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TESTIMONIES OF GOD'S GRACE

The following testimonies are of men who have been blessed of the Lord as a result of coming under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word while at Bethel Colony of Mercy.
These pictures and testimonies will change from time to time, so be sure to check often to see how God is working at Bethel to deliver men from the bondage of sin.


The picture below is of the group of students that was baptized the month listed below.


February 2010




      Greg Gayheart, with his family
                                  wife - Tammy
                  children - Richard, Erin and Isaiah
                             (pictured left - right)


My name is Greg Gayheart and I am from Ohio. I would like to share with you what has happened in my life since I came to Bethel Colony of Mercy in September, 2007. At that time, I was a truly broken man - mentally, spiritually and physically. I was a mess.

I had been in a relationship with a woman on and off for about 17 years. We have children together and the day my youngest, a daughter, was born, I was locked up in a nut house. The Court decided it would be better if I was not around our children so I was only allowed to see them 15 hours per week under supervision.

On October 17, 2007, I was saved in the Worship Center at Bethel Colony of Mercy. That’s the day I surrendered to God and invited Him into my life. At that point, God started His mighty work in me and my life. I completed the 65-day program at Bethel and extended for a longer stay. Since I’ve been at Bethel, the protective order for my children has been dismissed and my children are now living with Tammy and me. We got married in August, 2008. I moved my family to Lenoir and we are now renting a house from Bethel. My oldest son, Isaiah, was saved in the Worship Center at Bethel Colony exactly 1 year from the day I surrendered to God and has since been baptized here as well. He loves the Lord and is getting A’s and B’s in school and enjoys playing sports.

Richard, our youngest son, is doing so much better since we’ve moved to Lenoir. He loves to travel with Bethel to churches to sing praises to God with the men in the program.

Erin is our little girl. She is 2 and is truly a blessing! Seems that she just knows when I am having a bad day and will kiss and hug on me until I forget my problems. Seems they weren’t really that big anyway!

I have recently been put on the staff at Bethel and now have the privilege of seeing God work in other men’s lives the way He has worked in mine.

All of this is made possible by God through your prayers, support and donations. I pray God will bless you and your family the way He has mine. My family and I thank you for all you do for Bethel. You don’t know how many lives you have helped God touch as a result of your prayers and gifts. I am so grateful for all you do. Thank you.

Greg

I have seen such a change in Greg since coming to Bethel and trusting Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the privilege of being at Bethel and seeing the difference it is making in our lives and in our children’s lives. Thank you.

Tammy


 


Donald Gurnsey
Member of Bethel's Board Of Directors

 

I consider it a blessing to share testimony of how God has changed my life. I am originally from Richmond, Virginia, where I spent the first 31 years of my life. My mother and father divorced when I was 6 and I have one sister who is 4 years older than me. My mother remarried and I had a stepfather from age 7 until I was 15. From age 15 on, my mother did her best to teach me right from wrong and to raise me on her own. Like most 15 - 16 year olds, I was very hard-headed and I became very rebellious, not listening to my mother’s advice. In the early years, my life seemed to be okay. I played baseball and football for our local youth program. We lived in a nice brick home with a pool in the backyard so I was very content with life and seemed to be headed in the right direction. Little did I know that my life would soon take a different path.

As I reached middle school and began to lose interest in sports, I found myself with other interests such as girls and trying to fit in and be “cool”. This was also about the time my mother and stepfather divorced. I started hanging around people who were doing the wrong things and before I knew what hit me, I was entangled in a life of sin. I made some very bad decisions as a young teenager, decisions that would change my life completely. I was so easily influenced by the people around me that I began to do the things they were doing in order to be accepted by them. What I didn’t realize was that the people I was trying to please and be accepted by didn’t care anything about me or my future. As I reached high school, things continued to spiral out of control. My loving mother, bless her heart, tried to educate me about the things of this world that do nothing but destroy lives and relationships. Nevertheless, I thought I knew what was best for me and the harder she tried the more I rebelled against her. I often wonder now why it was so easy for me to hurt the ones I loved most and the ones that loved me most. As I hit my freshman year in high school, I began to use drugs and alcohol, starting off slowly using marijuana and drinking. From there, as I grew, so did my need for harder drugs. Living where I grew up, drugs were as accessible as a loaf of bread. From pot and alcohol, I moved to harder drugs. The devil had completed his mission.

