Testimonies
Kyle
Even though I was raised in a Christian household and grew up learning about God, I didn't actually know God until my first Journey to the Heart in November 2007.
God was guiding my path even before I embarked on my Journey. In August/September of 2007, a group from California prepared to attend a Journey together. I signed up for this event, but was soon told that there wasn't enough room; I will have to attend the next Journey in November. I was pretty upset, but little did I know God was working to place me in the team that would help me grow the most.
Hannah
I thought I looked fine as a Christian homeschool girl—I wore the skirts, I read the books, I smiled—and I didn’t mind. In fact, I accepted those standards as my own, so I didn’t feel like I needed to change my heart in any way. I read God’s Word and liked it, I had dedicated my life to Him, and I spent nearly an hour every morning in devotions and prayer. I didn’t feel like my spiritual life was dry, and it certainly didn’t look like that to outsiders. I knew I was having some trust issues, and I knew there were areas in my life in which I needed to fully surrender to His will—but I thought I was able to deal with them alone.
From day one of the Journey I was challenged to examine my heart more thoroughly than ever before. I looked into my life and I saw . . . myself. It was like going into a library filled with one subject—me. Shelves filled with volumes on my experiences and articles on my talents; walls covered with pictures of the things I’d accomplished and detailed schedules of my future. There were a few notes on what God had done in my life and a couple of pictures of the gifts He’d given me, but that was all.
Kyle
During my personal interview with Mr. Gothard at the start of the Journey, he asked me, “On a scale 1 -10 (10 being the strongest) how would you rate your relationship with God?”
I replied, “It would be a 1.”
On the outside, I looked like a pretty nice Christian young man who had a fairly good life. On the inside, I was headed down a path leading to destruction. My life was a total mess. I had a lot of bitterness towards my parents and I was filled with anger, malice, rage, hatred, lust, and immorality. I believed the lie from Satan that I didn’t need anyone else . . . God or parents. So it’s safe to say that even though I had said the “sinners prayer” before, my relationship with God was pretty much nonexistent.
Olivia
For the first time in my life I experienced God. God is alive! He is real. I felt the power of His Spirit that week. We would pray for hours, crying out to God, and it would only feel like a few minutes. It was the most beautiful experience of my life, and one that I will never forget.
It was on my Journey to the Heart that I learned how to have a personal relationship with God. You cannot experience the power of the Christian life until you lay aside and choose to remove anything and everything from your life that will hinder you from serving God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Choose to be rid of the things of this world. Choose to be surrendered to the Lord, and the power of Jesus will be made evident in your life.
Julia
I had to write about my amazing adventure I have just taken with my Lord. I’m forever changed! He wants me to live radically for HIM. And I am giving my heart back to my Dad. What heartache I have caused my parents and family. The example I’ve been to my younger sisters and brothers! I weep when I think of it. For not listening and running away to the world. Satan is so deceitful with lies he tells us. He got a hold of my heart and my personal convictions I once had and changed me.
