Testimony

I have been thinking for a while now about giving my testimony here on my blog. My husband and I have been through some trying times in our marriage. I know that God has always kept his hand not only on me, but on my husband as well. We both had been through a lot before coming to know each other.

I haven't told my testimony to many people. My husband and I meet each other in a bar. Neither of us were in church at the time, and when I think back to how God saw me, and how I need him, he put Joe there to help me, while I was in a very sad lonely place.

After we met, Joe told me about God. I think I was really drawn to him because he knew about God and wasn't afraid or ashamed to talk about Him. I have always believed in God. I was born and raised Catholic. I went to Sunday school, and learned some about God. I think that sometimes I went to church and Sunday school because it was expected of me. I was constantly watching the clock, waiting for my hour to be over. As I reached my 20's I didn't go at all to church, but I have always believed in one God. The Catholics as a rule don't use the word "trinity" and God had given me then, a Revelation of "one God"

Starting a life as a young couple and drinking and going to bars all the time is not a very good start to a marriage. My husband and I struggled with a lot. We lasted about 6 months of this life style before the party ended and we realized we need more in our marriage.

I had the idea of going to church, because if God couldn't help us then, nothing could. I figured I would look for a church, but Joe had told me he would not go to a Catholic church. There was a large church in the area we lived, a "Christian church" The first time we went there was a disaster. I left there very discourage and feeling like there was no hope. Joe was trying to be supportive. He wanted to try to make our marriage work, and he also knew that only God could fix it. We drove home from that very cold, informal, church service (that neither of us got anything out of) and he looked at me and said, "If we are going to go to church, then we are going to got to the right church, a pentecostal church. At this point I said OKAY, I need something, GOD, and at this point I didn't care what church we went to as long as we went somewhere.

Joe called Bro Driscoll, in Texas, and ask him to find us a church in California. He called us back and gave us Bro. Bookers number in Rialto. At the time we lived in Garden Grove and I explained to Joe that Rialto is very far away. He called the Rialto church and Joel Booker gave Joe the name and number to the church in Orange.

I got the Holy Ghost in the middle of January about six weeks after we started to attend the UPC of Orange. I remember the service. It was a missionary from France preaching. He talked a lot about the Catholic church in France, since mostly everyone is France is Catholic. The service hit home. I got the Holy Ghost and Joe and I got baptized together that next week. (Joe had been baptized in Jesus name when he was 12 yrs old, but wanted the be rebaptized) It was very special to me that we were baptized together.

When I meet Joe he told me, "I never thought I would marry someone I met in a bar". No one knows what God has in store for them. My husband was a backslider, and came back to God to save our marriage. He lead me to the right church, so that I would know the truth. Some other men could have just PLAYED church to appease their wives. I know men who do that, just to keep "The peace", but I am so very glad that Joe didn't do this. I feel like God really knew what I needed when I needed it, he also knew that my heart was ready, and that I was desperate for him. When I think back on what my life could have been I am so glad God chose me and that I answered his knocking on my hearts door.