I have now been a Christian for over half my life. It is, and always has been, my prayer that I never grow "used" to being saved or take it for granted. What a joy it has been to know sins forgiven and not being scared to meet God, for it was not always that way.

I was raised in a God-fearing home by wonderful parents who devoted themselves to their children, and reap the benefits of that today, in that we love to be around them at every opportunity. At an early age, I had a knowledge of God and took it very seriously. At the age of 12, I remember asking my Dad why Jesus died on the cross. I couldn’t understand the concept. I figured He died so terrible a death so we wouldn’t forget He existed. In my early teens, I started questioning the things I had learned in Sunday school. The opinions of the world were starting to take effect on me and doubt as to the existence of God started creeping in. Because of my upbringing, I evaded serious thought of God because I was scared I would come to the conclusion He did not exist. I actually wanted to believe in Him but was scared to search Him out for fear that He may not be there. So instead of dealing with the matter, I took to the ways of the world which were self-satisfaction at any cost. By the time I joined the army in 1973, I already had a drinking problem. The military made it easy for me to get even deeper into drinking. I had been drinking since the age of 14 and by age 20, I was getting disillusioned with my life.

In October of 1973, the Yom Kippur war broke out in the Middle East, and on November 11th, Canada sent peace keepers there of which I was one. I now found myself in the land of the God I was running from. The greatest scare I had there was not from guns or bombs but from the Lord, or so I thought. I was on leave in Jerusalem and taking a Holy Land tour. I found myself in Pilate’s Judgment hall in a room by myself and it was dark. I sensed someone staring at me from behind, so as my eyes got used to the dark I turned around to see Jesus staring at me. The fear was so great that it took about 15 seconds for me to calm down enough to realize it was a statue - a lifelike statue, but still a statue. I will never forget those eyes even though they were glass. I realized more than ever that I was scared to meet God (if He existed).

I was there for about 7 months, and about 2 months before I returned to Canada, a friend gave me a prophesy book saying, "Look at this book Spider; It’s all about this place". It was "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsay. In it, I read about the last days and was attracted to the writings like never before. Upon returning to Canada, a visit to the "Logos" book store in Kingston, Ontario, became a weekly event. Any books with the pictures of newspapers on them attracted me as I wanted to find out more about the last days. I skipped over all scripture in these books, which told me how to escape judgment as I never feared judgment at this point. However, the Spirit of God was starting to change that!

I had met my wife Georgina while in basic training, and in 1975, we were married. At my wedding, I borrowed the car of my cousin, Bruce Smith, who had gotten saved years earlier and was now in fellowship in an Assembly in Halifax. I used to joke about it and even make fun of him while drinking with my relatives. However; when he brought the car to my house to borrow, I went to shake his hand and thank him but made the mistake of looking into his eyes. What I saw I will never forget. I saw peace and joy like I had never seen before, and it cut deep. Bruce and his wife never stayed long at our wedding reception, but I’m sure he prayed for "Dougie and his new wife" when he went home.

My wife was an atheist and teased me about my interest in the things of God. She challenged me to His existence in a way that I had to come to a conclusion. How I anguished over it. If there was a God, then there was nothing else that mattered other than knowing Him I reasoned. If there was a God, then my way of life would have to change. But how could I change? I was addicted to drinking and partying. How could I change? Finally, in 1976, after much soul searching, I realized I did believe in God. Now my problems began. Nights were sleepless as I realized there was a God to meet someday. I needed to change and fast, but how? I figured I would just wait until I was 40 and then I could see myself rocking in a chair on a sun porch, and if a pretty girl walked by, it wouldn’t bother me. (why 40, I don’t know. Maybe because it seemed so far away).

So knowing I couldn’t or wouldn’t change, I drank even more trying to get it out of my mind. Finally, during a night of drinking, a friends wife said she had to go home early as she wanted to go to church the next day, it being Sunday. I asked if I could go with her and we agreed to go. Upon hearing this, Georgina approached me a little later and said if I was going to church, I was going with "her" not someone else’s wife. So the next morning, up we got and to "church" we went. It wasn’t a Bible believing church, but the reading that morning was Luke 15 , the prodigal son. Well, the Bible might as well have jumped up and slapped me that day. For the first time in my life, God had reached me with His Word and how it hurt and convicted. That night, I anguished again over my fear of meeting God. I had to settle it once and for all. How could I get peace with God? I thought it out like a little child. I thought of the phrase, "Jesus died for me". What did that mean? He died for me?

