well... I was born in CA, and I got saved at the age of 5 on easter sunday night, 1990 since then, I have reafirmed my faith a few times, and am in heavilly involved in church, but the best is yet to come. I moved to North Carolina (NC) about 7 or 8 years ago, and was origionally a Nazarine, but at the time it really made no difference to me between baptist and Nazarine. I know the differences now, and I agree with my church's theology that Salvation is a gift that all you have to do is accept and that it can NEVER be taken away from you. but that's still not the iceing on the cake. I started to go to Mid-Way Baptist in Raleigh NC when we moved here 8 years ago. when I got to High School, our Youth Group was going on a missions trip to Mexico that year - it was our Youth group's first ever missions trip - , and I had been on a few in CA so I decided to go on this one. we had about roughly 30 people on the trip. we went down to Accapulco to a town called Pie de la Cuesta, and for the first time, I met David and Karen Nicholson and their 3 kids Simon Sean and Sara-Beth. Today they are like a second familly to me, but I'll get to that later. we had a great time on that first misions trip to Mexico, did a Vacation Bible School, (and dog gone it if I'm not getting all teary eyed just thinking about it), etc. don't know if anyone got saved, but we did what we went to do there, and normally when you go on a missions trip, the people you minister to minister to you more than you to them, if you know what I mean, and that is what happened. I loved the people, the setting, everything about it down there. after a few mishaps airline wise, we finally got back home, and everything was back to normal for the next 3 years. dureing that time, i impatiantly waited while the next 2 Missions trips went off to Costa Rica. finally, my Senior year, my youth group went back to Mexico, and this time we wern't playing around. we did so much in 9 days I still can't believe we pulled it all off. we drove all over the country, probubly in excess of 24 hours of rideing in an 18 passenger van and a truck that seated 5. Me and my Girl Friend were the only 2 people that had been there previously (our Youth pastor had changed), so we had a blast simply remembering things from last time, you know, the "oh, hey! remember that?" thing. our group was intentionally small, only about 20 people includeing 4 chaperones (my GF included) and I was kinda a "mini" chaperone. not really official, but I was not really in the Youth Group any more, so... anywho, to make a long story short, God worked through the people there, softened my heart, and dureing the Missionary's saturday night service, while simply listening to them sing their hearts out, God melted my heart. some people say, oh, God was tugging at my heart". he wasn't tugging, he was pulling. yanking, jerking at it. he got it too
. I broke down and excused myself from the room and barely made it back to our dorm room before I started bawling because the Holy Spirit was just dealing with my heart at that very moment. I tried to compose my self, I went back to the church, and a few seconds later I walked right back out, didn't even go back to my dorm, I simply sat down beside the door and wept, the Spirit was moveing so powerfully and I had never felt anything like it before... it was simply amaziing. It was at that moment that I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt what God wanted for my life, to Bea missionary, and I surrendered all right there. he also made it clear that my Girl Friend was the perfect person for me, but I already knew that. simply affirmation I guess. She had also surrendered to be a missionary, and her familly, though christians, are not exactly thrilled about her dicission, which I find apalling. I would ask you to pray for her, as she tries to get her familly to accept her decission. I know she'll be a missionary weather they like it or not, but it would be better if they accepted her as she it, if you know what I mean. I would also ask you to pray for me. I will be going off to Word of Life Bible Institute this September 16th, and I am also trying to witness to my online friends, though it is difficult. I find most people are set in their ways and arn't very willing change because of "this guy they met online." please see my thread in the prayer section for my latest adventures.
also, if ever go to Accapulco, go see David and Karen Nicholson, and tell them Scooter sent you.
I hope my story blesses and inspires you
-Machin Shin
. I broke down and excused myself from the room and barely made it back to our dorm room before I started bawling because the Holy Spirit was just dealing with my heart at that very moment. I tried to compose my self, I went back to the church, and a few seconds later I walked right back out, didn't even go back to my dorm, I simply sat down beside the door and wept, the Spirit was moveing so powerfully and I had never felt anything like it before... it was simply amaziing. It was at that moment that I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt what God wanted for my life, to Bea missionary, and I surrendered all right there. he also made it clear that my Girl Friend was the perfect person for me, but I already knew that. simply affirmation I guess. She had also surrendered to be a missionary, and her familly, though christians, are not exactly thrilled about her dicission, which I find apalling. I would ask you to pray for her, as she tries to get her familly to accept her decission. I know she'll be a missionary weather they like it or not, but it would be better if they accepted her as she it, if you know what I mean. I would also ask you to pray for me. I will be going off to Word of Life Bible Institute this September 16th, and I am also trying to witness to my online friends, though it is difficult. I find most people are set in their ways and arn't very willing change because of "this guy they met online." please see my thread in the prayer section for my latest adventures.also, if ever go to Accapulco, go see David and Karen Nicholson, and tell them Scooter sent you.
I hope my story blesses and inspires you
-Machin Shin
, and once again, thank you Tim
