Testimonies
Click on a link below to go to a testimony:
Kylie at Graduation
& Julie - older sister.
Click to Enlarge.
Kylie Temenszcko - Testimony of Salvation
I grew up in Mt Druitt, Sydney.
As a young girl, I frequently attended a Church of Christ ministry in my local area.
For a few years I grew up in the Sunday school and eventually went into the youth group.
I found it a fun place to be at times but I had never really seen it as a place where I was worshipping God. For some unknown reason my family stopped attending the church and we stayed away from any religious influence for about three years.
When I was 11 my Dad joined "Jim's Mowing".
Through this he met many new people, and became very good friends with one particular couple.
In September 1998 this couple asked my Dad if he would like to attend their church the following Sunday. Dad gladly accepted.
The following Sunday we started attending Nepean Baptist Church.
I was dreading the whole church idea.
However, when I listened to the message on that very first Sunday I loved it.
I loved the people and the atmosphere.
It was a new experience for me, as I had never really felt comfortable in a church environment before.
We started attending church regularly from that moment on.My brother, Matthew and I, started attending the Sunday school group for teens in years 7-12.
We met many people our own age and started forming many lasting relationships.
In November of 1998 our church was invited to a youth camp at Yarrawood in the Blue Mountains.
It was during this camp that I realized how much God could truly mean to a person my own age.
Up until this point I had always thought that being 13 meant you were too young to know God personally. As my cabin group sat down for dinner they began to talk about Heaven and their salvation.>
At this time I told my cabin leader that I didn't know if I was going to Heaven.
I was then taken outside, and shown the path of salvation. At the end of our talk I bowed my head and asked God to be my Saviour.
However, up until August 2004, I had never really experienced the peace of knowing for sure that I would go to Heaven when I died.
I continually doubted my salvation and was scared that I would have to face eternity without God.
On Monday the 8th of August I finally confided in a close friend the struggle I was having.
She encouraged me to get this right before anything else, so that day on my way to work I decided to asked God to come into my life and be my Saviour.
In 2002 I finished my HSC. Right throughout the year I had continually prayed about what God wanted me to do with my life.
With many things contributing to my decision, I talked to Pastor Hill about attending Bible College.
With the blessing of my parents and Pastor Hill, I applied for Bible College at the end of 2002.
This started a long, three year journey in my life. The one thing I can remember from orientation night was Pastor Joukhadar telling the students that Bible College was going to be a place where they stretch you to see how much you can take.
That statement has been very true right throughout these last three years.
I was continually bombarded with assignments, exams and quizzes.
It was three very trying and difficult years for me, to get through; but by the Grace of God I made it.
The most trying time for me and my whole family was when my Grandmother went home to be with the Lord on the 31st of May 2005.
Because I had never experienced personal loss before it was so hard for me to get through. I was continually struggling with the college work -load and trying to keep my mind focused on my work. I was also trying to be there for my family at that time.
After this however, my Grandfather also went home to be with the Lord on my last day of college the same year.
We had college graduation the following week as well as my Grandfather's funeral. I praise God for getting myself and my family through that time.
We had been truly tried this last year and by God's Grace He got us through.
God has been very evident in my life especially over the last three years. I thank God always for the trials and experiences that He made me go through. I have grown so much closer to Him now because of each of the trials.
Now that I have finished college, I am praying about going on short term mission trips to help out our missionaries. I have a love and desire for missions and the mission field.
It was at a Missions Conference at our church that I surrendered my life to the Lord, for the mission field.
I am anxious about going to help out our missionaries and be a blessing to God's people who have given up their lives for His service.
My prayer is that God can use me as much as He has used others in the history of missions.
At the moment I plan on faithfully serving the Lord in my local church until He calls me elsewhere.
Thank you,
Kylie Temenczko
Geoffrey Moore
Born once March 27, 1951
Born Again 1959.
I wish I could remember the exact date I came to know Jesus Christ as my Personal saviour from Sin. Unfortunately, I can't.
