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Abuse
Self-Injury
Abortion
Parlyzed and healed
Saved on the 'net
Routine Christian Camp?
God's Miracles through a Brother's Death
Brittany's Statement of Faith
A Miracle
Sarah's Story
A Witnessing Opportunity
Seeing Jesus
A
Witnessing Opportunity (Darci)
It's
always been hard for me to openly talk about my faith to my classmates,
simply because of the response I get from them. I am constantly
laughed at, teased, and mocked by everyone.
Well,
I just happened to get the perfect opportunity to share my
faith, but it came sort of unexpectedly. I was sitting in English
class one day when my teacher announced that we had to give
oral book reports, and we had to know our books and sign up
at the beginning of the next week. The only catch was that
we didn't have to pick a new book to read; it could be any
book, any topic, could've read it any time.
I
went to the mall that weekend to do some Christmas shopping.
I don't get to the mall hardly at all. I was looking around
in my favorite Christian book store thinking about my Christmas
list for awhile. When all of a sudden I noticed that a book
series I had wanted for the longest time was on sale that day
only (talk about coincidence). Well, I picked them up while
I was there.
I
went to school the next day and signed up to do my book report
the next week, which would have been the week before Christmas
break. Then it finally dawned on me that I could use the first
book in the series I had just bought to help with my witnessing.
Well,
I gave my book report on the book Left Behind by Tim
LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Let's just say that after that
no one laughed, teased, or mocked me anymore. I now have a
waiting list a mile long for the book, and everyone has been
asking me questions about my faith.
It
left a lot of thinking on my part. I think those books were
on sale that particular day for a reason. If they weren't on
sale, I wouldn't have gotten them. God used me then to witness
to my classmates. It was awesome!
A
Miracle! (Roger)
It
was only because it happened yesterday that I remember it so well.
I had travelled a long way, first by a ferry from Finland to Sweden
and then by train to Oslo in Norway. As the train approached the
central railway station in Oslo I felt the need for God's presence
in my life and I began to pray. I was clinging to and claiming
my favourite Bible verse: "The just shall live by faith." (Romans:
1:17).
I
wanted to attend a Christian college in Finland and study to
be preacher, but I was unable to obtain any employment because
work was hard to get, so I had this fixed idea that I would
get a job in Norway.
I
did not know one single person in Oslo or in the whole of Norway
as a matter of fact. But when the train arrived in Oslo I walked
to the nearest public telephone box that I could find and looked
in the phone book wondering who to ring up for to get a job.
I knew that the country side in Norway was beautiful so I thought, "That's
where I want to work." I managed to find a telephone number
to a nursing home in the country and rung them up and asked
to speak to the manager. The manager asked me on the phone
why I wanted a job and I explained that I wanted to work and
save money for a college in Finland. "Ok," he said, "Come and
see me."
The
train ride to the nursing home was only about two hours. The
manager met me at the railway station and gave me a lift to
what I was hoping would be my next job. "So you want to go
to college and study to be a preacher?" He said. Yes, that
was my intention. "Just wait a moment," he said, and walked
in to another office. About five minutes later he come back
and said, "I will pay for your college fees."
The
just shall live by faith!
Sarah's
Story (Phillip)
It
was a Saturday in March 1997, about 2:OO PM. We all rolled into
the church parking lot exhusted, yet filled with the Holy Spirit
from a tremendous praise and worship weekend at a Baptist Camp
in Lynchburg VA. As we all walked toward our vehicles to head home
and get some rest I would always hug the members of our youth and
tell them "I love you" before we departed. Sarah Huett, one of
our guests, would often join us in our youth ministry programs.
Like all the others, I hugged Sarah and told her "I love you".
She replied, "I love you too," and then we went our separate ways.
Little did we know, those words would be the last we ever spoke
to one another. Four months later, during the early morning hours
of July 3, 1997, Sarah was driving home when her truck ran off
the road, struck a tree and she was killed. Sarah never lived to
see her 18th birthday.
