My Testimony   

Where do I even begin? I remember being raised Methodist and going to church every Sunday. Well, when I was about 16 years old, my family and I switched churches. We made the move from the Methodist church to the Presbyterian Church. “Why Presbyterian” you ask? Well, for lots of reasons. First of all, my mother was unhappy in her job at the Methodist church. So, as a family we prayed about it and felt it was time to make the move. Once we got to our new home at First Presbyterian Church - Lakeland, Florida, I really felt right at home.

God really works in mysterious ways. It has now been several years since I have been at First Presbyterian Church and things are going well. The three of us, my mother, father and me all joined the church and became very active in it. I joined the youth group and my youth director at that time, the Rev. Tim Rice, had a very big impact in my life, spiritually. I went to several Christian camps and retreats. It was fun, but I just felt like I was “part of the family.”

While in junior high and high school, I was picked on a lot and had very few friends. While I knew that I could always count on my family to help me out when ever I needed it, there was still something empty inside of me. Once I graduated from High School and went on to college, life began to change. I was growing and becoming more mature. I needed someone to “love me” and make me feel special so I tried the “girlfriend” scene. It worked… for awhile.

After attending a Christmas Conference in Atlanta with my church youth group, I really felt that God was working in my life. So, one evening after I got back from Atlanta…I prayed to accept Christ into my life! Things were going great after that; I was attending church on a regular basis and attending youth group every Sunday night. I stayed with it until I got out of high school.

In 1998, my life changed drastically when I found out that my father had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer. He went through several chemotherapy treatments and after each treatment, he would be on remission for about 7-8 months to a year. Then, a few months later, that cancer came back. This happened again and the third time it struck, we knew that the end was near for my dear father. He was admitted to Lakeland Regional Medical Center here in Lakeland and was in there for eight weeks… a length of time very rare for any kind of cancer patient. After eight weeks of hospitalization, he was not getting any better so we moved him to Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale, Florida. There he would spend the last few days of his life.

I remember, the day of Wednesday, December 19, 2001, I went to work on pins and needles at my Sears job. I made sure that every associate knew that if I got a call from my mother that my father had passed, that I needed to leave immediately. Well, I left work that day around 5:00pm, and went to my best friend Sean Byers’s house for dinner. We had dinner and ran a few errands. After we got back, I was in the mood to make cookies for some reason! So, both Sean and I went back to my apartment and I started making the cookies. It was at that time I called the Good Shepherd Hospice and they told me that my father he was not doing well and breathing very heavily. I talked with my therapist for a while and about an hour later my mother called with the sad news. He had died at 9:30pm.

His memorial service was awesome! My father was very well loved in the Lakeland, Florida community and though I did not get an accurate count, but I believe that there was something like 975 people there! WOW! What a real tribute to my father. It took me about a year to get over my father’s death. I am doing a lot better now. After my father’s death, I began to research Christ more in depth. Having a hard time being able to get along with fellow co-workers and family, I knew that I had to have something in my life to make me happy! It had to be Jesus Christ!

That evening, God had been tugging at my heart and at the end of the performance of "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames" at a local church in Lakeland… I made a decision to re-dedicate my life to Christ. Life has been awesome ever since! I now feel that God is calling me into the ministry field. “What are you talking about” you say? Well, I want to be able to reach people for Christ by using my magic. I feel that this is something that God really wants me to do so I’m asking you all to please pray for me and the workings on this new ministry.

If you have not yet asked Jesus Christ into you heart, I really encourage you to do so. Believe me, it will be the BEST feeling you will ever have and the most important decision you will ever make. If you want to make the commitment, then pray the following Sinner’s Prayer listed at Revival Fire Ministries.

“My Lord and my God, have mercy upon my soul, a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for the forgiveness of my sins. I believe Jesus rose again from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost and sits on the right hand of God making intercession for me. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and wash all my sins away with Your blood. I invite you into my heart as my personal Savior. Your Word says you’ll turn no one away, and that includes me. Therefore, I know you’ve heard me, and I know you’ve answered me, and I know I’m saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving my soul.”

Now raise your hands and thank and praise the Lord for saving your soul, open your heart and receive the life-giving Spirit of God.

If you just prayed that prayer and really meant it in your heart, then Jesus Christ is living in your heart and will love you forever! If you did pray that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of the Christ. If you have any questions please feel free to email me and I will be happy to contact you and help you in your new walk with Christ! May God Bless You each and every day!

Also, I feel Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ is a MUST see for anyone 13 years of age or older. Believe me, it will CHANGE your life FOREVER!

My church recently sent a team of people to Kenya, Africa, on a Mission Project. Below are pictures of the team in Kenya. I hope that you enjoy looking at the following pictures below.

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