I know my Dad had left my Mother because he claimed, of her "religion". However I have always known he left us because of Alcohol.
I do think my Dad probably admitted that himself a long time before he died, exactly 2 and a half years ago, as I write in June, 2005.
But this story is not about my Dad, but I am pleased to know I will see him in Glory, with my Mum who also now has moved on up to Glory at the end of May this year;some day- as he too came to know Christ as Saviour just THREE WEEKS before he Passed over to Glory.
My Mother was saved at a Billy Graham Crusade in 1959 and it wasn't long after that she told me about God and how Jesus died on the Cross and Shed His precious sinless Blood on Calvary nearly 2000 years before, to pay the penalty of my sins, past, present,and future.
Then and there I bowed my head beside Mum's bed and received Christ as my personal Saviour.
As I often share with people I was so young when I was saved that I have probably sinned a lot more since I was saved, than I did before. But now I had an advocate that on my behalf would go to my Heavenly Father, as I prayed and confessed my Sin to Him. I did not have to go to a priest for forgiveness of my sin. And I could be sure my sins were placed under the Blood of Christ on Calvary for ever.
There were many times the Lord convicted me again as I grew up of my need and I would often go forward again and again as my knowledge increased in the things of God. I remember one time someone complained to my Mum that I was going forward too often but the Pastor at the time said there was nothing wrong in a young person obeying God's voice as he was challenged by something in the message or Sunday School lesson.
I grew up in a church where although the Gospel was preached every Sunday, there was something missing.
In 1974 at the age of 23- I, with 10 others from that church decided we wanted to follow the Lord in Believers' Baptism.
One of our regular speakers who used to preach at our church was a Visitation pastor for Pennant Hills Baptist Church- our own church not being against Believer's Baptism but not really teaching it either...we all were baptised on a Sunday afternoon in 1974.
This was to be the turning point in my life!
I remember as I came up out of the waters of baptism, having this exhilliarating, exciting feeling - a real sense of God's presence in my life as I had never known before!
From that moment on I felt like my Christian life had direction.
I knew God had His Hand on me in the following Days, Months and even years!
It was not long after this wonderful time, the Lord took me out of that church and I began to attend Metropolitan Baptist Church, then meeting in the old Congregational Church Building in Chatswood, Sydney.
At the end of 1975, I attended a Family camp at Yarrumundi, where one of the speakers was Pastor Randy Perkins, at that time pastoring Calvary Baptist in Adelaide, South Australia.
It was during his preaching I felt constrained by the Lord that I should surrender my life completely to Him for whatever He wanted me to do.
After the Camp I spoke to my Pastor (now Dr Marvin Matthews)about going to Bible college. He counselled me that I should wait until the following intake in 1977.
I was at that time working at Macquarie University in a very secure position, so you can imagine the battle I had with Old Slew Foot the Devil and of course my own flesh, about the thought of giving up such a worthwhile job as I had there.
But! The Lord won the battle!
In January 1977, I resigned from my position at the University, and prepared to enter Bible College.
The Lord tried my trust in Him for one week after college started; as in that time I had not obtained part time work to tide me over during the year of studies.
But God was faithful and ONE WEEK after I started at college, I began Organ Teaching in a Music Studio in Hornsby for several hours a week that tied in with my committment at College.
The employer also wanted me to work in his Music store when I wasn't teaching in the studio. Actually as the year progressed Bob (my Boss) and I became good friends, so much so that he actually wanted me to leave College and go into a partnership with him in a new store he wanted to open.
I was glad I never took up that offer though, as he closed down not all that long afterwards.
I completed my first year of college wih a lot of difficulty and I decided that I could not cope with the workload of study and so on. I had physical limitations that were impeding me then; but I never knew about them until many years later.
(In the interim between College and then much later coming to a promotion for work to Concord Hospital; I had the privilege of meeting a doctor at the Hospital who actually, as it turned out, did some tests and actually diagnosed many of my physical problems, in 1984.)
Cutting a long story short... I started work in the Australian Public Service in 1983 and in 1984 I was promoted to Concord Hospital and, later, there, I met my future wife, Louise.
