Shared Journeys

When I was a year and a half old  my biological mother abandoned me, leaving me to the state foster care system. Over the next 2 years I was passed around between 16 different foster homes and orphanages. I quickly learned that I couldn’t trust anyone to be there for me, care for me or protect me. No matter what I did, I would never be enough to earn anyone’s love. When I was three and a half I came to a foster home that took me to church every week. These people were gentle and loving, even when I was at my meanest. One night I woke up crying and the foster mom came in to check on me. She asked me all sorts of questions trying to figure out what was wrong. When nothing seemed to comfort me, she finally asked me if I wanted to say yes to Jesus, asking Him to be with me everyday for the rest of my life. She told me that no matter what I did or what was done to me, He would never leave me, He would never not love me. There was nothing I could do that would make Him turn away from me. Of course as a child who had never had anything close to that I leapt on the opportunity to have a relationship with someone I couldn’t make not love me. I said yes that night and He has never left me. Life hasn’t been easy since then, I’ve been abused, I watched my adoptive father die, I’ve been through multiple losses, but through it all, God has never left me, He has never abandoned me. He gave me an adoptive mother who points me to Him everyday (the foster mom who told me about Jesus), and loves me no matter how awful I am. He gave me a husband who knows the worst of who I am and still chooses me everyday. He has used all the awfulness in my life to help point others to Him, to show them that no matter how hard things are, He is always there with a never ending, never giving up love if we only choose Him.  - Angie

Saying yes everyday comes from a place of surrender. At one point in our lives we get tired of the pain from our circumstances and life choices and we start looking for freedom.  We think we can find it in this world but it can only be found in and through our relationship with God.  When we take that step and say yes to Him we are saying yes to His Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  And each day I continue to say yes that is the fruit He is cultivating in me so that is what comes out of me.  Today it might be in patience, and tomorrow it might be self control. As long as I have Him working in me not only am I not alone, I’m alive. I experience his LOVE through blessings appearing in many ways and people, the church, my wife and kids and others.- Joshua

For too many years, I fought against church, against religion. I was raised “Catholic” and that “Catholic guilt” was real, and I think that is why I rejected organized religion for so long. I was 43 years old when I fully and officially said YES to Jesus. I’ve made every effort to say YES everyday. It’s the call to service and discipleship that leads me now. How can I show love to fellow human? Can that love and surrender help others find Christ? This is what I’m in the process of finding out but my faith in God’s love and his promises to me tells me that my surrender will ultimately help others.- Bobby