Now I needed a simple understanding, as all I had was the quietness of my living room and a Bible. Okay, I realized I had a sin problem. I was a sinner. How could I get rid of this? I was like a bad child, the prodigal son. I needed to be punished. I needed a spanking! The thought of meeting God and being punished terrified me. Then the Spirit of God took over. I needed a spanking. I thought of the cross and it hit me! The Lord Jesus took my spanking for me. If He took my spanking for me, then I didn’t need to be spanked. I started picturing the cross in my mind, repeating to my self "He took my spanking". It sounds silly, but it was the only way I could understand it. In my mind, as I was going up the cross, I pictured His feet with the nails in them. I stopped. It was there that I understood finally "why Jesus died on the cross". He died for me. The new birth was quiet and soothing, and for the first time in years, I had peace in my heart - peace with God. A thrill came over me as I realized I wasn’t scared to meet Him because the Lord Jesus died for me! I never heard the phrases "Born Again" or "saved", but I was just that! In the spirit of repentance, I was ready to do whatever it took to have peace with God and what I discovered is that He already did it all. How I praise Him today and still pray that I never get "used" to this wonderful forgiveness.

Shortly after this (2 days later) my wife Georgina fell at the foot of our bed telling me she too wanted this peace that I told her about. I found out later that although she was an atheist, she always wanted to believe that there was a God and that He cared about her. That night, she prayed the simple prayer of faith and received the Lord Jesus Christ as her own Saviour. What a change in our hearts! Here we were, baby Christians, and we needed desperately to be fed. Our all knowing and caring God was making arrangements to take care of this. Not too long afterward, we were posted to Gagetown, New Brunswick outside of Fredericton. When we came east again, I looked up my cousin Bruce to tell him the news. We went to his assembly in Halifax and were confounded by the love and knowledge of the Bible. Bruce asked us if we would like to go to a "place" like that in Fredericton, to which we replied, "YES!" He said he would have a man named George Heidman contact us. So back to Fredericton we went and awaited the call.

Shortly afterwards, the phone rang and the strong voice on the other end of the phone identified himself as George Heidman, and he wanted to come and visit us. I agreed and said to Georgina that we were going to get a visit, and from the sound of the guy, he was going to be a big man. George came to our house a little later and although he was not what I expected in size, he was every bit as big a man when it came to love and concern. Soon with Godly love and a lot of patience he was discipling us in God’s Word, helping us to realize what had actually happened to us and showing us through God’s Word the beauties of Christ and of gathering in His name.

This is my testimony of how God reached me and washed me in his blood to save me from Hell so that I can look forward to spending eternity praising Him. As the years have gone on and I have seen others go on such as Burton, Mr Adsett, and 5 year old Davie McQuinn and many others who are now in a real place called Heaven,. I realize that nothing in this world matters more than knowing for sure a person has peace with God, especially so since he has done everything possible for us, in sending His Son to die for us so we can have this peace. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was raised in a happy home by Christian parents in a town called St. Stephen in the province of New Brunswick. From a very young age I learned of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He had come into the world to die for sin so that men and women could be saved. I never had any trouble believing this, nor did I have trouble believing the fact that I was a sinner and that if I did not receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour I would spend eternity separated from God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10-15). Seeing how I believed this, it would have been more than logical for me to have repented and trusted Christ as my Saviour immediately, but instead, foolishly, I concluded that I had all the time in the world, and like many people today, I decided to put it off until a little later. I did profess to have been saved one evening when I was seven, but I never really repented of my sinful ways.

Growing up in Canada, I, like most boys, enjoyed playing hockey. My first year of high school, I made the varsity hockey team and my life suddenly became much more complicated. I was introduced to many of the pleasures of the world, and had to choose whether to partake of them, or not. Against my better judgment, the majority of the time, I chose to follow the crowd.

As I became more involved in the sin of the world, I began to realize more and more the emptiness of it all. My friends during high school seemed to be perfectly happy with this lifestyle, but I could never enjoy it like they did because in the back of my mind I knew that I was traveling on the broad road to destruction (Matthew 7:13,14), and as much as I tried to avoid it, I knew I was not saved. Many nights I would wake up and tiptoe out into my parents bedroom to make sure that my parents were still there. I was terrified that the Lord Jesus would return, taking my parents and all the other Christians to heaven, and leaving me behind. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). This used to cause me much distress, as I knew that the only people who really loved me were the Lord's people. The thought of being left behind in a world where no one loved me was dreadful, but even still, I continued to ridiculously neglect the loving call of the Saviour.

