How Patti Came to Know Christ

I grew up in upstate NY with my parents and 4 brothers and sisters. I went to Church a little bit with the neighbors and also heard about God’s love at religious education classes given at school. The summer I turned 11 my parents shocked me with the news they were divorcing. After the divorce, my Mom took us to live in a small trailer in the country. A new neighbor took me to her Church, but I didn’t understand salvation, neither my need or GOD"S offer.

A good friend who had been recently saved once witnessed to me in high school. The words I said to her are so ironic to me now. I said, "Robin, I believe in God and believe in his son Jesus– but I don’t want it to change my whole life!" (DUH Patti – that is the point!!!!) She was much too kind to say that.

When I suggested to my extended family that I had a crazy idea about joining the Air Force, some thought it was a great idea, others thought I had lost my mind! Everyone had assumed I would go to college to become a schoolteacher, which is what I had said since I was a little girl. But, I had a real peace about this decision, and went to basic training in October following graduation. While there we were encouraged to go to a non-denominational church service every Sunday. It was wonderful and gave me the desire to want to "try Church" at my next stop, which was school in Colorado. I’ll always remember sitting in Church there watching the children’s Christmas play. I cried through the whole thing! I was lonely-- so far from home, I wondered if I would ever be a Mom and have a child– like the beautiful children on the stage. I was truly on my own and wanted desperately to know what life was really all about. When assignments were passed out I was so excited. I had offered to go overseas and had been told that everyone who offered WENT. Well, everyone who offered in my class went– except me!! I couldn’t believe that I had been given orders to Holloman AFB in NM.

Not long after arriving there I received a letter from my Uncle Mickey explaining to me how to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. I felt all the pieces fall into place, and had no doubts about this decision. I knelt on the floor of my dorm room and felt a very real, wonderful presence all around me. I prayed, "God, I think my life is worth about two cents, I don’t know why you would want me, but I believe in you and want you in my life." (It should be noted that I haven’t seen this particular prayer in any books!!) But God knew my heart and adopted me as his own that day.

Since that day fifteen years ago God has been very real to me. He has, as he promised, never left me or forsaken me. Two years later I married my Sunday School teacher! Being married to John has been a blessing from the LORD. Not always perfect mind you! But for nearly fourteen years we have prayed for each other (sometimes that GOD would change the other!) and forgiven each other, laughed so much and talked for hours at a time about things no one else would care about!! I prayed that God would bless us with children right away – against the advice of everyone we knew!! Eleven months later we brought Tyler Jeffrey home from the hospital. We were sure he was the most beautiful baby ever born. I got out of the Air Force to stay home with him full time.

Scripture meant even more to me then, I felt in some tiny way that I could understand how God’s heart is so full of love for his children. When Zachary was born almost two years later our hearts were just as full of love for him as they had been for Tyler. From the start I loved watching them together. When the Air Force sent us to live in England soon after Zachary’s birth we were so excited! But the church there was tiny and struggling, so different from our New Mexico church. It was hard for me, and I wish I could say now that I just turned it over to the God and " worked as unto the Lord." The sad truth is I was mad a lot at some who didn’t work, and that we struggled financially as a church, mad too that we had three different preachers while there. I didn’t read the Bible then like I had before. The last year there, however, was much better, we were blessed with a great preacher– who is still there- and I got myself closer to God (He hadn’t moved!). Our third beautiful son, Grant, was born one year after this rededication, and he is so special to us. It is so neat how a marriage grows deeper over the years; watching John with the boys made me love him in a new and exciting way.

Leaving England four years after our arrival was difficult, we absolutely loved the country, and things were getting so exciting at Church. We were glad to discover that God was in Arkansas too! God had so many wonderful things in store for us there. While living in Arkansas I prayed that God would bless our family with more children and became very anxious about it. One night I prayed before going to bed that GOD would take away my anxiety and give me peace. That night I had a dream that I was holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket, in my dream I knew she wasn’t mine – but I wanted her anyway. In my dream I heard a voice say "Give her to me." I handed her up, and asked GOD if I would ever be given another child and GOD answered "yes, in MY time." It was a huge spiritual moment for me, and I had the peace I had prayed for. Less than a year later we adopted our much loved, much prayed for daughter Olivia. I feel like I grew a lot spiritually while in Arkansas, I came to the full realization that a lot of the running around and overworking I did at Church– which caused stress at home, was my idea and NOT God’s! I also was able to watch the boys develop REAL relationships with the LORD themselves, which was humbling for me. To see them so trusting and hungry to know what GOD wanted out of their lives. We also grew in the Lord trusting him through a great heartache while in Arkansas. The adoption agency had placed with us another beautiful baby girl which we were hoping to adopt. We loved her for six weeks, and begged GOD to allow us to keep her, which was the birthmother’s wish… but other relatives got involved and it became clear that we would not be allowed to adopt her. We prayed for a miracle, and the baby got one! But, it wasn’t us. Her grandmother adopted her, quit work to stay with her, and reestablished a relationship with the birthmother – it was all very beautiful, except our hearts were truly broken. GOD was so real to me in the following weeks. We had chosen at that time to not share this with many people, so I found myself pouring my heart out to the Lord even more than I might have otherwise. The baby is very loved, and we believe she is truly where GOD wanted her.

The Air Force has since moved us back to the state where it all began! Only this time we are in Albuquerque. Shortly after our move here the adoption agency in Little Rock called to say that they had another baby girl for us – we were a little afraid, but prayed and believed GOD wanted us to go get her. I am thankful every day that we did! Little Becky Grace is such a joy! I know five kids sounds like a lot – but we simply can not imagine our family without any one of them!! I think if we had stayed with one or two I would be full of pride thinking I was doing it, but with five I know we can only do this with GOD’S help!! We have been blessed in Albuquerque with a great Church, and the scripture is even more precious to me now than ever before.

I am going to wrap this up with a thought from my new favorite Christian song – "Everything I need – I already have it". With Jesus in my life it is just so true. A bigger house would be nice (five kids in 1350 square feet!) More money would be nice (who doesn't think that!?) A long European vacation complete with a nanny would be lovely (stop laughing). But truly – "Everything I need – I already have it!"