Donna Lee
I was one of 5 children raised in a Catholic and military family. We moved very often, so between kindergarden and graduation I had attended 13 different schools. “Fitting in” quickly at each location was important to me. I was always the “new kid” in class and felt very insecure. We never attended church. My parents were not Christians and fought pretty much all the time. It would get pretty rough at times. I remember hiding in closets or under the bed to try to block out some of the screaming or whippings I knew would be following. In my teenage years, I noticed other families going to church and they seemed to have a peace and joy in their families that we definitely were missing in ours. It seemed like the right thing to do. So I convinced my parents maybe we should start going to church. They actually went for a while, which did seem to help. However, the Gospel was not being preached, so this too passed. After high school graduation I entered the Air Force to get away and “find” the Truth.
I ended up marrying at a young age which ended in divorce after 7 years. I was still searching to fill this void I had tried to fill with alcohol, gambling, etc. So on one of my birthdays, I bought myself a bible. I started at the beginning but didn’t get very far in Genesis because I had a hard time understanding it. I was so hungry for God but didn’t know how to get to Him. By the time I was 26, I had met Dallas, a coworker, who at the time looked like the closest resemblance to Jesus to me (long hair and beard). Plus we became close friends. He was a Christian who read his bible on breaks and at lunch. I remember asking him if he understood what he was reading and maybe he could share it with me some day. This Truth I had set out to find was Jesus, Himself. Dallas and I got married in August 1979. Each night I would cook supper and he would read the bible to me and explain what it meant. I gave my life to Jesus in December of that year.
I can’t even imagine what my life would be like right now if I had not made that decision. He has had a lot of cleaning to do in my life and I know there is still more to come. That void I had been trying to fill with worldly things has now been filled with Jesus’ joy and peace.
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