Before
this tragedy occured God had already used Sarah in a great
way to touch the lives of hundreds.
THIS
IS SARAH'S STORY
A
year or two earlier a friend of Sarah's family invited her
to be part of a summer mission team headed for the small contry
of Estonia, where there were no chruch buildings or resources
to build one. The Estonians had not yet heard the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
While
Sarah was on this mission, the Holy Spirit grabbed hold of
her and she found herself overflowing with a love and compassion
that can only come from the Lord, our Savior. Hundreds of Estonian
lives were touched in a great and mighty way through the faithfulness
and actions of this seventeen year old.
Sarah
returned to this country with a tremendous burden on her heart
to make life better for these people whom she grew to love
and adore. Sarah's parents share how their daughter came to
them pleading for a way to help the Estonians. Her parents
did all they could to help, but their resources were limited.
All that was left to do was pray and trust God to provide a
way to help the Estonians. The Lord did provide the funds to
help the Estonians, but it was in a way we will never quite
understand. The funds came from the memorial fund given to
Sarah's family in her honer. Sarah's parents took the money
from the fund and used it to build a place of worship for the
Estonians. Because of Sarah's death, today there stands a church
in the country of Estonia where the Estonians now can gather
to worship the Lord Our God. The name of this church is "SARAH'S
CHURCH".
This
teenager touched so many lives that today in the homes of Estonian
people one will see Sarah's picture. I pray that this story
will build the faith of you young people and show that God
can, and will, work through your generation in a great and
mighty way. All you have to do is believe and trust in the
Lord and He will reveal himself to you. Sometimes the price
of following God will cost you your life, but the price of
our salvation cost Jesus His life. What greater sacrifice is
there than the life of one for the salvation of many, when
the one who is Glorified is God our Father. Imagine the joy
Sarah feels today living with Jesus.
IF
YOU STAY TRUE TO GOD AS SARAH DID HE WILL FILL YOU WITH HIS
SPIRIT FOR ETERNITY.
Seeing
Jesus (Ashley)
My
friend was at a Christian camp in Minnesota, near Wisconsin. He
and a bunch of guys canoed to an island with some counselors for
a camp-out. The weather got really bad, and the guys lost a lot
of food and stuff in the lake. They were pretty scared, so they
got together and prayed for Jesus to calm the storm. As they were
going to bed that night, he looked out at the lake and saw Christ
walking on the water. He said that he just knew it was Jesus, that
he was so awestruck and he could just sense it.The storm calmed
about 10 minutes later, and the boys made it back to camp the next
day safe and sound.
Brittany's
Statement of Faith (Brittany)
I
thought that my statement of faith could be kind of inspirational.
So here it goes:
Do
you remember your first home run? When you see the ball coming
straight for your eyes, you step in and swing the bat, and
then all of the suden you and the ball just... Connect.
Do
you remember eating one of your most favorite cookies? You
see the cookie in the jar and you just can't help yourself
so you grab the cookie and hold it to your face, you go for
the bite and then all of the sudden you and the cookie just...
Connect.
Do
you remember the first time you spoke top God? At first you
don't know what to say and you aren't really sure if he's listening,
you feel like he won't even answer your prayers. But then God
has answered your prayers in some way, and all of the sudden
you and God just... Connect.
I'm
here today because I've connected with God, or should I say,
God's connected with me. He started out in my head but now
he's in my heart and that's my connection with God. I went
to Confirmation Class to connect with God, but he died to connect
with me. Somebody once said that if it would take 1000 steps
to reach God, God would take 999 of those steps for me and
I would only need to one of those steps, and then all of the
sudden God and I just... Connect.
God's
Miracles through a Brother's Death (Niki)
Stephen
J. Conrey July 30, 1981 - May 26, 1999
This
is a testimony of God’s thumb print on the life and death of
a seventeen year old servant. My baby brother Stephen was killed
in an automobile accident on Wednesday, May 26, 1999. Stephen’s
celebration service was held on Memorial day, Monday, May 31,
1999.
