Tina's Testimony
I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in July of 1961. My father was in the Air Force and my family was stationed overseas.
I have three siblings; an older brother, an older sister and a younger brother. I grew up for the most part in a small town in Vermont (most of the town's in Vermont are small).
I attended a Vacation Bible School at the age of 8 and accepted the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior. There was no follow up however.
I began drinking alcohol by the age of 8, smoking cigarettes at the age of 10 and smoking marijuana at the age of 12. I was being sucked into a downward spiral type of life that seemed to have nothing going for it except for despair and depression. The peer pressure at school was at times unbearable for I have always been one for the "underdog". Many times I considered suicide as a viable way out, but the thought of death terrified me more than the thought of life continuing on the way it was.
Because I was living the life of an alcoholic, even in high school, life continued on that way after I graduated.
Within 4 years of graduating from high school, I was a divorced parent of two toddler's with really no skills and headed no where in life except to live on state assistance, forever it seemed. The harder I tried to get out of the hole of depression and despair, the harder it seemed it sucked me in.
One night, after some serious partying with a friend and her friends, I awoke to an acrid smell of smoke in the apartment. When I blew my nose, black stuff came out. I checked the kids who were still with me. When I picked my son up out of his crib I saw the same black stuff come out of his nose, my daughter was the same. I walked into the living room (we lived on the second floor), and saw that the partiers had fallen asleep with a candle burning. The candle had burned a hole in the carpet about 2 feet in diameter. As I stood there shaking I realized that my habits had almost killed my children. I constantly thought about why the apartment hadn't burned down from that point on. At that point my friend said she was going to go to Colorado and I decided that if I was ever going to be a decent parent, I should probably try to get my act together. So I turned custody of my two children over to their father for an agreed period of time and left for Colorado on a bus.
After living in Colorado for about a year, I married my second husband. He had said he couldn't marry me if I wasn't a believer, so I thought he would be a good influence in my life. We came back to Vermont to get the kids before the agreed time, only to arrive back in Denver to a phone call from my mom who had just found out she had lung cancer. We had put the children through the move to Colorado, only to turn around 9 months later to return to Vermont because my second marriage was falling apart as well. Drugs, alcohol and a perverted lifestyle were to blame again. The children and I came back to Vermont and my ex-husband filed for divorce because he wanted to marry his girlfriend, who was also my best friend.
Being numb with pain and totally depressed, a friend suggested I give a local pastor a call. My response? "What does religion have to do with any of this.?" Her wise response? "Just give him a call, even if all he does is listen." I called and talked to a man whom I had never met for over an hour. He gave me hope that I had never had before. The following service I was in church. It was Christmas Eve. The angels rejoiced as I surrendered my life to my Jesus!! I, from that point on attended every service I could. I spent 3 1/2 years in Bible School, received my associates in ministry with a 3.8 (so much for the teachers who said I would never amount to anything because I was stupid.... we have to be sooo careful with our words, you never know who is listening). During the time I attended Bible School, my mother died from lung cancer, my second marriage ended in divorce and I grew as Jesus became my all in all. As a single parent in Bible School, there were many nights I cried, but Jesus was not only there, He cried with me.
In 1992 I married my husband, Lee. Between the two of us, we have five children. Three of them are currently teenagers. We are currently in full time ministry, serving the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Life is busy but the void is full.... of Jesus. Truly He has carried me when I could not walk. To God be the glory.
For more information on this ministry or to receive our newsletter
please mail us at:
Pillars of Clouds & Fire Ministries
88 WCFR Drive
Springfield, Vermont 05156
For those who support us in prayer and deed we appreciate it.
You may reach us by E-Mail at : wildfire@comeholyspirit.com
Thank you,
Lee & Tina Johndrow
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