Student Testimony

Student 2

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a testimony is:

2 a: firsthand authentication of a fact : EVIDENCE b: an outward sign c: a solemn declaration usually made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official
3 a: an open acknowledgment b: a public profession of religious experience

The following are testimonies of past and present Lighthouse Christian Academy students. The names of the students have been redacted to insure their privacy. All testimonies are on file at Lighthouse Christian Academy.

I just want to start off and tell the readers of my testimony that it was not written to glorify any of my sinful acts. I just want this to be a hope and encouragement to the families that think their daughter could never change. The Lord is so powerful and He can do anything. He did it in my life. I love this verse and wanted to share it. The Bible says in I Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labour more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

My name is (name redacted), I'm 16 years old, and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. My family raised me in church. I always knew the difference between right and wrong. When I was five my mom was sentenced to 4 years in prison, so my grandma took me in and became my guardian. I have always been closer to her than my real mom. She never failed to have me in church at a young age.I got saved at the age on seven. When my mom got out of prison I was on and off living with her and my grandma. My mom is a substance abuser, so I was never really around the right kind of people when I was with her. At the age of ten I started playing around with cigarettes, thinking it was "fun." But, that progressed on. I got expelled from a Lutheran school in 7th grade for having marijuana on my person.

Things just went down hill from then on. I couldn't go to school for a whole year after that, so sitting at home all the time gave me more time to experiment with sin. I got sent to drug classes to "help" my addiction, but that just made it worse. By this time I was smoking more weed than ever and doing other drugs like pills and drinking alcohol. After this I started messing around with immorality. I was just having sex with every guy I met because I had such an improper view of myself. I just wanted them to like me, but that was a very stupid philsosphy. But eventually my sin caught up with me and my grandma found out about all this and sent me to Lighthouse. I arrived March 5, 2005. When I got here I just knew that these people had something that I didn't. They were so happy. I was kind of angry toward them because I wanted to be happy so bad. All the stuff that I did in the past, all I wanted from it was happiness, but all I got was pain and heartache. One Sunday night, Brother Russell preached a message on trading your yoke of wood for a yoke of iron. I knew I was saved and on my way to heaven, but I was so ashamed at how I was living and doing the things that I wanted to do and not taking any thought of what God wanted for my life. So, that night I remember lying in my bed and praying and asking God to forgive me. I rededicated my life to Christ that night.

I was told about six months ago by my family that I would be graduating here, and at first I wasn't to keen on the idea. But after I talked to the Lord about it I knew it was the best thing for me. I have now realized that being here longer will only get me more prepared for facing the world. Even being here I have so many ways to be a srevant to my King. I can now help new girls when they come in and maybe even lead them to Christ. I go and sing at the Nursing Home and minister to the elderly. The most important thing of all is my new relationship with my family. I had no respect whatsoever toward my family before I came here and now I know God's point of view on this. My family can trust me now, and just thinking about it is a miracle in itself.I also have a little brother that my grandma and grandpa adopted and now I am a good example to him.

My plans for when after I graduate are to go off to Pensacloa Christian Collge and be a Christian nurse. I feel God has called me to be a missionary, so that way if I do go to the mission field I will have medical training. It's awesome to think that a girl with no dreeams whatsoever but to be a couch potato, now wants to go and do something for the Lord. It's all because of God's AMAZING GRACE!