You can submit your testimony to: stephens@houseofpraise.co.nz"I just want to share a simple story of what had happened to me today. It’s amazing of how God spoke and showed me how He cares even about a little thing in my life… hopefully this story can be a blessing for you.
I was waiting for the train when a lady approached me and asked, “Excuse me, do you have a jelly or candy in your bag?” Surprised with the odd question I said, “No, sorry”…“It's just that I am diabetic and my sugar level is very low now”, the lady explained. “I have to eat something sweet otherwise I will collapse. Usually I have a bottle full of jelly and candy in my bag but it’s already empty now”, the lady showed me the empty bottle from her bag.
I looked at the lady. She did look pale and tired. “I’m really sorry, I usually have candy but today I just left it at my office”, I said. She looked very disappointed with my answer. “Do you have anything at all in your plastic bag?” (I was holding a plastic bag filled with groceries) “It’s just vegetable… oh I have some peaches…” “Can I have that? I will pay you”… “Oh, it’s all right just take one” … “Do you have something else, like orange? …“No, sorry just peach, is it all right?”... “Ok, how much? I will pay you” …“Oh no, it’s all right, please take it”... “Are you sure?” the lady asked again. I just smiled and nodded my head. “Thank you very much, I’m actually feeling embarrassed asking you like this, but I really need something sweet to eat otherwise I will collapse”. She took one peach and quickly ate it.
We have a small chat after that. She told me how she had to take insulin injection that day and she just come back to see the doctor after work… and how she was feeling dizzy and she really needed to have something sweet because she didn’t want to collapse… and then the train come. “Thank you again” the lady said. “No worries” I smiled and waved good bye.
As I walked home from the station, I just remember about the lady again. This is the first time a stranger asked me something like this. It’s a new experience for me, out of the blue giving fruit to a stranger. Then, a small voice in my heart reminded me of the verse ‘what you sow, it’s what you’ll reap’… I felt that God reminded me that whatever I do, even though it’s really small, we will get something in return. I just smiled and thought the reward might be small because it’s only a peach but if it’s from God, I want it.
It’s a very hot day and I tried to walk home as fast as I can. As I was crossing the road and walked on the footpath, I suddenly saw a coin in the middle of the grass. I thought it might be 5 cents as it’s a small coin but hey money is money, so I took it. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a $2 coin in my hand!! I bought 5 peaches and it cost me about $2. I gave one peach to the lady and God gave me back the whole cost of the peaches!! … What can I say…. I am s-peach-less... Praise God! I feel so blessed to know that I have an awesome God who cares about me. Thank you Lord."
"Hello dear friends, I hope this letter finds you all well and happy. It has been a long time since I last saw you all and left NZ, but hopefully you will remember that really quiet, slightly awkward girl who came to your services and your life group and found some-much needed acceptance.
My time in NZ was absolutely incredible; I saw the most beautiful countryside I'd ever seen, I studied with some amazing artists, met lots of interesting people from all over the world, and really had the biggest adventure of my life. I was alone though, not only literally (as if flying across the world by myself wasn't scary enough!) but I also didn't properly invite God to be right there with me through it all, leaning instead on my own strength.
Honestly, I've always taken my comfortable (easy) life for granted. So of course things started to get difficult and I didn't know how to handle it. I had some relationship trouble, I felt I was struggling to keep up in school, and suddenly realized how alone and miserable I was without a group of believers to lean on and confide in. I experienced the worst sinking depression that I've ever felt at about this point, a result of everything I had been trying to deal with on my own.
Around this time I found out about House of Praise and things began to change. I felt such relief at finally finding a Christian group (seems to be in short supply in NZ) and by how welcoming everyone was. Stephen's sermons always hit home for me too and gave me encouragement I needed. I felt the love especially at the life group meetings.
I am so grateful for the guys coming and driving me there every time, for getting to know and hang out with all of you, for experiencing so many new foods (those little pineapple cookies were my favorite mmmmm :) for the Bible teachings, the games, the prayer, and thank you for caring for me and letting me borrow books and music, they were very upliftng. Inevitably, I felt a little out of place sometimes being the non-Indonesian in the group, but it was a wonderful cultural experience. I would not trade my memories with all of you for the world, if anything I would only have spent more time and gotten to know you sooner. I feel my soul was fed by worshipping and fellowshipping with y'all and still thank God for leading me to the House of Praise. Life got a lot better for me and I found my purpose again.
I am deeply sorry for the time that I've lost in writing and want you all to know that I think of you with fondness.I will never forget what you have all done for me. I'm back in my comfort zone now but I will remember everything I learned from my friends in NZ. Thank you all so much for everything."
"Yesterday lucko and I experienced how good and awesome our God is. last night, we went to a restaurant for dinner. in the middle of our conversation I noticed 2 men came in and approached a table near us. they held a small piece of paper and one of them said something to the people in that table while showing the paper, I assumed they were asking for something like "Do you know this person?" or "Do you know where is this?". it is quite strange I thought, and suspicious. the people said "No", and the men left.
about 2 minutes after that, the waiter approached us with a small paper on her hand, "is this your car number?". lucko and I said "Yes, that's our car."
the waiter said that we forgot to turn off our lights. then the men showed up behind her. apparently what she held in her hands were the same paper that the man held before. lucko began looking for the car key, but no ... it's not in his pocket. and before he finished searching, the man said "someone took your car..." for seconds we were so shocked, oh no...! lucko left the key inside the car, of course, someone would easily took our car...and then, the man smiled and held our car key in his hands. WOW...we are sooo relieved!!!!! thanks God for such honest people, thank God for His protection, thank God for He is good, amazing, awesome, wonderful.....!
it's amazing in this day and age where criminality worsen each day, we still found people who are honest. I mean, the could've taken our car, or they could've been ignorant, instead they took our key, note down our plate number and I don't know how many restaurants have he been into asking around..... bottom line is, PRAISE GOD! He is GOOD!!!!! soooooo good! we are overwhelmed. 99% I believe those men are angels. it's true, if we believe in Jesus, there are angels all around us sent by God to protect us. We hope this testimony will bless you!"
"When I was 6 years old I was experimenting with some iron sticks and some electrical sources. After a while my mother came into my room and said to me it was very dangerous what I was doing. But I didn’t listen. My next experiment was the plug. I putted the first iron stick in the plug, and nothing happened. I knew that plastic doesn’t let electricity through so I grabbed the second iron stick with my plastic scissor and put it “carefully” into the second hole of the plug.
Then everything went black, all I did see was electricity flying from the first stick to the other stick. After a second I felt like I was lifted up. I didn’t feel the pain but yelled. My mother was on the way to me, but somehow I could go away from the electricity and run of to my mother, strange all I could see was black, but I did somehow see the way I run to my mother. And I felt like I weight nothing, and that I could move my body but had no feelings in it.
It was like my spirit went to my mother and dragged my body with him. When I came to my mother I cried a lot. After a while I came into myself again, I could see again and felt weight. When I think back it was Jesus who protected me, and pulled me out from the plug. I thank god that he allowed to let me live longer."
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