I grew up on a small family farm in Northern NY, Fowler.  I have four sisters and one brother and we all worked and played hard.  My mother instilled in each of us the respect and fear of God but we never attended church and I knew very little about God.  I remember as a teenager trying to read the Bible but it did not make much sense to me.  Even as a teen, I had this lonely and empty void in my heart.  I somehow thought that if I got away from home and experienced the world, then I would be happy!

          I valued my education and I worked very hard at school and did well.  With good grades and a low income, I was able to go to college at Potsdam State.  I had a few good friends at Potsdam but just as I had experienced in high school, there remained this empty void in my heart.  I tried the party scene at college but found that lifestyle to be meaningless.  In addition, I investigated several churches but did not find the answers that I had been searching for.

          In the fall of 1974, during the beginning of my second year of college, I noticed a sign on a bulletin board inviting individuals to a weekly Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship Meeting.  It sounded interesting and it was a meeting for both Potsdam and Clarkson College students, so I talked a girlfriend into going with me.  This meeting was like nothing I had ever experienced; they sang songs and raised their hands in worship;  I had never seen anything like this before and they seemed to be truly genuine.  During the meeting, there was also a short Bible study and a time of fellowship afterwards and many people came up to me to say hi.  I was amazed at their kindness and was drawn back to the meeting the following week. 

          I became a regular attender at these meetings and in the third week, a girl by the name of Corrine asked me to sit down and talk to her.  She asked me if I had ever asked Jesus into my heart.  She carefully explained to me that every individual must admit that they are a sinner, be remorseful for their sins, and ask Jesus to forgive them and come live in their heart.  Why, I had never heard it explained so simply before and I was moved by the Holy Spirit.  We prayed right there and I confessed to Jesus that I was a sinner, that I was sorry for my sin, and asked Him to please come into my heart.  Immediately, an overwhelming joy and peace came over me!  Finally, that empty space in my heart was filled with Jesus! 

          Since then, I have been learning, studying, praying, and growing in Jesus.  I have now had a personal relationship with Jesus for most of my adult life and this spiritual journey keeps moving foward, as the Lord continues to work in my life today.  Yes, I still experience life's difficulties but Jesus has never left me or forsaken me.  I have seen God heal me from three miscarriages and bless me with three wonderful boys.  I have sat with sick children at home and in the hospital.  I have witnessed God heal my son from massive head injuries from a terrible car accident.  I have observed God heal my husband, who was in a motorcycle accident.  Furthermore, I have felt the presence of God and He has comforted me and sustained me throughout every obstacle that has come my way.  Consequently, my favorite scripture verse is Philippians 3:14: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Truly, nothing is impossible with God!