his position yet. There was nothing that really stuck out to a 20 year old couple.  Nothing but nice people who noticed us  We left the service that day unimpressed,  but happy enough to maybe try again. Later that week I received a nice note in the mail from one of the women. I was touched by her effort and thoughtfulness, so we went back the next week. After a few weeks of visiting we decided this was the church for us!

The next workweek went by quickly, and the time came to attend our “little” church on the corner. That morning Larry wasn’t feeling very well, so we decided to stay home. The next week went by and Larry felt fine.  We had every intention of making it to church, but….Sunday morning came and the strangest thing happened.  Larry got out of bed, and his nose started pouring with blood.  He felt like he was going to pass out. I never knew him to suffer with nosebleeds. We missed another church service, but we didn’t think much about it. We would make it next week. The next workweek went by and Larry was fine.  We got out of bed Sunday morning to go to church, and Larry’s eyes started burning. They burned so terribly that we took him to an emergency clinic. He had some sort of strep virus in his eyes. This was too much! By then we had figured out the enemy did not want us at that church.

That Sunday evening, after Larry was treated, we recognized the strange illnesses were attacks from Satan ,and something needed to be done. The only thing we could think to do was visit Larry’s pastor uncle in Milford. His aunt and uncle were welcoming as usual. They also felt these Sunday morning illnesses were attacks. Larry’s uncle suggested we be anointed that evening at his church. He made arrangements for the elders of the church to lay their hands on Larry and me. They prayed that the attacks would stop and that we would no longer be discouraged from attending this church on the corner. We left that evening with confidence and peace. We truly felt like God was leading us, and we were following the path he had chosen for us.

The workweek went by and Larry was fine. We both woke up the next Sunday morning healthy and refreshed. We headed out early.  We were excited to get to this church to see why it was such a threat to Satan. We got half way there and our two year old car broke down. It died on the side of the road. We were so confused. How could this happen? We sat there for a while. I don’t remember what we did in the car. Did we say a prayer, did we laugh, did we cry? I don’t know…..However; I do remember the joy I felt when a police car stopped to see if we needed help. He took us back to our apartment.  We got our other car and made it to church that Sunday. I don’t know if we made it on time, but we made it. We never had troubles making it to church after that. God honored our faith and he protected us.  He knew this church would play an important part in Larry’s ministry.

This church DID play a vital role in Larry’s ministry. It just so happened that this denomination was the same one Larry attended as a child with his grandmother. It also was the same denomination as the church in Milford where his uncle served. This church called and licensed Larry to the ministry. They helped to prepare him to be a Pastor. Everything came back around full circle when some of the elders at the church in Milford that laid hands on Larry the Sunday evening we were in spiritual distressed, called him to be their pastor 10 years later.  Since then, Larry and I try to be tuned into the spiritual forces behind things that happen in our ministry.

Currently, as we try with the help of others to start a truly Biblical fellowship, we realize Satan and his demons will try to destroy us with sickness and hardships of various kinds. We must be aware of their presence and not be distracted by what they throw at us.
　
Scripture on my heart:
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5:14-16