The
following is a letter I wrote to Mr. James Avery. He is a Christian
craftsman based in Houston, Texas.
"Dear
Mr. Avery,
"For
Christmas 1998, I purchased your sterling silver alpha and
omega ring for my little brother named Stephen Conrey. Although
knowing the scripture related to the alpha and omega, I never
knew the symbol. Stephen gave his life to the Lord several
years ago. He brought many of his friends to meet this "Savior" that
he always talked about. Stephen was your typical 17 year
old. He would say, "I may not be perfect, but I am forgiven".
Stephen wore the alpha and omega ring everyday. My mother
said that he would not leave the house until the ring was
on his finger. Everyone in his youth group associated that
ring with Stephen. Just as breathing is part of life, so
was the ring to Stephen. Being the big sister that I am and
knowing that I bought the ring for him, it made me feel good.
But I knew the significance of the ring went deeper than
the love of a big sister. The ring reminded Stephen of God’s
promise and an everlasting love, far greater than I can ever
give.
"One
week ago, Stephen was killed in an automobile accident in
a small town called Sweeny, Texas. Praise God that the driver,
although severely injured, survived the accident. My little
brother, being a passenger in the front seat, was killed
instantly along with his best friend that was sitting in
the back seat. No negligence fell on the part of my brother
or his friends, but that of the adverse driver. The car was
severely damaged and then caught on fire. After burning for
30 minutes, every man-made material in the car was burnt
beyond recognition, including my brother and his friend.
My mother informed me that the only identification of my
brother was by that of the alpha and omega ring. Several
days later, our family was given the only thing left of my
brother, the ring he loved so much. Although covered with
soot and ashes, the alpha and omega ring was not disfigured
in any way.
"At
Stephen’s celebration service, we played praise music and
Stephen’s favorite Christian songs. We laughed and cried.
An alter call was given and the harvest was plenty. I sat
beside my other brother Jason, who is also younger than myself.
You can consider him an unbeliever. From his perspective,
science and Christianity conflict. He prayed during this
time of grief that God would take away his doubt. For the
first time in his life, he needed something far beyond his
understanding. After returning home and to his daily routine,
Jason could not get rid of the void of not knowing the significance
of the ring. He had to find out what miracle he could not
see. Therefor, he went to your store in Austin and read the
meaning of alpha and omega. Overwhelmed by what he read,
he went home to learn more. God spoke to Jason through your
alpha and omega ring.
"I
would like to thank you for being obedient to God’s calling
for your life. Because of your vision and God’s planning,
the result was a seed. God showed our family that even through
the tragedy of this event, God prevails. God is who God says
God is.
"Many
people today look for seas to be parted and bushes to burn,
but I keep the ring around my neck to remind me of the miracles
that God gives us today. Alpha and omega, the first and last,
the beginning and the end. Even when the end has past, yet
I shall remain."
On
Monday, July 7, 1999, Mr. Avery personally responded to this
letter by a phone call. He said that he was very touched by
the letter. He said that he would keep it to remind him of
the true meaning of his ministry for Jesus. He also mentioned
that he was taking it home to share it with his wife. The most
significant part of the conversation was that he personally
understood what my family is going through. He, too, had a
son named Stephen who died at a very young age. On Saturday,
June 12, 1999, I went to James Avery in Memorial City Mall
to purchase the same Alpha and Omega ring for my father for
Father’s Day. When telling Stephen’s story, the salesman started
to cry, not for my loss, but for the remembrance of his younger
brother named Stephen who died when they were young. It was
not by mistake that these events have happened. God is allowing
all the deaths of these young boys named Stephen as a witness
of his glory and grace.
