Real Life Testimonies

We see God change so many lives while on the road in the churches. Below are just a few "cliff notes" testimonies of recent days.......

"For so long I’ve believed I’ve been saved, and I still believe I was. But during Life Action I’ve come to find myself questioning the way I’ve been living. I feel like I’ve been depriving God of my time and praise, and instead “enjoying” and finding pleasure in worldly things. But also during Life Action I’ve made a decision to change that, and I just ask that you would continue to pray that I would have the strength to fulfill that desire. (teen)

God has really used your team this week to convict and challenge me in many areas of my life. I have already this week been able to change ways I related to my husband because of the things the ladies shared and taught at the ladies’ luncheons. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us younger women, whether in age or spiritual maturity! God bless you all for your faithfulness to sacrifice to help us along in our walk. Thank God for His faithfulness! (wife)

Thank you for serving our Lord in this capacity. I have been so blessed, not a “low-level” blessed. God has used this to point out sin that I have allowed to remain in my life. I have used the definition of grace, that God gives me not only the desire but the POWER to overcome sin. There is victory in surrender.
Getting 12 kids fed and ready every night was a sacrifice, but it has paid off even in the lives of my children. I have seen positive effects in all of them. (mom)

First and foremost, my soul has been refreshed in ministry. As the pastor of the church, I invited Life Action for the sake of reviving our church, but have had my own soul revived far more than I expected. It’s been a cool drink of water for a thirsty soul. Specifically, the challenge to hate sin has been convicting. (pastor)

The summit this week has taught me and convicted me of the pride issue in my life. I keep people at arm’s length for fear of getting hurt or being rejected. God showed me that if I am always doing that, I can’t reach anyone for Him, and He isn’t being glorified. This week I tried to reach out with God’s love and push my pride aside, and God has already worked miracles and opened doors that I thought were permanently closed. I thank Him for that and for the fact you were open to be used as tools of God, so I could be reached. Thanks again, and to God be the glory!

Thank you so much for allowing God to use you tonight. You have been a blessing to me. I was actually doing an in-depth study of 2 Corinthians, and you hit on the chapter I recently studied. God is good and orchestrated this together and really spoke to me about giving generously. Recently, my parents have been tight on finances and are trying to make me a wise investor of money, especially with college coming up. I know with the economic times it is hard to give so easily, so please be praying for them. They need an open heart, and through this service, God spoke to me and let me know that everything is going to be okay. I need to give all of me and surrender it to God. He is all I need! Continue to do what you do, and may God bless you all. I love you! (teen)

In these days God has moved me in ways that only He could do. We prayed for anguish over sin that may be in our life, and were moved emotionally to the point of trembling. Upon asking for forgiveness in those areas of weakness, we were overcome by the peace of God that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4). Thanks for all you do. Life Action has moved me out of complacency and closer to the God I love.

Thank you for being obedient and faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ. Your visit helped to break down pride in my life and saved me from becoming lukewarm and ineffective in the kingdom. It helped to sharpen my focus as my purpose in being a true follower of Jesus Christ. It challenged me and sparked a deeper hunger for my Savior.

I’ve been praying for months for God to help me see Him in His holiness. I knew I was lacking in this area. God sent you! He had to open my eyes to my sins and depravity. Monday night was painfully amazing. Then Thursday night came about forgiveness and bitterness, another area I’ve struggled in for years and been crying out to God. He got through to me, praise the Lord! He is amazing. I thank Him for using LAM.

I’ve always considered myself a “good Christian girl.” I grew up in a Christian family, grew up in the church, and went to a Christian university. After this revival period, after 26 years, I finally realized how far I’ve been from Christ. I may have always looked like the perfect cookie cutter Christian, but my heart was far from it. Thank you for choosing to dedicate your lives to Christ’s ministry. Thank you for opening my eyes to the strongholds that kept me from Christ. I pray that by God’s grace, this is only the beginning of truly living out my life for Jesus, not just in action but in my heart.

The first message on Friday evening on giving so touched my heart as I spent a good part of my morning in the Word reading Matthew, Timothy, and Corinthians that you covered tonight. I’ve been telling the Lord I want to be able to be a blessing to others in need and ministries. In December 2007, God laid it on my heart to leave my full-time job and be what He’s called me to be—an at-home mother! That meant half of our income but I was excited because I knew where the Lord guides, He will provide! I believe He will make a way to be able to generously give to you and others in need. (wife)

I am a worship leader and often I feel so empty and dry for myself, always pouring out and never refilling. These few nights that I have attended, my spirit has become renewed and satisfied, ready to explode once again in praise and worship to an Almighty, loving, compassionate Father, King and Lord.

