It is today that I look back on the testimony of my life. How I found Jesus as my personal Savior! I was lost, but now I have been found! Today is the Day of Salvation!

"The Life and Testimony of Valerie M. Boggess"

Background

     The testimony of my life began in the year l952 on February 14th. I was born in Dublin, Ireland to Margaret and Louis Lupp. My mother was Irish and my father was German-Hungarian. I have an older brother, Louis, and a younger sister, Margaret.

     In l955, my parents decided to immigrate to the United States of America. We settled in the area of Cincinnati, Ohio. I was raised in a Catholic home and sent to Catholic schools. As a young girl, I can remember going to mass and learning all of the religious instructions. As a Christian Catholic, I believed in God and I understood the importance of having faith. My parents taught me about good and evil and helped me to understand the difference between right and wrong. My parents were wonderful people and I knew they loved me.

My Testimony

     "This is the testimony of my life and how my husband and I came to know the Lord."

     I was 14 years old when I met Michael. I grew up in a home filled with love and instruction while Michael grew up in a home where there was a lot of partying and drinking. Despite our different backgrounds, I fell in love with Michael from day one and we "went together" during my 4 years in High School. During my senior year of high school, Michael left for Vietnam and I discovered that I was pregnant. I was so afraid. I didn't know how to handle the pregnancy. I kept it a secret as long as I could. It was very hard trying to hide it in school, but I managed. That was the beginning of my sewing career.I would stay up late at night and let out my uniforms so they would fit me and not reveal my pregnancy. I can remember to this day how lonely I felt. I was afraid and very ashamed. I was brought up with a righteous fear of God and I knew that I had done wrong. I prayed and prayed for God to help me. As I look back now, I know that He did. He has always heard my prayers. Sometimes he makes me wait, but He has always been there for me.

     When Mike came home from Vietnam in June of l970, we were married. Mike was 20 years old and I was only 18. As soon as we were married, we left for California. We spent the next two years on a military base, living a military life.

The Honeymoon was Over

     When Michael came home from Vietnam, he had a lot of anger and unpleasant memories of the war. He was very aggressive and moody. He was a different person to me. For the first few years of our marriage, Mike drank excessively. He started drinking a lot while in Vietnam and after he came home, he continued to drink to suppress his anger. There were many nights when he would not even come home. We would fight about his drinking. He would promise not to drink any more and I would forgive him. This happened over and over again during the first 10 years of our marriage. I started to hate Michael because of his drinking and drug habit. I wanted to leave him and marry a man who was loving and kind. I wanted a husband that I could love and trust. A husband who would provide a loving home for my two children. I just wanted to have a happy home that was filled with the warmth of love. I desperately needed balance in my life. I felt all alone and no where to turn. Complete despair had surrounded my mind and my life.

     In 1974, I was in the hospital delivering our second child. Mike came to the hospital very drunk. Little Maria was born. She was a joy to me. Mike and I fought because he was drunk. I did not see him for two weeks after the birth of our daughter. I now had two kids to raise, and infant and a four year old. These were really hard times, but I kept praying. Our marriage was being destroyed by Satan one day at a time.

     Six years later, in 1980, Michael became suicidal. He really wanted to kill himself. There were times I wished that he would. He had hurt me so much and I really thought the world would be better off without him. Yet in spite of the hurt, I still deeply loved him. I knew beneath all of the hostility and anger, he was a good person. He was a good father to our kids and they loved him very much.

Out of the mouths of babes

     One night Michael and I were fighting very loudly. After the fight was over, I went to check on Patrick and Maria. I found them in the bedroom hiding behind a chair. They were holding hands and praying that mommy and daddy would stop fighting. I could see that they were very frightened and confused. Seeing my children like this almost brought me to my knees. I will remember that scene for the rest of my life..