I really liked Louise but I knew that unless she came to Christ I could not be more involved than just a friend.
We started going out together, but all the time I knew I had to share the Good News of the Gospel with her.
Louise was wonderfully saved on November 10, 1985 after I shared the Gospel with her and she responded so enthusiatically, I was shocked!
(I guess God was again proving that He is a Prayer Answering God!)
In 1987 I married Louise and we decided we wanted to come out here to Penrith to live and the Lord brought us to Nepean Baptist Church, where I had served many years before.
I believed the Lord had a work for me to do but I never knew what form it would take.
Apart from my ministry in Music in our Church, I was asked by the deaconate and Pastor to get a Website going for our church.
Thanks to a good Sister in the Lord, who I met online back in 2000, I believe it was; we had expert help in getting our Church 'on the World Wide Web' in August 2002.
I am thankful for what the Lord has allowed us to do in Cyberspace and I trust that out of the more than 20,000 visitors we have had up till this time - some have been touched with their need of our Wonderful Saviour.
Not forgetting Louise who has stood by me and behind me in this ministry and prayed for me each day as I get online to either work on the Website or to be a blessing and encouragement to someone out there in Cyberspace.
Thanks for reading this, and may God Bless you as you seek to serve Him in whatever field He calls you to do,
Geoff Moore.
Louise Kim Moore - Testimony of Salvation
Born Once 25/3/60
Born Again of the Spirit 10/11/1985
Click on photo to enlarge.
I was born with Cerebral Palsy and Hearing Impairment as a result of my mother having Rubella during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
I went to a handicapped school, Northcott School for Crippled Children at Parramatta, in the West of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
I was the only hearing impaired child there among all the other handicapped kids. Then I went to Canley Vale High School and I was, again - the only handicapped student amongst the deaf kids.
We were in a special class called "Opportunity Deaf Class" attached to a normal high school.
After high school, I went on to Mt Wilga Rehabilitation Centre for 'Post Accident' people, preparing or retraining for work.
I was there for 18 months, then I sat for my typing exams for the Australian Public Service.
I got my first job at Concord Hospital as a typist for 11-12 years and afterwards, at the Taxation office for 6 1/2 years.
I was brought up Catholic, had no Sunday schooling, except for very little religion lessons in Primary and High school.
I remember when I was 8 years old my Mum took me to see a Nun after Mass one Sunday, to give me a little bit of a lesson on First Holy Communion. Me, being very young and innocent - it all went over my head.
When I made my Confirmation at the same time as my younger brother, his school was showing a film on Pentecost and I learned something on that.
Years went on, and I used to find the Mass was always repetitious, and boring; and being hearing impaired I never used to hear the sermons much.
I was never taught the doctrines or the system of the Catholic Church.
During my working years, I had a busy social life.
Going to Tech, learning subjects; such as History, Drama, Floral Decorating.
The Social Calendar included Discos, parties, SPLASH (swimming club), Rotaract Club, and Horseriding for the Disabled.
I also travelled Overseas to Europe; Britain; Noumea and Fiji.
During my trip overseas, I was miserable.
I went with a group from the Uniting Church, Brisbane, who had helpers to help the handicapped travellers.
We went to all sorts of different churches, some were huge and beautiful, but it became monotonous.
We Went to some other places but not to all the tourist places.
St Peters Square in Rome was where I was really confused about life.
After the trip, it was back at home and work life as usual.
Wondering what life was all about and its purpose and who would accept me the way I was.
I came to seek about other religions.
I asked Mum one day, about other churches.
Mum just said "The Catholic church is the only one church."
Then I thought to myself, 'I'm not going to get anywhere with Mum.'
The Lord knew I was seeking the truth about life.
So he brought Geoff along; now my husband into my life to witness to me.
As we were dating he kept on saying we must have a big talk.
I was against it, for awhile but one day I asked him
Then he told me how we can have a close relationship with Jesus, and how He died on the cross for my sins. Also, that we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved; and have Eternal life.
