Therefore, after rising from his knees in that solitary cell, he called for a ‘meeting’ in the usual manner. All the Loyalist Blanket Protesters came up to their cell doors to hear what he had to say; expecting some political poem or some morale booster. Instead, he announced, “Today I have taken the most important step of my life. I have renounced violence. I have repented of my sins. I have asked Jesus Christ into my life, and to save me – and I believe He has saved me. From this day forth I cease to be a Military Commander of the U.F.F. and wish only to be a mere volunteer in the army of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will seek to serve Him to the best of my ability. I just wanted you men to know this.”

There was a stunned silence in the H Block prison wing! After a while some made unbelieving and critical remarks such as, ‘what is the maniac up to now?’ However, today two of the men who made those remarks are born again, Bible-believing Christians serving the Lord in Belfast and have been for a long number of years. (Revelation 12:11)

When Kenny McClinton first went into prison he was semi-literate. After becoming a Christian, God gave him the patience to educate himself as his whole outlook changed dramatically. He painstakingly took correspondence courses with Emmaus Bible College. He took ‘O’ levels in English and R.S.A. exams. He did various educational courses over a long period of years with the Open University and gained a BA Honours Degree in Criminology and the Social Sciences.

After sixteen years of imprisonment McClinton was eventually released on licence in 1993. He has since then worshipped, and taught, in a number of Bible-believing churches, and views the Christian Church as a universal and international Body of born again believers, made up of all nations, colours, and former creeds; with One Head of the Church, Christ Jesus Himself. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

Employment experts have deemed Kenny ‘unemployable’ due to the high political profile he has and the manner in which he has spoken out against both terrorist violence and State oppression.

He was ordained as a Pastor in an international Missions Ministry called Moments of Faith International based in Texas, U.S.A. in 1995, and under the remit of his ordination, formed the Ulster/American Christian Fellowship Ministry. Many – both in America and in his native Northern Ireland, UK (Ulster) – have benefited from his forthright ministry and sound teachings in the Word of God.   (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Kenny met his present wife Wendy – a former Salvation Army Officer for fifteen years – in 1993 and they have a beautiful young teenage daughter, Abigail Catherine. Abby was saved in August 2003. They currently attend, and often minister, at many of the local Churches in Portadown.  In recent years, Kenny has also had the privilege of undertaking Bible Teaching/evangelical preaching Missions out to India.

This family has been through the ‘fire’ and though the ‘water’ over the past decade especially – murder bids, death threats; slanderings; and social and economic marginalisation – yet the Lord God has never forsaken them nor failed to ‘…supply their every need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.’ Praise God! (Philippians 4:19)

Since September 11th 2001 and the terrible terrorist atrocity visited upon the great American Nation in New York, Kenny has been denied the necessary visa-waivers to come and minister in America. However, in the three years of dearth that has followed, God’s grace has been richly bestowed.

Kenny – through the accumulated writings of two decades of deep Bible study – has achieved a Master’s Degree in Theology (2002); a Ph.D. Doctorate in Philosophy (2003); and  a second Doctorate in Literature (2004) with the European Theological Seminary, based in Birmingham, England.

“…Nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:28-39) (Philippians 4:13)

To talk to Dr Kenny McClinton is to talk to a man who has clearly had such a transforming experience that anybody would have to be totally bigoted to disbelieve in the power of God to perform such a miracle of regeneration. (John 3:3-8)

Even if a person’s background were entirely different from Kenny’s, after hearing his story a person would have to be kidding if he/she did not envy him and want what he has found in Christ Jesus the Son of God.

Today, the former ‘maniac McClinton’ stands before us, fully clothed, in his right mind, a completely ‘new creature in Christ.’ Behold him and give praise and all glory to the Living Lord God. Amen.
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Kenny McClinton was one of the most feared men in Northern Ireland (Ulster). His years of terrorist activity culminated in two life sentences for murder and other acts of terrorist violence. He had become a thorn in the side of the authorities. Even in prison he could not be tamed and found himself in solitary confinement punishment cells fifteen times within one nine month period.

He was born in 1947, the second son of a hard-drinking, hard-fighting, coal delivery man; a man who spent all the family income on drink, causing almighty rows in the home an leaving the family in abject poverty.

He was brought up in the heart of Protestantism, in the greater Shankill area of Belfast. For much of his young life he lived in a ramshackle ex-army Nissan hut. His address was simply No. 9 Hut, West Circular Road, West Belfast. He was as familiar with rats as most children are with cats! There was no hot running water in the Hut, and Kenny and his brother were the butt of other children’s ridicule. His father spent time in prison and later left home, leaving his mother, Catherine, struggling to bring up the family with little social or financial support.

Kenny and his brother Davy’s reactions to the bullying and derision was to fight back. At an early age they learned how to defend themselves, thinking they were earning the respect of their peers. In fact, they became the terror of the areas in which they lived.

Kenny’s whole life centred around violence. He lived a kind of nomadic existence during his early years as his mother moved about numerous furnished accommodations in Belfast City. He attended approximately fourteen Primary Schools, always living by the law of the jungle, not realizing that this ruins lives. (Proverbs 14:12)

When talking with Kenny today, he is at pains to say that he does not blame his background for what he later became, although it must have had some effect upon him.

When he was fifteen years old he left school. He had no paper qualifications, and his only ‘ambition’ was to be a labourer. He finished school on a Friday in 1962 and commenced working the following Monday – as a labourer. Within a year he joined he Merchant Navy and sailed around the world for 12 years.

His voice trembles with a sense of shame when he says, “I was involved in the loosest kind of life imaginable, yet, I never ever felt really satisfied. I never found any lasting peace or contentment in this world’s pleasures. I always felt that there was something missing.”

