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grethel_thumb.jpg Grethel

I grew up fatherless, lonely, and lost. I lost my innocence as a child. I got caught up in the physical attention and affection guys could provide and thought I was loved in that. While all along Jesus was reaching out to me waiting for my reply. I accepted His help, took His hand and continue to learn my value and self-esteem in Him…..my only and greatest Father. Jesus was always reaching out to me. He taught me how valuable I am and truly brought me fulfillment.

joseph_thumb.jpg Joseph Garcia

There was a time that I was the entertaining and funny guy, but in the most un-holy way. Not walking in the path that God laid out for me but on the back roads of life, doing whatever my little heart wanted. While most eighteen year olds are enjoying life, going to college for their dream career and being single I was engaged before I was even nineteen. Very sure of who I was and what I wanted, but I was just indulging in my fleshly desires with a girl who I did not belong with.

 Anger, frustration, ill feelings, uncertainty, and no trust are all things that I experienced on a daily basis in a relationship that was not blessed by God. It’s funny how God listens when we do not want him to and answers our prayers in ways that our flesh rejects but our spirit prospers. God delivered me from this relationship in October 2007 and I faced my problems with drinking and partying. That, of course, is not the best way to do things.

I found refuge in God through Chi Alpha! God forgave me of my sins and made me a new man in every aspect of my life. I am made new and His blood flowed over me and cleansed my body and spirit. I’m no longer am a slave to my fleshly desires and the chains are broken off! God is love and I invite Him everywhere I go. Faith in Jesus carries me every day. The greater the challenge, the greater the faith, and no matter the difficulties I know I face them with the victory in Christ before they begin.
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Maxine

After almost 18 years of doing “church” I felt like I had reached my peak in being a Christian. I thought I knew everything there was to know about God. It was nothing great or mind-blowing, nothing to change your life over. I believed in God, I knew who He was-but I was just so bored. I was tired of seeing the same weary faces every Sunday and I was especially tired of people saying they believed in God but living completely different lives Monday through Saturday. Truthfully I was just fed up with everyone else getting to have guiltless fun and I had to follow a big book of rules and guidelines that meant absolutely nothing to me.

My first year of college and living away from home I contemplated staying a Christian. I thought I would try the Christian club out and if it was the same old thing then I was done. During a time of worship so many questions began to fill my mind. “What’s so different about these people? Why is God so tangible and real to them but I barely feel like He exists?” So I began to pray and just ask God “If you’re really real then speak to me. Not words in my head, audible words that I can hear.” I decided that if God spoke to me then He really was real and wanted me to follow Him whole heartedly for the rest of my life. And if He didn’t speak then He wasn’t real and I would just cut my losses and move on. Literally as I said “Amen” to my prayer, a leader there began to prophesy over my life. The first words out of his mouth were “God is saying…”
 
He had no idea who I was but was able to call out specific events that occurred in my life and then proceeded to tell me what God wanted to do in and through me. It was as if God had taken blind folds off my eyes and I began to see every single thing that He had ever done for me. Every time He had spared me from harm, every time He directed my steps, every time He answered my prayers. So I knew what I had to do: follow God whole heartedly for the rest of my life. God has taken what I thought would be my forever mediocre, ordinary life and made it into a supernatural and extraordinary one.


            Chi Alpha
780 W. Monte Vista Ave.
Turlock, Ca 95382
P: 209.667.9467
Chialpha@fresnoxa.com