60maribeth1
Joined 16 years ago from Riverview, FL
I was saved when I was 6 years old. I remember that night well too. We had went to church with my family and that night Pastor Bunge ended his sermon with "Be saved tonight". As a child, I could not understand what that meant. I did not think I was in danger that I needed saved. So I asked my parents that night after we had gotten home and settled in bed. My Mom and Dad explained it to me then took me back in my bedroom and we knelt beside my bed together and I asked the Lord into my heart. I was baptized at the church I believe it was a few months after that.
We always attended church regularly and I am thankful that my parents brought me up in church. As I look back on my life, I can see just how God has guided me through my entire life. There were some very rocky times in my life, but God lead me through it.
I attended a public elementary school about 3 blocks from our house. I was put in a special education class for the first and second grade and remember that teacher, Mrs Mary P. Smith today. She taught well. She integrated some regular class students in with her special education students which helped me tremendously. Chevelle Sandusky was one of them and I learned from her. She was very bright and seemed to love to learn. I excelled as well and was able to go to a regular class in third grade. I had Mrs Smith once more in fourth and fifth grade since she had moved to teaching regular classes. I was very glad. Sixth grade started another story...
Since my brother was in a special education school, we started attending Lima Baptist Temple which had excellent special ed ministries. They also had a Christian school, Temple Christian. It was 1979 when one day I had told my mom "I am going to Temple Christian the first of the year". My mom knowing my dad was getting laid off and looking into early retirement, could not believe what I was saying. However, she had seen how much I wanted to attend so she told me to pray about it. Well I did every night. I even put it on the prayer sheet one Wednesday evening. During the service, they read off all the prayer requests as they usually did every Wednesday. Our car was not working so we had rode in on the church van. We had already got on the van and were waiting for others to get on when a man was speaking loudly "where is Mary Schneider", "Mary Schneider". The van driver had pointed him to my direction on the van and he said, "Mary, how would you like to attend Temple Christian the first of the year?" I said "yes". My mom again thinking about our current situation started to tell him they could not afford to send me to Temple Christian. He responded, "don't worry about her tuition. Her tuition is taken care of, you just call Mr Mohler on Monday and arrange for her to take the test". My mom and dad and I were so happy. We praised the Lord!
We had set an appointment to take the entrance test. I was very nervous but Mr Mohler said "you passed with flying colors". I was to start in January 1980. My mom explained about our car not working and he gave us some phone numbers of some families near us in which we could carpool.
My mom called one lady who said she could pick me up in the afternoon but could not do mornings. Keeping this in mind, she talked with another lady, Helen Buchanan. Helen had said mornings were good for her to take me along with her 2 girls.
Again, God works! January 5, 1980 was my first day to Temple Christian School.
I graduated from Temple Christian in 1987 as an Honor Roll student. That summer I attended Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL, again with God's help. I was able to go on the work plan working for A Beka Book, a Christian textbook company for Christian schools. I started in nursing that Fall there as well though I did change majors from nursing to missions. I attended that college for 2 years when financially my parents could not help anymore. This too was in God's Will. I was upset at first but started in the Summer of 1989 working at a home for the physically disabled. I loved helping them and teaching them basic care skills. It was very rewarding!