Jackie's Story

"My parents only went to church on holidays. The only time God was mentioned was when my Mom and Dad argued! I was an unlikely candidate to become a Christian. Yet God in His mercy reached into an ugly situation and found me. I wasn't looking for Him. He sought me out. There was nothing in me that would have made me a candidate for God's interest. He chased after me simply because He wanted to.

"When my parents moved to Lake Wales, I made friends with a girl whose family went to church. My friend's mom was very involved in her church and I went with them on special occasions and to Vacation Bible School summer days. There I was exposed to 'Jesus'. My Mom thought I was spending too much time with them at church, so she pulled me home. After begging my parents, they let me go with my friends to church every once in awhile.

"As my neighbors loved me unconditionally, I came to see my need for a Savior. I saw families where love was the main ingredient in the home: love for God and love for one another. As a child I knew nothing of this in my own home. I lived my life in quiet desperation. I wanted what my neighbors had, and I saw that it was centered in an unconditional surrender to Jesus Christ. Out of desperate need, and at a young age, I surrendered my life to Christ.

"Everything did not get better. I changed, but my home life was still very miserable. Yet God was with me, and saw me through those tough times.

"It's exciting to see that those Christian families who took me in never resented me eating all those meals or spending all that time in their houses. Now I understand that they invested in me because that's what Jesus expects of those who follow Him: we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

"I'm thankful my children have very different childhood memories, but I do not regret my past. Jesus took my ugly past and turned it into something very beautiful. An ancient poet put it this way:"

"I will praise our Lord, who counsels me. I have set the Lord before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. You have made known my path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:6-9,11)