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July 18 Welcome/My testimonyHi there, welcome to my space. I've been thinking a long long time before I began to write this blog, but I still don't know how to say what I want to say. I want to say a lot, but I just don't know where to start. Oh well, let me tell you a little about me.
I was born 21 years ago in Haarlem, Holland. I have one little sister, Nikita, who is 4 years younger than me. My mother is from Surinam, an enthusiastic little woman who can cook delicious. My father is from Holland, music is his passion, and he always worked very hard to make sure we could have a good life.
My mother taugt me about God ever since I was a little girl. At christmas and easter we went to church and at school I learned stories from the Bible and religious songs. Back then, my father never really made it clear to us what he thought about religion, my mother was a Catholic, but she was also very interested in other teachings and religions, such as Tao and Buddism.
In my teens I experienced the influence of the media (teen-magazines about popstars, also contain a lot of other information...),as well as the different viewpoints of Christians, Tao, Buddism, but also the occult. I heard and read stories about reincarnations, ghosts, spells etc. etc. Nowadays those things seem very common, but I think a lot of people have no idea what they're dealing with.
Though I had everything I could wish for, I was very unhappy as a teenager. Looking back, I still don't know exactly why, but in those days I felt like it was me against the world. Afterwards I feel sorry for my parents, I wouldn't know what to do either with such a child ;) I used to spend a lot of time alone in my room (doesn't the average teenager?) or with my friends. Though I guess I got pretty good through that period, I felt like something was missing in my life.
I remember one lesson in class, when the teacher asked how many of us believed in God. I did, but I also knew that all the other kids did not. There was one other girl in class who was known for her faith and the other kids were always making fun of her for that. So I decided not to come forward that I believed in God. When I think about that day I feel like another 'Peter' (Mark 14:66-72).
One of those days I was shopping with a friend of mine. Suddenly 2 women came to us and asked if they might ask some questions. They asked me what I think would happen when I die, and other questions like that. They did not reject my answers, they just listened. After that they asked my permission to pray for me. So they prayed for me, I only remember that they asked God's guidance in my life and that I might find my way to Him. Soon after that I totally forgot what happened.
A few years later I met the man I married. I was working at McDonalds (summerjob!) along with his sister. So he came to visit her with a friend, and that's how we met. How romantic...
 On our first date, after we went out for dinner and walked along the beach, he asked me to be his girlfriend. And I don't even know why, but before I answered him, I asked if he was 'a believer.' And he answered 'yes.'
He was a Christian too, but unlike me, He went to church every week and read the Bible. I only knew the stories like Joseph, Moses and Jesus. But He taught me about lifelessons and promises I never heard about. I thought after death we would go straight to heaven or hell or maybe we would reincarnate and come back to earth (this was still unsure and confusing for me as a result of the different religions I had learned about).
After a while he invited me to go to church with him, so I did. I must admit that it took some time for me to get used to going to church every week. Nowadays it seems very weird to talk about stuff such as 'salvation' and 'forgiveness' or even 'Jesus' and 'God.' But when I learned more about it, began to read the Bible, hear more about it, it became normal to me.
After a biblestudy I baptized. I can't really say that I inmediately experienced a big change, like some people say (which of course is beautiful, if so). But after a while, especially when we moved from Holland to Aruba, I did. I became more aware of the importance of believing. I suddenly realized that it's a matter of life and death. And the more I read about it, the more I wanted to tell other people. I thought, what if I don't tell them, than they won't be saved. I can't think about going to heaven while other people I know are not. But I was and still am too shy or scared for people's reaction. That's why I don't talk much about it, but I will try to inform them, and others, through this space.
Though it's still a bit strange to me to 'talk' about these things, I will do my best to make it as clear as possible what I think is important. It's about being willing to change, to have a hope for something better than this life, to experience what it is to have Someone who cares about you, no matter what. Who unconditionally loves you. And who prepares us for the future through His Word, the Bible.
I hope and pray that you, no matter who you are, are willing to give it a try and believe. Take this journey with me, visit this space as many times as you want. I will try to keep it up to date with my thoughts, concerns, prayers, explanations of the plan of salvation, and lessons I've learned; hoping that my testimonies will lead at least someone to God. 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' ~ John 3:16 TrackbacksThe trackback URL for this entry is: http://ngasira2god.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F93034C7CE8CECE8!110.trak Weblogs that reference this entry
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