I accepted Christ as my personal Saviour from sin, on 10th November, 1985.
In January 1988, I followed the Lord in obedience to His example and went through the waters of Believers' Baptism.
The Lord has changed my life, he has helped me to grow up, given me knowledge of his Word the Bible, and what's going on around me and in the world; and people.
I can look back and see why he allowed me to be 'disabled'; so I can be an encouragement to others.
Louise K. Moore
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Geoffrey Peacock - Testimony of Salvation
Geoff's Family.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Geoffrey Peacock's (Jethro) Testimony
14th April 2003.
It's 2am and I can't sleep so I thought I would write my testimony out for you.
I can remember from an early age about 5-6 years that I had a strong view about Christians and people who attended church being hypocrites.
The closest I got to church was guitar lessons and a friendship with the local Presbyterian Minister's son of the little Queensland town of St George where I spent the early years of my life.
When I was about 10 we moved to Cambridge Park in the Western Suburbs of Sydney and I completed my schooling and started an apprenticeship as a Pastrycook Baker.
My parents had separated and divorced when I just started high school. I didn't think much of the way either of them had behaved throughout the separation and by age 16 I had decided I wanted little to do with them.
I moved in to a close friend's house with his family at Llandilo just out of Penrith. Fraser and his family were so loving and kind I lived there for 2 years, we were great mates; inseparable.
When we were 18 years old we went to Bali for a month.
It was a great learning experience.
We certainly appreciated the life, and opportunities we have here in Australia after being there.
I moved out on my own not long after that holiday and just worked hard and partied hard till at about age 25 I thought I'd best get on and do something worthwhile in my life.
I'd met a nice sensible girl who I thought would be a steadying influence on my life, and help me to achieve my dream of owning a bakery.
We were married and soon after we bought 5 acres at Llandilo - and a small bakery in South Penrith.
We were making good products and providing good service and the business was very successful.
Soon we were able to buy a new vechicle each, renovate the house and fill it with nice furniture and new appliances.
Di became pregnant, and I was at age 27 a proud father of baby William and a successful businessman.
We bought another cake shop, we wanted for nothing and I did as I pleased in life.
Then just before my 28th birthday my life took a dramatic twist.
My best mate Fraser was diagnosed with cancer and he died on New Years Eve 1990.
I was devastated, I grieved, I gave up on life as I knew it, it had no answers, what was the point of everything?
I began my journey, my search for answers.
I used to go "walkabout", just get in the car and go; neglecting the business.
We had another child Amelia, Di left me for a while - she couldn't understand my loss of drive, money didn't matter to me anymore.
I'd realised that you couldn't buy life or put a price on it.
There had to be something more!
I tried to re-group.
We closed one shop and sold the other.
Di came back home and all I wanted to do was raise my children.
I loved my children dearly. Two years after Fraser died we were blessed with another child; Anne-Marie, born exactly the same day my best mate passed away.
I realise now that was no co-incidence God was trying to get my attention.
My mind was confused, I drank and smoked more and more I just didn't want to deal with the cruel reality of life.
When diagnosed with Crohn's Disease I didn't think life could get any worse. The doctors told me that it was incurable. I found I couldn't drink alcohol so I smoked more and more marijuana.
Di left with the children, she had had enough. I was only a shadow of the man she had married. My ambition to be successful was gone.
I realise now that that was her attraction to me. I was gutted and lost without my children.
My illness hindered my work efforts. The final devastation came when I lost the small farm at Llandilo along with all my personal belongings and clothes. Everything in life that I had worked for was gone but I started to turn the corner then.
I remember turning 38 and saying that I was not going to give up, I had to live for my childrens sake.
Although I was still struggling physically. I felt a renewing of the spirit. I began to read a lot more I had always read. I searched books for clues to a cure for my trials in life. My next door neighbour gave me a Bible which I also found helpful and encouraging. But I was still relying on myself I thought the only one who cared and could help me was me.
The illness was getting worse, I was just wandering, aimlessly, no purpose or plan.
