My favorite part about Montana was definitely working on the roof! We had a great time nailing tar paper and shingles down, and best of all, the end result was beautiful!!! I was one of three girls who worked on the roof the entire week, so I had a good time being a BMW!!! (If you don't know what that means, come and ask me!)
On the Tuesday we were there, Susan Kelley, Rylee Lewis, Sarah Thomas, and me were delivering wood to this guy's house. Susan was telling us about him, and we found out that his wife had committed suicide quite a few years ago. We got to his house, and I'm thinking....its hot, I'm tired, dirty, and ready to get in, deliver the wood, and get outta there. After we had taken the wood out of the truck and put it in a pile, Susan went over and asked him to play his guitar for us. He was hesitant, but after she asked a couple more times, he agreed to play. Now I'm thinking....'ok...this is gonna be interesting. Who knows how well he plays, or how long he'll keep us there.' So we go into his house, sit down, and as soon as he starts playing an old hymn I didn't know, he starts to sing. It was so beautiful, and amazing, that I think all four of us were either crying, or about to cry. We could only sing one or two songs that he played, because the rest were older and we didn't know them. But while he was singing, I was astounded and encouraged by his perseverance and faith even though he went through something terrible like seeing his wife after she committed suicide in their home quite a few years back. It really showed me how this trip is not revolved around us, or getting closer to God, its revolved around helping others, and showing them the love and mercy that Christ so generously shows us every single day.
So now that I've shared my favorite part of Montana, and how I was impacted by it, now I would like to share my testimony with y'all :)
So, growing up, I went to church every Sunday, and I accepted Christ into my life when I was about....5 or 6 at Vacation Bible School. To everyone outside my family, I was the perfect little Christian girl. But to my family, I was rebellious, always arguing, jealous, and angry. I was really jealous of my brother and sister because I was ALWAYS in trouble, when it seemed like they never got into trouble. I didn't understand, and I felt unloved. My insistent arguing made my parents decide we should go to counseling in 2005. I didn't like going to counseling one bit, not because of the counselors, but because I didn't want to hear I was wrong, and I was sinful. My jealousy, anger, and pain made me immune to the very people who wanted to help me, and it was a struggle to get me to go to counseling. I didn't realize Christ was working in my life even then, but He kept showing himself in amazing ways. In 2005, my dad became a Christian, which was huge, because my mom had been praying or him for a really long time that he'd come to know Jesus. Before then, I thought of God as some distant person I didn't have to worry or think about till I was older, but I slowly realized that every second I spent not trusting Him, and loving Him, life was not complete. I still struggle with respecting my parents, but it has gotten easier and easier, and I finally realized that I can't live life for myself, I have to live it for God, and ONLY God. Not for people, not for my friends, not to put a show on for everyone, but for God. I've lived my life according to what people want, but its time that I live my life how God wants me to!!!!
Written by: Amanda Z.
No comments:
Post a Comment