- Jun 12, 2002
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I was raised by my nominal Catholic turned New Age mother with no religous upbring at all. She allowed me to attend SS at the little Congregational church in our very small town, when I was real small. My parents divorced and we moved in with Grandparents, whom are also nominal Catholics. By nominal I mean they say they are Catholic, but they never attend Mass, Confession or are involved in the Catholic religion at all. So basically I was brought up as a theist or maybe even deist because I always believed in God, I just had no idea about Jesus.
I joined the Army upon my graduation from HS, and moved away. I had gotten into the party, wild lifestyle while in HS and continued on with that once I joined the Military. I was a lonely person and tried to fill that loneliness the same way that many people do. I was looking for love in all the wrong places so to speak. Right before my conversion I spent a Christmas a long ways from home in Hawaii, with people I barely knew, while being so homesick for family. Right after Christmas I was sent from the Island of Oahu to the Big Island for a temporary duty assignment. A friend had been recently transfered there as well. This friend had had a major change in his life right before moving over there, and I thought it was this lady named Renee's fault.
Well Mark invited me to attend church with him on Sunday morning and they just so happened to be having an evangelist there for revival meetings. I went with him, and had many questions afterwards, we went to the Sunday evening services as well, and he asked me to go the next day. I was sorta afraid of going to church too much, and jokingly said do you go to church every day, LOL. Tues morning I turned on the TV in my hotel room and was watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode over and over on tv. I was in shock, and utter disbelief. This was the mission with a teacher on board, and we had heard so much news about it. This tragedy got me thinking about what that evangelist had been saying in church. I was not assured of my salvation, and was scared to death that I would go to hell, if I had been on that shuttle. So that next Wed I told my friend Mark that I would go to church with him.
I don't remember what the preacher preached, but he could have said nothing but are you ready to be saved, and I would have responded. I practically ran forward during the altar call, to receive Christ as savior and Lord. After this I was directed back to the church that Mark had been attending in Waipahu Hawaii, (Lanakila Baptist church from wence my name comes) and started attending. I was soon baptized by immersion into the fellowship of that church, and started attending a young adults Sunday School class. Mark had directed me to Renee for her to disciple me. We later became roomates and great friends.
I was saved on January 29, 1986 and have changed so much from that lonely girl. God has filled my life with many friends, and a wonderful husband who is in the ministry serving him and USARMY soldiers. I wasn't an atheist when I came to Christ, and came out of fear of hell, so I really get on their nerves in GA I think. I take the scripture that says to have an answer to everyone for the hope that lies within you to heart, and strive to do that, in love.
I joined the Army upon my graduation from HS, and moved away. I had gotten into the party, wild lifestyle while in HS and continued on with that once I joined the Military. I was a lonely person and tried to fill that loneliness the same way that many people do. I was looking for love in all the wrong places so to speak. Right before my conversion I spent a Christmas a long ways from home in Hawaii, with people I barely knew, while being so homesick for family. Right after Christmas I was sent from the Island of Oahu to the Big Island for a temporary duty assignment. A friend had been recently transfered there as well. This friend had had a major change in his life right before moving over there, and I thought it was this lady named Renee's fault.
Well Mark invited me to attend church with him on Sunday morning and they just so happened to be having an evangelist there for revival meetings. I went with him, and had many questions afterwards, we went to the Sunday evening services as well, and he asked me to go the next day. I was sorta afraid of going to church too much, and jokingly said do you go to church every day, LOL. Tues morning I turned on the TV in my hotel room and was watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode over and over on tv. I was in shock, and utter disbelief. This was the mission with a teacher on board, and we had heard so much news about it. This tragedy got me thinking about what that evangelist had been saying in church. I was not assured of my salvation, and was scared to death that I would go to hell, if I had been on that shuttle. So that next Wed I told my friend Mark that I would go to church with him.
I don't remember what the preacher preached, but he could have said nothing but are you ready to be saved, and I would have responded. I practically ran forward during the altar call, to receive Christ as savior and Lord. After this I was directed back to the church that Mark had been attending in Waipahu Hawaii, (Lanakila Baptist church from wence my name comes) and started attending. I was soon baptized by immersion into the fellowship of that church, and started attending a young adults Sunday School class. Mark had directed me to Renee for her to disciple me. We later became roomates and great friends.
I was saved on January 29, 1986 and have changed so much from that lonely girl. God has filled my life with many friends, and a wonderful husband who is in the ministry serving him and USARMY soldiers. I wasn't an atheist when I came to Christ, and came out of fear of hell, so I really get on their nerves in GA I think. I take the scripture that says to have an answer to everyone for the hope that lies within you to heart, and strive to do that, in love.
