Day 9 – Searching for the Truth (Part 2)

Today we conclude Shantal’s testimony. “Two years later I took the voluntary severance package and just felt I needed change. I was in a long-term relationship which was going nowhere.

I went to teach in the Middle East. A group of 20 South African teachers were the first teachers to go and teach overseas. During one of the long school summer vacations my aunt gave me a book to read. It was called I DARED TO CALL HIM FATHER by Bilquis Khan. The story of a Muslim woman, accepting Christ as her Lord and Savior. In the last month of my 3-month vacation, my aunt gave me another book to read. It was a novel by Frank Perretti called The Oath. It was while reading this book that something happened to me. I COULD NOT TURN A PAGE. Something kept me from turning it. I was reading about how sin affected people’s hearts (can’t remember what it was exactly) but it had stopped me in my tracks literally. I tried to phone my friend whom I had worked with, to tell her what was happening. She didn’t answer. I then phoned my ex-principal to tell him. He didn’t answer either. I still could not turn the page. The atmosphere was different. It was not normal. I eventually threw my hands up in the air and said… “Lord if that’s You I give you, my life. Use it any way You want to. I felt something come into me and then everything went back to normal. At that moment I felt like I could do anything. I felt like there was power in me. I could only then turn the page and continue reading. I did not have a clue what had happened.

Days later I drank alcohol and partied with family and friends. I felt a sadness inside of me but did not know why or what it was. I was having a blast. So why would I have this inward feeling? The next day I went to tell my friend about what had happened while reading the novel. She called another of our friends who was a pastor in her church. After telling him what had happened, he led me in the sinner’s prayer. I felt utter calm and peace fill me. They told me about water baptism and gave me some scriptures to read and told me that was the next step in my walk with the Lord. I went home and shared with my whole family that I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. And whoever I met after that, I couldn’t help but tell them what I had experienced and done. When I got to tell my ex-principal, he prayed for me to be filled with the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It eventually burst from my mouth, and I started speaking, what I said, I don’t know. It bubbled up from within me and gushed out. I stood praying like that for some time. My principal laid hands and prayed again, and I was overwhelmed by the Spirit. I lay under for quite a few minutes.

The day before I had to leave, I got baptized.

Back in Kuwait, I went to a few services. There were many different churches in one big compound. I found one I felt led to join. I fellowshipped and served there for 5 wonderful years, a total of 7 years in Kuwait before coming home for good.

My walk with the Lord over the years has been clumsy, sometimes foolish and lots of falls but I’ve risen again as the word says in Proverbs 24:16-18. It’s in these moments that I learned and understood GRACE and His FAITHFULNESS. His faithfulness is my shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4 NIV). I experienced the supernatural that day. I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one gets to the Father except through Him. I have been filled and no longer thirst for Truth. I have TRUTH in me.”

I was really in awe of God while Shantal was searching for the Truth of Him and finding Him in such a beautiful and special journey.

Prayer: Father, when we don’t expect to find You, You find us. Thank you for the encouragement of Shantal’s testimony and we know Your Truth will always prevail. Thank You for those that she reaches with her testimony and bless it to be a powerful tool to bring others to the Truth. Amen.