My story of salvation, began in 1987 and yes I know that this now makes me 75 years old. Don’t switch off now.
It began with three very loud trumpet calls. I was 38 years old, living in Johannesburg – South Africa – and whilst brought up to walk to church on my own whilst my parents enjoyed a ‘Sunday morning lie-in” during my teens I had abandoned the church upon confirmation at the age of 17. Now, 19 years later, married and with one daughter of nearly three, God called very, very loudly. Firstly, my father came to visit to tell my brother and I that he had bone cancer. That was a terrible shock to us. Two weeks later, our daughter fell over the wall of our yard into the neighbour’s yard head first, and fractured her skull. No sooner had the six weeks passed that the doctors had given us for a clean bill of health for her, that I suffered a massive headache the likes of which I had never experienced before. Two weeks later, a non-cancerous tumour the size of a small orange was diagnosed and I underwent brain surgery to remove it over 8 hours. Whilst I was in ICU our daughter suffered a febrile convulsion and was taken by ambulance to the paediatric ICU which had my husband running from one ICU to the other to check on us.
Still on the same day, my sister-in-law, a Christian I wanted nothing to do with, joined a woman’s Bible study group and they prayed for me. The following week they sent something called a ‘love box’, a shoe box covered in pretty paper filled with small gifts and verses attached to each one. I shuddered and had my husband take it home so I couldn’t see it whilst in hospital for 2 full weeks.
Once home, I put it away and would not open it. But my time was coming. God had beckoned me.
About a month after my operation the Bible study group invited me to one of their ‘outreach’ tea mornings and reluctantly I went. I went because they had prayed for me and it would have been rude to refuse. I know, but that is my generation. Uncomfortable I milled around for the morning but I was struck by one thing: these ladies, about 15 in number including invited guests such as myself were lovely, kind if not loving to one another. They certainly shone with an inner light and were simply… inviting. Why would that strike me? I came from the business world where this did not exist. I also am French and was raised amongst a people who criticise, judge according to money and blood lines. I had never known women who could be so…lovely. As I said, I was struck. But not yet convicted by the testimony given.
A couple of months went by. My father, living in France was dying and times were difficult. I was living with the meds given to me after the brain op, raising a 3 year old, not easy. And then came another outreach morning given by the same group and less reservedly, I went again. The same thing struck me again and, desirous of being a part of such a group who were inviting me to join them., I ‘gave my life to Jesus’, and dare I say ‘to them’ that morning and thus my walk with the Lord begun. But of course, I have many other wonderful, encouraging stories.