Yumiko describes being very troubled on the inside. She thought she was worthless, she felt very alone and hopeless, and she had suicidal thoughts. Yumiko decided to try going to church. At first, she found it hard to hear that God loved her. Yumiko describes encountering Jesus and learning how He bore her sins and pain. She has found true hope and joy in Him.
This story was produced by MovingWorks, Austen, Texas, USA.
Takashi grew up in a Christian home but he didn’t know what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus. As a married adult, he found it very hard to cope with the responsibilities of life – his job, child, and wife. Takashi shares that his anxiety was so bad he had suicidal thoughts. Naoko had very low self-esteem and emotional pain. She shares that she wasn’t good at communicating and was verbally abusive to her husband. Both Takashi and Naoko accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They talk about the help and healing Jesus has brought into their hearts and married life.
This story was produced by MovingWorks, Austin, Texas, USA.
Laura describes her long battle with self-worth, which began in her childhood and resulted from over-hearing negative comments from her parents. She also shares she had an abortion as a teenager, and how that day traumatized her and she felt guilt and shame. Laura was divorced twice and struggled with the pressures of parenting her daughters. Laura describes leaving everything and riding away on her motorcycle. She stayed with a friend who invited her to church. There she heard the gospel and believed she could be forgiven and washed clean. She accepted Christ that day. Laura talks about how Christ has healed her pain and mended her relationships with her daughters. She is now married to her friend and she has had the opportunity to help young women who have experienced the same things as she did.
This story was produced by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Jennifer started life as a God-hater. She was sexually molested by someone in her church growing up, and she resented God because of her parents jokes that she was supposed to be a boy and God had made a mistake. In her emotional pain, Jennifer turned to drugs and ended up living life on the streets. She was arrested for drug possession and robbery. She went to prison aged 22. Jennifer says prison was the best thing that ever happened to her because she found Jesus Christ there and He freed her from her bondage to sin. Jennifer describes the awesome ways God has changed her thinking and her ways. She is now very active in ministry life.
(Jennifer’s story is presented in the first 20 minutes of the video. Her story is part of a conference presentation including other women who received Christ in prison).
This story was produced by Revive our Hearts, Niles, Michigan, USA.
Gemma is from Ireland but emigrated to the USA. She was sexually abused as a child and this deeply troubled her as an adult. She dismissed the Bible and Jesus and didn’t believe in God. She started searching for God in her thirties. God brought her to a place where she could understand she was a sinner in need of a Savior. Having placed her faith in Christ she no longer feels shame over her abuse and has been able to forgive her abuser.
This story was produced by Saylorville Church, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
Priscilla is from Romania which was a Communist country where all religion was suppressed. She describes her very painful upbringing. Her mother was very unloving and verbally abusive to her. Priscilla had a great relationship with her father but he died while Priscilla was a teenager. This left her angry with God, and unsure whether He existed. Priscilla first heard about Jesus Christ from a friend at college. She went to an underground church in Romania and heard the gospel. Priscilla was overjoyed to learn that God loved her, had planned her life, and that she could be adopted into His family and become His child. Priscilla believed the gospel and gave her life to Christ.
Priscilla’s story was produced by I Am Second, Franklin, Tennessee, USA.
Junko shares that she was sexually abused as a child. This resulted in her feeling terrible shame and a lack of self-worth. She describes her unhappiness in adulthood and her desire to be loved. Junko describes what it’s like to know Jesus and experience His love. She knows she has eternal life.
Junko’s story was produced by Moving Works, Austin, Texas, USA.