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 Vanessa G. C. Taylor |
My Spiritual Journey
November 5 2006 / ShareHim in Benin, Jun. 2 - Jun. 17 '06 #85by Vanessa G. C. Taylor
Personal Testimony of Vanessa G. C. Taylor.
A Testimony of My Spiritual Journey:
In 1970 I was born and then baptized as a Roman Catholic by my parents. As a little girl I learned about God and that I could pray and worship Him in a reverent way. I learned to respect and honor a Priest and the ritual of attending Church and Ceremonial Communion of the Lord's supper of bread and wine. The impression I was taught was that being perfect and holy was a privilege and if we broke it we would be condemned to hell. I knew we weren’t perfect because my mom and dad had a divorce and we were looked upon like outcasts by my relatives and a dreaded example to be avoided.
As I learned about the 10 commandments on TV, I asked my dad to show me where it was in the Bible. One day I asked my dad why we were worshiping idols when the commandments said not to. My dad said that I could find the true religion. From then on I had his permission to search and seek God on my own.
In 1981 when I was in Girl Scouts I was invited by my friend to visit her church. It was called the First Assembly of God. There I found out that God had a Son and His name is Jesus. I learned to praise Him, I read and memorized God’s Word, and worshiped with my hands held up high glorifying Him as if He was near. The first verse I remember was John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God, and the Word is God”. I was taught and given the gift of a special tongue that would be revealed to me when I was in Heaven. We would pray and afterwords repeat the special tongue as worship, meditation, and praise to the Lord. There I heard for the first time about the true baptism by immersion of water. For two years I studied, worshipped, and fellowshipped with the church. I attended their Christian Camp and had Bible Studies. They would send a van to pick us up and bring us back home.
In 1983 my family moved and I lost touch with my childhood friend and church. I continued to pray, praise, attend my relative’s Catholic Church, and tried to read and understand the Scriptures by starting from the beginning of the Bible from reading from Genesis to Revelation. But I needed a guide. So I prayed that God would let me be baptized by the true baptism. He sent two Mormon Elder’s to my door. I studied with them, went to their Ward, and was baptized. There I learned that God had prophets to help guide His people. Then they excommunicate my friend for breaking the law of Chastity and said that she will only enter the lowest of the three levels of Heaven because she broke the commandments. This didn’t seem right. For it was written the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
In 1986 when I was a teenager, I recognized that I needed to find a man who I would marry. I was tired of going out with guys who used drugs, didn’t have future goals, and didn’t know God. So I prayed and asked God to help me. As one of my conversations with God I asked Him to help me find someone He created for me that would have some specific nationalities. Being from Hawaii there were so much nationalities in our culture. Through my years I’ve learned to admire some qualities of certain ethic nationalities. I asked for a young man that would be the same age as me with some African-American mix and Japanese. What a long shot! I also prayed that he would still have both his parents who loved each other and who were Christians.
I went to school one day and heard of a guy who transferred to my high school. When I heard his name I wanted to meet him. As we met and got to know each other I found out that God answered my prayers. He gave me a boyfriend with the exact nationality I asked for in prayer. I knew this was God’s signature in my life that this was the man I would spend the rest of my life with.
Soon I attended his family’s church. It was called the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. He and I became acolytes to the priest there and soon Ron and I were married in 1993. We started our family and bought a home. Yet I was hungry for God’s Word. I prayed and asked God to help me study His word. I wanted to understand about the present day prophets and the mysteries of the end of the world.
God sent two JW to my door. I studied with them for two years. My husband did not like them much. So I prayed that my husband and I would find the true religion that would help us understand prophesies and that keep the commandments of God. At that time my husband worked 24 hours 7 days a week. I prayed that we could just have one day to be together as a family.
A young girl came to my door and was selling some books. She sold me a cook book and a book with a picture of Jesus on the cover. I didn’t have enough for both so she let me have the other for free. I received a brochure in the mail about an upcoming Prophesy Seminar in town. My client said she got one too and said she was going to attend the meetings. I decided to attend and told my husband about it and he helped me find it by describing the streets to lead me there on my own. Later, he would meet me there when he got off of work. As I attended the meetings nightly I learned things I never knew. Soon Ron and I were baptized.
