01/10/2026
Johanna ~ WOLLONGBAR, NSW | I was raised in a non religious family who never spoke about God. I first heard about God at school and I simply believed that God was good. Schools at that time had one hour a week of religious education which was very enjoyable, and I learned a lot about the Bible, God and Jesus.
When I was around 14 years old I wanted to get confirmed in the Lutheran church, and the confirmation classes were very important for me. The confirmation ceremony involved affirming our belief in God and I had a wonderful “touch from God” during this ceremony! My parents then allowed me to attend church services and Youth Fellowship on Sundays. Later on when I was 16 I became a Sunday School teacher and taught Sunday School for four years.
During this time in my life certain questions arose in my mind. I wondered why I saw no evidence of miracles in our modern times, and also why there were so many different versions of Christianity when we all believed in the same God and Bible. During Bible studies I had seen verses that mentioned “Speaking in Tongues”. I wondered what this was, but nobody really knew the answer!
Life went on and I spent 3 years living, working and travelling in Europe/Germany, which is my country of birth.
Back home in Australia I met and married my first husband and we had two little girls, 3½ & 2 years of age.
My life was very happy during this time, even though my husband (a lapsed Roman Catholic) wasn’t interested in going to church and so I didn’t go either. However I did still pray and hadn’t lost my faith.
Around this time my mother started going to church regularly which shocked me & my siblings. One day I visited Mum and she told me about her amazing new church, where folks spoke in tongues by the power of the Holy Spirit! Many were healed of incurable illnesses such as cancers, emphysema, M.S. etc.
It was a massive WOW! moment as I listened to her tell me all these things which I’d wondered about for years! It was a lot to think about, and some time later I went to a meeting with her and saw a full auditorium, people of all ages, all with Bibles, lovely singing. I heard people talk about their personal lives with God, I heard an interesting sermon but the biggest impact on me was when I heard speaking in tongues for the first time.
That sound went right through my heart like an arrow and I knew instantly that I was standing in the presence of God in that church. The following Sunday I was baptised by full immersion as Jesus commanded. Nine months later I received the gift of the Holy Spirit and I knew I had received it as I spoke “in tongues”, a language I had never learned.
My personal relationship with God has been over 40 years now and He has never let me down.
Even though life can be unpredictable & difficult I know how privileged I am to be a child of God.
My first marriage failed after my third child (a son) was born and those years were very hard for me as a single Mum. I learned to lean heavily on my Heavenly Father to provide for us, to protect us and to comfort us.
Then I asked my Heavenly Father for another husband and so I met John. We married on the 16th Nov 1996 and have walked together with the Lord, knowing that our salvation is assured if we don’t let life derail our relationship with Jesus.
Praise His Name!
