06/26/2026
One of our own sharing her story. What a beautiful testimony of the goodness of God.
Voices of Fresh Start Cleveland
Testimonies from Real people with Real Change.
By: Catherine Riddle
When I first started attending Jonathan and Amy’s gatherings, I would never pray in front of anyone. I wasn’t bold at all. For years, I had been told that I wasn’t good enough to pray and that God would never hear my prayers. Because of those lies, I only prayed in secret and never aloud around other people.
As I continued attending the gatherings, I began to grow. Being surrounded by people who genuinely loved me, believed in me, and encouraged me slowly started changing my life.
One day, while we were gathered at Jonathan and Amy’s house, Jonathan’s grandparents were visiting. A woman stood up and began praying over Jonathan’s grandfather. As she prayed, she stopped and said she believed the Lord was telling her that I needed to pray over him.
Immediately, fear rushed over me.
I remember thinking, “Oh no.” I didn’t say it out loud because I didn’t want anyone to hear me, but inside I was terrified.
Then I felt the Lord speak to my heart.
“Are you going to disobey Me because you’re afraid of what people think about you? I love you unconditionally.”
I began to weep quietly. In that moment I made a decision.
“No. I’m not going to let my fear of people stop me from doing my Father’s work.”
So I started praying.
As I prayed, all kinds of thoughts flooded my mind. The enemy whispered, “They’re judging you. You look stupid. You can’t do this.”
But I kept praying.
I refused to believe those lies.
By the time I finished, something had changed inside of me. For the first time in my life, I had prayed out loud in front of other people. It was one of the biggest steps of faith I had ever taken.
Since then, I don’t know why, but the Lord continually brings me to the feet of His people. That’s where I feel He wants me to serve others with humility.
I once told a friend that I’m like a rose that hasn’t fully bloomed yet. For so many years I was only a closed bud. But little by little, God is opening me up into the beautiful person He created me to be.
Today, I’m proud of how far God has brought me.
For years I searched for something, anything, to fill the emptiness inside my heart. I honestly believed nothing and no one ever could.
Then I surrendered my life to Jesus.
With the help of Jonathan, Amy, and other true friends who love the Lord with all their hearts, I finally realized what had been missing.
Only Jesus could fill the hole in my heart.
I always knew there was something different inside of me. There was a love I couldn’t explain, a love that never made sense to me.
Now I understand.
It was the Father’s love all along.
I never understood it because no one had ever taught me about the Father’s love. I wasn’t raised in church. No one in my family went to church. I grew up in a very broken and poor family surrounded by sexual abuse, mental abuse, and physical abuse.
As a child, I constantly asked God, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?”
Everywhere I looked, people hurt me.
I didn’t want to live anymore.
I attempted to take my own life many times, but every attempt failed. Instead, I became critically ill. I spent time in the hospital, was placed into a coma, and was admitted to psychiatric hospitals. No one understood why I wanted to die.
Honestly, neither did I.
I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t die.
All I knew was pain.
I believed no one truly loved me. People would tell me they loved me, but to me those were only words. I had never experienced real love, so I didn’t know what it looked like. If that was love, I wanted no part of it.
Then God changed everything.
Through Jonathan and Amy, and through the community God built around them, I began to experience something I had never known before.
I experienced the Father’s love.
For the first time in my life, I felt seen.
I felt valued.
I felt appreciated.
I felt loved.
God used Jonathan and Amy to help introduce me to the Father, but ultimately it was Jesus who healed the broken places in my heart.
I thank God every single day for bringing them into my life.
Looking back now, I realize that every time I thought my story was over, God was writing a new chapter.
Today, I know I have a purpose.
Today, I know I am loved.
Today, I know I belong.
And today, I know that the Father’s love is real and it changed my life forever.