Soon we joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We noticed that it was a small group of people. We knew we needed to stay and help hold up the fort. Ron, the children and I grew with this church family. But soon our hearts were longing for a much more alive faith that would live out the Gospel. Many times I would pray, "Lord, use me. I want to be a part of what the Bible is saying to go to ends of the earth and preach the Good News. If only You would give me the words and make it possible to go now." We heard God calling us, but we thought it was silly since we were already establishing a home, our business, and our livelihood here in Hawaii. So we rearranged our lives to take God's calling seriously.
In 2003 we moved to Michigan to begin a new life to answer the calling the Lord was leading us to. I never knew it would be possible or that I was heading for answered prayers of old. For almost three years the Lord astonished me with His secret surprise to answer prayers and the providence of miraculous miracles. Then He sent godly people to provide for Ron’s tuition to study at Andrews University and the income to live right here in Berrien Springs. Then to top it all off, the Lord sent me to do three global missions meetings and answered the desire to share Him to the ends of the earth.
Today on this Holy Sabbath I will share with you and help you look at what God has done to me. My struggle to be who He created me to be was my lesson learned here during my family’s time in this community. I am a child of God. Although I may not have the educational discipline and the art of preaching, God used me. And God can use you in a mighty way. Just tell Him to throw you in to the harvest. Tell Him to send you, all because of what He did for you on that cross.
I have nowhere to go but here. This is the truth I have been searching for ever since I asked my dad "why?" and he permitted me to search. Now I know Jesus and what He has done in my life. I want to share HIM to the world.
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God is letting you live your life that He created to tell the story of His love for you and all who you encounter in your live. You were created to let others see Christ in you and for you to see Christ in others. Don’t be afraid. Speak up and choose to live the Gospel in your life. Don’t listen to the Spirit that is warring in your mind that you’re a fool for God and you don’t stand up to the standards of this world. Remember it is God you are pleasing not man. So go, SDA’s, go and share this beautiful message to the world. Did you not know it was you that touced my life to continue with you to reach others in compassion for Christ? I was saved and sealed by an evangelistic crusade. Therefore, I want to save others like me with the same evangelistic campaign and set them free in Jesus.
In 1970 I was born and then baptized as a Roman Catholic by my parents. As a little girl I learned about God and that I could pray and worship Him in a reverent way. I learned to respect and honor a Priest and the ritual of attending Church and Ceremonial Communion of the Lord's supper of bread and wine. The impression I was taught was that being perfect and holy was a privilege and if we broke it we would be condemned to hell. I knew we weren’t perfect because my mom and dad had a divorce and we were looked upon like outcasts by my relatives and a dreaded example to be avoided.
As I learned about the 10 commandments on TV, I asked my dad to show me where it was in the Bible. One day I asked my dad why we were worshiping idols when the commandments said not to. My dad said that I could find the true religion. From then on I had his permission to search and seek God on my own.
In 1981 when I was in Girl Scouts I was invited by my friend to visit her church. It was called the First Assembly of God. There I found out that God had a Son and His name is Jesus. I learned to praise Him, I read and memorized God’s Word, and worshiped with my hands held up high glorifying Him as if He was near. The first verse I remember was John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God, and the Word is God”. I was taught and given the gift of a special tongue that would be revealed to me when I was in Heaven. We would pray and afterwords repeat the special tongue as worship, meditation, and praise to the Lord. There I heard for the first time about the true baptism by immersion of water. For two years I studied, worshipped, and fellowshipped with the church. I attended their Christian Camp and had Bible Studies. They would send a van to pick us up and bring us back home.
