I was asked about sharing Mike’s testimony. To do so, I will also have to share some of mine as well since we are really one flesh. As you know we were 17 and 16 when we were married. I had just turned 17 and he was about to., we are six months apart. In order to get married we had to convince our parents to sign for us and convince a judge to allow it as well as find a pastor that would marry us. Somehow we accomplished that.

On my 18^th Birthday, Mike (still 17) joined the Air Force. We were still in Viet Nam and because of His Colorblindness they wanted him to do reconnaissance since he can see through camouflage. He chose instead to be a Security policeman.  He spent the Viet Nam war in South Dakota.  This is where he worked, finished High School so he could re-enlist and became a father! I am amazed at what he accomplished those three years.

He made rank quickly and was usually the youngest at his rank. He went to Italy first and I joined him after Matthew was born in Germany. While I was in Italy He was being Shot at (thankfully not shot) by the Red Brigade, the Italian Terrorist group that kidnapped and assassinated Aldo Morro , the Italian Prime Minister a few months later.

Mike and I had done a lot of drugs in our teens, but somehow when we got we stopped to be adults. However drinking was a major part of being “grown-up”. How we got home some nights was only the grace of God. How we didn’t kill anyone, a Miracle! I say that to say this, by 21, Mike was drinking heavily, not a beer here and there, but Crown Royal and Zambucca by the bottle. This is also when His wife became a Christian and changed her life style. At times he would be interested in what I was reading and learning as I did my Bible Studies and asked lots of questions. He loved to read , especially since the only other choice was radio stories on AFN. So he read Pilgrim’s Progress , The God Smuggler and other books I left laying around the house. He was curious, but not ready.

When our transfer arrived, I went home a couple months early to see my family since we would again be on the East Coast and my family was in California. Remember I said it would get worse before it got better? Well it seems the ONLY single American female at our base in Italy decided she needed my husband.  This led to a year of separation, Lawyer appts. and almost divorce. Without Jesus, it would have been. This same woman wound up destroying another marriage and marrying that husband when she became pregnant.

It would be in Wash. DC while Mike was working at the Pentagon that He finally gave his life to Jesus. God gave him a wonderful troop that Loved Jesus! After a dozen invitations to church Mike finally said yes! We were watching a TV evangelist when Mike prayed asking Jesus To help him start over. He had seen what Jesus had done in my heart and wanted Jesus too! My children had been praying for that moment for years. It would be another Year on Easter when He went down to he front of our Church to make a public profession of his faith, his children were now nine and seven years old.

Instantly His heart was turned to the Lord and all he had heard, read and seen blossomed. The Word of the Lord truly does not return void but goes forth and accomplishes that which He purposes.