By Nancy Burris
This day was the most joy filled day I had ever spent in my five years volunteering at FirstLook.
I had been on a leave of absence for a few months due to my husband’s illness. I was a little hesitant to leave him that day to volunteer at FirstLook. So I said this prayer, “Lord, if I am going to leave Denny today, You sure better use me.” GLORY TO GOD….HE DID!!!
God gave me the privilege of having three appointments that day with women who chose to receive spiritual support.
I shared the truth with each woman that they could know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. None of them knew what that meant, so I asked each woman if she would allow me to explain how God made that possible by sending His Son, Jesus. All three women said yes, and all three women came to know Jesus as her personal Savior that day!
I remember my last appointment vividly as it pulled at my heart strings very deeply.
When I entered the room, Anne and I exchanged names, then I thanked her for allowing me the privilege to pray for her. I started our conversation by asking her to tell me a little bit about her faith and story, since she had asked me to pray for her.
Anne was so emotional she could not look at me,
hold her head up, and could not speak. I spent several minutes with her trying to make her feel more comfortable as I tried to let her know it was all right. When I felt she was ready I asked her if I could pray for her even though she had not spoken. My prayer was asking the Lord to send His angels of mercy and peace to be upon her, surrounding her with His holy presence. She began to calm down.
Anne was able to only tell me… head still down…not looking at me…very tearfully, she said, “I just want to be free from my past.”
I told Anne that she could be free because that is the reason God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world – to set us free from our sinful past. He died so we can be free. I used the Gospel tract, “May I Ask You A Question” to explain how she could personally confess her sins to Jesus and He would forgive her. She broke down and did so and accepted Him as her Savior.
We were both so moved.
As we prayed, I asked Jesus to deliver her from her past and make everything new in her today. When I concluded praying, Anne lifted her head…opened her tear filled eyes and SMILED! She told me she had attended church a few times, and I was overjoyed and told her to PLEASE go back. I knew they would love and support her in any way possible. Praise the Lord for Anne being set free!