Our Stories...
Ardel Richardson
Place of Salvation: Anguilla (Caribbean)Date of Salvation: 21/03/2003
My Story
My testimony
My friends, family and acquaintances, do you know me? Over the pass three years most/all of you would have known I’ve experienced the gift of Christ who brings peace and salvation to all. But did you know me truly and why I am so glad today to testify on God's goodness? Today I wish to share with you my testimony to help encourage any of you to make a decision today, a decision if you are going to choose Christ or choose the devil.
When I was about 7 years old, I remember I use to love reading, even from that tender age I was reading books 2-4 years above my level. One of those books was a golden book called "Bible Stories" that my grandmother (Mel) gave me. I was always fascinated with the stories of God and the miraculous things he did in there and I use to say to myself that one day I would go to heaven and talk to God about all of those stories and hear it all from him. Of course as I got older such thoughts like those slowly disappeared and I was consumed with the ever increasing world around me. As the years went by, I got into Rap music such as Eminem, which most of you knew was like my God. Throughout that time period I began to seclude myself more and more from people. As my friend Felisha would say, I would experience mood swings where one time I would be laughing and jolly, the next cold and distant. Most people may have thought I was just weird but in fact I was going through one of the toughest times in my life. I was very depressed, although I had friends, a family and was not in need of anything really. There were so many times I considered suicide as a way out. Sometimes it was because I felt unwanted, unloved but mostly because I felt alone.
Luckily, whenever I held that knife to my neck I was too much of a coward to pull it across and would quickly put it back down. As I got older I started to taste my first bit of alcohol. Although I was never a strong drinker, I loved a nice Bacardi and coke. It was like drinking fire that warmed my inners and strengthened my soul (Prov 20:1). I was tempted to try to smoke as well but my mom brought me up much better than that and whenever someone gave me weed or something else, I always pitched it away because of my upbringing (Prov. 22:6). I did however get into some other craziness, such as pornography thanx to one of my friends (Prov. 13:20) and thanx to the internet I became a distributor to other young men and women and encouraged the devil to be more rampant in their lives. There were times where me and my fellow colleagues would go into public places and put on explicit backgrounds on computers young children would use. I know many of you may just look at all of this and thinking well that is just boyz been boyz and you may be right, but who says it was right? There were times when the devil would get the craziest thoughts in my mind and show me how weak we humans were and that how easily it would be to kill so many people. Yeah!! Guess you never saw that coming. I don't think at those times I would kill anyone however but those thoughts were very present in my mind.
As I got older, I began swearing more and getting into other stuff too numerous to mention now, but I do remember that I still thought about suicide a lot and often wrote many poems on the subject. There just seemed to be an increasingly growing black hole inside me and the more I fed it with music, pornography, drinking and that stuff, the more it grew.
But I give God thanx that he did not let me go down that road too long. I think it is really awesome how God planted his hook into my mouth and drew me to him. It all started one Friday evening I was home sitting on my couch watching TV, when my cell phone rang and one of my boyz called me up and asked me to go youths with him because he wanted to get in good with this girl and one of that girl's closest friend went to that church (youths) so he was going to get in good with that girl's friend to get in good with the girl. (If it's confusing sorry). The only thing was he didn't want to go there by himself and the fact that I was close friends with the girls friend was the reason I believed he called me. So I threw on some clothes and headed to church with him. I remember the church had seem very small and well for a youth night there were many old people there but nonetheless I sat down and prepared myself to fall asleep. I didn't however. The pastor was preaching a message that had me stirred that I couldn't sleep and I remembered that half way through, power went and we were all in darkness but the pastor continued anyway. I think it was that fact that really got me, that he refused to be stopped by something like that and pressed on harder than before. After that night I found myself coming back to the church every Friday night. Now I was a Methodist by birth and use to go church their every Sunday (well at least when my mom woke me up to go) so coming youths by this church had seem like a betrayal especially since my own church had a youth service. But I continued and I would sit in the back and the youth leader would always encourage me to come closer and participate so I ended up always in the midst of everyone and soon I would find myself joining in whatever was happening and surprisingly, the stories I read in that small golden book as a child suddenly became useful. I found I was answering questions that some didn't know and I guess it made me feel special. It was here that I begun to feel wanted, to feel special, to feel that depressed side of me leaving. Too bad whenever I would leave the church it quickly returned. I would refuse lifts to walk alone late at night in the dark. I fed on the loneliness of the night and would quickly return to my depress stage. It was like I was addicted to it. But as it would become evident soon enough, I would have to make a choice as to which road I will walk (Luke 10:13). The date was March 21st and it was a Friday evening. I was going youths at one of the sister churches at the west of my island. Pastor S.D. was preaching and as usual I was at the very back of the church but it seems that God's word caught me even all the way there (Isaiah 59:1) and when the pastor made an altar call I got taken away in a vision (You know, I never believed these things happened still) and I was taking to a baseball field where someone was about to pitch a ball to me and strike me out (think it was the devil) when my coach yelled "TIME". This old person came up to me and pulled up his cap and looked at me and said “Son you have two strikes, one more and you're out of the game."
It was that same moment I stepped out into the isle trembling with fear, with nervousness with sorrow. I felt lost, scared felt like I was exposed for the entire world to see my weakness. I also remember that another friend of mine stepped out on the isle and I felt a twinge of jealousy I didn't know why. The only reason why I could think that happened was because the devil wanted to somehow stop me or influence my decision. The pastor began to pray for us and as quickly as that I Ardel F Richardson became a Christian. It all seems like a blur afterwards; I just remember I was outside rejoicing, I couldn't believe it. I was saved! The best part of it was the whole inside of me felt filled. I felt pure and clean. I was truly saved. Now 3 years have passed and there's been a lot of up's and downs. Many times I have slipped but Jesus has always been there to catch me before I hit the floor. It is not as easy run and I don't think it will ever get easy but experiencing the love of God and truly feeling the sacrifice of Jesus, I would endure having each of my fingers broken daily for his name. (Rev 2:10) So to all my friends, family members and acquaintances, I encourage you to seek Jesus while he may be found. There are many false Christians rising up now to deceive you and even the elect few.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=037HvQ1TyGM
http://www.cegenglish.com/
Seek him while he may yet be found, call upon him while he is still near.
I love you all and please do not turn your back on this message today. I also ask that you do not use this testimonial for nothing else such as gossip even among my other friends and family members. I have sent it to encourage you, not to be a piece of meat among dogs.
God Bless you.
Preacha a.k.a Ardel