PETER
"Growing up with my sister, we were immersed in the teachings of the Catholic faith. Yet, even as I listened and learned, I found myself struggling to fully grasp or accept the doctrines being taught. The Bible clearly says 'do not worship idols' and yet prays to Mary the Mother of God and all the other saints. I also felt unsettled by the confessional box as I pondered how a man could forgive sins when the Bible says, only God can forgive.
"When I turned 10, my parents told me I was adopted. I was horrified and struggled with this concept. I had heard horror stories of natural parents rejecting their child and so made the decision not to search for my biological family. A decision I regretted later in life
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"I always believed in God but as a dyslexic found reading my Bible difficult so continued to listen and ponder to try and make sense of all the different religions and beliefs. It was very troubling and although I always believed in God, I did not make a decision to give my heart to Him at this stage in my life
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"Years later, my wife and I set off in our runabout boat [small craft with outboard motor] on the Waitemata harbour. I had taken the seats out to repaint the boat. As often happens, while we were on the water, the wind and waves picked up and we came down off a wave with a thud and I was bounced from the safety of the boat into the sea. I tried to cling onto the slippery newly painted side but my hands slid off. My wife managed to turn the craft about, but I was too weak to pull myself on board. The second time as she tried to turn about, the motor stalled and she did not realise you cannot start the motor while the outboard motor is in gear. Helpless, she drifted away in the boat and as the waves grew in size, I could only see her from the crest of the wave. I had jeans on with car keys, wallet and phone so I took them off. I was fading and felt quite desperate. I looked up to heaven and said 'God I know I've been a bad #@%*, but I don't want to die'. I rose up on the next wave and saw a huge launch with a child on the deck pointing at me. I didn't know at the time the Captain was saying, no its just seaweed in the water. I had been in the water for an hour when they pulled me onto their boarding platform and radioed Coastguard about my wife. I recovered somewhat after a hot shower and some dry clothes. They found my distraught wife drifting in the boat, and we towed her back to shore. The two of us were taken by ambulance to hospital, me suffering from hyperthermia and she treated for shock. My prayer was answered that day but still I did not give my heart to the Lord.
"Years passed until one day I found myself back in hospital for a heart bypass operation. My wife was called in as it did not go well but I was at a stage I didn't care if I lived or died as I found I couldn't breathe. I had a bleeder. The heart was bleeding into the pericardial sac [a two layered, fluid filled sac that surrounds the heart, protecting it from infection and supporting its movement] and couldn't pump. I was taken back into theater and opened up again. Later as I was wheeled along the hospital corridor I was so thankful to God, I could breathe again. Later I contracted double pnenomia and was put in ICU. Again my wife was told the prognosis was not good and medical staff believed I would not survive this new set back. The hospital Chaplain visited me daily and prayed over me and I gathered strength. However, I suffered a further setback when my chest incision split open and all this stuff ran out of my chest. I could see the wire holding the sternum together had parted and I could look into myself. The Doctor said in my weakened state I had picked up a superbug. Later when I recovered somewhat, and could walk, the nurses in ICU told me how amazed they were I survived. I was in hospital 40 days which I thought very Biblical. I was so thankful the prayers of the Chaplain had been heard and answered.
"In the Catholic faith I was baptised as a baby but when I thought about this, realised I had no say in this at such an early age. I made up my mind to be Baptised at the church I was attending as I wanted to surrender and make a deliberate commitment to God through my Baptism. When I came up out of the waters of Baptism I noticed 2 or 3 people close to me prostrate on the floor. I was told by a Prophetic man 'I have visions and I saw Jesus standing there talking to you. You have honoured me and I honour you'. Three days later I was asleep in bed and dreamt I met Jesus, dressed in white, standing by a river, He was speaking to me but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He pointed to a path. It was euphoric and quite unbelieveable but I felt Jesus knew be by name and I had at last made the right decision. God gave me new hope and direction. After 54 years of marriage, I believe I am here to support my wife now in her time of need, and by faith lead her to Jesus, the way the truth and the life".
John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".