Testimony of His Grace – Patricia Kamwela – April 4, 2010
I grew up in a Christian family, went to church on Sundays, and also went to a Catholic school for the first eight years of my life in the Bronx, NY. I knew all the Bible stories and about God and Jesus, but I was still really young and I didn’t fully understand the message of salvation. I used to pray all the time for Jesus to save me because I thought that He could take it away if I acted badly or if I did something wrong. In the Summer of 2000, I moved here (Wappingers Falls, NY).
When I was around 9 years old, I accepted Jesus into my heart. That night I was with my brother, sister and mother around the fireplace. My mom was telling us about the gospel. She explained that when Adam and Eve sinned, we became separated from God. To restore the unity between god and man, we needed a pure sacrifice to atone for our sins, but the problem was that we didn’t have one. So God, in His love for us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to be our sacrifice. Jesus came to earth, became a man, lived a sinless life, and then willingly died on the cross for my sins, as well as for everyone else. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose again and promised eternal life to those who believed in th Him. Once I realized that I was a sinner and need3ed Jesus to save me, with help from my mom, I invited Jesus into my heart, confessing my sin and asking him to forgive me and take control of my life.
Soon after when I started going to a public elementary school, I forgot all about salvation. I got so overwhelmed with everything at school that I only focused on God on Sundays , basically because I had to. I was exposed to a lot of things there and since I wasn’t mature in my faith, I fell away from walking with God. I wasn’t al all out rebel, but I did have a bad attitude a lot of the time, and I was spiteful, and I paid more attention to the world than God. Then, when I graduated from Elementary School, I went to Faith Christian Academy. There I got back on track with God and grew in my faith because of the great examples my teachers and friends set for me. I learned how to live as a Christian and how to follow God daily.