My Story

Hi everyone,

I'm so sorry that I haven't written in ages! However, as usual I do have an excuse. If it is a valid one is up to your judgment. First of all I had written a full post a few weeks back but something weird happened and the whole things got deleted. Then I didn't feel like rewriting it... so I didn't. We also have had a lot of interns and teams around lately. Plus all the Christmas and new year stuff. I also have been thinking of what I wanted to talk about next and how to talk about it. In the end I decided to write out my testimony. It's going to be a long one. I've added some photos to hopefully break it up a little and make it a tad more interesting. So grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee, get comfortable and enjoy :)

I went to a Mennonite baptism and the minister told a story that I want to share first. There was a man in the Bible who was blind from birth. He had never seen before. And one day Jesus healed him. he could see for the first time in his life. Now because the Pharisees hated Jesus they approached this man whose sight had been given to him and asked him how Jesus did this. He replied "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see."

The minister told this story for a reason. One of the boys getting baptised that day was a little sad/ concerned because he did not know the exact day or time he became a believer. The minister explained that just like the blind man he did not know when, where or how he was saved. However he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he once was blind but now he could see.

Just like the blind man and this young Mennonite guy I don't know the exact time and place that I became God's daughter. I do remember praying over and over again for God to come into my heart as a little girl. I thought that maybe he did not hear me the first time or maybe he was busy one time. However I now know that once was a enough. I only needed to ask once and he was waiting for that one time and rejoicing accepted me into his family. He was always listening to me and watching over me. 

Both my father and mother are Christians and are fantastic parents. I grew up going to church almost every Sunday, going to Bible studies, prayer meeting and youth group. When we moved from Australia to Canada in 2010 I felt as if I had to restart my life; recreate myself. In other words I so desperately wanted to fit in and be accepted. I tried to please everybody where ever I was. At home I tried to be a good obedient girl. At school and youth group I wanted to be cool and in with the "cool" kids. This obviously came with it's consequences. 

I got myself into a bad place at school. I will not go into the details of that because that's my past and it can stay in my past. I also don't like spreading negativity. So then when my parents told me that we were going to come here I naturally burst out crying. I had built up my life and my "friends' around me. I had worked so hard to get to the place I was at and I did not want to loose it all again. I put so much of my trust and who I was as a person in the people and things I had surrounded myself with. I even convinced myself to be baptised at the age of 10 because I wanted to be like my friends. I was pulled out of school to prepare for coming here and I believe that's when the transformation began. That is when God's screaming voice started to be heard in my overcrowded heart and mind.

 

The people God surrounded me with surrounded me with love even when I just wanted to leave. They all flowed with positivity and kindness. They gave me mercy and taught me how to live. Instead of swearing filled music and negative talk all I heard was Christian music and Jesus talk. God taught me all about jealousy and greed along with how to be a friend and how to serve others.

Then we came here and boy did that flip my already changing world! For the first time God showed me how to fully trust him for I had no control for once. For the first time God filled me with pure joy and I cried with happiness. For the first time He showed me that I could serve other simply because I wanted to. Though Cambodia God has shown me who my real friends are. He has shown me just how really sinful I am and how much I really need Him. God has shown me how to trust Him even if I still fail at it all the time. He has taught me how to be an adult and a woman of God. He has taught me how to make my own decisions.  He has made me rethink almost every aspect of my life and how I spent me time.

God has done incredible things in me, in the people around me and in this country. God continues to teach and guide me everyday and show me the way he wants me to go daily. I have so much to lean still and I know I will never stop growing. My testimony is not about that moment Christ came into my life, though that is important. But my testimony is more about the journey and the growth. My testimony is not about me and how I've changed. But it's about Christ and how he has changed me. Remember your testimony is an ever changing, ever evolving story and God is always working on it.

Have a blessed day,  

Darcy-Rea