Newcastle Hospital was conducting a trial of new medicines on Crohns disease and I offered myself as a guinea pig to see if they could find a cure.
About 1 month after I had started taking the medication they kicked me off the trial!
I felt as if man had let me down again and realised I was the only one who was truly concerned for my condition and I would have to fix myself.
I began to walk, I loved walking. I decided if I was going to die I would die walking.
I started to clean up my habits and diet, I found I began to think more clearly. Exercise and sunshine certainly helped my condition. I began to get stronger. As I went to sleep of a night a voice would reassure me that everything would be just fine, things were going to work out right.
I had to appear at Gosford courthouse so I rang a friend who was a Christian and asked him to come and get me. I stayed at his place the night before the court appearance and I felt my spirit renewed, I felt my life was starting to have a purpose.
As I went to sleep that night I got a vision of a white banner with red writing saying Jesus Christ continuously.
I was amazed but still not convinced I still thought I was the answer to all my problems.
My friend tried to explain to me but I wouldn't listen.
After court I went back up the coast to start walking again. I had decided I was walking the wrong way and I wanted to start again with my new found attitude.
I was sure this time I was walking with God.
After a few months on the road I rang some other christians I knew up Penrith way, and told them a bit of what was happening in my life. I felt I could trust their advice. They said to me if I walk with God that I have to learn more about Him, become part of a church and find out what God wants for me to do for Him, I agreed.
Bruce (Bruce is a Member of this Church)said I could stay with him at St Marys.
We attended Nepean Baptist Church regularly and my health spiritually and physically gradually started to improve. I still knew that I had a lot of issues in my life that God was not happy about, but He knew that I would need time to change.
One thing God has plenty of besides love is time.
I was saved in 2002.
I saw how God was working not only in my life but in my brother Bruce's.
He started Bible College at Word of Life.
I was taken aback by his commitment and obedience.
I saw a remarkable change in his life, a miracle. Through his obedience to the call of the spirit of God, the Lord started to do amazing things in his life.
I still had to tidy up my life and obey the call of God.
I began to stay with Bruce out at Word Of Life, I stopped smoking, I read more of the Bible and books of encouragement.
All that was important to me was to learn more about God.
Spring camp at WOL, they conduct Christian camping for children and I paid for my children to attend.
I wanted them to get to know Jesus but I did not think that would be possible. God had other ideas.
During that camp all three children accepted Jesus and I was just blown away.
God knew my deepest desire even before I realised it.
I was so grateful to our Lord it was such a comfort to me to know that I will have them forever.
This great act of mercy by God has been my encouragement to want to do what is pleasing to Him.
It is not about me anymore.
"Ye are not your own - ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your mind" the Bible says.
I praise the Lord for every day that He gives me.
I love Him and others because He first loved me. The forgiveness of my sins brings a comfort that is indescribable to my life. The Lord is renewing my spirit daily. I just love to learn more and grow more in the Lord His way and His wants.
I am now a student myself at Word Of Life, committed to studies and service for a year! Who knows the path ones life will take.
"THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATURE; OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY, BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW" 2 Cor 5:17.
Jethro
Alissa El-Haddad- Testimony of Salvation.
Alissa
Click on photo to enlarge.
Hello my name is Alissa, I am 15 years old.
I live with my mother, my father and 2 brothers.
During my upbringing we attended many different orthodox churches but my parents did not feel it was right.
Shortly after I finished pre-school we moved to Sydney from Canberra, I was still young and didn’t know much about the lord.
During my junior school years I had many scripture lessons which I found very interesting and encouraging. At this time we didn’t know that my mum’s sister back in Lebanon was a faithful Baptist due to being separated for many years.
We soon after found out and started attending Faith Arabic Baptist in Blacktown.
During our short time attending we found out we had many relatives and many close friends to my aunty at that church. We found Faith Arabic to be very encouraging, we almost from first site knew it was a fruitful Fundamental Baptist church that was right for us.