Kenny joined the Ulster Defence Regiment of the British Army in 1972. He was duly trained in the use of weapons, yet carried a little ‘yellow card’ that forbid him to shoot at the I.R.A. terrorists unless they first shot at him. He left the U.D.R. Regiment, and in his own words, “Drifted quite naturally into a Protestant Defence organization called the Ulster Defence Association (U.D.A.).”

“Because of my violent nature and my previous British Army training, I was promoted to First Lieutenant of an active service unit within a mere three weeks…It was not long before I graduated, as it were, to the Ulster Freedom Fighters (U.F.F.) an even more militant and much feared Protestant terrorist group.”

He lead from the front; he trained many others in the use of weapons, machine guns and explosives. He would send lethal book bombs to key I.R.A. terrorists, and attempted to murder many of the I.R.A. Brigade Staff and their families!

Again his voice drops as he says, “It was at this time, I am ashamed to say, that I shot and killed two men and attempted to murder a number of others.”

“My name is Legion, for we are many…” (Mark 5:9)

After a major bombing campaign he spent two weeks drinking hard. He told me, “I remember waking up one morning in a girlfriend’s bed. I had a dreadful hangover and was sweating profusely and feeling disgusted with what I had become – a terrorist murderer. For some reason I prayed perhaps my first sincere prayer to God. I prayed, ‘God, I have always believed in You and the Protestant tradition. I am tired of what I have become. I am tired of my life. Please help me to have a new start?’”

He remembers that was on a Friday in August 1977. On the following Monday morning, the 29th August, he was woken by a heavy hand hammering on his front door. Upon looking out, he found his home surrounded by armed police and soldiers of the British Army. With little resistance, he was arrested and taken to Castlereagh Interrogation Centre in Belfast. He was questioned for five days, and duly charged with two accounts of murder and many other terrorist offences.

Kenny admits, “I had mixed feelings. I obviously did not relish losing my freedom, but in some way it was a relief, because I knew there was no other way but death in which I could get out of the life I was living as a terrorist; I was trapped by my reputation and what my fellow-terrorists expected from me.”

In a large scale crack-down hundreds of other terrorists were taken about the same time. Looking back, Kenny feels it was a real answer to his sincere prayer, although he couldn’t see it at that time.

Within the prison itself terrorist activities did not stop. In fact, there developed a very strong core of militants who were almost a much a threat to the authorities inside the prison, as they had been outside! Kenny was one of the original instigators of the ‘Loyalist Blanket Brigade’ who refused to wear prison clothes nor follow prison rules. The men used to appear in court dressed in their underwear to show their contempt of the British Court System. On one occasion, Kenny and another inmate were reported by the National newspapers as making: ‘A Full Frontal Attack on Society’, as they appeared in court totally naked; an insult to the authorities whom they felt had betrayed Loyalists and let them down in their struggle against the Irish Republican Army terrorists (I.R.A.).

Kenny became the main organizer of such acts of contempt and aggression. Within one nine month period he was placed in the punishment cells fifteen times. He was referred to by Prison Staff as ‘that Maniac McClinton’! Looking back on this period of his life Kenny likens himself to the maniac of Gadara in Mark’s Gospel whom nobody could tame.

“…and no man could tame him.” (Mark 5:3-4)

During his times in solitary confinement in the punishment cells – the floor was black, the walls stark white; the cell bare; and a neon light burned continuously – there was absolutely no means of mental stimulation, so to relieve his utter boredom, Kenny decided to start reading the rather decrepit looking prison issue of the King James Version of the Bible.

“I found I quite enjoyed all the stories in the early chapters of the Bible. I could closely relate to the whole tribal attitudes and nomadic experiences; the wars; the plots; the political intrigue. I could understand King David’s skullduggery when he arranged for a man to be killed, after sleeping with his wife and making her pregnant.” (2 Samuel 11:)

” I could understand the mighty Samson as he fought the Philistine oppressors and eventually pulled down the Dagon Temple upon them, killing thousands of his enemies. That’s what I wanted to do with mine!”

Slowly, he read on, and the weeks turned to months; and the months turned to almost two years of solitary confinement punishments. After nearly two years of Remand imprisonment from the time of his arrest in 1977, McClinton was taken to the High Court in Belfast and tried for some seventeen days. He then heard a High Court Judge say:

“McClinton, I find that you are a callous, cold-blooded, and completely ruthless man. You are in fact, a U.F.F. assassin! I sentence you to two accounts of Life imprisonment with my stipulation that you serve no less that twenty years. Take him away!”

Off Kenny went to the H Blocks of the Maze Prison, but immediately refused to wear the prison uniform, was escorted to H Block 6; stripped off his clothes, and joined the Loyalist Blanket Protest to achieve Political Status for politically motivated offences. “…and no man could tame him.”

On one occasion, after three young Loyalist Blanket protesters had been beaten by Prison Guards and abused, Kenny took on fifteen prison officers at once, dressed only in a prison towel around his waist. Eventually they overpowered him, and administered their own kind of ‘justice’ by hanging him upside down by his feet and beating him until he couldn’t breath. Kenny received twenty-six injuries in the beating, and was ‘awarded’ twenty-two days punishment for ‘attacking fifteen prison officers’. And the solitary-confinement Bible reading continued.

“…Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) (Joel 2:32)

As the months passed in solitary confinement on the Loyalist Blanket Protest, Kenny reached the New Testament in his Bible readings and there in those priceless pages of God’s Word, he experienced the great love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and “…things were never quite the same after that…”

Describing his experience he said: “What could not be achieved by prison bars, batons, concrete and solitary confinement, was quickly achieved by the matchless love of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was nobody to talk at length with me about God; nobody to fully explain the way to become a Christian – no books, no tracts, no strains of ‘Oh Lamb of God I come’ during a Gospel Mission. There was only my black burden of sin and guilt and shame – and that old black book of books, the Bible.”

