I call this my never ending testimony because there will always be more things that God will do for me and can be added to the list of things He has already done.
About a year ago my family and I went through a hard time in our lives. Many of my friends either could not or did not want to understand what we were going through. Because my friends had no desire to help me out, I felt alone most of time. God, however, would never stop being my friend. He helped me through the tough times and is still continually doing so today.

Since I have started driving, I have realized how important it is to pray every time I get in the car. Numerous times I have almost been hit my a car driven by a careless person, including a bus and a semi-truck. I thank God everyday that He has kept me safe when I go out on the road.

God keeps His hand over us everyday at school and at work. I am so thankful that I am one of God's children and that He keeps me safe.

In my early years, my mother would make my brother, sister and me go to different Methodist churches and we learned about the basic Bible stories. We experienced the typical services there. By my teenage years, I was less than impressed. The dry, boring services made church the last place I wanted to be.

Going into Junior High, I didn't believe there was a God. I viewed religion as a crutch for the emotionally weak. After all, I saw no evidence whatsoever to the contrary.

I spent most of my days in front of the T.V. and played computer games. I was just wasting my days away with no purpose in life. My brother, another staunch atheist (at the time), starting getting involved in a local United Pentecostal Church. His best friend, Austin, had been inviting and taking him to this church. I began seeing him studying the Bible but I didn't think much of it. He and I shared a room and bunk-bed at the time. And at night, before we fell asleep, he would tell me about this new church he was going to. He specifically spoke about the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and speaking in a language that one doesn't understand as being the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost.

My brother invited me to play games with the youth group at this UPC church. And so I went. I had some fun so I kept going. Soon after, I started going to the Sunday school classes and services. God ministered to me in both. And there was evidence in this church. And it wasn't dry and stagnant, the services were powerful and you could feel the presence of God there.

Not long after, I told my Pastor that I realized that I needed to be baptized and that I wanted it to happen. And so I was baptized in the name of Jesus, by immersion, for the remission of my sins according to the Acts 2:38 message. In the following year I sought the Holy Ghost for myself. And then in His great timing (June 25, 2006), He filled me with his Spirit and I know this because I began to speak in tongues as the Spirit (not me) gave the utterance.

Since then I have been blessed and God's word has grown in me. And I am privileged to enter into his sweet presence every day and speak in an unknown tongue unto my God. I am so glad that He called me out "of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

At two years old, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. When my mother left the doctor's office that frightening day, she told the Lord, "I'm giving this child to You". My mother and father raised my sister, brother, and I as best they knew how. Growing up in the Methodist church, I learned the basics of Christianity. I frequented Sunday school and vacation Bible school classes. When I became a teenager, though, I drifted further and further away from religion. I questioned the existence of God and the validity of the Bible's claims. The last place I wanted to be on a Sunday morning was in church. Amidst my unbelief, though, God was preparing my way back to Him.

While in the 8th grade, I met a classmate named Austin Spann. We soon became great friends. I began attending all the youth events at Austin's church (FACD). I kept coming back because the people were so nice, the games were fun, and everyone remembered my name! At first, my goal was not to grow closer to Jesus. However, through the prayers of the Spann family, and others, Jesus became my goal. On February 15, 2004, at age 15, I repented of my sins, was baptized in Jesus' name, and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The overwhelming peace and joy I felt that day still floods my soul years later. After I was "born again", the Lord led the rest of my family to experience the same wonderful victory!

For the past several years, the Lord has revealed to me His purpose for my life. I feel called to preach the gospel, as well as to become an optometrist. My time and efforts today revolve around those two callings. When my mother left the doctor's office years ago, I do not believe she realized how far her commitment would reach. My prayer today is that the Lord uses me for His glory until His soon return.

A few months back, I was confused and lost. I was making my own decisions instead of trusting God with my life and I ran into all kinds of trouble. I chose to do something that my parents didn’t want me to and it ended up with me crying out to God and asking if He was really there. Would He really let all this happen to me?

I started blaming my parents and God for causing the emotional pain that filled me. I would cry at night and would sometimes think of running away.