We Opened the Door

     Michael's brother Alfred and his wife Mary were Christians. They saw the torment that Michael and I were experiencing in our lives. They knew that only Jesus Christ could bring real "Peace." Only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ shall we be saved. Mary and Al called us and asked if their minister and some people from their church could come over and talk with us. Michael was very hesitant, but I was ready for some help. I think that Mike thought that this was some bible thumping religious people who were going to come over and that he would have to kneel and pray. This would be too much for his macho ego. Yet I pleaded with him and he agreed. We both needed some help, if we were to save our marriage.

     Before coming to our house, Mary, Al and the minister prayed together. They asked the Holy Spirit to go ahead of them to prepare the way. Mary told me later that when they arrived outside our house, it looked as if the Lord had lifted our home off the face of the earth and set it aside in a realm where no evil could persist. That very night, God saw fit to take two poor souls and give us the gift of everlasting life. We both gave our lives to Jesus Christ that night at our dining room table. Joy and Love abounded in my home. It was the love that I had wanted and searched for all of my life. It was on April 10, 1980 at 10:23PM. We gave our lives to Jesus together. We both became new creatures in the Lord. Michael, my husband, never drank again. We fell in love with one another all over again. I had no more hurt and pain, only love and joy.

     Mary and Al had bible studies with us and took us through the 10 steps to a new christian walk. They helped us to grow in the Lord. We continue to grow in Jesus' love and still today many people are saved at our dining room table.

     I praise God for his great love, but most of all, I praise Him for His forgiveness. I will remember that night for the rest of my life. Jesus took all of my sins and threw them into the sea of forgetfulness. They are No More! They were replaced by true peace, love and forgiveness.

     The night of my salvation I claimed Revelation 3:20- "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me."

     That very night, I opened the door of my heart and received Jesus for myself.

Have  you chosen Jesus to be your Savior?

     "Through my journey of love in the Lord, the Lord has revealed many truths to my heart." Presently we are active in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus has taught me that the greatest church we have is the Church of Christ that lives in our hearts. It is the heart of man that will convict us. When our hearts are set right in the Lord, then we are right with God. We must live the faith, fight the good fight and run the race. I know in my heart that God is looking for workers in the field. The days are short and numbered.

     In Matthew, Chapter 24, verses 1-28, I have read about the signs of Christ's return. I have read this over and over again. Verses 29-31 talks about the Glorious return. This is the great rapture of the Christians who are in the Lord. God says that the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky. The powers from the heavens will be shaken and the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with "Power" and Great "Glory." Then His angels with a great trumpet will gather together His "Elect." That is us, we who love God and are saved. I claim this promise in my life as it reveals the power of God and His promise to return for us someday.

     In my walk with the Lord, I have chosen to serve Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My christian walk has shown me a new life. A life filled with purpose and meaning. A life filled with love. All of the hurt and pain I went through were smoothed over by the hand of God. He made me a better wife, mother, and now a grandma of two precious grandsons. he gave me a new husband, not a different one, but a changed one. Today, I have a great burning desire to do the will of the Lord. Someday, we will all stand before God and our lives will be shown before us.

     I am so happy to testify and encourage all who are in the Lord. Yet most of all, I testify to those who stand in need of our dear Saviour.

    I close my testimony with Revelation3:20- "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

     It is in the sharing of my testimony that I wish to express my love of God. This testimony had been written for a ladies fellowship sometime ago, yet I felt in my heart that today I wanted to share it over again. Now it is has been over 26 years in the Lord that I continue to serve Jesus Christ. I have seen and gone through many trials and tribulations, yet the Lord has never failed me. The Lord has blessed my marriage and helped my husband and I to walk through the trials of life together. It is now that we have 6 grandchildren in the Lord and have just had our 36 wedding anniversary. The road hasn't been easy, but with God's love and guidance we move forward in Him. So, remember, in your life; not matter what you are encountering that God is bigger than any life situation that you are enduring.

     My message of hope to all is that "God is Alive and Well."