Any Christians Wanna Chat?

[Xpecta]

When were you saved Blessedmomma?

 

[blessedmomma]

i was saved 4 years ago this last august. my 3rd baby was about 2 months old. i had a harder time parenting my first 2 by themselves than i do now with all 5.

when were you saved xpecta?

 

[Leopard]

I just thought I would poke my nose in here, and hopefully not have it bitten off.
I'm from Australia and though I do not belong to any specific religion (though OH is Anglican/Catholic but not practicing) I do class myself under the Christian category.

My name is Courtney and I am 17, a pleasure, I hope, to meet you all and may god be with you and yours.

 

[NDH]

Hi ladies

Thanks blessedmamma for directing me to this thread. I don't explore much of the forum any more (mainly stick to the 30-40 journals and discussion groups I follow) and didn't even know there was a religious discussions section!

I'm thrilled to discover a group of fellow sisters in Christ - some of you I even know from other threads (yay another Snowflake! Lol).

I want to give God the glory for a really wonderful week so far. After 4+ months of no income whatsoever due to DH being unemployed (twice) and not being entitled to any unemployment assistance as only a temporary resident DH finally has work again and things are looking up. We've been totally dependent financially on my wonderful parents for the last two months at least, and while I'm amazingly greatful they're in a position to help us it's been awfully hard being totally dependent on them again as a married 26 year old with a baby on the way. Praying now that his job lasts this time and we're able to soon pay back my parents for all their help (we owe them about $20,000 now but thankfully don't owe anything besides that).

My testimony in brief: I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home (Lutheran background) with good values and wonderful godly role models, but wasn't saved until I was 13 as sometimes the drawback of growing up in a Christian home is that we can easily succumb to the belief that the "Gospel isn't for me but other people - after all I go to Church and believe in God and I'm a good person". That's my experience anyway and it will be a good reminder for me to make sure my children know early that God has no grandchildren.

Anyway, I followed the Lord in believer's baptism when I was 19 after I'd been attending an independent Baptist Church for a while. I'd been baptised as a baby in the Lutheran Church of course, but felt strongly convicted by the Holy Spirit that it was something I needed to do. I met my husband when I was 21, was married at 23 and we spent two years trying and praying for this baby.
He was a Christian when we met though more of the "Sundays only" type (was saved and baptised when he was 18 but hadn't done much growing) but the change in him over the last three years has been astounding. In both of us really - we've had a lot of challenges the past few years that have really challenged us to grow in our faith.
I'm really missing my home church though - the one back in Canada where I was baptised in. I went there for 10 years and there isn't one that really feeds us spiritually like that one did nearby. After moving here we were going to a Church two hours away that was really wonderful, but it's too far to really develop close relationships with anyone there so while everyone was very welcoming on Sundays we always felt like we were on the outside because we missed out on all the midweek fellowship and social activities. And when DH lost his job in May we had to stop going as we could no longer afford the drive. We've been going to an evangelical Anglican Church here locally which is nice and there are lots of lovely people, but the sermons aren't as substantial as we're used to so we don't feel as fed. And they don't have evening or midweek services that were used to either. DH and I host a young adults Bible study in our home on Wesnesday nights but we have a few differing doctrinal beliefs in our group that make it hard to delve into any of the meatier subjects.

Whew, sorry for my long winded intro.

 

[NDH]

Hi Courtney, I'm also in Australia (Canadian by birth though) and while I'm new to this thread I'm pretty sure it's safe for me to say there will be no noses bitten off here . It's quite unChristianlike

 

[NDH]

Oh ya and I also wanted to mention that DH and I don't concern ourselves at all with the name on the front of a Church, but rather what is taught within it's walls and whether the people seem to live by those teachings. We've encountered good churches and bad churches irrespective of denomination.

 

[Xpecta]

Blessedmomma - I was raised in a Christian Home. I never went to Church though. But I chose to accept Christ into my Heart at Bible camp. I know I did it when I was 14, but I think I did it earlier too, at Childrens camp...So I've been saved for quite some time, but I haven't really acted like it much until earlier this year.

Leopard - We won't bite your nose off at all. The only way I can see us doing that, is if you came in here to cause a rukus, and even then, I think we would ask you politely to leave! We welcome all new comers to the conversation! I'm just glad so many Christians want to talk!! Also, I was 17 when I was first pregnant as well... Didn't find out til I was 18 though, as my Birthday was only a month into my pregnancy. I know what its like being a Young Mama. I pray many blessings over you and your family!

NDH - Welcome as well! Thank you for sharing! I'm sorry about your financial troubles! Its so hard! I've been there as well. But God always provides, which is just miraculous, and wonderful! I get what you mean about the Sermons not being so inspirational. We moved churches recently, and found that to be true as well. I LOVE our new Church, and so do my Husband and Son, but the last one had an excellent pastor! But we just didn't agree with some of the stuff they believed in unfortunately.
Also, where in Canada did you live?

 

[Leopard]

NDH - Thankyou, and welcome to you too Lovely to see some Australians! I do not go to church but I prefer to practice at home, I still read my bible and pray, I just believe that I do not need to go to a church to be a Christian.

