Testimony

By our beloved daughter Magdalene

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I had the privilege of growing up in a Greek Christian home. Both of my parents came from Greece and became "born-again Christians" shortly after coming to America. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and was baptized when I was seven years old.

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While attending a Christian college to become a math teacher, I claimed Philippians 1:6 as my life's verse: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." It was this verse that enabled me to have the faith and strength to achieve the goals that God had and still has in store for me.

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In February 1996, I had to face my greatest fear—losing a close loved one. On the day of my 25th birthday, I found out that my Mom had died unexpectedly. It was very hard to understand why God would allow something like this to happen when I had earnestly prayed for years for this NOT to happen, but the Bible says, "HIS ways are not OUR ways." Each year, my birthday is a reminder that my mom's work for God had come to an end, but my work for Him is to continue.

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As a Christian school teacher, I was not accustomed to much money, fame, or material possessions; however, my Mom used to remind me that I was making "eternal investments" which were worth a whole lot more. Today, I strive to continue making those "eternal investments" with all my math students and especially with our son and daughter.

My husband and I try to set a good example to our family and to others. Each of our family members knows that God is very important to us. We make it a point to go to church together, pray together, teach, witness, give, and be hospitable. Just as the Bible says in Joshua 24:15, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

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My husband and I are very grateful for all of the many blessings that God has given us. God is so good!

 

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Testimony 

By our beloved son-in-law Bryan

 

As a young man growing up, I was taught to obey my parents, do well in the classroom, develop good sportsmanship on and off the field, and take advantage of what life has given to me. It took over twenty years of my life to realize that something else was missing. Something that was far larger and more important than just being a good sport or even doing well in the classroom as an engineering student. Jesus Christ was missing from my heart.

 

I had thought all the while growing up that I was a Christian. I went to Sunday school and church each week and had been baptized as a child. That's all before I met my future father-in-law who taught me the real meaning of being a Christian, and what it means to be obedient to the Lord. It's then that I realized that all this time, I had not been living my life as a true Christian. At that time, I accepted Christ as my personal Savior and later followed with scriptural Baptism.

 

After I was saved, you could not imagine the weight that had been lifted off of me, and I felt overwhelming peace in my heart. Since then, I got married and now have two beautiful children. Jesus Christ has blessed my family in so many ways. Knowing what Jesus means to me, and how important He should be in each of our lives, I have to make sure that my children continue to grow up with a loving heart and commitment to Him. Each will know what it means to be a Christian, and I hope that both will be able to see His power and love through my wife and me.

 

It has been amazing to see how the kids have grown with such servant hearts. One summer, the Lord opened up an opportunity to send my daughter on a missions trip to Mexico with her youth group at church. Although I felt a bit uneasy about sending her to a foreign country in an area known for criminal activity, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to let her go. Through the trip, my daughter was able to experience the power of Jesus Christ "first hand." The Lord even provided her and the entire group protection for the week. Through this experience, I learned that the Lord protects His children no matter where they serve Him.

 

Another major decision that the Lord continued to work on me for several years was in making a decision on where my kids would go to college. I had always thought my kids would graduate from a Christian school, but then go off to a local or state college of their choice. However, the Lord worked on my heart yet again. I was not all that familiar with Christian colleges and was a bit concerned about what types of education would be offered.

 

Over summer several years ago, while vacationing in Florida, I took my family to Pensacola Christian College to visit the campus. After only a few hours on campus, I just knew that the Lord was telling me this is where our kids should attend college. We met some of my wife's friends while on campus and attended the church that Sunday. We felt so welcomed there.

 

To help cement our decision, the Campus Pastor from Pensacola Christian College came to our home church as a guest speaker just two weeks after we visited the campus. We had no idea that he was visiting our church. To make a long story short, we helped enroll our son at Pensacola Christian College. Nothing can make a parent more spiritually proud than to see his son or daughter grow in Jesus Christ.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for both of my children. I love my parents and thank them for all that they have done; however, just like me, they also need to learn what it means to be a Christian and how to be saved. Please pray that someday I will also be able to lead my parents and the rest of my family to Christ. "The word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

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Testimony

By our beloved grandson Tyler

 

I got saved when I was seven years old when my Papou (grandpa in Greek) told me about Jesus. He is a Greek teacher and even teaches me Greek sometimes when I go to his house. Papou was raised in Greece, and later in his twenties, he moved to America. He has told me numerous stories about all the things that are different in Greece compared to being here in the United States.

 

He was introduced to biblical Christianity when he was in college, but he did not get saved until he came to the United States. One of the greatest things that he has taught me is the importance of prayer. When Papou prays, he includes every minute detail. He has so much faith in God and is an excellent example to me. I am so thankful that he prays for me every day. He even surprised me by traveling a long distance to come to my high school graduation. The day before my graduation, when I arrived back home, he opened the door. I was in shock! I was so glad that my grandparents came to my graduation.

 

I am blessed to have been raised in a Christian home. God has blessed me with great parents, grandparents, and friends. God has also blessed me with a good Christian school and church, where I learned about the Bible. After hearing a sermon at one of our chapels while I was in high school, I realized that I had doubts about my salvation. I had never mentioned this to my parents or to my grandpa. After the message was over, I went back to find a teacher who helped me with scriptures to settle my doubts. I have never had any doubts since that day when I experienced assurance of my salvation. My favorite verse is Psalm 119:105. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I like this verse because I know that God will help me make decisions through my life's journey.

 

I am now a current underclassman in college. I have since learned that even though I am on the bottom rung of college, I have been able to make many great friends with most of them being upperclassmen. I still have some friends from home, but I knew I would have to step out of my comfort zone and be social to make new friends. I overcame that fear and met a lot of great people and made new friends, but now, the next fear to overcome is speaking in front of people. I have realized that I cannot do everything on my own; God is the shoulder that I need to lean on when I fall and need help. He is always there and will help. Even though I am just one student of many at college, I still sometimes feel alone, but I know that God is always right there for me to talk to. My first year at college was overall successful, and I cannot wait for what God has in store for me in the upcoming years!

 

Thank you to everyone who has helped me grow and come closer to the Lord day by day!

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Testimony 

By our beloved oldest granddaughter Alexandra

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When I was five years old, Papou (grandpa in Greek) led me to the Lord on Christmas Eve, 2007. Over the past several years, I had struggled with doubts about my assurance of salvation, and

I never truly knew if I was saved. I had never mentioned this to my parents or to my grandpa.

In October of 2016, I had the privilege of going to a revival at my school. On the last day of the revival, the Lord was really tugging at my heart. I realized that day that I needed to completely settle my doubts and make sure of my salvation. I have never had doubts since!

 

When I was a junior in high school, God blessed me with the opportunity to go on a missions trip to Mexico. That trip opened my eyes. It made me realize how blessed I truly am. As an American, we can often take so much for granted. The Lord softened my heart, and I was burdened for the people of Mexico. We were able to see many people saved, and I was able to be a tiny part of the great work that God did that week in Mexico.

 

I am beyond blessed that God has placed me in such a wonderful family. I have had the privilege of attending a Christian school and going to a great church. God has given me the ability to play the flute and memorize the scriptures. I love the Lord, and I love serving Him with the talents He has given me. God has been so good! My life verse is Ephesians 3:20 because everything I am able to do is because of God. I cannot do anything without Him, and He can do things beyond what we can imagine as long as we have faith in Him. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20).