My Lord And Savior
September 2023
One of our busiest months, August and the golf tournament fund raiser is behind us. It was a fun day and blessed our ministry! Thank you to all those who sponsored, golfed, and donated, and to all the volunteers who came to serve! Picture highlights from the day can be found on our website's homepage at socoyfc.org.
I am looking forward to September and the coming Fall weather. We are continuing our series of testimonies. I pray that they are a blessing to you as much as they are to me. Enjoy Ann’s story:
It certainly doesn't look miraculous from where you are sitting, but when I reflect on my life and how God has had His hand on me, it really is miraculous. Born and raised in northern Utah, our agricultural community was tight-knit. Almost everyone was Mormon except for three families I knew of, ours being one of them. Neighbors were friendly and looked out for each other. The seven of us kids had enough friends to feel connected, and we went regularly to the Mormon programs for children just to be with our friends. That is where we learned the Mormon doctrines. There were casual attempts to convert us, and I remember members coming by to chat with my parents, but for some reason, they didn't “buy” it.
On Sundays we went to the Presbyterian church in town. That is where I heard the Bible stories of Jesus and memorized verses to earn candy. One summer six of us kids were invited to Bible Camp. It was there that I heard the amazing gospel of a God who loved me and died for me. I learned that I was a sinner, deserving of God's wrath and undeserving of His love. What an awful reality! The Spirit spoke sweetly to me and asked me to trust Christ's death on the cross, taking my deserved punishment. Humbly and with tears, by myself, I accepted that sacrifice and knew that I was saved from Hell. He was my Savior and I knew it!
The next day, I was challenged and unsettled. God was asking me for my life, the life I had ahead of me on the earth. He wanted to be my Lord, not just my Savior. That seemed a bit invasive! What if He never let me have my own life, my fun, my plans, my comfort, my decisions? What if He sent me to Africa, where I would end up wearing burlap and eating bugs? What if I ended up an old maid? Why in the world would I turn my will over to Someone I couldn't see and whom I had just met? Repeatedly, He kept telling me to trust Him. He reminded me of His love and He assured me that He would be with me. By that night's fireside service, exhausted by the struggle, I surrendered. I would let Him be my Lord, day by day, from that day on. That was August 16th, more than 50 years ago.
By God's leading, the Juvenile Justice Ministry with Youth for Christ is opening my world. The teenagers there live in a world that I only saw on TV. As I get to know them, and hear their stories, my heart breaks for them. God's redeeming love can crack hardened hearts. They are teaching me, showing me what God's love at work looks like, caring about them as young men worthy of hearing, to see them as no worse a sinner than I am, to see God break through a cocky, confrontational shell to receive His love. He brings worth and hope where there has been none. He truly is the difference between life and death. It is such an honor to be a part of His work in the detention center.
The Youth for Christ ministry has compelled me to know God even more, so that I can share Him with these young men. He is so faithful to His promises, and to his own children, to those whom He chooses and choose Him in return. Being “in Christ” is the most secure place imaginable, both now and forever. That is amazing grace and indeed miraculous!
“So that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10
Our testimony is a gift from the Lord. Learning to share it is something all Christians should experience. We should not put our “lamp under a basket”. Be encouraged to share the Love of God.
Blessings
Andy
One of our busiest months, August and the golf tournament fund raiser is behind us. It was a fun day and blessed our ministry! Thank you to all those who sponsored, golfed, and donated, and to all the volunteers who came to serve! Picture highlights from the day can be found on our website's homepage at socoyfc.org.
I am looking forward to September and the coming Fall weather. We are continuing our series of testimonies. I pray that they are a blessing to you as much as they are to me. Enjoy Ann’s story:
It certainly doesn't look miraculous from where you are sitting, but when I reflect on my life and how God has had His hand on me, it really is miraculous. Born and raised in northern Utah, our agricultural community was tight-knit. Almost everyone was Mormon except for three families I knew of, ours being one of them. Neighbors were friendly and looked out for each other. The seven of us kids had enough friends to feel connected, and we went regularly to the Mormon programs for children just to be with our friends. That is where we learned the Mormon doctrines. There were casual attempts to convert us, and I remember members coming by to chat with my parents, but for some reason, they didn't “buy” it.
On Sundays we went to the Presbyterian church in town. That is where I heard the Bible stories of Jesus and memorized verses to earn candy. One summer six of us kids were invited to Bible Camp. It was there that I heard the amazing gospel of a God who loved me and died for me. I learned that I was a sinner, deserving of God's wrath and undeserving of His love. What an awful reality! The Spirit spoke sweetly to me and asked me to trust Christ's death on the cross, taking my deserved punishment. Humbly and with tears, by myself, I accepted that sacrifice and knew that I was saved from Hell. He was my Savior and I knew it!
The next day, I was challenged and unsettled. God was asking me for my life, the life I had ahead of me on the earth. He wanted to be my Lord, not just my Savior. That seemed a bit invasive! What if He never let me have my own life, my fun, my plans, my comfort, my decisions? What if He sent me to Africa, where I would end up wearing burlap and eating bugs? What if I ended up an old maid? Why in the world would I turn my will over to Someone I couldn't see and whom I had just met? Repeatedly, He kept telling me to trust Him. He reminded me of His love and He assured me that He would be with me. By that night's fireside service, exhausted by the struggle, I surrendered. I would let Him be my Lord, day by day, from that day on. That was August 16th, more than 50 years ago.
By God's leading, the Juvenile Justice Ministry with Youth for Christ is opening my world. The teenagers there live in a world that I only saw on TV. As I get to know them, and hear their stories, my heart breaks for them. God's redeeming love can crack hardened hearts. They are teaching me, showing me what God's love at work looks like, caring about them as young men worthy of hearing, to see them as no worse a sinner than I am, to see God break through a cocky, confrontational shell to receive His love. He brings worth and hope where there has been none. He truly is the difference between life and death. It is such an honor to be a part of His work in the detention center.
The Youth for Christ ministry has compelled me to know God even more, so that I can share Him with these young men. He is so faithful to His promises, and to his own children, to those whom He chooses and choose Him in return. Being “in Christ” is the most secure place imaginable, both now and forever. That is amazing grace and indeed miraculous!
“So that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10
Our testimony is a gift from the Lord. Learning to share it is something all Christians should experience. We should not put our “lamp under a basket”. Be encouraged to share the Love of God.
Blessings
Andy
