First Seed of Faith

First Seed of Faith

This began way before I was born. (“before I was born the LORD called me.” Is. 49:1)
When my mom was a small child. Both her parents worked their own store and had to hire someone to take care of her. I don’t know her name but my mother called her Nana she was a Catholic woman in a Jewish household, she shared stories with my mom about the blessed birth of Jesus and about him being the messiah, God’s only son; hence the “First Seed of Faith.” 

My mom grew up in the Jewish faith and Married a Jewish man, divorced and married a second time to my father also Jewish. I was the youngest of five. I spent my early years in Philadelphia. My Father was an adulterer and abusive to my mom and punished my siblings and myself harshly. One night my sister and I witness the abuse inflicted on our mother it was that event that caused my mom to finally file for divorce. 

At the age of five I went through another traumatic experience I was a victim of kidnapping and even at that young age I felt a presence, looking back I know now that Jesus was with me. We lived in Philly for four more years. Then at age 9 we moved from Philadelphia to Atlanta. It was here in Atlanta when our mother shared another important decision with us. She had decided to take steps to convert from Judaism to Catholicism.  (of course I know now and she knew later that being Jewish is not a religion, you can't convert from it but you can convert to it) ... anyway she had asked my sister and I if we wanted to do the same. Not really having a deep understanding, but loving our mother, we decided to follow her to an Episcopalian Church. Their we shared in the first ceremony, the Pastor gave a few words and then sprinkled us one at a time with holy water, on our foreheads.  I did not attend church as often as my mom and sister, when my sister was 12 she joined a youth group and was made to take me with her. I was not interested, and struggled with having to go; eventually my mom gave in and freed me from it, my sister continued to attend...

When I became a teen I pretty much did what I wanted, My mom never really approved of my friends, then one day I told my mom that I was going to spend spring break with my friend Alice, she lived right next door to a church, her dad was the custodian and a deacon. It was there in her neighborhood where at age 14; I met my husband Glenn and where I had my first real passionate kiss. After three years of dating we married, against my mom’s “better judgment” In a little chapel at Saint Phillips Cathedral in Atlanta. I felt and Glenn felt it too; a strong trembling on the inside, looking back I know it to be the Spirit of God joining us as one (which had always been His plan, a little girl from Philly and a little boy in GA.) again God was and had been protecting me through-out my entire life.
 
Then came the time I was told that I was pregnant, when Elenn Rae was born; I felt a stronger presence in my life and began to visit churches, I had visited several over the course of the first seven years of marriage. I never was able to settle anywhere, and was unsettled in my own life, unsure of anything like a fish floundering around on land so close to the waters edge and not able to quench my thirst. So I gave up my search, then a few years later when our daughter was ten, a new miracle in our lives, I had given birth to our son, he was 3lbs and 4oz born on our 11th Anniversary; Feb. 3, 1990. 

When he was nine months old I had Glenn Jr. and Elenn christened by the same minister who had married their father and I. By the time he was three, our daughter Elenn was 13 and had been attending a church regularly, she had been apart of the youth choir and very involved with most of the activities. One night as I was folding clothes; I broke down and started crying, she came into my room and asked me what was wrong. All I could say was that I needed God. So my daughter invited me to her church. I was concerned with what people might think, seeing as how Elenn had been a regular now for three years. I also did not own "church clothes", but Elenn pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a white blouse from my closet and said; wear this mom and come on Wed. That very Wed. I went and was greeted warmly, and sat with the mother of my daughters best friend, the pastor had preached about Job and that very night, I opened the Bible (a gift from my mom) to the Book of Job and it was as if every word lifted off the pages, for the first time understood what I was reading, it was very emotional. I knew then what I needed to do. That very Sunday morning at the invitation I had gone forward and publicly accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. a few months later my daughters Sunday school teacher shared with me how every Sunday Elenn would ask the class to pray for her mom & dad... wow! the power of prayer! as long as I have breath, I will praise my Lord and my Father in Heaven! 

Thank you Jesus for your patience, protection, provision, and most of all your LOVE. Amen