Our Stories...

Joanna Withers

Place of Salvation: Mozambique
Date of Salvation: 17/03/2006

My Story

I grew up in a middle class family, attending the local Anglican church regularly. As a teenager, I believed I had accepted God into my life, and was confirmed. During this time I was involved in many Christian activities as well as helping with Sunday school, Christian camps and the such. When I left school, I decided to take a gap year. It seemed to be what God wanted for my life and it was also what my parents wanted me to do. I had a fantastic year working in Swaziland and returned to the UK to study theology at an anglican theological college. My degree was three of the hardest years of my life but I persevered and came closer to God through it, alothough now looking back in somewhat of an academic way.

During my studies I felt the call to long term missionary service in Africa and began the application process to a large international evangelical interdenominational mission organisation working in Africa. Because of varying struggles with my sending church the application process took five years, initally the length of the application process was the biggest disaster I did not want to be in the UK any longer I did not like it, Africa was my home, but God saw me through this time providing jobs and accomidation in remarkable ways.

Finally in March 2005, I was accepted into membership of the mission and began preparations to leave for Mozmabique in September 2005. During this time of preparation, I met up with one of the othe people I was to be serving with in Momzasbique, although I did not know it for another 9 months. She was sceptical about whether or not I was really saved from the first evening she met me!!! We arrived on the mission field together, although we lived separately and spent the first months acclamatising to living in the Momzambican bush. It was tough and I went through many struggles, particularly with my housemate who was quite sick for a while. At times, I wondered whether or not I was really saved. Through these struggles, my team mate drew closer to me, and I came to a point of recognising that I had never been disicipled as a Christian. I asked my team mate to disciple me and a few days later as we sat together at her kitchen table she opened up her bible, beginning in the Old Testament she showed me that I was a sinner and that I needed to make a personal decision to repent of my sins and ask Christ into my life. Despite gowing up in the church, I had never before heard that I needed to make a personal decision to follow Christ. That night, I made that decision, and I have not looked back since. It has been a challenge becoming a Christian whilst already doing outreach ministry within an unreached people group, but God has been faithful and has brought me through.

I still look back and can hardly believe that in all the years I went to church I never was told that I needed to make a personal response to the gospel, I was so decived because I believed that I was believing in Christ. I am so thankful that someone took enough interest in me to show me that I was wrong and to bring me into a true and lviing relationship with the living God.