An example Testimony

I’d like to pass on an example testimony, one that I used onstage at a prison tonight. Not word for word, but the same ideas/concept.

To let you know a little bit more about myself, I grew up outside of Washington, D.C. I’m 22 years old with 11 of those years being spent working on sound equipment. But I’d like to highlight some of the highs and lows since I’ve been involved with CTI.

I first heard about CTI in December 2006 at the Urbana missions conference. I was looking for some form of an outlet for my Audio/Visual background and it seemed to be a perfect fit since I like Rock music, and always wanted to tour with a band. The added bonus is that it was in a Christian context. So in January I signed up for a short term mission trip with CTI to go to Honduras for a month with a similar band. Since that point about 2 years ago I’ve seen some incredible things. In Honduras I got the chance to see the beauty of God’s creation in a totally new way (jungle covered mountains, 100+ ft. waterfalls, lemurs....). I got to worship with fellow believers in a different language. We’d play a song in English that they knew in Spanish and be able to worship God in a totally new way. The following school year was my senior year, and I managed to pass with a Physics degree, writing an 86 page thesis (a miracle in and of itself considering how poorly I did in some theoretical classes). Now I’m touring for a full year (August to August) with a band spreading the news of Jesus. In October we got to go to the Philippines where I could get up in the morning (for the first week) and watch the sunrise over a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean (literally with me IN the pacific Ocean).

Along with that came some new lows. Less than 3 weeks after I got back from Honduras, a friend I worked with committed suicide. I was with him Monday at the end of the work day, and at some point before work the next day he killed himself. It’s the sort of thing that wears on you, because you end up thinking “was I the last person to have a conversation with him.... could I have done anything else differently to change the outcome...” etc. Earlier this year the grandfather that I’m named for passed away while we were training and heading out on the road for the first time, so I missed the funeral. Then in the fall my dad had a major stroke, and my electronics got run over (not to put those on the same level though).

All of this happened while I have been working as a music “missionary”/with a music ministry. God doesn’t promise us an easy life. We don’t get $1,000,000 for accepting Him into our lives. But He does promise that He is coming back to renew our lives, to take away all sin, and all suffering. Even creation waits to be fulfilled (and the next time you see a pacific ocean sunrise, think that it will get even better some day). So if you know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, take heart and know that there IS hope, that no matter how low your life seems to get, there IS a light at the end, and that God can work all things to good. If you don’t know Jesus, let me tell you that He is Lord of this Earth, created all this beauty for our enjoyment, and that He loves you. If you want to know more, please talk to the Prison Fellowship staff who meet here every Monday night, talk to us after the show if there’s time before they take out you, or ask Him yourself to show Him to you. He never fails to disappoint anyone who actively seeks His face.

Thank you.