Looking back, Kenny remembers his first realization that he was a “…filthy, Hell-deserving sinner…”, but the Bible pointed him to the righteous Jesus Christ who had suffered and died and rose again from the dead in order to offer sinners His forgiveness. (Matthew 11:28-30)

As he read on, he became aware of a tremedous Spiritual battle that was going on for his soul between Satan and the Lord God. On August 12th 1979 he recalls falling down on his knees in cell 9, H Block 6 of the Maze Prison. He cried out to God in repentance – asked for forgiveness and faith to believe and be saved – and, praise God, he trusted in Christ Jesus and he was saved! (Psalm 51:) (Luke 19:10)

He had read that one of the conditions of becoming a true Christian was an open, public, confession with his mouth, as well as a genuine belief in his heart. (Romans 10:9)

My name is Lei Liu and I was born in Wuhan, China. My parents are both communist party members since their college days, so I grew up in an atheist household. In 2004, I encountered some strange spiritual experiences that I could not explain. I heard some strange voices on my way home late at night, and my mother couldn’t hear it. The next day I broke my leg and was hospitalized for months. This experience made me open to spiritual things and religion. 

In 2009 I stepped into a church for the first time in the US, while I was a student there. After 1 and half years of Bible study, I was baptized in an American Chinese church on June 6, 2010. What made me believe was not mental persuasion, but the love I felt from the church members who welcomed me into their midst. I have never heard any strange voices again. I read through the whole Bible once two years after my baptism, and I actively shared my faith. From 2013 to 2023, I actively shared the gospel in China. In 2023, I decided to come to the US again for law school. Right now, I am not sure where to go next after graduation, but I am sure God will lead me wherever He sees fit. Glory to God! 

Lei “David” Liu

A Home Prepared by God: Twenty-Four Years of Waiting on His Perfect Timing.
There are moments in life when we wonder why God asks us to wait. We pray, we trust, and we continue serving Him, yet the answers seem delayed. Looking back over our lives, we now understand that God was never delaying His promise—He was preparing the perfect time to fulfill it.
In 1988, Johan purchased a home in Nylstroom. After relocating to Nelspruit in 1997, he rented out the property. When we married in 1999, the house was standing empty, and we decided to sell it, believing we would soon purchase another home together. It seemed like the logical next step, but the Lord had another plan.
Early in 2000, while seeking God’s direction, we believed He clearly instructed us not to buy a house but to rent one instead. It was not the answer we expected, yet we chose obedience over certainty. That decision shaped the next twenty-four years of our lives.
After Johan left his railway career to enter full-time missionary ministry in 2000, Esther resigned as a town planner in 2003 to join him after completing missionary training. From then on, our lives were devoted to serving wherever God called us. We ministered throughout South Africa and internationally, preaching the Gospel, training believers, planting ministries, and sharing Christ’s love with people from many different backgrounds.
Throughout those years we lived in rented homes in several cities. At times we questioned whether we would ever own a home again. Yet every move reminded us that our security was never found in a building but in God’s faithful care. He provided every place we needed, every open door for ministry, and every provision for our family.
Then, quietly and unexpectedly, God began arranging what only He could accomplish.
Following the passing of Esther’s mother in 2021, part of her estate was placed in a trust. The following year, the trustees agreed to release the funds on one condition—that Esther purchase a home. The trust contained R400,000, an amount that would become the foundation of God’s remarkable provision.
At the same time, we sensed that our season in Somerset West had come to an end. As we prayed, the Lord directed us to the Free State. We searched many towns and viewed numerous properties, but nothing seemed right. Several opportunities fell through, and disappointment often tempted us to lose hope.
Then we discovered a house in Winburg.
Although it was advertised for R550,000—well beyond our budget—we felt prompted to make an offer of R360,000. Humanly speaking, it seemed unlikely that the seller would accept such an offer. To our amazement, it was accepted without negotiation. In December 2023 the property was registered in Esther’s name, and we knew we were witnessing God’s hand at work.
Even our move tested our faith. Days before relocating, we lost R5,000 to a fraudulent moving company. It was painful, but God again provided another mover, and on 17 March 2024 we finally arrived safely at our new home in Winburg.
Less than two weeks later, on 29 March, two large trees collapsed onto the house we had been renting in Somerset West. The room that suffered the greatest damage was the very bedroom where our sons had always slept. Had we remained there, the consequences could have been tragic. In that moment we realized that God had not only provided a home—He had also protected our lives by leading us to move exactly when He did.
Today, our home is much more than a place to live. It stands as a memorial to God’s faithfulness. For twenty-four years we waited, often without understanding His purposes. Yet every delay, every move, every challenge, and every unanswered question formed part of a greater plan that only the Lord could see.
Our testimony is not simply about receiving a house. It is about learning that God’s timing is always perfect, His provision is always sufficient, and His guidance is always trustworthy. He sees the beginning from the end, and His plans are far better than anything we could ever design for ourselves.
If you are waiting for God to answer a prayer, do not lose heart. His silence is not His absence, and His delays are never without purpose. Continue to trust Him, for the God who has guided us so faithfully is the same God who remains faithful today.
As Scripture declares:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah:11
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” — Psalms:5
Our home is living proof that God’s promises are worth waiting for.
Pastor Johan LourensSouth Africa

JINYA LU

 Testimony

My grandma became a Christian after she retired. She was my main care giver since I was born. My parents had to work, and my mom also had some health issues when she was pregnant with me. When I was little, I went to church with my grandma regularly. However, I didn’t think much about God or Christianity during my childhood.