My prayer lately was for revival, especially in the Lord’s church, but also in my own heart. I do not go to this church, but a friend who does told me about it. I have been blessed every night I have been able to come. I praise God for His work that He has been doing in my heart this week, especially the night on forgiveness. I realized that I had been angry with God since childhood, and I also realized because I hadn’t been able to forgive myself for something that happened to me as a child, it has stopped me from receiving God’s grace. God opened my eyes to my sin and pride, and He is melting my hard heart. I thank Him for His wonderful mercy and forgiveness for one so stubborn and hard-hearted as I. Thank you for being obedient to His call on your life to stir His church to revive our hearts.

My heart has been broken this week over the apathetic attitude I’ve had toward my loving Father. I was convicted of my sinful, disrespectful heart toward my husband and my lack of consistent discipline toward my son. Praise God for His mercy and His grace which will give me the strength and desire to serve Him more faithfully.

God has answered prayers. Today was most amazing to me. In my neighborhood, I have been led for months now to start a prayer group. Through your questions, “How much do you read, where are you in obedience to God,” and so on, He spoke to me this morning and actually gave me the confidence to walk over and ask someone I barely knew to pray weekly with me. Praise God!"

9 Weeks into Road Life

It’s the beginning of November, and for a Michigan family, the weather can’t be much better than what we’re experiencing in Grapevine, Texas…blue sky, sunshine, and low 70’s! The kids play outside in shorts. Ben and I run in shorts and short-sleeve shirts, and in the evenings it cools to a Michigan fall-like temperature. It’s the best of both worlds.

We just finished our first ten weeks of school, and it has been a great school year thus far. The kids are studying ancient history and zoology combined this year which is great for all of us. Christian is in 6th grade and is loving pre-algebra (I love it too!). Elizabeth is in 3rd grade and has really excelled at and enjoyed her new language arts program. She’s devouring books and will tell you her favorite one she’s read so far this year is “Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill”. We are also studying Jewish feasts throughout the school year, so it’s been incredible learning about the significance of these Old Testament feasts and the truths we can learn from them today.

Christian turned twelve on October 26. He’s an amazing young man, and we’re thrilled he will be joining us when we take our team to El Salvador on a mission trip in November. For his birthday, we gave him a sturdy backpack suitable for his overseas trip. In the picture you can see that our dog Tex helped with the backpack delivery! Just yesterday Christian’s U.S. Passport arrived in the mail…how exciting! We had a full day of travel on his actual birthday, but the day was filled with many birthday phone calls and culminated with dinner with our friends the Loveings at Christian’s choice of restaurants: Buffalo Wild Wings.

Our team girls are in the middle of a fitness challenge which has been a tremendous motivator to consistently be exercising. I purchased some long-overdue running shoes and have been getting back into running which has been challenging yet exciting. Slow and steady, right!?!

Already this year, we’ve been in five different states and seven different cities, so there’s been much to see and do. While in Pearland, TX we were given tickets to NASA’s Space Center Houston which was incredible. We viewed the Mission Control Center for the Apollo space missions, famous for “Houston, we have a problem,” toured the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, and got up close with the Saturn V Rocket. It was a great day together as a family.

We did pick up some uninvited house guests in Laurel, Mississippi that we unfortunately kept with us all the way through our time in Pearland, TX and on to Waller, Texas…fire ants! As you can imagine, they’re a tremendous nuisance which required a late night emptying and spraying of our bedroom closet (prompted by a during-the-revival service discovery that Ben literally had ants in his pants!) and the basement of the trailer and kitchen pantry to all be emptied and sprayed. But that just gave me an opportunity to reorganize the pantry…when you’re given lemons, make lemonade, right? After the spraying, Ben vacuumed up hundreds of dead ants from the floor of our closet (see picture), and the ant problem now thankfully seems to be under control.

It has been wonderful being back on the road with the team, traveling as a family, doing life just the way God has designed for us. We are full of joy to be able to do what we do…all for the glory of God!

Serving Him Together,
Jennifer for the Slenk Family