Shawn's Testimony

My name is Shawn , and I was born out of wedlock in the small city town in New York. I’m 21 years old, and got saved late in my 19th year. But what on before that and what led up to that day is a tale to be told. My mom and dad raised me and my brother (who was born almost 2 years to the day after me) together for about 5 years. Then after never getting married, they decided that it would never happen so they split up. My brother and I both lived with my mom at the time. Now a thing you need to understand about my life as I tell this story is that my family is almost entirely unsaved and un-religious all together. I never went to church, never picked up a bible. My mom and my dad almost immediately started seeing other people, but my mom decided that she should get married. So one night before ever discussing anything with either my brother or me, her and her boyfriend got married. He was a good man that we all liked right up until the days following the wedding. Things went down hill from there; he turned into a controlling, cruel, verbally and physically abusive person. So I, out of fear for my mom, stayed with her, and my brother moved in with my dad. Now without getting into to much detail about my life, things became, for of a lack of better words, a living hell for our family. Torn from all sides, things continued to get worse. So when I graduated high school, after touring the upstate NY school system ( 6 schools) I moved out as far from my family as I could. But my grandpa was sick, bed ridden and paralyzed. So I came home and lived with him and my granny. I helped them out for about a year, then packed up and left for Cincinnati Ohio, with a family I was friends with. This was the first time I ever had and real religious love shown to me, explained and taught to me. They were a great influence, and a big help to cope with the things to come. A few weeks before thanksgiving, I get a phone call saying that my grandpas taking a turn for the worse, and on top of that I was feeling very home sick. So I jumped on the first bus home, after praying long with the family I was staying with. After arriving I was able to spent thanksgiving with my family, and my grandfather, and remained there to help them out. I continued to live there through the rest of the year, seeing the rise and fall of my grandfather. But the week of Christmas seemed great, his health was up, and all seemed well. So me and my brother went to my dads the night before Christmas, and got up for the holidays only to get a call say that our grandfather passed away before 8 am that morning. I was in disbelief and could hold my self together. Following these events, I was torn so much about God and religion, but some how some way he heard what my heart was screaming, and not what my head was saying. He brought the most wonderful girl in my life, currently my fiancé, Alydia Wilbur shared with me so much more than just her love. She showed me the love of God, and told me of his plan. She bought me my first bible, directed me to passages to read, to lead me to my salvation. But I still wasn’t sure; it was all so new to me. Then one night well she was here at BBC, I decided to go out with friends. And while with them I started to drink, and drank way too much. I got so sick the following morning that I had to tell her I couldn’t come see her because I drank. She decided that I was pulling her down spiritually, and I needed to be a leader, and help her grow spiritually. So after loosing the only feeling of love I had in my life, I got down on my knees many times to pray for forgiveness, both to her and to God. But it seemed neither were listening, until finally God brought her love back to me, and along with it, with more force and power than ever before, His love as well. I read more into the word he had sent me, and prayed once more for forgiveness, and gave my confession to Christ, accepting him as my lord and savior. And after many long hard trials, I finally had meaning and fullness to my life, which was being guided by a love that spanned both the heavens and the earth. Through this love in my life I was guided to BBC where I continue to grow more in Christ, and help others around me grow as well. Now in less than 200 days I will be getting married to this wonderful girl who led me to the lord, and continues to impact my life with such passion. I hope to continue to grow till the day I die no matter what walls I’m forced to climb.