Drawn by the Spirit
By Gina Norton
As a child, while growing up, we were not made to go to church. I lived in
Tijuana, Mexico, where I was born. There was a Catholic church about a block
away from our house and I can remember going there by myself. I was about five
years old and even though I was so young, something attracted me. I used to sit
by myself at the back of the church where I could watch everybody who came in,
and also look at a cross where I saw a man in pain. I felt so sorry for him as I
wondered why was he there. I used to look at him for hours, or so I thought, but
in reality it was only for a few minutes.
We migrated to the United States when I was nine years old. I made friends
with three girls who spoke Spanish because I did not know a word of English. One
of those girls became my best friend for life. She went to Catholic school, and
I used to go to church with her every Sunday. When I got to my teen years, I
started going to other churches with other friends. Then as a young adult I
stopped going to church altogether.
I married at the age of twenty and had our fi rst child when I was
twenty-two. When our son turned two, I began to feel that there was “something”
we were not giving him. I started going to my husband’s church, better known at
that time as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Like
most people, I thought “they” were Mormons.
I can remember taking our son to church on Sundays and leaving right after
the last hymn because I did not want to talk to anybody. I did not want to get
involved. But somewhere along the line, I ended up assisting with a preschool
Sunday school class. That was when I started learning about Jesus. It was like a
whole new world to me. I had never opened a Bible, so by preparing for the
children, I started to know more and more. I liked it so much that I ended up
getting involved with children and youth ministries.
At age twenty-seven, I was baptized along with my sister-in-law, Debi Norton.
We were both confirmed during a Wednesday night service. Something very special
happened after the sacrament of confirmation. When the elders placed their hands
on my head I didn’t feel anything unusual. The prayer of confirmation was said
and I stood up to hug the elders. But when I faced the congregation something
happened that I couldn’t express. As I walked down four of the five steps, I
felt as though I were floating. I kept walking down the aisle and I floated
until I was out of the church. I felt so warm and happy! I had never experienced
anything like this.
I didn’t want to say anything because I was afraid people were going to think
I was crazy, but I did tell my husband, Ken. He said that he, too, had
experienced something special at my confirmation. He was in the back pew and
said that as I passed by, his knees weakened and he felt like he was going to
pass out. The person next to him had to hold him up.
This was the beginning of a new journey for us. Many blessings have come our
way since that day, and my job as a disciple of Jesus Christ is to share my
testimonies with people who are looking for peace and hope in their lives. I
love what I do. I am forever thankful to God for using me as an instrument to
help bring the gospel to the poor and afflicted. I have been truly blessed with
the Holy Spirit as I go and share the peace of Jesus.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the
prisoners.—Isaiah 61:1
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