The testimony of Rick Perdew

Hi, my name is Rick Perdew. About 11-years ago my life was going pretty good I thought. Then I started to drink beer more frequently, and a lot heavier. My 14-year marriage was falling apart. The drinking was starting to affect my 12-year post office job. My family was about fed up with me, etc.

My wife had rededicated her life to God. She started going to a prayer group and had people praying for our marriage and for my deliverance from alcohol. I had always believed in God, but never asked him to be my Lord and Savior. After about 6 months of prayers by my wife and the people of the prayer group, I was truthfully delivered from alcohol. That was in 1993. I started going to church soon after that, but it was only to make my wife happy. Until one Sunday the minister was preaching and all of a sudden it hit me, he was preaching about my life.

From that point on I started to listen to the sermons. I became a church trustee in 1996, but still hadn't asked Jesus into my heart. My wife had gone to a church conference for 4-years in a row. In 1998 the friend she always went with couldn't go that year, so I said I might go with her. She didn't give me a chance to change my mind. She ordered the tickets that day while I was at work. I went and confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior and got baptized in the Holy Ghost, and things have not been the same since.

God, through the Holy Spirit, has been bringing conviction of my sins every since, and setting me free. Thank you Jesus.

In March of 1999 God anointed me to play percussions on the church worship team. I give all my praise to God.

I'd like to leave you with a scripture. "We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all". Isaiah 53:6. AMEN

The testimony of Marge Perdew

Before I came to know the Lord, I had a big issue with unforgiveness! I would not let anyone too close. I was afraid they would see my weaknesses and I did not want to get hurt. I would hold on to grudges forever. I had so many walls built up around my heart I was incapable of loving anyone. My life was a mess. My marriage was falling apart. I was fighting depression and had a hard time shaking it. I decided to go back to church after about fifteen years of living the way I wanted. I started reading my Bible faithfully and going to prayer meetings.

The Lord led me to a couple that understood the importance of forgiveness. Through prayer and spending time in the Word and the power of the Holy Ghost, walls have come down. I have been set free to love and to serve. I have learned that the attitudes I form in relationships will carry into other relationships. My relationship with my husband was based on the relationship I had with my father, which wasn't good. So, the consequence of that was I had an attitude when I married my husband. Not a good way to start a marriage, but PRAISE GOD, He has restored my marriage! I have also forgiven my father. He did the best he could with the knowledge that he had at that time.

I came back to the Lord in 1992. The Lord is still doing a work in me. But, praise God, He has broken a lot of chains around my heart and has set me FREE! I have learned no to put too many expectations on man, because all of us have issues that we a re dealing with and all of us fall short. Jesus is whom I keep my focus on now. He is my example. In Him will I trust.

He has done a mighty work in my life. I was always trying to fix someone. So I didn't take the time to face my own issues. But God had a different agenda. The God of Israel is the God of deliverance. He delivered me from myself. I thought my life was in control. I had preconceived ideas that if I would do certain things that everything would be okay. I really believed that, until my daughter became addicted to crack cocaine. I tried everything from manipulation, guilt, bribing, you name it I did it, to get her to stay home. None of it worked. One weekend it felt like I was having a nervous breakdown; I had no where to go, so I turned to the Lord. As I sat at the back door one night I gave my daughter back to the Lord. I felt such a release. You see, I wasn't doing anything but causing more heartache for my daughter. She already felt guilty. I needed to be Christ like. To her I was worse than the people she was hanging out with. The Lord began a work in me that weekend. It's ironic that through my daughter's addiction the Lord delivered me. He showed me my true heart. It wasn't a pretty sight. My daughter just graduated from ICC and is starting nursing training at OSF. She's been clean for four years now. As for me, He's still doing a work. I'm confident He will complete the work He has started.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10