After attending for almost a year we came to the decision that we couldn’t attend Faith Baptist anymore due to the distance we had to travel each Sunday. Personally at that stage of my life I was hungry for Gods word and I was very disappointed to leave such an encouraging ministry.
Not long after, by a coincidence we found a church in our local area, Nepean Baptist church.
At this time I was 8 years old, I attended Sunday school and found that very helpful.
A year later June 10th year 2001 I was in Sunday school and the theme for that lesson was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Lord really worked in my heart that morning and I came to know Christ as my personal Saviour.
After that morning I had a real fire burning for Christ and I really wanted to do more work for him, at the age of 12 I started to participate in the distribution of tracks with a team on Sunday afternoons. As years went on I started helping with kids club and helping as much as I could around the church.
As I started my high school years I really felt I need to serve the lord more in other areas, I started attending youth group and going to many conferences to keep my fire burning along with much prayer. June 10th 2004 I decided to follow the lord in baptism.There were many trials during these years I had been saved but the lord saw me through each and every one of them! My ultimate dream since I was a child was to go on a mission’s trip when I got older. I really felt burdened for children my age in 3rd world countries.
I spoke with my parents when I was 13 years of age about it and came to a decision that I would pray about it and let the lord do his work in my life.
Late last year I was offered a great opportunity that really met my needs. I was asked to go on a mission’s trip to Romania with a close friend.
I was very thankful for what the lord was giving me, and with that I took it in consideration and prayer and decided I would accept the offer and go on the mission’s trip in late 2009.
I really praise God for what he has done in my life and I pray that I may be an example to the people around me, I really thank God for giving me such a supportive mother and father it really helped me with my Christian walk.
I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for Gods mercy and grace and with me sharing this with you I pray you all see his tremendous love through me!
I live with one great verse filled with assurance and safety;
PSALM 18:2 THE LORD IS MY ROCK, AND MY FORTRESS, AND MY DELIVERER; MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, IN WHOM WILLL I TRUST
Alissa El_Haddad
Christine Duboc- Testimony of Salvation.
Click on photo to enlarge.
Christine
Click on photo to enlarge.
Sitting down to write a personal testimony is not an easy job. God has been so good to me and He has kept me, through my life and I am humbled to share this with you all.
I was seven years of age when it was explained to me that without Jesus Christ I am sinner and if I die without Him, I would be facing eternal life without Him, in hell.
We cannot get to heaven by being good or through religion but by faith in the grace of God and His gift of Salvation through the blood of Christ.
Although I was saved at a relatively young age, life hasn’t been without its trials and testings.
I grew up in church. I attended Sunday School, AWANA (youth group), and every single church event that you can think of.
In 2000, due to house move, our family moved to Nepean Baptist Church.
It was great to see the Lord working in a Fundamental Independent Baptist Church.
We were encouraged by the reception of the people and faithful preaching of God’s Word.
For eight years now, we as a family have been serving in ministries.
I graduated from school after completion of my HSC in 2003.
High School was a turbulent time in my life and I thank God, however, for getting me through.
What I did not know was-that life was just beginning. (For you young people studying - it is not the end of the world.)
I went in to the workforce and worked for an IT (Information Technology) company in the city. Life was becoming very fun and carefree.
Although I remained faithful to church and my testimony; bad decisions were made that made life for me very difficult.
In 2006, I resigned my job as I decided to attend Sydney Bible Baptist College.
This decision was reached after a lot of prayer and discussion with my Pastor and parents.
I started College and started looking for work.
You know when you are in God’s will, when you start encountering trials.
I was unemployed for two months, which didn’t help my situation.
However, God wanted me to rely on him.
After two months, my previous employer contacted me and asked me to come back.
I agreed as long as my college commitments remained a priority.
I was hired as an accounts assistant.
I thought I survived the hardest year of my life but 2007 has proved to be harder as the fight for my mind continued.
I moved on to college campus where The Lord took steps to break me down and humble me.
I was faced with a new authority and that I was not to get my way. Time after time I felt that nothing more could go wrong.
Lack of sleep, demanding job, finances and college work/study start to get all too much.