There
were around 700 people at Stephen’s celebration service. Both
young and old. So many that the local First Baptist Church
could not seat the crowd with only 500 seats. After the service,
the family and attendants were escorted by county police to
the beach. Over three miles of cars proceeded behind the family.
We never saw the end of the line. The family unanimously agreed
on the beach for depositing Stephen’s ashes. Considering Stephen
was an avid surfer, it seemed as though he was called to rest
in the ocean. The family and many of Stephen’s friends went
to the second sand bar. We gathered around in a circle as my
father let the ashes stream through the water and between our
legs. Breath by breath he spoke of Stephen’s love for each
and every one of us. He hoped that each time we come to this
beach or see any body of water, that the beauty mystery of
the ocean would remind you of Stephen. At last, Stephen was
set free.
On
Wednesday, June 2, 1999, a week after my brother’s death, my
mother and father went to visit Josh, the driver of the vehicle
that my brother was in. Surrounding his bed were cookies and
candy, every teenagers desire. While speaking to my parents,
Josh’s mother mentioned how very strange it was that since
the accident Josh has craved nothing but apples and oranges.
Josh, still in his cast, lowered his arm and while rubbing
his stomach, mentioned how great those oranges were. Instantly
my mother broke out in tears. Josh ’s mother afraid that she
might have said something to offend my mother, apologized.
My mother took her outside and informed her that Stephen loved
oranges and that he too rubbed his belly when he enjoyed an
orange. Fruit of the spirit. Amazing how God transferred the
love of a fruit into Josh’s spirit.
On
Tuesday, June 15, 1999, my mother and father were in Austin
visiting my brother Jason. After returning to the parking lot
after shopping, they realized that the truck would not start.
They took the truck to a nearby dealership to have it checked
out. Mother was looking around at the new cars on the lot when
a salesman asked her if he could help. Mother explained to
the salesman that she was only looking and that they were not
from around here, but from Sweeny. They were just visiting
a son after their younger son’s death. He said that he grew
up in West Columbia which is approximately 10 miles from Sweeny
and that his mother is a reporter for the West Columbia newspaper.
He knew about the car accident and the death of the two young
boys. He knew as much as the celebration of life at the beach.
Come to find out, the battery was simply drained in the truck,
how odd. Now do you think that was just a stroke of bad luck
or God allowing my parents to minister to the salesman.
Throughout
the "time away" trip that my mother and father have taken,
they have passed out tracks with Stephen’s story written on
the back. The tracks they use are the paper 20 dollar bills.
A company by the name of Alpha and Omega Publishing produces
those tracks. Again, God shows us that even when the end has
past, yet he remains. Our lives will never be the same after
experiencing the true meaning of God ’s promise, peace beyond
understanding. Every day since Stephen’s death, God has shown
his presence. This testimony is only the beginning.
If
you personally want to do something for me and my family in
memory of Stephen, I ask that you give to the Halton Fund at
Fist Baptist Church of Old Ocean (409) 647-4609, where Stephen
was very active. The Halton fund was created to help a family
of eight. One child was diagnosed with spinal bifita, Halton
himself. With eight mouths to feed, trips to Houston for Halton’s
treatments can be very expensive. My brother loved Halton and
would want you to help this family. If funds don’t permit you
to give to the Halton fund, please plant an orange tree. The
fruit that Stephen’s spirit longed for!
I
close by reading Stephen’s favorite scripture from John 8:36: "So
if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed."
Routine
Christian Camp? (Karly)
I
just got back from camp yesterday. I know that the reputation of
Christian camps all over America precede them; you know the routine
-- go to camp, get an awesome fire for God, pledge that you truly
give up your strongholds.You come back and are totally on fire
for God for a couple weeks, then BOOM -- is that MTV on your TV
again??
Well,
this camp was a lot different. See, we went with only our youth
group, and so there was not really that pressure there to act
a way you didn't feel. Everyone knew everyone.
The
first service was AWESOME. The fire of God fell, and I wept
for an hour. God basically just told me that He loved me, and
I broke down. I saw a vision of Him holding me in His arms.
