My personal testimony.
. By the standards of the World I am nothing special. I am just a simple man saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I have no college degree's. In fact I do not even have a High School diploma. I do have a GED which I finally got around to getting when I was 37 Years old. I received my GED at the Colmery-Mcneal veterans hospital in Topeka Kansas where I was in drug and alcohol treatment. I had a 22 year history of substance abuse when I was admitted at the V.A in Topeka. When I say substance abuse you need to understand that I was not the weekend warrior type of abuser. I lived in the streets. I have dug through garbage cans to find food. I was a begger, liar and a thief. My main mode of transportation was freight trains. Today I weigh around 170 lbs. Upon admission to the hospital I weighed 130lbs with clothes and shoes. I was not living, I was existing. There is a very serious difference between the two.
On May 11,1993 I was living under the porch of an abandoned house in Kansas City, Kansas. It was about 7:30am and like every good wino I was having my wakeup drink. Sick, broke and alone I cried out to the Lord. This was not the first time I had done this but the difference this time was he answered me! I have heard the testimony of others and of the love ,warmth and comfort they felt but my experience was a little different than theirs. When he spoke to me he was firm, blunt and to the point. He said to me that if I continue on the path that I was on I was going to die. But if I chose to follow his path I would live. he then said that I must make my choice now. I truly believe I am alive today because I made the right choice. Now some would say that I had a spiritual experience. Others would say it was only the product of an imagination sodden with alcohol and corrupted with drugs. Some would say angels , others would say no no no it is only thunder. But I will say this, my home, my wife, my job and all the many many good things that have been added to my life, both physical and spiritual, because of the choice I made that day are not products of my imagination
I spent 14 months in Topeka going through out patient programs mainly because I was afraid. I was new at this sobriety thing and it was a bit of a culture shock to me. I felt safe within the confines of a structured program. I did not yet know how to trust my fate to the Lord. At that time I believed the program was my strength. but today I know I was wrong .If you are familiar with the poem Footprints In The Sand then you will understand what I mean when I say as I look back I can only see one set of footprints and they are not mine but the Lords. One of the requirements of the program was mandatory A.A meetings. I do not attend A.A but I strongly urge any brother or sister who is afflicted by alcoholism , do not be afraid to try A.A. there are so many different groups that if you do not care for one you can always try another. And yes there are real Christians who attend A.A, even a few pastors go. As a seaman I have had many of my co-workers who suffer from alcoholism come talk to me. I always share Jesus first but many are not receptive . To those I then say go to A.A. Please forgive me if I seem to linger on this . To those of you who are not afflicted by alcohol or drugs, or have not had the heartache of watching someone you love self destruct, or received a phone call that your daughter is in the emergency room because her drunken husband has beat her again, you have no idea how blessed you truly are. And to those of you who are subject to these sufferings , there is no need to explain because you already know.
After my time in Kansas I decided to gird up my loins like a man and face life again. I am a U.S. merchant seaman by trade and I decided I would once again go to sea. As going to sea in Kansas is rather difficult, I went to Hawaii. There I rejoined the Seafarers Int. Union. After I completed a tour {4Months} I took a vacation and went to the Philippines where I met my wife who is a devout Christian, I am still a seaman and I return to the States to catch a ship but when I finish my tour I return to the Philippines which is now home for me. I live in the City of Cebu on the island of Cebu.
The only reason I am here and alive today is because 2000 years ago a man loved me so much and wanted me to live so badly he gave his life for me.
Yours in Christ
deu58
. By the standards of the World I am nothing special. I am just a simple man saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I have no college degree's. In fact I do not even have a High School diploma. I do have a GED which I finally got around to getting when I was 37 Years old. I received my GED at the Colmery-Mcneal veterans hospital in Topeka Kansas where I was in drug and alcohol treatment. I had a 22 year history of substance abuse when I was admitted at the V.A in Topeka. When I say substance abuse you need to understand that I was not the weekend warrior type of abuser. I lived in the streets. I have dug through garbage cans to find food. I was a begger, liar and a thief. My main mode of transportation was freight trains. Today I weigh around 170 lbs. Upon admission to the hospital I weighed 130lbs with clothes and shoes. I was not living, I was existing. There is a very serious difference between the two.
On May 11,1993 I was living under the porch of an abandoned house in Kansas City, Kansas. It was about 7:30am and like every good wino I was having my wakeup drink. Sick, broke and alone I cried out to the Lord. This was not the first time I had done this but the difference this time was he answered me! I have heard the testimony of others and of the love ,warmth and comfort they felt but my experience was a little different than theirs. When he spoke to me he was firm, blunt and to the point. He said to me that if I continue on the path that I was on I was going to die. But if I chose to follow his path I would live. he then said that I must make my choice now. I truly believe I am alive today because I made the right choice. Now some would say that I had a spiritual experience. Others would say it was only the product of an imagination sodden with alcohol and corrupted with drugs. Some would say angels , others would say no no no it is only thunder. But I will say this, my home, my wife, my job and all the many many good things that have been added to my life, both physical and spiritual, because of the choice I made that day are not products of my imagination
I spent 14 months in Topeka going through out patient programs mainly because I was afraid. I was new at this sobriety thing and it was a bit of a culture shock to me. I felt safe within the confines of a structured program. I did not yet know how to trust my fate to the Lord. At that time I believed the program was my strength. but today I know I was wrong .If you are familiar with the poem Footprints In The Sand then you will understand what I mean when I say as I look back I can only see one set of footprints and they are not mine but the Lords. One of the requirements of the program was mandatory A.A meetings. I do not attend A.A but I strongly urge any brother or sister who is afflicted by alcoholism , do not be afraid to try A.A. there are so many different groups that if you do not care for one you can always try another. And yes there are real Christians who attend A.A, even a few pastors go. As a seaman I have had many of my co-workers who suffer from alcoholism come talk to me. I always share Jesus first but many are not receptive . To those I then say go to A.A. Please forgive me if I seem to linger on this . To those of you who are not afflicted by alcohol or drugs, or have not had the heartache of watching someone you love self destruct, or received a phone call that your daughter is in the emergency room because her drunken husband has beat her again, you have no idea how blessed you truly are. And to those of you who are subject to these sufferings , there is no need to explain because you already know.
After my time in Kansas I decided to gird up my loins like a man and face life again. I am a U.S. merchant seaman by trade and I decided I would once again go to sea. As going to sea in Kansas is rather difficult, I went to Hawaii. There I rejoined the Seafarers Int. Union. After I completed a tour {4Months} I took a vacation and went to the Philippines where I met my wife who is a devout Christian, I am still a seaman and I return to the States to catch a ship but when I finish my tour I return to the Philippines which is now home for me. I live in the City of Cebu on the island of Cebu.
The only reason I am here and alive today is because 2000 years ago a man loved me so much and wanted me to live so badly he gave his life for me.
Yours in Christ
deu58