My testimony

I was born and raised in a very strict Roman Catholic home. My school years from pre-k through college were all Catholic.
I have always believed in God and in Jesus and the Holy Ghost, although I thought I really understood it all, I didn't grasp the whole meaning...
Then, when I was about 12 yrs old, my aunt and my mom became born again Christians. I was a little taken aback...I mean, the whole family was. They were not following the family way. (very old school family).
Eventually, my mom stopped going to church w/ my aunt...we moved back up north, but my aunt stayed strong in her faith. Before we moved, my aunt led me to a more personal relationship w/ Jesus(I was still 12)...and I said the prayer of repentence and asked Jesus into my life. I wasn't ready for the baptism...I don't know if it was the thought of being baptized in front of so many people(I'm a shy person) or what...or if I didn't want the rest of my family to know.
Anyhow, I ended up backslidding a lot from the time I was 15 on. I drank and smoked and did some drugs. I prayed...but it was more out of duty.
I got pregnant when I was 20...thing is that I am not sure if he is my husbands or the guy who raped me. My husband and I were not married at the time(we got married when our son was 18 mos. old)...anyhow, I moved to FL toget away from everything up north. My aunt was a HUGE part in my life then...still very much into the Lord and was constantly a support for me. As a matter of fact, only she, my dad and my cousin were the only ones standing behind me on keeping my baby.
I moved back to NY to get married, and we now have added two daughters to our family.
Anyhow, when I was 24 yo, I got the chicken pox...I was not expected to make it at all. I did, (obviously...lol) and delved more into the word for a bit, but then fell back into my backslidding ways. We found out in Jan. of 2000, on the same exact day, that our then 6 yo daughter was dx'd w/ type 1 diabetes and that my BIL had liver cancer. I was in total shock. I prayed, still believed in our Lord and Jesus, but wasn't walking in faith like I should have been. A year later my BIL passed...I began searching more and more b/c his death had hit so close to home...he was only 35. Then I started attending church...not the catholic church, a non-denominational church. Then 9/11 happened, and I did more soul searching. Finally, this past year, since January, I had been very sick to my stomach A LOT....I was finally dx'd w/ peptic ulcers, inflamed stomach, gall bladder problems and gasrto parisis. I was sick to my stomach constantly, which, in turn, brought on massive anxiety attacks even more frequently(they started 3 months after my daughter and bil were dx'd). I was scheduled to have my gall bladder taken out and I freaked...I have had HORRIBLE experiences w/ hospitals and surgeries. My aunt would pray w/ me and help me through it all. The night before my surgery, I handed over all fears and anxities to the Lord...and I left behind those anxiety attacks!!!(Praise God!!!). Well, about a month and a week later I was baptized...I don't know WHY it took me so long...I will just have to believe that God has His own timing and reasons for everything. My aunt and uncle were the ones who baptized me. They are both now Pastors of their own church.
I have had such a TOTALLY different outlook on life since my baptism. I catch myself stopping and thinking how this or that will have an affect on God, people, or just any situation.
The Lord is definitely first in my life now.
It's also amazing because now my aunt, the one who brought me to the Lord, was dx'd w/ cancer of the pelvis and spine last week. We are all believing in a healing!!! It has brought my mom back to the church, and both of their brothers!!! The whole family is in agreement now and believing and putting our faith in the Lord.
We serve such an awesome God!!!