When I came to Canada to study at university, I brought a bible with me although I was not a christian at that time. It just gave me comfort and encouragement. That was the first time I left my family. After I arrived at Toronto, I had a chance to visit Kingston for a few days with two friends of mine from my high school. One of them knew someone from Kingston Chinese Alliance Church (KCAC). I met with Pastor Lo and had some conversations with him about becoming a Christian. Before I left, he did a prayer with me and also connected me with Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church (SCBC). The mandarin congregation at SCBC followed up with me immediately after I went back to Scarborough.

As soon as I started my study at University of Toronto Scarborough, I joined the university fellowship at SCBC. My journey of becoming a Christian started there. Pastor Louisa Liu was my mentor. She helped me with my questions about christianity and my struggles during some difficult times at University. I decided to baptize at SCBC in December 2007 after completing a season of new-believer classes from September to December 2007. 

By God’s grace and the guidance from the Holy Spirit, I realized that I needed Jesus as my saviour. I am a sinner. No matter how hard I try, I still cannot be justified before the holy God. Only the death and resurrection of Jesus can save me from my sins and give me eternal life.

【Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.】

NOEL

This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. 1 Timothy 1:15.

     I was brought up in a household that did not give God his rightful place. As a result of this fact I found myself, at the age of 35, going about my business without a knowledge of the Bible and its message, nor did I have any desire to know-I was ignorant, and content in my ignorance.

     What I am about to relate is a sequence of events spanning 30 YEARS, starting with God revealing himself to me in what I can only describe as a supernatural way, to finally culminating in a glorious salvation. As the events unfolded, I was not aware of their significance at the time, but in hindsight, I was able to comprehend Gods saving grace at work in me. As I recall and relate this work of grace, I cannot help but express a profound thankfulness for God’s goodness and mercy.

     So at that point in my life ( age 35 ) I was employed by a huge industrial concern as an apprentice electrician. This company had a program whereby they trained older people for the trade, and as I had no prior formal qualification, I seized the opportunity to better myself.

     In the third year of my apprenticeship, I was drinking alcohol excessively and I could not understand why. I had every thing going for me, a secure future, soon to be qualified in my trade, I was not unhappy, life was good. So I consulted my doctor and explained my situation to him. He in turn referred me to a psychiatrist in Pietermaritzburg where I was hospitalized for a week and subjected to what he termed shock therapy.

     In the course of that week, I was given a pocket size Bible from a nurse, which I accepted but never did get to read. In hindsight I was convinced that this young lady was instrumental in my salvation, I believe she was an intercessor on my behalf.

     So, I returned to Newcastle and to work, but this time without alcohol.

     About two weeks later, after having spent an evening with my girlfriend Mary ( my future wife to be ), I returned to my lodgings, a hostel provided by the company which was adequate for my needs–a single room with a shower, and a dining hall providing meals. I retired to bed and was lying down spreadeagled on my back with my arms and legs outstretched. I experienced a severe headache; this was unusual for me as I was not prone to headaches and certainly not one so severe. It persisted for a short while and then it seemed to drain out of me, through my arms and legs and my fingers and toes. And then again, this terrible headache and as it too “drained” out of me, I immediately received a powerful thought in my mind– THIS IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME!!

     With this realization I felt that my body was unclean, so much so that I got out of bed and showered.

     Now consider, this was now about midnight and I was excited. For some reason I thought that this had also happened to Mary and so I got dressed and drove over to her parents’ home to share my experience. But when I arrived I found the home in darkness, so I returned to the hostel and went back to bed.

     The next morning when I got up, I simply could not contain myself. I was literally babbling Jesus-Jesus-Jesus. This caused a considerable stir among the other residents of the hostel. These guys knew me and this was not the  same me that they knew-I was professing a Jesus that I had never previously acknowledged.

     It happened to be a Saturday, a non working day, so I went back to Marys parents home and explained to Mary and her parents what had occurred to me. Mary’s mother (she was a devout Catholic) burst into tears. I was surprised and, in my naivety, asked her if she did not have a similar experience. She said no!

     The same morning Mary and I drove out to a local dam where we often parked to watch the bird life. While we were sitting there, I began to confess all my innermost perversions and filth that was stored up in my mind. It was spontaneous,  I did not hold myself back, I was content to let it happen, it was not under my control, years later I understood this to be a cleansing and Mary was my witness to it.

     Immediately after this I experienced an incredible feeling of wellbeing, its intensity was difficult to describe, it was exquisite- and it lasted only a few moments. I believe I was given a taste of the future state of glory that God has reserved for those that love Him, a anointing of the Holy Spirit.

     And as an aside, if ever I was to speak in tongues, this would have been my defining moment

     The scripture comes to mind, ” I was found by those who did not seek me”, Isaiah 65:1.

     Several days later a powerful thought was directed straight into my mind, as if God was speaking to me, it directed me “to go out and tell others what I have done for you”. I was shocked, my immediate reaction was ro say ” I can’t do that, I don’t know you”.

     In hindsight, after being so wonderfully blessed with this revelation from God and truthfully admitting  that I did not know Him, I ask myself, why did I not seek Him out? Why did I not approach a minister to help me, or why did I not open the Bible to reveal Him? I cannot explain that, except to say I did not do any of these things. I now certainly knew that God existed, but I was totally unaware of who or what God was. A possible explanation, it was not my appointed time- Ecclesiastes 3:1.

