Getting better Acquainted

I learned how to make raw fish salad..also went to church ( kinda the same as it is here). Though there's lots of Cook Island people already here in NZ so I don't have to go far to meet Cook Island people. The friend I went with mum is actually from there. She'd never been to her mum's home country until we went. Then she went again the next year to her mum's village on another island.

More people from the Pacific live in Auckland than there are on some of the islands!

My family's chinese culture is ancient, going back thousands of years, but living in NZ we sort of have to make our own culture. There's a huge British influence, but Brits sometimes find it hard to adjust to what they regard as a tiny country here. I think they are just used to being the centre of everything until they aren't!

When you are in the minority, you can't assume things that the majority seem to take for granted.

I benefit from the Chinese culture every day. :) The Chinese culture has a long history for sure with a great many bloody battles.

My wife's a great cook in fact we'll be eating Chinese dumplings (gyoza), or sometimes called potstickers, tonight.

My wife is from the Sichuan Province, a village near Chengdu. She had to leave with her parents though in 1949 as a baby because of the communist takeover. Her family moved to Taiwan. Fortunately for me she found her way to Seattle and eventually made me happy when she said yes to marriage.

cp
 
I've gotten to know many of you better over the past month as I read many of your past posts. I find it easier to pray for others when you know a little more about them. Also in fellowship and discussions I think it helps as well.

God works in each of us in his own unique way. I believe he refines each of us to best fit and perform the function in the body he designed us for. Not all can be the head or the feet otherwise the body would not be whole nor could it function properly. So we all have something unique and important to the body as a whole. Coming to understand that uniqueness I believe is important.

God bless
 
Well, I did it, I read all this posts in this topic.

My name is Sam and I am 42 years old. I am the oldest of 6 kids. I was raised in a quiet, sincere, loving, and Christian home where I was homeschooled with my siblings by my mom. My dad was a truck driver and was gone a lot. I was born and raised in Waynesville, NC and lived there for 13 years until moving to a house in Canton, NC about 15 minutes away. I became a rebellious brat at the age of 16 and was kicked out and brought back a few times before I committed to being on my own at 18. In spite of some homelessness I still managed to stay out of the weather by staying with my brother, friends, or my car.

At the age of 21 and a bunch of dead end jobs I saw two planes take down two buildings in New York on 9/11. I wasn't going to stand by and tolerate an attack against our sovereignty and people so I joined the Army. I went in May 1, 2003 and was made a truck driver (88M). I went through Basic and AIT in Fort Leonard Wood, MO and after graduation was sent to Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. I was stationed there running missions from Frankfurt for two years until I was deployed with my company to Bagram, Afghanistan (what a dump). I didn't die so I went back to Germany with my company and stayed for another year. I was PCS'd to Fort Sill, OK and was stationed there for the duration of my enlistment (7 years total).

I made it to the rank of Sergeant in 4 years but lost motivation to pursue any higher rank. While in the Sandbox (Afghanistan) I was injured and after discharge in June, 2010 I began filing all of my paperwork and records of my injuries and finally was given the rating of 100% Permanent & Total Disability as per VA standards. In October of 2010 I met my wife and her 5 kids. 4 months after my discharge from the Army as a bachelor I became a husband and dad to 5 kids. I learned a lot about a lot in a few short years.

In the 10 years we have been married we have lived in NC, TN, NE, and AL. Four different places in TN (which included a farm with house and an adjoining property and house we owned), two different places in NE.

I decided to pursue a degree of some sort so from our house in TN I moved the family - my wife, 5 kids, and 4 horses 1200 miles away to NE and we didn't know anyone there. I started school at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture for an AS in Agriculture Production Systems (farming for the big boys). That turned out to be a headache and I withdrew and started online with Capella University for a BS in General Psychology. I got tired of the secular slant with that school and transferred to Liberty University Online.