My senior year of high school, I received a scholarship for hockey/academics to Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, U.S.A. I accepted the scholarship, and headed for Connecticut in August, 1995. I had convinced myself that because I was going to play NCAA hockey that I would have to stop living the way I was, and clean up my life I soon learned that it was not that easy. My roommate/team-mate was entangled in the same lifestyle I was, and instead of cleaning up my life, I became worse.

I was becoming increasingly miserable as I realized that I had tried just about everything the world has to offer, and not only was it entirely empty, but I was trapped by it! Very often, when we were not sober, I would bring up the Bible and put a scare into my friends by telling them about God's plan of Salvation and how we were all on our way to hell. I would talk very lightly about it to my friends, but the truth was, God was dealing with me, and I was feeling the burden of my sin.

I returned home the following summer and lived with my parents. I opted not to return to Connecticut for my second year, but transferred to Acadia University. A friend from high school was going to school there, who was a good student, and a hard worker, and I again planned to turn over a new leaf. Of course, it did not happen, and instead I found a new circle of friends. I was now thinking about being saved almost every night, and having frequent discussions about it with a close friend of mine.

I went home for Christmas break and over the course of the break, a couple of things really spoke to me, and made me realize that I was nothing special, just a helpless sinner who had made a mess of his life.

The first incident happened around December 27. A number of my friends and I were gathered at a girl's house for a little get together. I had no extra money, so when they decided to gamble I at first refrained, until someone offered to give me five dollars to play. This seemed fine because I planned to win money, and after all, if I lost, it wasn't my five dollars to begin with. Within the first ten minutes, I had to decide whether to gamble on quite a large sum of money, and I'm not sure what the exact odds of losing would have been, but they would have been astronomically low. I gambled and lost, which meant I had to pay double what I had gambled on. This was a sizable amount (for a college student), and I didn't have it. This had a different effect on me than one would expect. As I sat back in shock, and looked around the room at my pitiful assortment of friends, I suddenly realized that I was the one who was pitiful. I had always thought I was a little better or a little bit above my friends, but that evening for the first time, it hit me that I was just as bad, if not worse than the whole lot of them. I had never really thought I was that bad, maybe because I had Christian parents, and I knew the Gospel, but the fact was, I was just deceiving myself, and I was no better than the worst of sinners. I had become a slave to the very things I used to despise in others. It also became clear to me that night that each one that was in the room with me felt the very same about themselves. They were all under the impression that they were above each of the others, and weren't as bad as the person next to them.

The second event took place on December 31. On December 30, three others and myself decided to head for New York City so we could spend New Year's Eve in Time's Square. On the afternoon of December 31, we were in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, in a little hippie store, looking at T-shirts. As we glanced through the shirts, I came across a Smashing Pumpkins shirt, my favorite band at the time. The front of the shirt had the print of the globe on it, with small heads spiraling into the center of the earth, and on the forehead of each face there was a bar code. This shirt was a shocking reminder to me of the fearful events that the Bible speaks about, which will be the portion of all those who have never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour. I knew that all those who have trusted Jesus Christ will be caught up with Him before this awful tribulation comes upon the world, but as I stood there contemplating these things, I also knew if the Lord Jesus Christ returned prior to me repenting and accepting His free salvation I would be left behind with no hope, having missed out on eternal life. I began to think of what a fool I was, choosing misery over God's joyful Salvation, toying with my eternal soul, knowing I was fast on my way to a lost eternity, but doing nothing about it.

The events of the Christmas break had brought me just about to the end of myself. The Lord was working on my hardened heart, but I still did not want to give in and surrender. The first two weeks back at school I went on a binge, trying to put out of my mind the fact that the God I had tried so hard to run from was speaking to me through these circumstances. All these events culminated one night when my good friend and I sat down in his room at about midnight and I told him all that was on my mind. We agreed that our lives were empty, and we were not satisfied. There was a Bible in his room, and I began to read out the many Gospel verses that I knew. I determined that night that I was not going one step further in life until I knew it was well with my soul. I ended up falling asleep that night, but the following day I found a Christian chatline on the Internet. I spent the next three days and nights talking to different people on this chatline, crying out many times in tears to the Lord to save me. The people on the chatline were sending me verses, one of which particularly spoke to me. The verse was, but even the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Luke 12:7). I was overwhelmed that the Lord Jesus Christ loved me so much. I was thrilled that He even thought about me. He knew all about me, and how many times I had rejected His love, but He still loved me.

