So I got back to blogging and it feels good - but I haven't really talked about 'HIM' - No. I am not talking about hubby - but I am talking about GOD.
I am a Christian and I feel like I haven't done this blog justice by not talking about the Lord. I haven't always been a Christian. Yes, I have always believed in God and have known who he is but I did not have a relationship with Him or His beautiful Son. Atleast not until 1998. Let me tell you my testimony. It is long one, but a goodie! Hopefully you will not get turned off by this entry - as I am not preaching. Just telling you about myself and how I came to know the Lord.
1998 - I am 18 and working at Sbucks - you know the place. Anyway, I was a shift supervisor and was told that a new girl jgarza was going to start working. So for quite some time probably a few months, jgarza and I had not been on the schedule together - but everyone else in the store would say that she was always skippidy do da and really slow, and that I would not like working with her. So the day finally came when I got to work with her. It was opening shift, so we had to be there at 5 (opened at 5:30am) - and of course I get there at 4:50 and she is already there ready to go. We get started and there she is cheerful as can be. We get the morning coffee rush and there she is as slow as molasses... - So I am thinking to myself, wow the other guys were right... but whatever I just took it and went with it. As time went on more often then not, we got to work together and her cheerful disposition started to eat at me - like what does she have and where can I get it?? By this time, I was engaged to a man that would later become my ex-fiance' and I noticed that she too was engaged. Feeling a sense of comradery (being that we were both engaged) I decided to talk to her about it. So one day when it was slow, I asked her - how did you meet your fiance'? And she told me that she met him at a youth conference. I asked her what did she mean by youth conference and she told me that it had to do with church and a bunch of teens that were on fire for the Lord. I heard the first part, but not the 'on fire for the Lord' part. So then I asked her how did you know that he was the one - and she said because she had prayed and prayed for a Godly Man that God would make it crystal clear without any doubt that he was the one. At that moment she turned to me and asked me, how did I know that my fiance' was the one - of course, I didn't. From that moment on, I prayed - even though I had never really prayed before, that God would allow me to work with her at every shift so that she could tell me more about God. She ended up inviting me to her church 'Shepherd Church' to be a part of the Generation Jesus ministry. So one Saturday night I gave my life to Christ. Done! woohoo!!! - but then Jgarza started going to church with her fiance' in another little town and I didn't want to go to church by myself.. so I slowly veered away................
2003 - I was working at a construction company when I felt the longing for something more. I remembered back to the days that I went to church with jgarza and thought, what the heck - I can go back and learn again. From the time that I had stopped going to church with Jgarza to this time I had not gone back. I was doing my own thing - living my life, my way! So one Thursday I'm sitting at the office - alone and I jump on the internet - I had seen the billboards for Second Baptist all over town and their slogan was 'come home' So I thought, why not. So I look up the Second website and start searching for classes or events that I could get acquainted and ended up finding a page that talked about a college retreat that was to go out the next day - I was stoked, but not wanting to go alone, I called up a friend jmun to see if she wanted to go with me (she had shown a heart for the Lord before, so I knew that we would "fit in") So when she said yes, I turned around and called the director of the college class and told her what I had found online and that I wanted to be a part of it. I asked how much it cost and what we needed to do... I believe that sensing the urgency in my voice to be a part of that, she said it will cost nothing and all you need to do is show up. So the next night, there we were driving out to the camp grounds in my big ole truck. I was soo nervous and scared and ready to be a part of a group like that that I didnt care that they had already been there for a few hours and they already knew each other. We totally fit right in and after that day, I got plugged in. I became the leader of the welcoming committee. So on Sunday mornings, I was there to welcome people in - now I was Jgarza with my skippidy do da attitude... Actually it was awesome!! Until I met yet, another man that lead me astray. I met a man that claimed to be all knowing of the bible and everything that had to do with being a Christian - so I thought.. I'll spare you the details, but he too would later be an ex.
2005 - after love lost from the guy in the previous chapter, I prayed to GOD just like jgazra had done and asked the Lord to send me a man, a Godly man that would be my husband - and that I would have NO DOUBT whatsoever that he was the one that God had chosen for me. And guess what, HE DID. So I met my hubby and we started dating. God engaged and then married in 2006. Shortly after being married, we had to decide where did we want to go to church? We tried Second for a second and that didn't work. We just didn't feel like we got plugged in. So then I told him about the Shepherd's Church (who had since changed their name to the Epicenter) and we checked it out. Soon, my quiet, handsome, Godly Man - became the drummer of the band! wow.. I didn't even know he could throw down like that. I was soo in awe (and still am to this day) of how wonderfully he plays!!
2008 - After being at the Epicenter for a while, we started to feel the spirit lead us to move to another place, where we could both plug in together and offer more as a couple to the Lord and give Service as much as we could. So while at the Epicenter, we met a wonderful Pastor to a predominately hispanic church that would later become our home church. Now we are part of the worship band (he plays drums and I sing), we have both been blessed with cars, jobs and live in a brand new house. It has been wonderful to see the way the Lord works when you follow his plan.
Hasta!
Adri
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