(posted 9/8//05)

As especial witnesses of Jesus Christ, we embrace the . . .

Stories of God's Working in Our Lives

My name is Jason. I attend the Mesa Congregation of the Community of Christ in Arizona. I am not officially a member of the church yet, but I plan on getting baptized sometime in the fall of this year. I am very excited about that. But I just didn't get into this position without some help.

It started when I was a younger child and I attended the Young Peacemakers Club in Mesa, Arizona. I attended that for a couple of years until they stopped the event. Then, one summer I was begging my mom to let me go to a summer camp like I saw in movies and on TV, but we never had the money to go to an expensive camp. That's when my mom talked to a member of the Mesa Congregation to see if they had a camp I could go to, even though I told my mom it was a bad idea and that churches don’t have fun camps like that. She asked anyway and proved me wrong. After my first summer camp I was ready for my next one.

I think this was a gift from God because right about that time in my life other kids at school and some of my friends were at the experimenting age and they would experiment with drugs and alcohol. I told myself this was it--I needed something more in my life. That was the point that my life could have gone down either pathway. There was a pathway of drugs, not caring about other people, and dropping out of school or studying and staying in school and doing things right. Well, I think everyone probably knows what path I took or else I wouldn't be righting this testimony right now.

I just got back from one of the most amazing experiences in my life. That was the Community of Christ International Youth Forum and Spectacular. Every year I heard older kids bragging on how cool Spec was and finally it’s my turn to brag to the younger kids how cool it is.

I am so thankful that this church and Jesus Christ have come into my life. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

--Jason, 16, Mesa, Arizona