Being that the whole point of moving to NE was now null we decided to go back to TN to visit and see what we could find to move back to and while we were there one of our twin girls was diagnosed with kidney cancer (Bilateral Wilms Tumors) at 3 1/2 years old. She went on study and with lots of prayer, 10 rounds of chemo, Quail eggs, and great doctors she was declared in remission. Praise God!

Well, we decided to buy a farm in TN and we had animals, huge house, pool, boat, RV, 1/3 acre garden, massive barn, rental house, etc. All of it just vanity, vanity and vexation of spirit. We decided to sell the houses and move back to NE because the boys were into rodeo and the opportunities are better out West. So we moved 5 kids, two of them married with kids, a boat, a horse trailer with 4 horses, and two of the biggest trucks Penske had to move back 1,200 miles away. Hell started!

We got settled in and nothing went according to plan and I mean nothing. We couldn't get along with each other and had falling outs that persist to this day. We opened a steakhouse/saloon and that made things worse. It was absolute Hell. Finally, after just 10 months my wife and I had had enough and were barely even still married ourselves. We sold what we could, put everything else in storage, bought another RV and hit the road. Just me, her, and our twin girls who were 10 at the time. LESS IS MORE. Write that down and post it on your fridge or forehead - something where you can see it all the time. Forget waiting until 65 to live or buying a bunch of junk on credit. Less is more!

We travelled via camper from NE and covered all of the West, travelled across TX to AL on our way to FL to winter there until God directed us to what was next. Well, we live in AL now and LOVE our life here. No drama, no violence, no customers, just us and God. Ahhhhhhh........ BUT, this is a result and not a goal. God brought us to this point because we were ready for it in His eyes and we wait for the next chapter now.
 
I love reading your stories.

I’m taking driving lessons so I can travel around Scotland in a RV🙏

the simple life and God. What could be better. Unless He’s got something else planned, that is.
We really enjoyed it although the enemy can always take shots at us regardless of where we are or what we intend to do God is good and uses everything to benefit Him in the end. God always gets the glory when He is our focus whether it's in a palace or a cabin.
 
God teaches us what it means to love and trust him. I'm ever thankful that God is merciful and kind in his judgment. Throughout our Christian life God works with each of us in a loving manner. Sometimes he does rebuke us, but always in a manner far less than what we deserved. Often though in my experience he is kind, gentle and loving showing a way of hope.

Some of our experiences as Christians are unique, but others are common to all Christians. I'm grateful that God has lifted me out of the mire, leads me and helps me on this narrow path of love and faith.

God Bless you all on your journey in this new life.

cp
 
I never really know how much to say about myself. Sometimes I just want to be like everyone else, and wish I could be.

Both of my parents came from severe poverty.. my dad was 12 before he bought his first pair of shoes, and he bought them from money he earned, so was quite proud of them.

He fought and scraped their way out, and by the time I was born (myself being the youngest child) we were as a family considered well off... the equivalent of what my father earned would be a solid middle to upper middle class, the equivalent of about 250,000 dollars a year in today's dollar, and we wanted for nothing.

I was born and raised in the U.S., but wasn't Christian. My own life was a bit of a whirlwind, and there were a lot of changes that were out of my hands...

I never held the same value on money my parents did, and that likely comes from such different background from them, although to make them happy I tried hard to be all the things they wanted for me.

I was always my father's daughter, and never got along with my mother well, not even as a young child - and age only made that gap worse, not better.

But my father was everything to me, and he died when I was 22. (Cancer).. that actually taught me prayer, of all things. I used to always ask my dad advice on everything when he was alive, and after he died I found myself alone in the world with no advisor... lol.

So I started talking to him as if he was there still, telling him my problems, my fears, my worries, my joys and happinesses too. Sometimes it was almost like I could hear his voice remembering this thing or that he once said, and me talking aloud just became a thing when no one was around to hear...

One day I realized I wasn't talking to my father anymore, I was actually talking to God... I don't even know when it changed or why or how, it just did. And even after I realized I was talking to God like He was my father, I kept doing it because it was comforting...

