How I became a Christian - Jesus changed my life

All changed on the 19th of January 2000. But let me start at the beginning. In 1999, I was engaged to be married to a Peruvian who grew up in Germany. We met when I was 16 and we started dating the same year. He was my first love. In 1999, I was studying French adn English to become a teacher for High chool and part of that required me to go one semester abroad. I chose to go to LAUSANNE, int he French Part of Switzerland. It is a beautiful pieceof earth, breathtaking and all. Nevertheless, it was hard for me to be away from my fiance for 6 months. In my first month, they had an evening to elcome international students. That is where I met Christine. She was a girl from California and I was drawn to her Amercain accent (I had gone to New York with my fiance a few months prior and had fallen in love with the American accent). As we chatted away, I recognized her feeling sad, so I aksed her. She told me that her and her boyfriend had broken up. oooh - I did not want to go there since I was not around my fiance and I did not want to face the fear of a break up with him. I could not shake of the feeling that not only Christine was sad about that situation, but that her boyfriend was sad, too. So I asked: "You seem sad about it and I hear that he is sad too - if you don't mind me asking - why are you not together anymore then?" She told me that God had showed and told them both to go seperate ways. Now here was something that I really did not understand and it made me mad. God cannot speak - What is this? THis woman is a lunatic!! Is she crazy? All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. Christine could tell that I was NOT a happy camper (grin),so she changed the topic. When I got hoem that night,I calle dmy mon and 2 other friends and let it rip. I was still mad or angry somehow. Anyway, I exchanged email adresses with Christine since I liked to perfect my English and I was proud to know an American (ooh yeah). Since she now had my email details, she sent me invites for her Bible study every week. I was so annoyed and quickly clicked DELETE. I could not care less. Then one day, she invited me to a little Christmas party in december. I emailed her back: "Is there any CHristian stuff involved?" After she said no, I actually went. It was a great evening. As I entered her appartment, I could sense something that made my soul exhale, a peace that I had longed for all my life. It felt good and it felt safe. Then Christmas came and I was able to go home to see my fiance and my family. Christmas time has not been an easy time in my life since my uncle committed suicide in 1994. It made the whole family break into pieces. So you can imagine that I was only too happy to be distracted by seeing my fiance. As I came back to my little room in Laussane thought (in the beginning of the new year - the MILLENIUM), I could feel it. I felt empty and I could feel a pain that I had tried to suppress all those 5 years before. I realized I had never really processed what my uncle had done to my family, to my cousins, my aunt and to me. After anger there was deep hurt and I wanted to cry but couldn't. So I took my walkman with some instrumental music on and went outside for a walk. All that time I asked myself (at least I thought I asked myself): How can I cope with this, how can I get through this pain? I litened to the music, until I heard a soft wind blow and something touched me on my left ear - I turned my head and saw a leaf floating from a tree. I stopped and picked it up. As I did so, a started to mile for the first time that day and I felt something, something so safe, so beautiful. Let me explain - it is the feeling you get after your FATHER hugs you and then says: Everything will be all right, I will make sure of it. - I felt such peace and relief. I asked myself: COuld that be God? mmh, then I remmebered another email from Christine about her Bible Study. So I decided to go and check out if that was REALLY God. I went that wednesday evening, had dinner with a few people, was really surprised that they prayed before eating their food (but I liked the idea). Then we had the Bible study and I was delighted to find that we analized a text in the Bible just like I loved to analyze a text in my literature studies. I enjoyed the evening and when it was time to pray I hesitantly shared my prayer request with all those strangers. As Christine prayed for me, my heart was flooded with that safe peaceful knowledge and I recognized it. I said in my heart: God, this WAS you 2 days ago and it is you again, I never let you go! Another week past until the 19th of January 2000. It was a wednesday and I went to my second Bible Study. Christine led me to the kitchen and prayed with me. I will never forget this evening. I celebrate the 19th of January every year. I am now 10 years 7 months old in Jesus. I don't regret that I gave my life to the ONE who died for my me and rose again. I started on my journey of life with HIM and it is a wonderful one! With HIM there is always hope and all pain is transformed, little by little!!