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My Testimony
I became a Born-Again Christian in May 2007 but my story starts long before that. It starts from when I was eight years old. At the time, I was living with my mum and brother and sister in Weston Super Mare.
Every Sunday, my mum would send my siblings and me to Sunday School so she could have some time to herself. I remember really enjoying Church and I loved listening to all the Bible stories and acting out the nativity play at Christmas; I wanted to be Mary but I was a sheep instead!
I was heartbroken but I loved it because it was the only attention I got at Church. I’m told it was a ‘High’ Anglican Church of England, so when one Sunday we were talking about christenings and why you need to be christened, I felt a little sad as I hadn’t been christened, but I was too shy to say it in front of the other kids. So I found my Sunday school teacher afterwards and told her that I hadn’t been christened.
She looked at me strangely and said that if you’re not christened, you won’t go to Heaven and you’ll be stuck in limbo. This was said to an eight year old and one who was already a little lost. I thought ‘how can God do that to me, it wasn’t my fault I wasn’t christened? If He doesn’t like me then I won’t like Him!’ I still went to Church a few times after that but it was never the same and I didn’t enjoy it or get involved at all. It wasn’t long after that we moved and I didn’t need to go to Church again, or so I thought!
I did however miss it and at the time, my relationship with my mum got worse and worse; it wasn’t very good to begin with. She left us with a male babysitter a few weekends so that she didn’t have to deal with us but then one Sunday she said we were going to a new Church; I guess the babysitter was charging too much....
At the age of 9 I was walking out of the room whenever my Mum walked in; I couldn’t look at her or talk to her. There was one thing I did though- even if it wasn’t to the god who wasn’t letting me into Heaven-and that was to pray to a ‘friendly’ god and I would say ‘please rescue me, please take me away from her’.
After Church one Sunday, we got these oranges with sweets in them, with a candle and red ribbon around, which we took home. My mum had gone out and I was looking after my brother and sister but I wasn’t paying attention, being only 9 and in charge of the TV remote and I was watching all my favourite cartoons.
My brother was in the same room and was lighting the candle we got from Church by the gas fire that he had turned on. It lit up and as he called me to show me, he saw my mum’s boyfriend of the time coming towards the house. Without thinking, he threw it at me. It was still alight but extinguished as it hit the floor right next to me. Des, my mum’s boyfriend saw what happened and sent us all to our rooms; he never told Mum exactly what he saw but she blamed me and punished me for 2 weeks.
One day she came to my room and said that it wasn’t working out for us and she thought it would be better if I lived somewhere else. She asked me five times did I want to live with other people, did I want to be fostered, did I want new parents? In my head I was screaming ‘Yes!’ but I just kept my eyes down and shook my head. Then lastly, she asked me if I wanted to live with my grandparents? I said ‘YES’ loud and strong and she went then to sort it out, but I was still punished.
A few weeks later on my 10th Birthday, I left my family with my grandparents and took the long car journey to Boston. I’ve never looked back! Once living with my grandparents, though difficult to start with, I soon made friends and have always believed that something ‘Good’ rescued me. I have made so many beautiful friends that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I was actually saved when I was 10 but God kept reaching out to me. He has been there in my life in so many ways. Because of my past life with my mum and always moving around so much, I had no basic education and I had reverted back to a child.
I had special needs all the way through school and I got into college but they put me on the foundation course which I didn’t want to be on so I fought and stamped my feet a lot and eventually got what I wanted, which was to be on the mainstream performing arts programme. On my first day there, I was so scared! I had gone from being bullied at school, to being popular in college foundation group and now I didn’t know what to expect! I was told they had a lot of weirdos though!
That’s when I met Gemma - the strangest of the lot; my best friend! She has helped me in so many ways, I couldn’t write them all down ‘cos the world would run out of paper. She was a Christian, something I accepted, and I was interested but I had not forgiven God yet. I met her family and I was still questioning because they were such a blessed family. They’ve taught me a lot over the years and they’ve accepted me, whether Christian or not and I really wasn’t at that time. I was into Wicca and magic but they made me feel part of the family and that’s what I really needed.
I believe God sent Gemma that day, that she and her family were meant to be part of my life and that God was still reaching out to me.
One evening, early last year, I stayed at Gemma’s house in Boston. She was away but her parents and I had a great time, and as always, I started asking questions about the Bible and God. They told me that I would make the right choice when I was ready. I have asked God to prove himself many times in my life, even when I was Wiccan. Only little things like, ‘If you’re real, make a dog bark’ and a dog would bark!
Ok, even I could say that’s a coincidence, but what about when I asked ‘Say something’ and a voice shouted ‘Four’ in my room when I was in bed? Even I can’t explain that. Or when I said ‘Make that fish jump again’ where I am looking right now?
If it wasn’t for my grandparents coming to get me that day, 15 years ago, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I have forgiven Mum for the past and believe that Jesus died on the cross for me.
In May 2007, I became a born again Christian. I felt a change instantly; I felt really light and so happy. I am so excited to start my life right now from this moment, fully confident that God is here standing next to me and in my heart and soul. I’ve given myself to God and I won’t regret it; I look forward to it!
By Liz Drewitt
Liz was Baptised in April 2007
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