See, I have been struggling for years about the need for feeling
loved. Satan is such a LIAR!! That was all God had to say to
me: "I love you". Then He dealt with me about secular music,
MTV, certain movies, what I watch on television, and other
things that were out of line with His Word that I had been
guilty of. The Holy Spirit had been pulling at me for so long,
little by little, and this week just set it off. I am totally
delivered, and I KNOW that I know that I will NEVER be the
same again. God's power and peace is too awesome for me to
go back.
I
am sharing this with you guys in high hopes that you will totally
be STUCK with this story in mind until you can't stand it --
and you have to give up YOUR strongholds to God, too. It is
SO liberating, and take it from someone who thought it was
so hard -- ya ready? IT'S NOT!! It is so easy. And you know
what? I don't even WANT to watch that junk,or listen to that
JUNK -- I am totally set free!
Saved
on the 'net (Meg)
Dear
Rebecca,
My name is Meg and I was just writing to you to let you know something that I'm
very happy about. My good friend Ann was very atheist for pretty much her whole
life. I would mention God and my beliefs and she would get mad and shoot my thoughts
down. But yesterday when I was on I found this website and the Virtual Tour through
Hell, and I clicked on it because I thought it sounded interesting. So I went
through the whole tour, and I was telling Ann about it as I was going along.
She said she would like to see it, so I sent the link to her. As she was going
through it we were talking about God, and she got mad because I "didn't respect
her beliefs", but I continued to push the ideas on her. By the time we were done
talking, she said she'd think more about God, and I was happy for that. Today
when I talked to her I was very happy to find out that she had thought about
what I said, asked God to forgive her, and she realized that what she believed
was wrong and that God died on the cross for her so that she could go to heaven
and have eternal life.
All
this to say that I never thought I could make a difference,
but I guess I really did. I think that everyone should know
that even if they don't think they can make a difference, they
honestly can, all it takes is not being scared to voice your
opinion.
Thank
you for your time,
Meg
Paralyzed
and healed (Billy)
Hey
Rebecca,
My
name is Billy Langeveld. 13 months ago I was injured in an
accident that broke my back and left me paralyzed from the
waist down. The doctors told me that I would never walk
again or even get any feeling back in my legs. The first
thing I did to prove those doctors wrong was that I got feeling
back in my legs about 5 days after surgery. Then came
one of the most special days of my whole incident, the day
like 20 people from my youth group all came up at once. It
was amazing to see the amount of support that they gave to
me. Well, that was the day I got my first movement back
in my legs. It was one of the most moving days in my
life. Right there and then I knew that the power of prayer
was real and that God truly must exist. Throughout my
days in rehab, I received more and more movement. Now
I still haven't gotten all movement back and I probably never
will until I reach God's Kingdom. But to be able to prove
those doctors wrong and to show people the power of prayer
and to show them that their prayers were answered was one of
the greatest feelings ever.
I
am now in physio and still rehabilitating. I still don't
know how to thank the people who gave me their prayers and
I don't know if I ever will be able to thank them enough. This
past month I recomitted myself to the Lord at a Youth Rally. I
have also decided to serve the Lord by becoming a pastor. Well
that's my story so far but I know that this is just the begining
of a long journey to God's Kingdom.
Love
God ALWAYS,
Billy
Langeveld
Abortion
(Sarah)
Hello,
Well I just would like to say that God works
in such mysterious ways! My story is a little similar to
many teen girls' stories. I got pregnant at the age of 17. I
was totally devestated. I thought about abortion a lot until
one day my mom bought me my first teen Bible. The first teen
subject was abortion, and there was a verse that said children
are God's gift to you. It really touched me. It was
like my little sign from Him, telling me not to have the abortion
and that things are going to be ok. I know I can handle it
because I have the Lord on my side. And I am thankful every
day that I didn't have the abortion. My message to all teenage
girls and boys is that nothing is too hard if you just ask for
his help. He will never let you down!!
