We were asked to share our Salvation Story and Growth Story for NYGO. Here is my Salvation Story.
My Testimony
Before
Hi, my name is Craig Helfrich , and this is my story of how I came to know Jesus.
Before I met Jesus, I felt that I was walking in life alone. I was basically just living day to day not really getting anywhere. I grew up in a Christian home and had good Christian parents. When I was young, we went to church every Wednesday and every Sunday. I felt like my life was full of routines and I was just going through the motions. I didn’t really have a personal relationship with Christ; I was just kind of going with the flow. I felt like church was expected and I didn’t have a say in it. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents so I tried to please them as much as I could. I knew that there was something missing at an early age.
How
It was at the young age of nine that I was sitting in an after school Bible Club in Swayzee, Indiana that I really began to understand what a relationship with Christ really meant. I remember my Bible Club teacher, Anna Miller, who really did care about me and my friends. She was the perfect example of a Christ Follower and what it meant to live it all for him.
She read this story around Christmas time about a candy cane. She explained what the candy cane meant spiritually. She explained how the white stripes represent Christ because he is clean and pure and then the red stripes represent us, with sin in our lives. She then went on with the story of salvation and what it really means to have Jesus Christ in our hearts. At that point, I could really feel the tug from Christ.
I remember just crying my heart out when she gave the alter call. I prayed the salvation prayer at a younger age, but I really didn’t mean what I was praying. I basically prayed it because I was suppose to. At this time, I knew that my life was pretty stale and I needed Jesus Christ in my life. I then realized that I was set free of any sin I committed and that I fully belonged to Jesus Christ. I felt a peace in my heart that I have never felt before. Not only was Jesus in my heart now, but he was my best friend.
After
Since that day in Swayzee, Indiana at the age of nine, I have been seeking the face of God on a daily basis. I will tell you this; life hasn’t been easy at all. I have gone through a lot of trials in my life. With Jesus in my heart, I know he won’t give me something too big that I can’t handle. There are still days where I struggle, but instead of doing something stupid or not Christ-like, I have learned to rely on Jesus for all my needs. The world would tell me to go out and drink, smoke, have sex, whatever sin you want to throw out there. After accepting Jesus in my heart, the only thing I need is him! I have the love and compassion of Jesus in my heart and I want to be able to share that with the world.
Through my life, this has always been a verse that means so much to me:
Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans that I have for you, “ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
(NLT Version)
Before
Hi, my name is Craig Helfrich , and this is my story of how I came to know Jesus.
Before I met Jesus, I felt that I was walking in life alone. I was basically just living day to day not really getting anywhere. I grew up in a Christian home and had good Christian parents. When I was young, we went to church every Wednesday and every Sunday. I felt like my life was full of routines and I was just going through the motions. I didn’t really have a personal relationship with Christ; I was just kind of going with the flow. I felt like church was expected and I didn’t have a say in it. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents so I tried to please them as much as I could. I knew that there was something missing at an early age.
How
It was at the young age of nine that I was sitting in an after school Bible Club in Swayzee, Indiana that I really began to understand what a relationship with Christ really meant. I remember my Bible Club teacher, Anna Miller, who really did care about me and my friends. She was the perfect example of a Christ Follower and what it meant to live it all for him.
She read this story around Christmas time about a candy cane. She explained what the candy cane meant spiritually. She explained how the white stripes represent Christ because he is clean and pure and then the red stripes represent us, with sin in our lives. She then went on with the story of salvation and what it really means to have Jesus Christ in our hearts. At that point, I could really feel the tug from Christ.
I remember just crying my heart out when she gave the alter call. I prayed the salvation prayer at a younger age, but I really didn’t mean what I was praying. I basically prayed it because I was suppose to. At this time, I knew that my life was pretty stale and I needed Jesus Christ in my life. I then realized that I was set free of any sin I committed and that I fully belonged to Jesus Christ. I felt a peace in my heart that I have never felt before. Not only was Jesus in my heart now, but he was my best friend.
After
Since that day in Swayzee, Indiana at the age of nine, I have been seeking the face of God on a daily basis. I will tell you this; life hasn’t been easy at all. I have gone through a lot of trials in my life. With Jesus in my heart, I know he won’t give me something too big that I can’t handle. There are still days where I struggle, but instead of doing something stupid or not Christ-like, I have learned to rely on Jesus for all my needs. The world would tell me to go out and drink, smoke, have sex, whatever sin you want to throw out there. After accepting Jesus in my heart, the only thing I need is him! I have the love and compassion of Jesus in my heart and I want to be able to share that with the world.
Through my life, this has always been a verse that means so much to me:
Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans that I have for you, “ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
(NLT Version)
1 comment:
that is a great story! Im a christian too!
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