     And so, I continued on with my life and God left me to do so.Over the next ten years I was married to Mary and we were blessed with a beautiful boy child. As a qualified artisan we had a reasonable standard of living. I was also drinking alcohol again and living without reverence for God. As a direct result of my way of living my marriage was doomed. And so it transpired, Mary divorced me and I was separated from my child.

     It was not long after this that I finally broke down and conceded that I cannot live this way. My life was in ruins, a complete disaster. I was crushed and my pride was crushed. Proverbs 16:18 ” Pride goes before destruction”. I was brought to a state of brokenness before God and I was now ready to receive truth.

     For the following three years I became totally isolated from the world. I lived on a smallholding north of Pretoria which belonged to a Pastor named Mark Barker. I sold my belongings including my car to further isolate myself from society. Mark presented me with a Bible and it was only then that I became acquainted with Gods means of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

     I spent my days working on the smallholding and my nights and weekends with the Word. Mark was my mentor and under his guidance I confessed my sins and repented and was baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

     My life was transformed. The message of the Bible opened up a completely new way for me.I was ecstatic. I experienced a peace and joy previously unknown to me. I devoured the written Word; I could not put it down. And it was not as if I studied the Word, it was burnt into my heart. I was experiencing my first love. God made me willing and enabled me- Philippians 2:13.

     So after my three years of isolation, equipped with my new found ” salvation ” I was now ready to return to society. I found I was gradually returning to a carnal life, living with sin, and finding it easier as time went on. I had no power to say NO to sin. There was a vital ingredient missing in my salvation and I was unaware of how to rectify this situation, nor was it in my power to rectify it. This required an act of God to enable me, failing that I was surely destined for hell.

     And this is how God in His amazing grace and mercy came to my aid. I was informed of the death of a childhood friend of mine. We had grown up together from being young boys through adolescence and we were close friends. I purchased a bottle of whisky and had a ” wake ” in remembrance of him.

     A day or two later I got to thinking whether he was saved or not ( I had no contact with him in later years so I had no way of knowing). While I was considering this, I was stricken with a most powerful conviction that I WAS NOT SAVED and I was on my way to hell. I was devastated.  I knew that without a doubt, because of my sinful state, I was going to hell, and not only that, God was perfectly just in condemning me, the wages of sin is death. It was done and dusted. I had acknowledged God and continued in sin. I was in utter despair, without hope. I cannot describe the darkness of that time and it continued for several months; proverbs 18:14 describes this state- ” who can bear a broken spirit”.

     I thought my sin was too great for forgiveness, I believed I had committed the unpardonable sin. I finally saw myself as God sees me, a wretched sinner. I was given an understanding of the true nature of sin, the sinfulness of sin. I was given a true understanding of who God was, holy and just. Sin is not to be trifled with.

     Isaiah 6:1-5 comes to mind, when the Prophet had a revelation of God seated on His throne, he cried out ” woe is me for I am undone “. And so it was with me.

     I was made to be laboring and heavy laden. This is what Jesus means when He said ” come unto me all who labour  and are heavy laden “. It is the weight of sin.

     And this spiritual affliction is the work of the Holy Spirit, He will come to convict you of sin, and righteousness and judgement. (See appendix note ).

     I pleaded for mercy, I begged for forgiveness, I beseeched God to grant me repentance. I pleaded the blood of Jesus to cover my sins, past , present and future. I came to Jesus as my only savior, there being no other means whereby my sins may be forgiven.

     I finally repented with a true Gospel repentance, not with an intellectual head knowledge of sin but with a heart knowledge of the true nature of sin. And Jesus said ” I will not turn away any that come to me”- John 6:37.

     Sin no longer has dominion over me, I have a divine power that enables me to overcome sin. And so after all those years I finally closed with my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

     I can truthfully conclude, both by way of scripture and experience that I have received the priceless gift of salvation by God’s grace. Salvation is of the Lord – Jonah 2:9

God makes you willing and enables you – Philippians 2:13.

     And so with Thomas I can say – ” my Lord and my God “, and with Peter I can say – ” you are the Christ, the Son of the living God “.

     And to God alone belongs the glory. Amen.

Appendix – excerpt from the work of JC Ryle entitled ” come unto me “

I quote – Jesus says “come unto me all who are labouring and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. To know the state of the soul here spoken of your hard heart must be broken. You must be brought to see your own guilt and danger, you eyes must be opened to understand your situation.

     All who have entered heaven were once labouring and heavy laden, and except you are, you will never get there. Unquote.     If you have never experienced a revelation of the true nature of your fallen state I would urge you to plead with God for this vital mercy.

My Christian Testimony

Del Kralman

My story begins when I was born into a Christian family on a farm northwest of Freewater Oregon.  We attended the First Christian Church of Milton Oregon, where my name was entered on the cradle role of the Church and I was baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ at age nine. 

As a child and young teenager I was active in all church activities including camps, retreats, conventions, and then on to collage at Northwest Christian Collage in Eugene Oregon where I met my first wife Evelene. 

We were active in Church attendance as we spent ten years traveling the Midwest for Boeing working on Minute Man missile installation and modifications, sale to the Airforce.  We returned to Seattle February of 1969. 

In April of 1969 I was self employed and all alone in my office at home filling out business forms when suddenly I heard a very loud voice calling my name which startled me so I jumped in the chair and looked around to find no one present, the voice said, “Del! You cannot be effective for Me until you read the Book”.  I then reached over and picked up my Bible, turned to Matthew 1:1 and began to read, after I read five pages the same voice said, “You are not getting anything out of it”.  I turned back to Matthew 1:1 and said, “Lord, If there is something You want me to see You will have to show me, help me to discern where one thought ends and the next starts.” 