In 1983 my family moved and I lost touch with my childhood friend and church. I continued to pray, praise, attend my relative’s Catholic Church, and tried to read and understand the Scriptures by starting from the beginning of the Bible from reading from Genesis to Revelation. But I needed a guide. So I prayed that God would let me be baptized by the true baptism. He sent two Mormon Elder’s to my door. I studied with them, went to their Ward, and was baptized. There I learned that God had prophets to help guide His people. Then they excommunicate my friend for breaking the law of Chastity and said that she will only enter the lowest of the three levels of Heaven because she broke the commandments. This didn’t seem right. For it was written the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
In 1986 when I was a teenager, I recognized that I needed to find a man who I would marry. I was tired of going out with guys who used drugs, didn’t have future goals, and didn’t know God. So I prayed and asked God to help me. As one of my conversations with God I asked Him to help me find someone He created for me that would have some specific nationalities. Being from Hawaii there were so much nationalities in our culture. Through my years I’ve learned to admire some qualities of certain ethic nationalities. I asked for a young man that would be the same age as me with some African-American mix and Japanese. What a long shot! I also prayed that he would still have both his parents who loved each other and who were Christians.
I went to school one day and heard of a guy who transferred to my high school. When I heard his name I wanted to meet him. As we met and got to know each other I found out that God answered my prayers. He gave me a boyfriend with the exact nationality I asked for in prayer. I knew this was God’s signature in my life that this was the man I would spend the rest of my life with.
Soon I attended his family’s church. It was called the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. He and I became acolytes to the priest there and soon Ron and I were married in 1993. We started our family and bought a home. Yet I was hungry for God’s Word. I prayed and asked God to help me study His word. I wanted to understand about the present day prophets and the mysteries of the end of the world.
God sent two JW to my door. I studied with them for two years. My husband did not like them much. So I prayed that my husband and I would find the true religion that would help us understand prophesies and that keep the commandments of God. At that time my husband worked 24 hours 7 days a week. I prayed that we could just have one day to be together as a family.
A young girl came to my door and was selling some books. She sold me a cook book and a book with a picture of Jesus on the cover. I didn’t have enough for both so she let me have the other for free. I received a brochure in the mail about an upcoming Prophesy Seminar in town. My client said she got one too and said she was going to attend the meetings. I decided to attend and told my husband about it and he helped me find it by describing the streets to lead me there on my own. Later, he would meet me there when he got off of work. As I attended the meetings nightly I learned things I never knew. Soon Ron and I were baptized.
Soon we joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We noticed that it was a small group of people. We knew we needed to stay and help hold up the fort. Ron, the children and I grew with this church family. But soon our hearts were longing for a much more alive faith that would live out the Gospel. Many times I would pray, "Lord, use me. I want to be a part of what the Bible is saying to go to ends of the earth and preach the Good News. If only You would give me the words and make it possible to go now." We heard God calling us, but we thought it was silly since we were already establishing a home, our business, and our livelihood here in Hawaii. So we rearranged our lives to take God's calling seriously.
In 2003 we moved to Michigan to begin a new life to answer the calling the Lord was leading us to. I never knew it would be possible or that I was heading for answered prayers of old. For almost three years the Lord astonished me with His secret surprise to answer prayers and the providence of miraculous miracles. Then He sent godly people to provide for Ron’s tuition to study at Andrews University and the income to live right here in Berrien Springs. Then to top it all off, the Lord sent me to do three global missions meetings and answered the desire to share Him to the ends of the earth.
Today on this Holy Sabbath I will share with you and help you look at what God has done to me. My struggle to be who He created me to be was my lesson learned here during my family’s time in this community. I am a child of God. Although I may not have the educational discipline and the art of preaching, God used me. And God can use you in a mighty way. Just tell Him to throw you in to the harvest. Tell Him to send you, all because of what He did for you on that cross.
I have nowhere to go but here. This is the truth I have been searching for ever since I asked my dad "why?" and he permitted me to search. Now I know Jesus and what He has done in my life. I want to share HIM to the world.
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God is letting you live your life that He created to tell the story of His love for you and all who you encounter in your live. You were created to let others see Christ in you and for you to see Christ in others. Don’t be afraid. Speak up and choose to live the Gospel in your life. Don’t listen to the Spirit that is warring in your mind that you’re a fool for God and you don’t stand up to the standards of this world. Remember it is God you are pleasing not man. So go, SDA’s, go and share this beautiful message to the world. Did you not know it was you that touced my life to continue with you to reach others in compassion for Christ? I was saved and sealed by an evangelistic crusade. Therefore, I want to save others like me with the same evangelistic campaign and set them free in Jesus.