I have had it on my heart for a long time to share my testimony with everyone, but it has taken me time to get my courage up to do it. My past is not pretty and to some, my childhood will be horrific, to others, just another sad case. Either way, I pray you won't leave this page unchanged and that it inspires you to have a closer walk with God or inspire you to become a Christian.

I was born on the 17th of March, 1970 and for the first 7 years of my life, things were just peachy. I had a great Mum and a loving Dad. On the 14th of April, 1977 things changed for me drastically. My father was killed in a motorcycle accident.

My Mum met another man the end of 1977 and he moved in with us, then we left town. Mum ended up marrying him and that started 5 years of utter horror for us. He abused me, my sister, brother and mother in every way imaginable and most ways you would not want to imagine. He sexually, physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually abused us for 5 long, long years. I still have scars to show some of the abuse. I won't go into detail because most of it is just too horrific to share.

God finally got us out of that situation and we moved around a lot constantly on the run and trying to hide from "HIM". We were scared he would find us and carry out his threats of murdering us all. God kept us hidden though and we remained safe.

Mum met another man and she married him. He was a born again Christian and we began to go to church. He was fanatical though and strict. So it was his own version of God that we followed. A very mean, condeming, judgemental God. Not the loving, caring, nuturing God I have a personal relationship with now. My step father told us we HAD to go to church and that one Sunday we HAD to give our hearts to the Lord. One Sunday when I was 16 we single filed up the front and each said the sinners prayer. I didn't know what I was saying and meant none of it.

That week nothing much happened and I felt no different. Saturday night I was in bed reading in my room. It was about 3am and I can even remember the book I was reading. Romancing the Stone, the book that came from the movie with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

I read the last page, then put the book down on the floor and layed back to think about it for a bit. I looked at the clock thinking I had better get some sleep if I was to get up early for church in the morning. I closed my eyes, trying to relax my mind, but I couldn't fall asleep. I was not asleep through any of this. It really happened. I felt my body stiffen and for some reason I couldn't move my arms. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't even move my head to look down at my body properly. I tried to call for my Mum, but all that came out of my throat was a deep moan. My heart began to pound and I felt a fear so deep I thought I was going to have an accident. Something was dreadfully wrong.

I could smell something different about my room and took a deep breath. There was a scent of insense in the air. It began to get thicker and smelt like the kind of insense you would find in a Catholic church, frankensense. There was a full moon outside of my window, so I could see every detail of room as if it were daytime. There was a haze in the room as the insense got thicker. I could hear a low off sound and as it became louder I realized it was chanting. Whoever they were, they were chanting my name and I understood it as my name, but they were saying it in another language.

2 figures formed at the end of my bed. They were wearing black robes. Their heads were tilted down, so their faces were hidden from my view. Their hands were hidden in their sleaves, so I couldn't see them either. I became aware of a figure out of the corner of my eye, but this one was different. He was wearing a red robe and his hood was off of his head. He looked down at me and I shuddered when I saw his eyes. They were dead black and souless. I felt fear like I have never felt before. In his hands he held a dagger. It gleamed gold or bronz in the light. The handle was two snakes. Their heads came up and faced each other to form the handle. Their tales wound down the blade.

He stretched out his left hand to one of the robed figures at the end of my bed and was handed a gold or bronze jeweled goblet. He took the goblet from the robed figure. He turned back to me, bent over, lifted my head and poured some of the liquid from the goblet into my mouth. It tasted like a sweet sherry or portwine, but had a bitter aftertaste, so I guessed it was drugged with something. This was confirmed after a few minutes later when I felt my head begin to spin.

About this time I became aware of a bright light in my bedroom doorway. Something in me told me if I could call out to that light (Which I now know was Jesus) I would be saved. Fear gripped my heart because I knew this red robed figure was going to kill me with that dagger. A wicked grin took over his face and the chanting grew louder. I tried and tried to call for my Mum, but all that came out of my throat were moans and I knew she wouldn't hear them. I kept looking at that light and it gave me courage. I closed my eyes and concentrated on that light. I forced all of my fear and contempt for the robed figure out of my mouth and it came out in a formed word. HELP!

In that instant everything vanished! My Mum must have heard my call for help because she came stumbling in the room. She asked me "What happened? Are you ok? And by the way, what is that smell??" She could smell the insense! I cried out to her and she came over to hug me. She also said she could smell something on my breath. I was never so scared in all of my life, and I was never so happy to see my Mum either.

The next day was church. I got into that place, ran up the aisle and demanded that the Pastor lead me through the sinner's prayer with me again. I had a realization of the Devil, so I knew God was as real and I wanted to be on His side! I never wanted to have a visitation like that again!

I have had nightmares of that night and ones similar, but I have never had an experience like that again. Whenever I become afraid, I pray and bind the thing that is scaring me and it goes away. God is MUCH more powerful then anything of the Devil.

I truelly gave my life to the Lord that day in January 1986 and I will never forget it. Whenever I feel I am straying away from God. I remember that night and I recommit myself to God!

I hope this testimony has touched you and you can use it to inspire your life. God bless and thank you for reading it.