Marek

My journey with Jesus did not begin in church or in peace. It began in darkness. In the past, I lived a life full of chaos—Satanism, drugs, the occult, destruction of myself and my relationships. I was searching for meaning, strength, control, but the more I tried to escape the pain, the deeper I sank. I thought there was no way back. That I was lost.

But the Lord Jesus came even where I never thought He would enter. Not with anger, not with condemnation, but with mercy that brought me to my knees. He touched me in the midst of darkness and said, "Here you are. And I know you. And I want you back." I didn't deserve it. And that's why it's grace.

Today I live a different life. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying I can handle everything. But I know whom I have believed. The road ahead of me is still long. I know it will take effort, courage, and sometimes tears. But I am no longer walking alone. I know that I am being led by the One who gave His life for me. I am learning to live differently. Not according to what I feel or what tempts me, but according to what is the truth. Every day I learn patience, humility, and love. Sometimes it is quiet, invisible, but deep. I believe that God is transforming me step by step. And what He has started, He will also finish. I am not a saint. But I am saved. Not because of what I have done, but because of what He has done for me. I belong to Him. Forever. And what He has begun, He will also complete.

I am not a saint. But I am saved. Not because of what I have done, but because of what He has done for me. I belong to Him. Forever. Whatever He wants to do with my life, I just want to be His. And to love Him as He loved me when I was still lost.

Šárka

I come from a non-religious family; we never talked about God at home. As a little girl, I went to the cemetery with my grandmother and asked her what happens after death. She replied that there is nothing after death. That answer terrified me. When I was older, I asked my mother what the meaning of life was. She told me that life is actually cruel and that we should enjoy the little things. I didn't like that answer either. How can you enjoy the little things when everything ends in terrifying NOTHING? That's when I started wondering if God exists. 

After some time, my search continued. I decided that I had to find out. I knelt down in my living room and said, "God, I don't know if you exist, but if you do, please let me know, I want to know." Things began to happen in my life that were not coincidental. I started meeting different Christians, and they told me about Jesus, that He has a plan for my life and that I can be with Him. That's when I understood that God had answered my prayer. His answer was, "Jesus." That same day, I gave my life to Him and asked Him to always be with me. Today I know that even the little things my mom talked about back then have meaning in God. I am not alone, Jesus is always with me, and my life has meaning.

Saša

Before I became a believer, I wasn't completely unbelieving, because when I was dealing with something important, I would pray secretly. I loved my wife and daughter, but I was away on business most of the year. I lived like this for a long time and didn't know how to go on. Finally, it culminated in me being away for a whole year, and it looked like I would be away for another year. I had no hope. I felt uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. Because I had a lot of free time, I often thought about things. I thought about my wife, that I loved her and wanted to be with her more than anything, but I couldn't. I even called out to Satan that I wanted to sell my soul to end it all. He then appeared to me as a demon in the night, came up to me, looked me in the eyes, I felt his breath on my face... but he stretched out next to me and did nothing to me. I was terrified, I couldn't even move. Somehow I got home and immediately called my wife. Because my wife was a believer, she recommended that I memorize Psalm 91. At the same time, because I had seen it in movies, I bought a silver cross to wear around my neck.

There was an old abandoned quarry near Lipnice nad Sázavou. I really liked this place and spent a lot of time there, drinking beer and gradually reading the four books of Moses, but I didn't understand almost anything. One day, I met two people there. I was very angry because they were disturbing my place of rest, and I hoped they would leave soon. But instead of leaving, they asked me what my cross meant to me, if I was a believer. Out of nowhere, I told them what was bothering me and about Psalm 91. They invited me to church on Sunday.

When I got home, I felt as if I were outside my body, between heaven and earth. I told my wife and daughter about it, but they didn't believe me and thought I was drunk. On Saturday, the situation calmed down and I didn't feel like going anywhere. But on Sunday, it was as if something lifted me from my usual place of rest and took me to church. After it was over, we sat down and I asked, "I love my wife, what do I have to do to be with her after death?" They explained to me that Jesus gives hope, freedom, forgiveness, strength, and that He Himself is love. From that moment on, I have been following Jesus, and He has become the Lord of my life. I see how powerfully He works in my life and in the lives of my family and friends. Glory to Him forever, amen.

