My Testimony

Well, I am starting a blog. It seems to be a popular thing these days. For my first entry would just like to start off with my testimony.

I was born in Michigan but I consider Florida my home. My family moved around a lot while I was young. My Dad is a pastor so we moved whenever He felt the Lord leading him to a church. I have seen a lot of horrible things being raised in ministry and when I was younger I swore I would NEVER want anything to do with it when I grew older.

In Jr High I was devastated the day I found out we were leaving our home in Tennessee to Florida with only 9 weeks left of the school year. Now I look back and know it is probably the best thing that ever happened to me after being saved and getting married. The town I lived in at the time was very small and almost every student was on drugs and alcohol by Jr High, most ended up pregnant or dropping out. I cringe at the thought of how I would have turned out had my family stayed there.

I starting attending a huge Jr High school in Florida at which I was miserable! I cried almost every single day and at times, I wanted to run away. My Dad had accepted a church with about 5 members in it. That summer I began to pray and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I told God that if He wanted me to live a life for Him that I needed Christian friends and begged Him to give me some. My parents were strict and the thought of being ridiculed at a huge public High school scared me to death.

Just a few weeks before the fall semester began My Dad found a small Christian school. That is where I attended for my all of my high school years. God answers prayer doesn't He?
It was during these four years that I truly began to grow in the Lord.

During the summer between the 9th and 10th grade I went to the Wilds. The Lord was working on me all week about surrendering my life to Him. Like I said before, I wanted nothing to do with ministry. There was a counselor named Katie that prayed with me almost every day. On the Last day she explained that just because the Lord is asking me to surrender my life to Him doesn't necessarily mean He was calling me to ministry but that He just wanted me to be willing. I can remember this so well. We were sitting on the steps near the cafeteria and she asked me "Are you at least willing?" I looked at her and said "no".
On the last night the wilds has a tradition that if you are leaving with everything right between you and God then you find a stick outside and throw it in their fire. I knew in my heart I couldn't do it. So I went outside to just sit and I began weeping. God had gotten a hold of my heart and I finally surrendered my heart and life to Him.

God began changing me from that moment on. I am thankful for the GODLY influences He put in my life during those years. I truly believe He used them to help mold me to the person I am today. Those people I would like to give tribute to are the Mr and Mrs Eldridge, Mrs. Dean, Rachel Tomlin and my best friend Julie. I am so thankful for each of you!

After High school I set sail to Tennessee Temple University. I was going in hopes to grow spiritually, have fun, and meet a man that I could marry after graduation. But I ended up getting so much more. It was here the Lord revealed His plans for me.

My 2nd semester a missionary came to our school and his message will forever impact my life.
He told us so many times what we do is get out this paper and write all of our plans out for our life and then say here you go God, this is what I want. Will you sign it at the bottom and approve of all my hopes, dreams, and desires? Thanks God. BUT instead we should be like a blank piece of paper, and tell God, "heres my life, take it, do what you will." Wow! That was so me!" I just wanted to grow spiritually, meet the right man, have lots of children, and live happily ever after. For the second time God broke my will. I surrendered that night to give up everything and anything He wanted me to in order to serve Him.

My sophomore year I took my first Women's ministry class, "Discipleship Training for Women". By the end of the class I knew the Lord was calling me into women's ministry. I sat under the most remarkable woman, Miss Barr who has taught me more about teaching and God's word than any other person in the world. I also had an R.A. Sally that was studying counseling and women's ministry. She is another Godly influence that Lord has used greatly in my life.

It is so neat to look back and see how God has used each experience along with several people in my life to mold me into the young woman I am today. The lyrics by Phillips, Craig, and Dean are going through my mind right now, "Who am I that You are mindful of me? That You hear me when I call. Is it true that you arr thinking of me? How You love me. It's amazing" I am so thankful that God is real, and that he cares for me, Janelle Bond, and has a perfect plan for my life. My greatest desire now is so to serve Him wherever He leads me.