Torch, Spring 1981

'i l One day my sins caught up with me and my mother asked me to leave home. I had passed out after a high on dope, and she found a bag of drugs and a pistol on me . I didn ' t know where to go , so I called my older sister Carolyn in Dayton , Ohio . She and her husband gladly took me in and put me up for a few days until I could find an apartment. It was clear from the start that my sister and brother– in-law were different. They said they were Christians and they acted like they were . This only increased the conviction in my heart . After I got a room with some old friends in Dayton , Carolyn continued to wash my clothes and give me money. She even let me use her car . Glad Iy, I accepted all of her Christian love , not realizing that this was what God was using to point me to Christ and end my drug dealings . Day after day, I could clearly see the reality of Christ in my sister Carolyn' s family . On Sundays , they faith– fully drove 48 miles one way to Israel Baptist Church in Hamilton. I could tell that Carolyn really cared about me because she willingly listened when I wanted to talk. She was never pushy with her faith . The witness of her life spoke so loudly that I could not help but under– stand the difference that Christ made in her life. She did witness to me with words from time to time . But , most importantly, her works backed up her words. Finally, the Holy Spirit convicted me so much about my life of sin that I couldn't stand it any longer. After church one Sunday , Carolyn and I talked like we had never talked before. She told me that a million dollars to buy drugs or the best job in the world would never satis– fy me or bring me peace. She shared with me the simple gospel-how that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again to offer me forgiveness . She said that if I would just ask Jesus to forgive me and to come into my heart and be my Lord, He would ; and I would be " born again" and become a "new creature" in Christ. That afternoon , in 1977 , I accepted Christ as my Savior; and for me , life started all over again. Within three weeks , God took away my desire for drugs. My pastor, Rev . Shazier, began to meet with me weekly at 5 a. m . in order to disciple me. Over the peri– od of a year I grew in my knowledge about the Lord. As I did , I realized that God was calling me to invest my life in something far better than drugs . He wanted me to become a full-time evangelist. I accepted that call ; and in the fall of 1980, I enrolled in Cedarville College as a Bible major. I praise God for my sister Carolyn and her family. My life is a living example of a sinner who was won by a witness . Are you winning others with your witness?D 5