I realised that life is not worth living if one is living in it in their own strength.
At some point, I even doubted my Salvation. It was then, I learned that a life of habitutal sin and living life for self, ends up at a dead end.
Praise the Lord that in His Word He repeatedly says that we can NEVER loose our Salvation! Just one example of the many scriptures that confirms this is John 10:28-30
For the first time in my life I discovered that life is not fair BUT God is just.
God was touching each area of my life to turn me to Him.
I repented and asked forgiveness for my unbelief and trying to live life myself.
October 2007, I was offered a promotion in my city based job. I was delighted. However, there was a catch; they wanted me to sacrifice my college in order to work.
The decision was unquestionable,I would not sacrifice everything the Lord has shown and brought me through for a job.
In saying that, it still was hard to leave a job I thoroughly enjoyed, not to mention I had already left the company once before.
Before I made my formal decision, I attended National Baptist Fellowship meetings that were held in Melbourne.
This, too, was a trying time, where the Lord was using events to speak to me.
Friendships were tried and tested.
I came back emotionally exhausted but renewed that the Lord was in control and thankfully in control of my life.
The Lord had provided me a line up of job interviews and within the week I was employed.
I am praising the Lord because the job I am in now is no where near as demanding, I work with people who are kind and caring, and it’s a quiet job, so I get to do a lot of study!!! Praise the Lord.
These events have shown me that the Lord is good. We are being moulded into a Christ-like image; it would be so much easier if we would just let the Lord work.
I praise God for my loving parents who supported me through the most emotional, trying times and even though it was hard for them to see their daughter go through it, they stuck by me.
Also I would like to thank Pastor Hill who has also supported me through these times and for all my friends who still to this day are standing next to me.
My life hasn’t been perfect and I haven’t always been the example I should have been. For which I am truly sorry.
However; God uses all for good. I praise Him for the work that has been done. It is nothing that I could do and if it wasn’t for the death and resurrection of my Saviour Christ Jesus, I wouldn’t be here today.
I still have a long way to go and a lot of learning ahead.
Going forward, this is my graduating year of college and I am so excited to see what God has in store for me after college. I want to be used of Him in every way I can be.
In His Service,
Christine
Click to Enlarge.
Let me join with others in submitting a testimony for all to read!.
I was born with cerebral palsy in 1930 during the depression years which affected the entire left side of my body, but even though I could not walk properly, until 13 years old and then with a pronounced limp which is still evident, I always went to Sunday School at the home of two elderly sisters whose name was Dalzell at North Sydney and it was here that I first got to know about the Lord and His Life and mercies shown to us.
My parents, Church of England folk did have a faith but only to a degree but I was always made aware of the love of God, particularly from my father.
Mum and dad and my sister all had lovely singing voices but always told me not to join in!
When I was 14 I attended the Gospel Hall church that was built nearby to where we lived at West Pennant Hills.
On Sunday mornings, I used to take my time and walk on my own along a cobbled stone road 2 1/2 miles to Beecroft and catch the train to Hornsby and walk about 1/2 mile to the Waitara Gospel Hall, which was Open Brethren.
After church I used to go with the family that ran our local branch for lunch and then home by car home to attend Sunday school in the afternoon.
It was at this church that I accepted Christ as my Saviour and Lord And was baptised at Waitara on 15th July 1945.
So you will see I have been a Christian for a long long time.
I had to leave school at 15 because my parents needed any money I could earn in spite of my winning scholarships to take my education further.
However, with the blessing of God, I have in my lifetime achieved every goal that 1 would have got had I been able to take up these scholarships.
One of my longer achievements was to attend Meadowbank Technical college for four years two nights a week to do a diploma course in dressmaking.
This was after working all day at Alexandria and facing the long walk back home from the station.
However crime was almost unknown and I knew that God was with me during the long walk at 9p.m. at night.
The only achievement I was unable to do was to be a doctor or a school teacher.
I married in 1953 And had the gift of two lovely girls who are now mature women with their own families who gave me six grandchildren all of who I love and cherish.
