Testimonies: The Holy Spirit at Work
We asked a few people, "How has being
baptized in the Holy Spirit changed you and so impacted your family, community,
or parish?" Here are their responses:
by Barbara Smith
Being filled with the Holy Spirit has
impacted my life and ministry in many ways.
I was raised a Catholic in a Catholic town,
went to Catholic schools through high school, yet knew there was more. In my
20’s, I decided to read the Bible and learn what it was all about but soon found
it was too powerful and would require a change in my life so I put it aside. In
my early 30’s at the lowest emotional point of my life, I asked God to enter my
life and save me and He did, through Scripture, His Living Word. I was hooked
and Scripture has been my passion ever since.
I was 33 years old, the perfect age, when I read in Colossian
that "Jesus Christ crucified was my hope of glory" and also "All things were
made through Him and for Him and by Him and He holds all things in His hands"
including my family and me. I became part of the prayer group at St. Patrick’s
in Tacoma and began my 30 year journey in the Spirit.
The Little Rock Scripture study has been around twenty-five
years now and Our Lady Queen of Heaven parish in Parkland where we moved in
1976, has been part of it almost that many years. It has been through the Little
Rock study program and through the SALT program that my love of Scripture has
grown and my leadership abilities given wing.
Recently,
my journey has led me to work on a Life in the Spirit Seminar and help begin a
new prayer group, "Come to the Water". In September of 2003, I was blessed to
attend the 12 Days of Blessing in Rome. Those 12 days have blossomed out
to months of continued blessings. The SALT program, attending healing Masses at
other parishes, and the international conference in Rome have given me a new
vision of community and "who is my brother". The Spirit is doing something new
and it is being experienced across all peoples. I feel blessed and excited to be
a part of that "something new".
Barbara Smith is a prayer group leader and parishioner at Our
Lady Queen of Heaven parish in Parkland, WA.
* * *
by Teana Sterr
I was baptized in the Holy Spirit four
years ago. I did not notice the changes instantly.
Instead I noticed them over time. Looking back, I can see that I have come a
long way from where I used to be. I used to be the shy girl in the corner. You
know…the one who didn’t want to be noticed by anyone. That was me. However, now
I am the girl living her faith and becoming bolder with it.
I currently go to St. Martin’s College in Lacey, WA and I
live on campus. Last semester, I had a roommate who loved to push my buttons. I
remember asking God sometime last year to help me become bolder with my faith. I
know that God prepares us for what His plan is. I just hadn’t realized that He
was going to help me to become bolder, by pairing me up with the roommate I had.
My roommate was Catholic, but she did not have a personal
relationship with Christ. She thought that if she went to church every week and
on the Holy Days of Obligation, she was good to go. She didn’t think she needed
any more.
As I said before, she loved to "push
buttons." On numerous occasions she would bring up the suggestion of getting a
cat to live with her on campus. I told her every time that that was not allowed
because there was a no pets rule in the dorms and, therefore, I would
report it. She also enjoyed bringing up the idea of buying beer and putting it
in the fridge. Our campus is a "dry campus", so that too is against the rules.
Through all of this, God kept me patient, but continued to
make sure I told her what was right and wrong. There were times when she did say
things not just to push my buttons, but because she was serious about doing it.
God really made me bold in saying Christian things.
Teana Sterr is a former member of the WWCCR Youth Ministry
Team (YMT) and a student at St. Martin’s College in Lacey, WA
* * *
by Carolyn McNerney
Eleven years ago, I did not know I had
been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
I was in a state
of deep turmoil and didn’t even know what was the "right thing" to pray for. All
I could do was say, "Whatever you decide, God, I’ll accept it and work with it."
I thought the changes in my interests and prayer were a result of the distress I
was in and didn’t realize that I was gradually changing at a deeper level. It
was more than a year later that I heard someone describing the after-effects of
being baptized in the Holy Spirit, and I thought, "Oh! That’s what
happened!" I learned more through Women’s Aglow and being part of the
WWCCR Youth Ministry Team.
A significant
change is that I’ve gained a genuine respect and appreciation for other peoples’
spiritual gifts and natural styles, and how they work together in the Body of
Christ. I didn’t "get" that concept for such a long time! Whaddya know—they’re
not wrong just because they see or do things differently than I—and that
alone helps keep peace in the family and when collaborating with others
on a project. Also, being relieved of the burden of perfectionism (meaning my
idea of what is right) allows me to enjoy what others do well and to "let go
and let God" when it comes to preparing for and attending events. It’s a
challenging balance to invest your time and energy—doing your best—for a project
and at the same time remember that the outcome and method depends upon God’s
desire alone. He knows what is best—and if the event has some surprises in it,
we don’t have to worry about it because God will work all things to His good and
for His glory. That’s not just a "Christian lingo" cliché, it’s a truth—and
something that we pray for as we anticipate every event that is planned and
sponsored by the WWCCR office.
Carolyn McNerney works full-time at WWCCR, and also
volunteered as a member of the Youth Ministry Team. She is a member of St.
Theresa Parish in Federal Way, WA
Quotes How Many Belong?
Testimonies Statistics