Thank
you and God bless!
Sarah
-
Self-Injury
Hey!
A little while ago I suffered from sever depression. I
used to cut my wrists and make myself bleed. I liked to feel
in control of my
life, that was my only escape. It was a sick game I played with
myself. How much can you make yourself feel better by hurting
yourself? I went to a Christian camp last year and talked to my counselor
about my problem. She helped and I thought I was better. I
felt I didn't need to do that to be in control of my life.
Last
year alot of things happened. My best friend moved
away, and she and I had the same problem. And now I
feel I can't talk to her anymore. About the beginning
of last year I started drinking alcohol. But that still
didn't make me feel better. Then about last month I
overdosed on aspirin -- I took six pills. To
some people that may not be a lot, but I am a very small
girl for my age. I'm 14 and 105 lbs. That night
I went to church and my friend asked for the Tylenol I had
'cause she had a headache. I told her I didn't have
them anymore but she guessed what happened and told our Sunday
School teacher. By this time I was shaking and crying. Mrs.
Cullins told me about her problems when she was young --
how she went through everything I was going through and that
I would find my way with God. I had thought that I
had found my way with God, but then I thought that if I had,
He would not have put me through this. I thought about
this very hard that night and got really scared that I was
not as close as I thought I was to God. I was known
as a "casual Christian". That was something I didn't
want to be.
A
few weeks ago I was back to my normal better self, but got
another startling smack in the face. A rumor went around
my school saying I was a slut (because of the clothes I wear
and the things I do and say). It was almost a small
hint that I might want to change my ways. God had told
me before in nicer ways, but I was too thick-headed to realize
what exactly he was saying. This was a harder push
to get me in the right direction. I am now seeing a
special doctor to talk about my problems, taking medication
for my depression, and cleaning my act up. God has
spoken to me telling me that this will not last forever and
that He loves me and He'll be with me every step I take. Thank-you
for listening to my story. I hope it helps anyone out
there who might be thinking of hurting themselves. God will
never leave you, all you have to do is ask Him to help!
From:
Anonymous
If
you identify with this letter, or if you have a friend who
injures themselves, then there IS help! Check out the page: http://members.truepath.com/lysamena/index.html for
more information and help with self-injury.
Abuse
Hey
I've never actually written my story before, I've only ever talked to people
about what happened to me... so if none of this makes sense, please
bear with me. I was brought up as a Christian. Both my parents have strong relationships
with God and are very involved in the Church. I myself became a Christian when
I was 3 at a Christian Camp. I guess you could say I didn't know what I was getting
myself into. I was young, and I had a very warped view of what a realtionship
with Jesus meant for me.
I
know and understand now my reasons for making the decision
to become a Christian. Jesus protected Children. At the time
I was being
molested by a family "friend" who lived with us. I told no-one. Not my mum
or dad, or my brother, or my friends, because my abuser had said it was "our
little secret" and that she would take my mummy away if I told anyone. Now you
can understand why I wanted to be "protected."
I
kept this to myself for 16 years.
At
the age of 12, I was attacked and raped by a gang of boys just
outside my school. Again I carried on as normal, not telling
anyone, believing them when they told me that it was "all i
was good for."
Ok,
so far the stuff I've told you has been negative...but that's
not what my life is about. I know now that there is no way
that God wanted this to happen to me, but that what he saw
was the bigger picture. He could see how this was going to
affect me, but he could also see how my relationship with Him
was going to be dramatically strengthened because of what I
had been through and because of my ability to rely on Him to
get me through.
The
purpose of writing this is not to get you to feel sorry for
me, because I am NOT a victim. I am a SURVIVOR because of what
God has done for me, and as far as I'm concerned if I can give
hope to one person who reads this, then this all happened for
a purpose, and that is to be a friend to people who have been
through similar situations.
All
my love,
Sarah |