Xpecta - Thankyou for your prayers, and do not fear, I shan't cause a rukus whilst I am here! (Oh wow, I know how to rhyme ) Yes, my fiance and I are very excited about our blessing of a child, especially after being told I only had a 25% chance of conceiving.

 

[NDH]

Thanks Xpecta . I'm from Alberta and my hubby is a BC man.

Courtney that's definitely true, we don't need to go to a physical Church. And I love the quote that going to a Church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a car . It's all about your heart attitude. I personally need the fellowship of other believers though and Church does make it easier to do that. Our personal time with God is most important though, otherwise we just end up going through the motions.

 

[Xpecta]

That's exactly how I was raised actually. My Dad always told me, that you don't need to go to Church to have a Relationship with God.

However, I started feeling the want to go to Church. So here I am. Some days I don't feel like going at all, but some days I really really do.


Also, Courtney, were you Trying to Concieve? Also Also, Heh! Good Rhyme Job!!


NDH- I'm from BC too! Why did you move to Australia?

 

[Leopard]

NDH - I love that saying, first time I've head it

Xpecta- Yes we were TTC.

 

[NDH]

Oh cool, what part? I have family on the Island, Surrey and Grand Forks.

My parents are teachers and they came here on exchange on 2003 with all of us and they fell in love with Australia. And frankly dad was sick of winter. They'd already bought a retirement home in Nanaimo so at least they could have milder winters. Anyway, long story short in 2006 my dad had an opportunity to work for the same school he taught at in 2003 and they sponsored him to come. Even though my sister and I were on our own by that point their immigration lawyer was able to find a loophole that classed us as dependents so we got to immigrate with them. I was originally going to come with them but a few months before hand decided to stay in Canada (where I met my hubby the week they left!!!). A few months later we got notice that our application for permanent residency was really close to being granted and I'd need to be in the country to get it, so then bf and I decided to go for a 2 month visit to make sure it was granted while I was there. DH came along to meet the "in-laws" as we already knew we'd get married though it took two more years for that, and he didn't want to lose me to an Aussie we ended up staying for a year though DH really struggled to find work on a working holiday visa.
Anyway my parents keep bugging us to come back and then the Christmas before last I was reminded that my visa had a 5 year window to live in Australia for two years or I'd lose it, and I had a year and a half to spend another year here before that window closed. They offered to pay our moving expenses and DHs VISA application and we took them up on the offer. I came out in June 2010 and DH had to stay behind until November when his spousal VISA was finally granted (we sure hadn't bargained on a 6 month separation!) and here we are! We agreed to 5 years at least so we can both get citizenship, though DH was on the brink of wanting to go back home due to the difficulty he's had finding work.
And yes that's the short version

 

[Xpecta]

Ahh, Grand Forks, I know it well I grew up In Castlegar (The Kootenays). Now I live in Kelowna, (Okanagan) And I travel through Grand Forks every time I travel home.

Wow, that's an ordeal you went through!! I'm glad that everything is working out for you...Although I'm incredibly jealous that you got to move across the world to a different country.

I've always wanted to live in the UK. I wanted to live in Australia until I heard about all the Snakes there Can't deal with them. I have to say, God never makes mistakes, but He sure came close with those things!! Eeeyyuucchhh!!

Anyways, I think you're incredibly fortunate!!

Also, Courtney, Congratulations on your Pregnancy!! That's wondeful! Especially with being told that you had a slim chance!

 

[NDH]

What a small world hey? We were stuck in Castlegar one night after a tire blew on our way to GF for a wedding and a trucker stopped for us and took us back to Castlegar as that was the way he was heading. It was 1am and we had to wait at Timmies til my cousins bf came to get us at 5am (after having driven all night the night before picking up another cousin from Surrey). Didn't see much of it granted, but I've been there!

And it's not the snakes that bother me as much as the spiders . I'd take bears and cougars any day over the things that can kill you without being seen lol. I do love it here but there have certainly been sacrifices (and not just financially either).

 

[Leopard]

Xpecta - Thankyou very much

NDH - Ah yes, the spiders, scorpions, snakes, lizards, bugs, sharks, poisonous fish, poisonous plants etc. The joys of Australia
Just a few weeks ago a tiger snake killed our cat. We have a spider that lives in the bathroom, she leaves us be so we let her kill the bugs.

 

[NDH]

Huntsman? Creepy things - I know they're pretty well harmless and useful for killing the bugs but I think I still have a lot of adjusting to do before I could leave one be in my house Big harmless ones I have DH take outside, everything else gets squashed I'm (slightly) sorry to say.

 

[Leopard]

NDH - Nah it's just a little penny spider, we have a daddy-longlegs somewhere but he has gone missing. Huntsmans... Well we don't see eye to eye to say the least!

 

[NDH]

Ah ok. I might be able to let a little one live in my house if it promised to stay out of the way

 

[Leopard]

They only get annoying when they sit on your toilet seat and you don't realise it! Are you in the city area or country?

 

[NDH]

We're not rural, but it's not a big city either - about 30,000 population.