My
Testimony of God Saving My Soul
Daniel C. Eberly
I will never
forget the night I got saved. God brought me out of a miry pit of
despair, guilt, and shame, resulting from my drug use, drinking,
stealing and lies. I was saved in June of 1990 on a
Saturday night at 10:30pm. My life was a mess and my marriage was at the
critical stage. I wasn’t alone in my drug abuse but
this testimony is about me. I could be in my house with my wife and two
boys and feel absolutely alone. My life was more committed to getting,
selling and doing drugs. The drug of choice was speed, crank or
methamphetamines, what ever you call it. I also smoked pot and drank. I
really hated myself and probably treated myself worse than anyone. We
lived in Shamong, NJ from 1985 to 1990. During that time there lived
directly across my street a Baptist minister named John Mitchell. He and
his family were wonderful to my family and me. I envied them and their
happiness and joy, which I could not find. My drug use escalated to
heavy use right before I got saved and it seemed to be all I cared
about.
The Mitchell
family had always reached out to us with Christian love and concern.
Jackie (John’s wife) would bake for us or prepare meals and my boys
played with their son Brian. John started visiting my house on his
church’s soul-winning night and planting seeds. He would say “Dan, do
you believe the bible is God’s Word?” Or, “Why don’t you come out to
church?” At the same time, my mother was urging me
to go to church. It is funny how God works in people’s lives as He draws
them. I began a bible study on Saturday’s with John and his son and my
two boys. I also went to the Shawnee Baptist Church a few Sundays in a
row. I would sit in the back with my mom and Pastor Dyer would preach
and then give an invitation. I would raise my hand with tears streaming
down my cheeks but not walk the aisle. John must have been watching,
knowing God was moving in my heart. It was after one of our bible
studies that later that night all alone that I watched Charles Stanley
preach to his church on the T.V. He preached on heaven and gave an
invitation at the end to his congregation. I was crying and under strong
conviction. I muted the television got on my knees and asked the Lord to
save me. He did. I got off that floor with a load of guilt and shame
gone. My sins were forgiven and I was free. My life began to change.
It was 6
months earlier that I had been divorced. (Jan.1989) I tried to reconcile
with my wife but restoration was not the case. I knew she had been
unfaithful but it mattered little. Here I was a new
creature in Christ but my marriage had ended and I was now out of the
house soon after I was saved. It was in 1992 after some time of getting
to know my wife Kathy that we got married on May 16th.
Things were not perfect but my life was new and joy
filled and I was growing rapidly in the Lord. I loved the Word of God
and studied it furiously. I began teaching S/S at my new church Ocean
County Baptist in Toms River. I was now living in Bayville with my wife
Kathy and we were serving the Lord with joy. God has put a desire in my
heart to serve Him through weekly soul-winning, discipling others,
teaching S/S, choir, and since April of 2001 I have been a bus captain.
It was in March of 2003 at Promised Land Baptist Church in Gastonia NC
while visiting friends that God called me to the mission field. I have
since been accepted by Word for the World Baptist Ministries and hope
very soon to be on the field of Ireland. I am thankful for my sending
church The First Baptist Church of Southard in Howell NJ. The Lord has
given me a strong, compassionate, God fearing pastor. God changes lives
and He certainly changed mine. I love the verse 2Cor. 5:17 for we are
“new” creatures when we become saved. I have a few
life verses of which one is Acts 20:24 and the other is John 12:24
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit.”
Thank you
Lord
Kathy Eberly
I was save
in March of 1991. I was born the second of eleven children. My early
years were one of constant change. I spent many years in and out of
foster homes. At a young age I began to drink and spent several years in
the hold of sin. My future husband led me to Jesus Christ and we were
married in May of 1992. I served with my husband in the bus ministry and
when he taught an adult s/s school class. I have had the privilege to
disciple a girl from our bus for three years and she has now gone off to
Pensacola Christian College. I believe God has called my husband to full
time service on the mission field of Ireland.
