Debie Jo's story

Although I went to a Church School I wasn't brought up in a Christian home. We used to go to Church at Christmas and I went to Sunday school for a while. I knew the story of Jesus, that He was born in a stable and He died on a cross but I didn't have any idea why He came to earth or that He loved me. I used to pray to God at exam time or if I had to go to the dentist. I would make promises that if everything was OK I would be good and pray more. God always answered those prayers but my promises would always be broken. I had always been a relatively happy person and always considered the glass half full but for some reason I was afraid of so many things.

Once I left university my fears seemed to increase and I was beginning to feel quite lost. My personality seemed to depend on the friends I was with at the time and my whole life seemed to run on lies to make me look better. That's when I ran away to Australia with my best friend. After travelling for a while looking for work we found ourselves in Perth. Our finances were pretty low and we were living in a tent eating nothing but warm cuppa soups! That's when my friend suggested we go to the local Baptist church, at least they would have biscuits there!!!

The people there were amazing. They were so loving and they all seemed to have an amazing sense of peace about them. To cut a long story short within a month of getting to know people at the church, God had provided us with every physical, spiritual and emotional need. We were blessed with some wonderful friends, a house, a car, a job and a pool! The most amazing coincidences were happening and I was learning more and more about how Jesus actually died on that cross because he loved me so much and wanted to take away my sins so that I could have a loving relationship with my Father I Heaven. 

I found myself asking God if you're there then show me. I prayed that prayer for a few weeks and kept expecting an angel to come into my room or to hear a big loud voice but I knew that would probably freak me out. Then one morning I woke up and looked at the sky. Naturally it was blue (we were in Australia!) but wow, it was REALLY blue and the grass was REALLY green. Somehow I just knew that God was the creator and to know that I could have a personal relationship with Him because of Jesus was awesome.            

Within a month of accepting Jesus into my life, I found that I didn't feel afraid of life anymore. It wasn't a conscious effort either. I just felt more at peace and I hadn't told a lie at all!            

Now eight years on, life hasn't always been easy. I've travelled some more, got comfortable in some places then have been called to move on. In fact my life has been turned upside down a few times, although this has made me more dependent on Jesus and more willing to do His work. Jesus is the most wonderful friend I could ever have and the best thing is, He will never leave or turn His back on me. I have no idea what God has in store for my life but I know that He has a perfect plan that He will bring to completion (Philippians 1: 6-7)