Birthday: December 22

Hometown: Williams, Minnesota

Prayer Requests: To have more patience with people and to have wisdom in every area, but mainly in relationships.

Personal Testimony: I was raised in a Christian home. My parents became Christians when I was about three years old, so I have always been around Christians and Christian influence. My parents made me go to church even when I did not want to. I am thankful for that now that I am in Bible school and I am realizing how much the knowledge that I have obtained is helping me, even though I hated going when I was in grade school.

All my life my parents have had a horrible relationship. My Dad has moved out twice in my life. I remember being little and not being able to wait until I got older so that I could stand up to them. So when I did get older, and into junior and senior high, I did become very rebellious. I wanted to have nothing to do with my parents, or what my parents where standing for; Christianity. I started to do everything that my parents had taught me was wrong. And even though I knew it was wrong, I did it anyway. I knew that I was not saved, and that I would have to get my life changed around and trust Christ or I would go to hell, but I did not care. I started breaking and entering, stealing, and other things that I knew was wrong. I thankfully never did drugs. I am really happy about that now. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to blame everything I have done on my parents. I know that it is not there fault. I took the things ha happened and instead of trusting Jesus with my problems, I was going to do something that was going to make me feel better. And I was to proud to admit that I needed Jesus. That would be admitting that my parents where right, which was the last thing I was going to do. After I got worse and worse, I started to get really convicted of the stuff that I was doing. I knew that I was on my way to hell, and I started to get scared! But I was still would not turn to Jesus. And just like it says in Num. 32:23 “be sure that your sin will find you out” I got caught. I broke into a church in my town, and a few days later the Sheriff showed at my door saying that he thought I had done it. I told him that I had, and he recorded me confessing that I had done it on a tape recorder so he had proof. The Sheriff was also a Christian and he told that I was making a shipwreck out of my life and I needed to turn my life around or I would end up in prison someday. So that night I trusted Jesus with my life.

Sometime after this I went through a time of depression, and I started to get very bitter. But God started to show me that if I fully trusted with my life then he could help me. I have now overcome depression, with Jesus help!

I am still not perfect, and I still very often make mistakes, but I have learned to trust Jesus and he helps me. I have learned that it is my fault that I do the stuff that I do. Not my parents or anyone else. Yes people do cause problems for me, but I need to give it to God, and I can not deal with it on my own. I need Jesus in every part of my life.