So I took colored pencils and began reading for understanding marking the text where it appeared the thought changed and writing a summary on the margin, then moved on to the next thought.  After five pages of that procedure the same voice said, “That’s it”.  That began a five year intense study through the entire Bible, and as I progressed I found many truths I had been taught and many errors I had been taught through the years and was able to discern the difference. 

The day I finished the entire Bible I found rebellion from  my eldest son and that afternoon I declared to the family there is a new rule starting tonight, no one goes to bed until we sit down as a family and spend one hour in Bible study.  Everyone objected including my wife because school demands would not permit it, however I insisted and prevailed to everyone’s dismay. 

It took two years to finish the Bible one hour every night including Saturday and Sunday.  Eventually their resentment changed to tolerance and by the end of the study I saw a great change, where the children used to fight with each-other it was replaced with love for each-other.  Where they had rebelled against me it was replaced with love and respect  My relationship with my w                                                                                                               ife which I thought was good became great and our love for each-other was magnified.  I also noticed that when we first began, we would read a text as I had marked, I would turn to my wife, a Bible Collage student, and asked what she saw in the text, her response was just as we had learned from our teachers, but I saw it gradually turn to align with my own new understanding, which I perceived as the work of The Holy Spirit. 

The change I witnessed in my family gave me confidence to begin public teaching and through the following years we witnessed changes in those who attended our classes as they also began to mature in their understanding.  That was the beginning of a lifetime of service to our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Evelene died of kidney failure at age 44 and I was left with four teenage young people still at home which kept me quite busy.  After three years The Lord brought Rifkah into my life when she started attending my Bible class and demonstrated great interest in the study, though being an Orthodox Jewess, she came and even stayed after the rest of the group had gone, having more questions and debating about the Messiah.  After a few weeks of pelleting me with questions, Rifkah believed that Y’shua was in fact The Messiah, she accepted Him as her Lord & Savior. 

My teenagers all stated, “Dad, Rifkah is the one for you.”  I liked the idea also.  A week later before Rifkah left the Bible study, my eldest daughter, Janice, backed up against the front door and informed us that her first free day from work would be February 16^th and for us to be married then.  I said to Rifkah, “It looks like I am getting married February 16^th, if you want to be part of the program you will have to show up.”  She did!  Rifkah and my then teenagers began planning the wedding. 

I learned about my Jewish roots when Rifkah showed me my name in the book Select Jewish Names and I learned more about my ancestors who had become Hellenists to save their lives at the time of the Maccabees when the Syrians ruled and were killing Jews who refused to convert to Greek ways by giving up Judaism and all Jewish traditions.  That turned to be a blessing in disguise as they were left open and receptive when they were first introduced to Christianity.  They were probably among the Hellenists mentioned in Acts 6:1. 

When the Church was scattered due to persecution from the Jews they left Israel and later migrated to Prussia in northern Germany where they were identified as Christian on church records found in the 1600’s.  They departed from Prussia and migrated to America because of programs where Jews were being killed and persecuted. 

Now after 40 years of wedded bliss to Rifkah, I feel that I am the most blessed man on earth.  Marriage based on common love for each-other and The Lord God makes for a wonderful life.  I am greatly blessed. 

My four children all walk with the Lord God and I am the proud “Zayde (which means Grandpa in Hebrew) of 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren all of which are learning the ways of The Lord.

UNKNOWN

Would God find a wife for me?

I considered myself a decent Christian guy with reasonable looks and personality, yet I had always had trouble finding a woman who would be a good wife for me. Each of the relationships I pursued with my own abilities always resulted in failure. Typically, myself or the girl ended up emotionally hurt, not to mention the discomfort that was caused to families and the time wasted. I realized that just because a girl happened to be a strong Christian didn’t mean that we were going to be compatible.

I was now in my mid 30’s and starting to worry that I would be alone for the rest of my life. Not long after breaking out of another senseless mismatched relationship, I began examining Biblical scriptures about prayer, specifically what God expected one to do in order to get a prayer answered.

To my surprise, many of the scriptures I discovered indicated that Christians could generally expect God to answer their prayers. It became clear that if I asked God for something that I needed and believed that I received it, I could expect Him to grant it to me. I found the scripture in John 15:7 where Jesus said:

“If you abide in Me and my words in you, ask what you will and it will be done for you.”

I decided to pray. I asked God for a suitable wife and wrote down the exact date and kept it in a file on my computer. I tried not to worry much about it after that. The responsibility was out of my hands and in God’s. I kept believing and thanking God.

A year or so later, I ended up meeting a woman on a Christian friendship web site that allowed members to post their profiles with testimonies and info about themselves. Without going into detail, the manner in which we met didn’t follow the usual protocol of the web site service and it was doubtful that we would end up in a relationship together. Yet, things progressed to our surprise.

She was a Christian believer like myself, but lived on the other side of the world. She had also prayed in a similar fashion asking God for a suitable husband. We arranged to meet in person after about a year or so of corresponding and talking via telephone. It turned out that she was absolutely perfect for me and vice versa.

Due to immigration issues, we had to wait and suffer for years before we could actually get married. Now, we’re enjoying the fruits of a wonderful marriage relationship. Thanks to God for answering our prayers.