And so I began praying like that... and I've seen God much like a father to me ever since. Odd Isn't it? But true even still.

I was saved late in life, in 2014. I guess I was 46 then...

I am a divorcee, and am remarried to a man who was widowed, the same one who eventually led me to Christ... He and I understand one another on a level no one else can understand us.. seems weird as we aren't a lot alike, but we understand the background and personality of the other on a different level and this makes us uniquely compatible, even with such different backgrounds.

We live in SW. Virginia since 2014..
 
Thanks for sharing some of your story. It is wonderful to get to know one another and share our testimonies.

It's a wonder sometimes that God is able to do anything with the old man that we were. Thankfully it is God that recreates us and shapes each of us into new creations.
 
Last edited:
For those that want to become better acquainted please share your own experiences here or in another thread. It is my belief that the Body of Christ can work better together when it know more about itself.

As Christians we all have many experiences that God has used and is using to mold and shape us. It is my hope that many can share their own experiences that we might all be better edified and learn from one another.

It is also my opinion that love, faith and patience are like muscles. God has given these as gifts, but they must be used and experienced. For me part of fellowship is welcoming new people. It is a place to start to get to know someone and learn of their experiences in life. Having grown up an introvert this is something the Holy Spirit has changed.
 
How good it is to read of other`s lives and how they come to know the Lord. I would like to share some of my background too.

Starting from my Scottish grandfather. In WW 1 he lay on the battle field with a boot full of blood for 3 days. During that time he called out to God and said if he ever got out of this alive he would spend his life in service of the Lord. This he did. He went on to be mentored by those who came out of the Welsh revival who started the Apostolic Church. They sent my grandfather and his family to Australia (& later New Zealand) as an Apostle/pastor to help establish the work over here. Thus I come from a few generations of Apostolic believers.

I grew up in Melbourne, Australia, giving my heart to the Lord as a young child then later publicly in the Billy Graham Crusade. I became a teacher and was sent to the country. I enjoyed teaching and living near the great Murray River in the fruit growing areas. I went to New Zealand for my long service and enjoyed Bible College there for many months. Coming home I married a beef farmer and was again in the country.

Together we assisted in many different congregations as we were asked. My husband, with his God given wisdom, became an elder and I, gifted in music, played and led groups in the worship and ladies groups. Over the past 15 years or so we have been involved in small `house group` type gatherings. I have enjoyed discussing on line in various forums and writing many booklets on various Biblical subjects.

My husband and I have enjoyed many trips through out this great land of Australia and met friends we have made on line. God has led us and is maturing us as we work with others reaching out to the hurting. We expectantly look to Him for His soon coming.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for sharing Marilyn C , it's always nice to get to know someone's background better. Our experiences especially in Christ help shape us and especially show God's work in reforming us to his will. We all have different talents, strengths, and weaknesses.

May God bless and inspire your work.
 
Growing up I enjoyed hard work and there were lots of rewards to country living. We never had to worry about locking the door in those days. We had fresh eggs, fresh bread, fresh milk, we churned our own butter and ice cream. I spent many hours in the woods exploring. It was a great life for an inquisitive boy and his brother.

Grandfather worked at a Safeway maintenance facility repairing the trucks. He often had access to a truck load of potatoes or bread. For a time he had hogs and they could go through a truckload of potatoes in a hurry. I remember eating pineapple in everything so much in fact that I wouldn't eat pineapple for a lot of years.

My first experience with church was when I was about 10 years old. A neighbor (only about 1 mile away) invited me to their church. I believe it was a Baptist church. I went one week by myself with his family. After that my parents took our family. We went to that Baptist church 2-3 times and then attended several other different churches. My parents finally settled on a Worldwide Church of God church which I attended into my 20's. It was at that time I became a prodigal child without the money :( or much sense either.

God had many things to teach me. I never gave up on God, but I gave up on fellowship.
Gave up on fellowship. All too familiar to me my friend. All too familiar.
 
Back
Top