Occupation: Housewife

   My dad was a farmer, and I was his fourth of six children. He later moved us to the city and took a factory job there. In the winter, he got pneumonia and died. He was 33 years old, and I was only 4, almost 5.  "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (Holy Bible, James 4:14)

   My mother moved us back near the farm and worked hard to provide us a home. My grandmother came to live with us and to help out, too, but it was just too much. She ended up moving and taking me with her. All of us children were eventually placed in separate homes.

   I ended up in a small town with a nice family, and their daughter was very kind to me. We went to church every Sunday, but I never remember hearing how a person could go to heaven.

   In my teens, I met a nice young man, and we were eventually married. Later, we were blessed with 4 children. During one summer at the trailer park where we lived, a young woman came to the park to hold a Bible Club. Our two youngest daughters, ages 9 and 11, went to it. They heard that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and they prayed and asked Jesus to save them.  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Holy Bible, Romans 5:8)

   They came home and shared with me that they had gotten saved. I was happy for them and told them that was nice.

   In December of that year, the little Baptist Church where the girls went to Sunday School was having a Christmas Program. We went to it, and at the end of the program, the Pastor gave an invitation for people to raise their hands if they would like to get saved. I wanted to be saved, but I was afraid to raise my hand.  "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Holy Bible, Romans 10:11)

   On a bright, sunny day in January, at only 17º, I was out cleaning up the car. When I finished and went inside, I suddenly got very weak and could hardly talk. I told our oldest daughter to call Dad. He came right home and took me to the doctor. The doctor said it was over-exertion and gave me some pills to take — but the weakness lasted for weeks. "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word." (Holy Bible, Psalm 119:67)

   It was during this time that I wanted to stop the worldly lifestyle that I had been living on Saturday nights. I began to have more of a desire to be in church on Sunday mornings.

   One April, a well-known evangelist was preaching for three nights on television. The first night, my husband and I both watched it. The second night, I was home alone and watched it again. After the evangelist’s message, I went into the bedroom. I got down on my knees and asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Holy Bible, Romans 10:13)

   My life then began to change. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (Holy Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:17) Now I was in church every Sunday morning — no more Saturday nights out in the world. I was also concerned about my husband getting saved, so I would ask him to go to church with us, and sometimes he would.

   In February, we moved to another town, and met some friends that we had known for most of our lives. She told me about an evangelist there at the Baptist Church, and how she had been attending the meetings and had gotten saved. I shared with her how I had also asked Jesus to save me.

   Within a couple of months, both of our husbands got saved. Eventually, my mother and step-father also asked Jesus to save them. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Holy Bible, Acts 16:31)

   I am so thankful to God for saving me and my family, and for His promise to take us to heaven one day. Truly, God has turned my sorrow in my life into joy. Will you let Jesus turn your sorrow into joy? "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." (Holy Bible, Acts 3:19) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Holy Bible, Romans 10:9) "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (Holy Bible, John 1:12)