I never knew my biological parents. My grandmother took care of me until I was 5 months of age. She knew a lady that ran an orphanage and gave me to the lady to find a suitable home for me. At 6 months of age I was adopted by a Christian father (of whom I called daddy) and mother (of whom I called mama). The brought me to their home that was in another state. I always call God, my Father. I was able to recognize Him at a very early age. At the age of 3, I nearly drowned in the ocean while visiting my grandparents in Florida. I remember what happened and it is very vide until this day. I was swept up by a undertow. I remember opening my eyes and seeing a light and I began to “dog paddle” as if I were climbing a ladder. I blacked out after a hugh wave swept me away. I remember turning upside down and twirling around as if I were inside a tornado. I felt the sand brush along my face. I must have blacked out again as I remember then drifting up toward the top of the wave. I opened my eyes again and saw a large hand grab onto my small hand and then as I blacked out again, came too and was coughing up the sea water. When my mama was in an assisted living home and I visited her, she told me that a man close by tried to rescue me, but because the undertow was too strong he could not get to me. She told me that she was the one who pulled me out of the ocean. I KNOW that the hand that grabbed onto mine was much larger than her hand…..it was God placing my hand into hers. I was 8 years old when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior even though I KNEW HIM when He saved me from that ocean.

I have many stores of just how God showed me just how much He loves each of us and that He cares for ALL of His creation. My mother told me one day that my daddy didn’t know how to show his love, but when he looked at me and I smiled, he was “hooked” and he was able to begin to show his love. Men in those years were told that men did not cry, so they hide their emotions. My daddy was tall and cared for everyone. Everyone that he came in contact with loved him. I KNOW that God put our relationship together for In that relationship, we could almost read each other’s mind at times. It was God showing me the kind of relationship He wants with each one of His creation.

As I grew up, I wanted to be a medical missionary. That was all that I talked about. God allowed that door to crack a little, then that door was shut. When I went to see my mama at the assisted living home, she told me that all I talked about was being a missionary but that she prayed that God would not take me to a foreign place. I realized fully why God did what He did. My mission field came in the form of an Administrative Secretary.

My life has had many ups and downs, but because of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace, I have LEARNED to RUN TO HIM for everything that happens in my life. Learning to Trust, Obey, and Follow Him has been one of the greatest things that I have done for my life. You see, WITHOUT HIM we are nothing, but WITH HIM we CAN move those mountains. Life is not easy by any means, but God has a plan for me and for you. He has the BEST interest in our life.

I have read God’s Word (the Bible) many times and each time, He shows me something new that I need to understand. We are all babes at first, but as we grow, God presents to us the meat of His Word and then we can understand it more. I have always relied on Him to show me the way to go. I have not always acknowledged Him in helping me when I have a situation, but when I LEARNED to give up and LET HIM have His WAY, then it all works out. One incident…I bought a flash drive only to loose it. I looked and looked for it but could not find it. I gave up. After several months that went by, I was straightening up an area on my desk, to my surprise, that flash drive had stuck on a folder. When I turned the folder over, I found that flash drive that I had lost. I have other stories of that nature and when I frantically look for something, I stop and say, “God, YOU know where that item is so I will wait until you show me where I put it”. When I do that, I find what I had been looking for and it didn’t take but a few minutes instead of a week or two. He already knows where we have put things so instead of frantically looking for it, I learned to take a deep breath and ask Him to help me find what I am looking for. It is so much easier that way. For when we panic and become afraid, it takes longer to get what we are looking for.

Having children was another reason I learned to trust God. My first child was “breech birth” (was upside down at delivery), of course I KNEW he was going to be ok. After the 2nd birth, I was told not to have any more as he jaundiced at birth and it was because of the Rh factor. They had come out with a shot for women who had negative blood and their husband had positive blood, but for some reason I was not eligible for it. So the doctor said not to have any more. God had other plans. We had a 3rd child. I KNEW in my heart he would be alright. People think God doesn’t speak to them, but HE DOES. That child was coming sideways, but as I went into labor, he began turning himself. Though all of my pregnancies’, I had hardly any pain. I KNEW God was in it for the long haul and I just trusted Him for everything. 

God IS everywhere, KNOWS everything, and IS in CONTROL. In October, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I KNEW in my mind that everything was going to be ok. There was a lymph node that had swollen around the cancer area. The cancer itself was contained and was very very small (as large as an English pea). Upon removal, I am cancer free. I did not have to have any lymph nodes taken out nor did I have to have any radiation or chemo. All of the cancer was removed. 

Another thing I learned to do at an early age was to Praise the Lord and THANK Him for every thing He has done in my life. He will do the same for you….all you have to do is Trust, Obey, and Follow Him. We CAN become ONE WITH Him. Our thoughts do become His thoughts and His thoughts are always with us. He KNOWS what we think. He KNOWS how we feel. We ARE His creation. People CAN KNOW HIM and when we do, we reap the benefits…..LIFE for ALL ETERNITY. 

I have many people that I have asked the Lord to place in my heart so that I can pray for them and lift them up daily. I don’t want to forget anyone that I have ever come in contact with. That is how you KNOW that He IS the GREAT I AM. He will never let you down, He will never leave nor forsake you. You can ALWAYS count on Him to do the BEST for you. He gave us a mind to think with and He gave us choices. It is up to us to make the right choice. When we make wrong choices, then we have to pay the consequences for those bad choices. 

Our biggest asset is in our daily prayer. Praying for one another does change things. I prayed for a person for nearly 25 years before they accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I didn’t ask God to change that person, but to show ME what I needed to do so that person would SEE Jesus in me. You may have to back off from that person, but you should never stop praying for them. Let God bring them to Him….and He will through prayer. That is why it is so important to pray for one another. It is our communication line with the Father. He does meet our needs every day, but in His time….not ours. It is so much better that way. 

As long as I am Praising and Thanking Him along with singing the Hymns that He gave us, I KNOW that my life will take on a new meaning and that my love for Him grows each day. Blessed be His Holy Name. 