One night, as I was lying in my room crying and not knowing what to do with myself, I started to repeat the prayer I had been saying since I was a little girl. I told God I loved him and I asked for Him to watch over me throughout the night. Then out of the nowhere, I heard a small voice say, “If you love me, trust me.” I laid there confused and baffled over what had just happened. After awhile, I just told myself it was just me and my imagination and I managed to drift to sleep.

I continued to put on a happy face for everyone around me and that, too, caught up with me. I ran blindly, tired and confused, wanting something more with my life.
Finally, one night I decided to let God have it. I was angry and stupid. I told Him it was His fault and asked how He could do this to me. Then it hit me, like nothing else had before. I realized I hadn’t been trusting God like I needed to. Then that small voice once again said, “If you love me, trust me.”

I burst into tears and begged for forgiveness. I told God I realized what I had done was incredibly stupid and that I had brought this on myself. Then this overwhelming peace came over me and seemed to comfort me like nothing had before.

I went to my parents and asked them, too, for forgiveness. They hugged me tight, and said they forgave me and would help me from here on out. Ever since then, I have been trusting God with my life and that depression is now in that past. I have never been as happy as I am right now.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Just because I have turned to God and established a relationship with Him doesn’t mean I don’t go through trials anymore. I still get down and upset over things-but this time I realize I can go to God and my parents and they will be there for me, just like they always have been.

I am thankful for Jesus in my life.

I really love Jesus more than anything in the world. He is my salvation, deliverer, provider...EVERYTHING. I honestly have no idea where I would be if I didn't know Him; and I don't really want to know...

Why do I believe in Jesus and put my trust in Him? He has shown Himself to be real to me in many ways. So I will explain:

According to the abilities of the world and doctors, I shouldn't even be alive. My mom had a tumor during college which she got removed. Because of the damaged caused by the surgery, there was no possible way for her to become pregnant. Even special doctors said there was no way to help her. But God gave them a promise and 9 years of faith.

Also, God has spoke to me throughout my life. He has filled me with the Holy Ghost which is Him in me! It is amazing to know He is leading my life.

Most importantly, I am so grateful because Jesus died for me. So, yeah, everyone's heard that forever and we take it for granted; but if you really stop to think about it, God of all creation robed in flesh to die so that I can have a relationship with Him!!! What amazing love!!! :)

So all I want to say is: Thank You Jesus!!

It all started with what I felt to be lack of attention. Three months of it to be exact. When I should have been making friends, I was pulling away from them, even the few that I had taken the time to make. When I should have been going out and having a great time, I was in my room thinking about how awful and messed up my life was. I wasn't into drugs or drinking, thank God, because I was homeschooled. I continually praise God for that.My mom would beg me to tell her what was up, but I gave her attitude and five words, "Stay out of my life!" Countless times I considered running away, or even wished I was dead. I had somehow convinced myself that my family wouldn't care if I died, but rather would be relieved that they had only had three kids to take care of now. I felt like I was starving for attention, but no one cared or so I told myself. You see, out of four kids, I'm the one without the titles: firstborn, first boy, or the baby of the family. I was only the second kid that nobody loved or even liked. In other words, Satan had me wrapped around his finger nicely. And in all my confusion of being a teenager, he even managed to convince me that God didn't care either.

Then one night I was praying. I had decided to let God have it. I told Him I hated Him and that if He really existed, He didn't deserve to be God because He had abandoned me. I asked Him why, and He surprised me with an answer. "I didn't leave you, you left me. I didn't hurt you, you hurt me." Those simple words somehow managed to straighten me out. I decided to turn my life around. When I went to church, I actually listened. When I prayed, I prayed whole-heartedly. I re-dedicated my life to God, and studied the scripture with reverence. As I studied, I came upon a verse. "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee." - Isaiah 54:1.

Many times I have gone to that verse for comfort . And when I do, I can’t help but praise our wonderful God for His great and tender mercies that He is willing to lend to anybody if they just ask. And yes, that includes even you.