On the evening of January 15, after an hour long telephone conversation as my uncle explained how to trust and believe, I realized that I didn't have to do anything, except rest in what the Bible says. The Bible says in John 6:37, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out, therefore, I knew that since Jesus died in my place on the Cross, if I came to Him, He would never, never cast me out! It dawned on me that I had already come to Him, and therefore I knew I was saved! I was so joyful (and still am)! I was certain all my sins had been forgiven and they were forever GONE, and I was free! Free from my old life and the power of sin, and free from the penalty of sin. The Lord Jesus has been true to His Word, that If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17). The Lord Jesus Christ has transformed my life, and made me an entirely new person, with new desires to please Him who has done so much for me.

What about you? Have you ever repented of your sin? Have you taken God's side against yourself, agreeing with God that you are lost and in need of a Saviour? The Bible says, "God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30), and that, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3). Maybe you are planning to be saved someday, but not right now. God says, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1). There is not a moment to lose! "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2). Why not receive Him as your own personal Saviour right now, simply by repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21). Your only regret will be why didn't I do it sooner?"

I was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the oldest of four children. One of my earliest recollections of church was a big, overwhelming place full of people. When I was four years old my parents started visiting a much smaller church on Sunday evenings. They enjoyed the lively singing and heartfelt warmth. Not long after, we started attending there in the mornings too.

During this time my dad realized that though he had professed to be a Christian and had been baptized it had been a sham. I remember the night he was baptized for the second time and wondering what it was all about.

Through the things my parents were now teaching me at home and what I was being taught in Sunday School and the church meetings I began to realize that I too was a sinner and needed a Saviour. Night after night I would ponder these things after I went to bed. I knew that I was not ready if the Lord returned to take the Christians home to heaven with Him. My parents would be taken but I would be left behind. This frightened and concerned me. One night my mother heard me crying in my bed about my sin. She explained the gospel to me; how that Jesus had died for me and that I could be saved by confessing my sins to Him and putting my trust in Him alone for my salvation. So I bowed my head and asked Jesus to come into my heart and abide with me. I was just five and a half years old.

From this time on I started to tell others about the Saviour. I would witness to my friends: inviting them to Sunday School, DVBS in the summer time, and later Bible camp, Pioneer Girls, and youth meetings. I wasn’t very old when I began to wonder why there weren’t more missionaries. I decided that if God wanted to use me I would be a missionary when I grew up.

When I was ten my mother gave me a devotional book and explained that I needed to spend time with God each day, something which I took to heart and began to do faithfully. At thirteen I realized that I needed to be baptized. Shortly afterwards I came into the fellowship of the local assembly. I was now learning to become a committed Christian and the church that God had placed me in was certainly a place that nurtured that. I still hadn’t lost sight of the goal to be a missionary.

I used to feel that mine was not a very spectacular testimony until I realized that it takes just as much power (of God) to take a young life and set it apart in service to Him as it does to save a life lived to self and sin.

After finishing High School I traveled to Peterborough, Ontario with 2 other Islanders to attend Kawartha Lakes Bible School. I and a friend boarded with a Christian family and shared a tiny room that year. This was certainly a time of spiritual growth for me and learning to depend on God for my needs.

Upon graduation I returned to PEI where I worked for a year employed by two different companies in various capacities. On my day off I accompanied two others to visit saved and unsaved families, which was invaluable training. As well, I was teaching Sunday School and helping out with the youth group. About this time the assembly took Evangelism Explosion training.

At the end of this year I spoke to the elders of the assembly about my burden for missions. I don’t believe this was any surprise to them as they were very involved in my life already… They encouraged me to apply to International Crusades School of World Missions in Chicago, Illinois. This was a two-year missionary term after eight months of missionary training and language learning. Each team lived, worked and studied together in a house on campus from September to April. May of 1981 I departed on a team of 7 to Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America; one of three single girls and two married couples.

In April, 1983 I came back to Canada where I was commended once again to work for two years in my home assembly in visitation, youth and secretarial work, etc. During this time I had some medical needs looked after.

June of 1985 I returned to Bolivia to work in the assembly I had been active in with my previous team. My work involved visitation, Bible studies, discipling young single and married women, children’s and ladies’ meetings, Sunday School, AWANA (OANSA in Spanish), camps, retreats, prison and drug rehabilitation ministries etc.

The end of 1988 I returned to Canada for an extended furlough. During this time I met my husband, Francois. We were married in September of 1991 and lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia for ten years before moving to Fredericton, New Brunswick in 2001.

Now my mission field is in reaching and raising the six children God has given us for the Lord. And should our children choose to serve God on a foreign field I would count myself blessed indeed.