DEANE MCDONALD
Be there

One day in September 1999, I arrived home from work to discover an advertisement stuck in my door. This brochure was advertising the opening of a new church. As I looked at the brochure, something told me to keep it and to be at that church when it opened on October 3. I put the brochure on my desk, and every time I looked at it a voice said: Be there.

As the date of the church opening drew near, I checked out the location of this church and discovered that it was only a little over a mile from my home. For the next week, my thoughts kept wandering to that brochure, and I kept hearing this voice saying: Be there.

On Sunday morning, October 3, I got up early, dressed and flatly stated that I was going to church. The shocked look on my husband’s face as I walked out the door was quite a sight.

Usually, going anywhere alone (especially to a place where I know no one and don’t know what to expect) frightens me. Not this time. It was like going somewhere I was supposed to be. A smiling gentleman met me in the parking lot and said, “Welcome.” As I entered the church, many people with happy faces welcomed me. How wonderful I felt, a stranger accepted with smiles. I sat through the service. I didn’t know the songs, nor did I really understand what the pastor was saying. I just felt content.

I was raised in a strict Jewish home. I learned at a very young age that all of God’s laws were to be kept without fail or the wrath of God would be upon you. The God that I grew up with was one to be feared and obeyed. He was not portrayed as a forgiving and loving God. For years, I followed that faith, mainly out of respect for my parents. I had questions about God that no one would answer. I couldn’t justify in my heart that God had made all this natural beauty, yet He was to be feared – it didn’t make sense to me. I walked away and raised my family my way, without God.

My life, by society’s standards, was good: a loving family, a home, security. It looked good from the outside; the inside was quite different. I had this enormous void in my life, a massive hole. My life had no purpose, no direction. I had material things and the love of my family, yet I was unhappy. Life for me had no meaning.

That first Sunday, something touched my heart. As I continued to attend church, I developed a desperate need to learn about God and the Bible. That same voice kept saying: Read, learn and study. Reading is something I’ve always enjoyed doing, so that wasn’t a task; understanding what I was reading was. I needed help.

The next Sunday, it was announced that “study groups”, “care groups” and “courses” were being offered. I had no idea what these groups were about. I just signed up for everything the church was offering. I needed help, and God was providing.

The classes I took, and continue to take, seemed like they were a special order just for me; each class and group answered a need and a prayer. As I continued to read and learn, this wonderful God and Jesus brought light and happiness to my heart – something I had never known before.

One day, I spoke to the pastor about these new-found feelings, the changes in my life, the happiness I felt, the sense of direction I now had, how that empty void was gone. I babbled on to that poor man for over an hour; it was the first time I had had someone to whom I could express all these wonderful feelings and explain what I had discovered. I couldn’t contain the excitement I felt about the changes that had taken place in my life.

That day, the pastor asked if I had thought about baptism and becoming a member of the church. I had thought about turning my life over to God many times before. Having the pastor ask me was a great moment in my life, because it was something I very much wanted. To be one of God’s children is a precious gift. On February 27, 2000 I was baptized. It was the happiest day of my life. Making a personal commitment to God was a dream come true.

I don’t know what all of God’s plan is for me, nor do I care. It’s wonderful knowing I have such a beautiful friend, who walks with me, listens to my prayers and guides my steps and heart. I’d follow Him anywhere.

My life has changed. There’s direction, a path with gentle guidelines. There are laughter and happiness in my home now. My prayer is that one day my family will find the peace and joy that I have found, that they, too, will discover God’s beautiful gifts.

Deane McDonald is a member of Northside Community Church in Mission, B.C.