Eva

I come from a religious family. Talking about God has always been normal and natural for me. I decided to accept the gift of eternal life when I was a very young girl, and I honestly don't remember it. I always knew that God loved me. 

But when I was 13, I became seriously ill. I spent a lot of time in the hospital, took a lot of medication, etc. This made me feel very weak, I had to stop competitive sports, and I lost my friends because I couldn't go to school or do my hobbies very often. It was the estrangement from my friends that was very difficult for me. I never talked about my illness because I was terribly ashamed and thought that people would not understand me. Gradually, however, I decided that I wanted to understand God better. 

I remember being in the hospital, feeling terribly ill and completely abandoned, so I decided to pray. I opened the Bible and read whatever was on the page. Those words helped me tremendously, and I felt peace in my heart, even though I had been sad and desperate before. I was filled with inner warmth and joy. I experienced that Jesus is my best friend, that he will never leave me, and that he cares about me, because even though the people around me couldn't understand me, Jesus always understands me and knows what I need and loves me.

Michal

I come from a non-religious family, we never talked about God. Nevertheless, I thought about it. I always told myself that there is something above us, that we are not here by chance. I devoted a lot of time to sports, I started running and later, in college, I devoted myself to athletics at a competitive level, I cycled a lot and climbed rocks. I thought that the more activities I did, the happier I would be. During college, I worked part-time jobs and tried to earn as much money as possible. I was successful at that, but despite all the activities, entertainment, and money I earned, I was not satisfied inside. I still felt that something was missing.

After 1989, new opportunities arose. I thought to myself, "Now real life will begin." There were many new things, but I still wasn't satisfied. I started reading the Bible, and my friends around me also became believers. They told me about it and invited me to church, but I didn't want to go. I didn't see any reason to. Something else about them caught my attention. I had known them before, and since they became believers, I saw a change in them—they were more balanced, peaceful, and joyful. I began to think more about how I lacked inner balance, peace in my heart, and joy, and that all the external things I did could not fill that void. I said to myself, "I have money, I have many activities, but I'm still not satisfied." I decided to draw closer to God. I prayed for the first time in my life – it was one night in 1991 near Jihlava. At that moment, God touched me, and I had my first personal experience with God. Since then, I have gained inner balance, joy, and peace, and I have found meaning in life. Even though I had many activities, I felt empty inside, but that changed when I found meaning in life.

Halina

As a child, I spent a lot of time in the village with my grandmother. She took me to church and I learned a lot from her. Then, when I was older, my mother became a believer and started attending the Rock of Salvation Church. For a long time, I lived a completely normal, peaceful life. At 16, I met my future husband Sasha, and life was no longer so peaceful. When I was 19, we got married, and in 2000, our daughter Anička was born. In 2000, there was a crisis in Ukraine, and there were no jobs and no money. We received 6 crowns a month from the state as a child support. 

My husband wasn't exactly an angel even before our daughter was born, but after she was born, he got even worse. He tried to get money through illegal activities, but no matter what he did, we still had nothing. I tried to persuade him to find a normal job, but to no avail. It went on for years. The situation changed when my mother came to us and said that there was a woman in her church who had her own hair salon and would train me and hire me, even though I had a degree in accounting. But the condition was that I had to start going to church. I had no choice and agreed. So I began my life as a believer.

After some time, I was baptized. I must say that nothing special happened. I went to church on Sundays, but my husband forbade me from doing so from time to time. He claimed that it was a cult and that they only wanted my money. Because of this, I couldn't serve or grow in the church. My husband's life troubled me greatly. I knew he loved me and would do anything for me, but I didn't know what to do. Because I loved him and still love him, I started praying for him, and my friend and I even fasted. I was persistent, but nothing changed; in fact, it got worse. I became fearful and uncertain, and I lost hope. But I found a passage in the Bible that said a woman would save her husband. I believed it. After 10 years, he suddenly called me and said he believed. At first, I didn't believe him, but then I saw more and more how he was changing, how he was following Jesus, and I finally found peace and certainty. Our daughter also chose Jesus and married a believing husband, and I finally began to grow spiritually. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for everything I have. Amen.