From a Bully to a Brother
The Blowing of the Spirit
From a very young age, the Spirit was blowing me into an environment which would make me very open to the Lord. To start, my parents emigrated from Poland to the United States sometime around 1991. They were devoutly Catholic and raised their children as good Catholics. But despite this religious upbringing, I was a very violent child in first and second grades who cussed and beat up other children for the praise of others. Even though I did not want to, I felt like I had to keep up a reputation. It seemed that by beating up my classmates, I was able to maintain my reputation. But God’s Spirit came in and changed my environment. My parents were unhappy with the low standard of education I was receiving, so I was transferred to another school. When this happened, I realized that I could start fresh and have a new beginning without having to keep a violent reputation. I praise God even now for His intercession because without it I would have become a very different person from what I am today.
From Discontent to Joy and Praising
During my fourth grade year, my parents were becoming dissatisfied with the Catholic faith as it was empty and monotonous to them. They began searching for something more real, and as a result God drew closer to them. It was by the Spirit’s work that my father got in contact with one of the brothers in the church life. At first we were surprised by the saints’ joy and oneness, and their care for us as new ones. We immediately saw that these people were surely pleasing to God. Now we are in this one Body, no longer searching, but praising the Lord!
My Regeneration and Baptism
Although my parents had a good grip on what was happening, I had no idea why we were switching “religions.” It wasn’t until about a year later when I went to the Summer School of Truth that my Spirit was truly regenerated and I felt a deep sense of the Lord working in me. It was also at that time I was baptized and I really wanted to be only for the Lord. From then I started growing in the Lord much more rapidly. After my baptism I pursued the Lord much more. I now continue to grow in the Body of Christ. Praise the Lord!
~ Peter