Amanda Wray  

I didn’t come from a religious family who went to church. However my mum believed in Jesus and since I loved reading when I was young, she bought me a big story bible. I enjoyed reading the stories in it and loved the Jesus character.

Whilst I was in primary school, I started to attend Girl’s Brigade in my local Baptist church. I enjoyed all the activities and working on different badges. So when I was told I needed to attend church to gain a badge, I began attending. I was amazed the first Sunday when in Sunday school we read Bible stories. What was really amazing was when the teacher told us that these stories are real and actually happened and that Jesus is alive today and wants to be our best friend. She went on to say that all we have to do is say we are sorry for all we have done wrong and ask Him “into our heart”.  I was so excited by this that I actually went to bed early that night so I could kneel by my bed, as the Sunday school teacher advised, and pray.

I was never told that it was a good idea to meet with other believers and so I stopped attending church soon after this. However, I always talked to my friend Jesus and He helped me a lot when I was bullied at school. A friend commented once that she liked taking to me about problems as they always seemed to get better once we had talked. I knew that this was because I would talk to my friend Jesus about it. I now know that this is called prayer.

A few years later, when I was about 13, there was a mission in a local town by an American Christian rock group. My school took groups of us by minibus to the meetings. I went every night! I remember going forward one evening to chat to someone. I said that I knew Jesus died for me but I didn’t understand why. A lady then went through the gospel with me and showed me how my sin had separated me from God and made it necessary for me to need a Saviour and how Jesus had died in my place so that I could know God personally and have eternal life. I prayed with her and thanked Jesus for dying in my place and committed my life to Him.

I started attending church again and was amazed when I heard the teaching. Somehow I already knew a lot of the things they talked about from the Bible. It believe that God, the Holy Spirit, had been teaching and guiding me all the years since I prayed that prayer by my bed.

40 years later, I still love the Lord and am thankful that He saved me. I know that He is all powerful and faithful and I cannot imagine life without knowing Him.