Christina Mikalef

Beloved brethren, this is a brief testament of what the Lord has done in my life. I was born in March of 1986 into a born again family. I am one of three children-- I have one older sister and an older brother. Immediately after I was born, the doctors told my parents that there was a big chance that I would become blind. So, with the Lord's guidance and with the prayers of the brethren, we went to San Diego where I had cornea transplants while I was only a few months old. This was a risky procedure, but through the Lord's grace, the transplant was successful. Praise God! He preformed a miracle in my life even before I learned to speak!

A few years later, my family backslid and returned to the world of sin. I was very young, so I do not remember much, but I know that my parents went through many trials. My father was never home, and he became worse and worse as the years passed. Therefore, my mother was left to take care of my older siblings and me. It was difficult to live in this environment because even though I was so young, I understood that my parent's relationship was not going well. I would cry myself to sleep often and I just wanted us to be a happy family. I felt very alone because my siblings are so much older than I am, and I felt like I had nobody to talk to.

In 1993, my mother sat me down one day and told me that we were going to start attending church. Still very young, I was not thrilled about the idea, but I had no choice. So, we started going to the church with the pastor and his family. Since I never went to the Greek Orthodox Church, I had nothing to compare this church to. It was difficult to pay attention because the sermons were given in Greek and I knew very little Greek, so I would fall asleep and not pay any mind to the Word that was being preached. I was the only child in the church, which made it all the more boring for me. Then in 1995, a young sister was saved, and I remember she would come over my house on a daily basis. I looked up to her and we spent a lot of time together. It was with her that I first started to read the Bible. The very first chapter we read was Matthew 4, where the Lord was tempted by the Devil. This chapter made an impression on me and I began to read my children's Bible on my own. After pleading to the Lord and praying continuously, my father began coming to church in 1996, and so we were made a family again.

In November of 1996, the pastor of our church had passed away. That was the first time I experienced a death so close to my family. This put so much fear in my heart and I thought if I were to die, that I would go to hell. It was at this time that the Lord appointed a new overseer for our church, and the Word was being preached in both Greek and English. Through this manner, I began to understand the sermons, and I began to learn Greek.

One day, our pastor announced from the podium that six brethren were going to be baptized in the water. I wanted to get baptized from a few months before, but because I was so shy, I never mentioned it. So, this was my chance to be baptized with the other brethren. On Sunday, July 20, 1997, I was baptized in the water for the remission of sins. I was so happy. I felt like I was apart of God's family, and I was anxious to live a life with the Lord.

Unfortunately, when I started junior high school, I was entangled with my friends and I stopped praying and reading the Word of God. The older I got the worse and worse I became. However, I did not stop coming to church. I knew that if I stopped, my parents would be very disappointed, but even more the Lord would be disappointed. I continued coming, but I was living a life of sin. Even so, the Lord was still faithful to me and I thank Him for that. When I started high school, I became more involved with friends and less with my brethren. I was lukewarm. The people of the world and the brethren of the church thought I was a "good girl." I did not do horrible things like smoke, drink, and party, but I was still a wretched sinner. I would do whatever my friends were doing, who were also "good kids" according to the world. Whenever I would hear the verse, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth," Revelation 3:16, I would be scared and feel checked, but the current of sin was strong, that I could not make the decision to follow the Lord completely. I would always be afraid that a brother or sister would see that I was not doing the will of God completely, but what I didn't realize is that the Lord sees me all the time, and that His Word says, "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned," John 15:6.

I also felt checked at the conventions held in Warren, Ohio every year. I would feel revived and blessed for the few days we were there, but once we returned, it was back to the same things. For many years I was on and off. I started to feel very guilty about this double life I was living, and I tried reading the Bible and praying, but this would last for two weeks, and then stop. I was very weak, very unhappy, and I wanted to change my life. As I said before, the Lord never forsook me throughout my adolescence. He would still speak to me through prophecies and sermons. High School made it extremely difficult to perform the will of God, so I was glad when I finally graduated. I found that this was my perfect opportunity to follow the Lord in my life, and not to just be a Christian in front of the brethren, and a sinner in front of my friends. I began reading the Word everyday and praying as well. I saw that I was changing, but it was a very slow process. I still had to leave certain things that still held me in bondage with the world. It was difficult to separate myself from my worldly friends, but slowly my friends were finally cut off. I began college in the fall of 2004, fresh and clean from all those things holding me back in high school. I began to learn that I not only have to read the Word, pray, and have fellowship with the brethren, but also I have to show the light, for He says, "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light," Ephesians 5:8. At this time, a sister and I became very close, and the Lord knew that I needed someone about my age to confide in. Although the sister was still a "baby" in the Lord, was very zealous, and I thought to myself, if this new sister can be so dedicated to the Lord, that I should be much more advanced than she is! I was ashamed to admit that I was not as devoted as this sister. This shamefulness turned into fervor to walk the narrow path. Praise God!

Once I began my true walk with the Lord, I started to ask for the Holy Spirit continuously. Whether I was on the train, in school, on my knees, standing up, or in bed, I would plead the Lord to baptize me because I needed that power.  In May 2005 the church went to the Ohio convention and it was a great blessing. Brethren shared their testimonies, messages from the Word of God were preached, and we had fellowship all weekend. That Sunday, May 29, 2005, the Lord had granted me the gift of His Holy Spirit. I had never felt such love, joy and peace in all my life.

I am forever indebted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He has long suffered for me for so many years. My life is a testament to the abundant mercy that the Lord has on those He loves. All I can do now is continue the good fight of faith, and pray that He make me worthy to enter His heavenly kingdom one day. Amen.

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