I always end with: Take care and stay safe….may God continue to shower you with His Blessings…in Jesus Name.

Love & Prayers, ALWAYS

Nancy 

Michael Weis

Michael Weis was born in West Virginia and heard the Gospel in upstate New York and put his faith in Jesus as a young boy.  He grew slowly because his family moved around a lot and were without a church for many years.  Michael prayed and enjoyed reading Proverbs however, and it was not until college that he was baptized.  Upon graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Technical Theatre, he moved to Florida to work in the entertainment industry and began studying Christian Apologetics, and has taught the Bible for over 20 years. 

 There was a time in my life that I had anger problems, particularly in college.  While at times it is still a struggle now, the Lord helped me through a lot.  In fact, there was one night where I was lying in bed, praying and crying out to God for help. He did help me and took a lot of that anger away that night.  Again, while there are times when this raises its ugly head, He has given me strength and continues to do so, and gives His forgiveness and grace when I fail.

Around 2000, he began teaching God’s word and in 2006, started his missionary work, first to the Philippines, and then travelled to many other places including Colombia South America with Voice of the Martyrs, Taiwan, 3 times in Israel, and 4 times in China.  In China, he first worked with missionaries to reach college students, and the last three times he trained church leaders. The last time was on his visit to China with China Partner.  Though he went as an observer, the scheduled teacher was not feeling well in the morning and asked Michael to teach.  He was humbled and honoured to teach that session.  After that, he visited Hong Kong.

He lived in Japan for just over 2 years as a self-supporting missionary, where he met his wife, Pek Kuan, who is from Singapore, serving with her church.  They were married in America in 2017, and have a son who turned 2 years old in June 2020.  

My first name is Paul,

I was born of missionary parents in the country of Swaziland, now known as eSwatini, which is close to Mozambique on the South Eastern coast of Africa.

My father was born to a farming family in Southern Indiana in the early 1900’s, in a culture that survived on both skills in farming and marketing of basic needs. God used the situation and its challenges to draw the family to Himself. Farming for money and survival at the same time was a common challenge in those days. 

God chose to bring His Word and sound preaching thereof in a camp-meeting style, and many found the Lord in very unique ways.  My father was one of them that came to the Lord, and began to lead young people to the Lord in these camp-meeting days.

Sensing his vision, a woman who felt she had missed God’s best by getting married too early, shared a book she had written on the subject, and urged him to use it to raise money to go to Bible College. 

He was successful, went to college in Michigan, where he met my mother Shortly after graduation, they were married. They travelled to South Africa and called the people to repentance, and living out the Christian life.

That is where it started for me – the family then moved from Swaziland, (iSwatini), to the Cape, where I started in primary school (or the grades, as we would say in the US. During that time, God brought co-missionaries from other missions from the Islands south of the Americas with a fervor for true conversion. It was there that God moved in my spirit, and through the fear of God, was led to Salvation, after which another missionary shared the beautiful passage of Romans 8:28, which gave me a new vision for life.

Normal schooling, and moves with our family to several locations in Africa, to prepare for a worldwide ministry for my parents, prepared me for studies towards ministry. 

I settled the question of my calling prior to marriage, and studied accordingly, moving back to South Africa with my wife to pastor in three churches there. 

We then went to the United States, where we have been in pastoral ministry since. 

As i look back, the most vital thing we have learned is that God calls at the realization of Who is trying to communicate with the one He selects. Once this is settled, He leads the way, as Psalm 43:3 teaches. 

To this day, I love how He communicates and leads accordingly!

As we recognize Him, and follow Him, we soon realize that everything comes from Him.

Paul Wilson

You mentioned needing testimonies of how people came to know the lord and asked him to save them from their sins and give them endless life. My Testimony is below.

I was raised as a Roman Catholic and although I always believed in the Lord I wanted to know Him a whole lot better then I did but no one told me how to be saved until I was eighteen. When I was a Junior in high school I was sitting in the cafeteria after lunch waiting for my special ed class to start since there was no where else to go. While I was sitting there a boy came to me and introduced himself to me as Michael Latodda. He told me that the Lord wanted to have a relationship with me and be my friend and we talked a lot on an almost daily basis about salvation. He and his family had been Catholics but after they asked the Lord to give them endless life they left the Catholic church and joined a Baptist church. Well for several days after our talks when I realized that Michael wasn’t talking about philosophy the Holy Spirit convicted me that I was dead in my sins and needed to ask the lord to live in my heart and save me from sin’s affects. Well I thought about it a lot and knew that I always had to live right and trust the lord for all things but I was nervous since I was worried that if I blew it the lord might not be that thrilled with me. I talked to a classmate a girl in my English class about the Lord right before I asked Jesus to save me and then the next day I was feeling grumpy about having to be in school at all due to legal issues of always having to be in school. Well we were in English this girl and myself and the English teacher was discussing how to make sentences make sense when we were writing essays or book reports and I kept thinking this is so boring and why do I even have to be stuck in this class. My friend and i were sitting next to each other at our desks and suddenly I was awed and terrified when I saw a blinding studio light in the classroom. I wanted to leave the classroom but I knew that I couldn’t explaine to the teacher why I suddenly wanted to leave. At the same time my friend also saw the blinding light of god’s presence as well. After class she told me what she had seen and I told her that I too had seen the same awesome light. Then I asked her if the sun was out and she let me know that the day was extremely cloudy without any sun. Before we had left class we both prayed that Jesus would be our Savior and though we were quietly praying out loud no one heard us praying to him. Well that’s how I met the Lord in a personal way and now my high school friend and i have endless life even if our bodies die first. I pray that my testimony will cause you too to ask the Lord in to your heart forever too!

Pam