But somehow always at the back of my mind was my unfulfilled dream.
My husband was a uni student on a small scholarship and until the girls were born I worked long hours supporting us both.
I typed after work his Hons. degree, Masters and long complicated thesis for his Phd and His assignments for Dip.Ed and later his textbooks.
I have during my lifetime undergone some 50 operations some big and some small and been hospitalised with severe illnesses; but always felt God had a reason for everything and always, I found whilst in hospitals, that there was someone there who needed my help in some way.
In 1979 my marriage had broken up, because of another woman; and so, as I had to go back to full time work to survive.
I attended evening class again and obtained my mature higher school certificate graduating in the top 5% in the state.
When I remarried I sought admission to the Milperra College of Education (now University of Western Sydney) to fulfill my dream of being a primary teacher and as a mature (very) student.
They were told (against the principal's wishes) about the love of God and taught things they never ever dreamed of being possible.
However the headmaster tried to get me sacked from the Department because he said I had no rapport with children or parents.
But he was very unsuccessful in his attempt.
So much so that when I did retire the Department paid me the honour which is not lightly given and certainly not to teachers with short permanent years of service, a medal inscribed For Service to Children.
Over the long years or working I had always saved my money to take my girls overseas mainly to England where all my relatives were and on the continent and we "Youth Hostelled" to save money.
I also travelled a bit with my second husband who died in 2003.
I have made many friends overseas in so many countries that I am constantly being asked to visit.
This is becoming a little more difficult now as in 1992, I had massive surgery on my neck when a disc collapsed and had to be rebuilt from my hip and fused.
That is why I still have to wear a soft collar; as doctors all expected - and still do that - my neck could fail at any given time and this would see me quadraplegic.
I was also told to use a mobile walker when out and this, too, applies to this day. At home I can walk on my own or with a walking stick.
Pain became my permanent companion and I am classified as a chronic pain sufferer with so many areas including my whole spine and muscular system, and every joint is under threat.
Still my faith in God has become stronger than ever.
I thank Him daily for the gift of another day and Also for the wonderful church family I have at Nepean Baptist Church.
And despite so many afflictions and other hardships in my life this will never change and I hope God will continue to Bless everyone who reads this and they will realise that for everything God gives us whether good or bad; there is a reason - and to Trust in Him always.
Being only human I must admit that there were times when I felt I had slipped from the path I had lived by. But our God is a forgiving God and soon helped me to regain my equilibrium.
In summation now of my given gift of life that God gave me I was ultimately to become despite a poor start educationally, physically and financially the private secretary to the Managing and Chairman of Directors of one of, if not the biggest firm in Sydney at that time.
To be elected by my peers to be president of the academic Wives' Group at the University of N.S.W.; and chair many dinners, meeting s and functions attended by man learned and influential people.
To work full timer as Administrative Assistant to the Warden of Clinical studies in the faculty of medicine at the University of N.S.W.
This task embraced attending to the overall welfare of students at Prince of Wales, St.George, St.Vincents hospitals (Prince Henry considered extension of Prince of Wales,)and included liasing with doctors and professors.
This was to be able to draw up timetables, type up and distribute lecture notes to the students and included the organisation and running under my direction, the final year medical examinations.
Anything became possible when God proposed it.
Guided by God, it was then feeling financially secure and confident I would succeed that I resigned from this difficult and responsible position to finally fulfill my long ambition to train for three years to become a te4acher of children.
Hence the attitude taken by the headmaster was regarded as completely unfounded and dismissed.
In the course of my long life, God has directed me and enabled me to visit and worship over the years some 64 of the wonderful and beautiful countries that He created so lovingly for us all.
So you will see that I have always been well and truly blessed, as well all are in one way or another through the ultimate sacrifice given on the Cross for us all to accept and believe in.
Praise and thanks go to Him, who as yet unseen is always with us.
My favourite Hymn is….
My favourite verse is: "Isaiah 12.2 Behold God is My salvation, I will trust and not be afraid......"
Betty Gregory
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