I never intended on developing a drug habit but for the next 10 years I couldn’t stop using. My first marriage ended after only 2 years. I couldn’t keep a steady job. All that mattered anymore was how I would get my next fix. My life had hit rock bottom. I ended up stealing to support my drug habit and also ended up serving 6 months in jail facing a 20 year prison sentence for various crimes I had committed.

Finally my will was broken. I knew I had to change or I would soon be dead. That’s when my sister began to tell me about Jesus. She herself was born again at the age of 18. I was broken, willing to try anything to change my life. I began to listen and the more I heard about Jesus, the better I began to feel. He was already starting to work in my heart. She told me about a place called Bethel Colony of Mercy, a ministry designed specifically to reach the addicted men of America. She told me they have a 65 day program that teaches men that their addiction is sin and the only answer for sin is Jesus Christ. She explained that all I needed to do was call for more information, so I did. They told me they could take me in about 2 weeks. God had already begun to open doors for me. Two weeks later I arrived at Bethel Colony located in the foothills of North Carolina.

Leaving Richmond and arriving at Bethel was like moving to another planet. I was scared and alone. My family was no longer around me for support. Men were walking around praising the Lord and hollering “Hallelujah!”. I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into. This was all new to me because I had never been around Christians like this. I settled in and began my journey. They taught me about God and His love for me. One night while I lay in bed reading my Bible, God really began speaking to me through His Word. I closed my Bible and my eyes and began to cry to my Father in Heaven. I will never forget that night. I told Him that I was done, that my life belonged to Him and that if He would forgive me I would follow Him. I started to grow closer to the Lord through weekly counseling and daily Bible teaching. One day during one of my counseling sessions I shared my heart with my counselor. He was so happy about my decision to live my life for Christ and he prayed with me and assured me of my salvation. I ended up completing the 65-day program and volunteered to stay on as a staff member. Fifteen months later, God was leading me to move on and begin my new life outside of Bethel. Little did I know He would keep me in Lenoir, NC.
God was answering so many of my prayers and showing me how much He loved me. He was giving me my life back. I was now walking around hollering “Praise the Lord!” and “Hallelujah!”. I called a local furniture company and they told me to come right on up. I filled out an application and they hired me the same day. What a wonderful God we serve! Soon after I started working there, I met a wonderful girl who was so sweet and nice and also loved the Lord. Eventually I made her my wife. That was all 11 years ago. We now have 4 children, 2 girls and 2 boys. More evidence of God’s faithfulness and His love for me.

What an important decision I made that night in my room at Bethel! My life is totally different now. Not because I don’t have problems or run into trying times. No, those things still happen, but not as often. Simply because Jesus has taught me that He is there with me through it all and He will bear the burden; I don’t have to. I’m no different from you. The only difference may be that I have received forgiveness for my sins - past, present and future. Forgiveness not because of anything that I did, but for what Jesus did. Don’t wait for tomorrow to receive this free gift of salvation. Tomorrow may never come. Don’t think you have to wait until you’re a better person. Jesus says come just as you are. So, I invite you today on behalf of my Savior. Come just as you are.

 

Thank you and to God be the glory!

Donald Gurnsey
Bethel Graduate,
Bethel Board Member

(1994 - currently)

 


 

 

 

Bill Howington

1953 graduate of Bethel, shares a testimony of God’s grace in his life. Bill has been faithful to the LORD and to Bethel since his graduation. What a testimony to the power of God!

 

 

 


 

Testimony of Bethel Graduate

Delbert "Pete" Austrew

I came to Bethel colony of Mercy in November, 1998. At this time in my life I found myself at a loss of family, friends and everything else I loved or cared about. I had been drinking and drugging very heavily just to deal with the emotional pain I was feeling.

On arriving at Bethel, I had a desire to turn my life around simply because I knew it was a miracle of God that I made it there. You see, I knew "about" God but had no relationship with Him. Everything I had attempted in life had become a failure. Relationships, employment and then my health! In 1987, I was involved in an industrial accident that resulted in six major surgeries in seven years! Two major back surgeries that left me relying on a wheel-chair, a total left hip replacement, and two shoulder replacements. A tumor was found in my neck resulting in surgery that has left one side of my face numb. On my back in Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, I cried out to Jesus Christ. Soon after that a nurse came into my room and asked; "Where are the roses? I smell roses." No one had brought roses to my room.

I continued in my difficulties for some years as I was in and out of physical rehabs. At one point I was prescribed over ten different pain medicines and had become addicted to them all. I was also addicted to street drugs and alcohol. This continued to the point I lost my family and all that mattered to me. Then, a family member told me about Bethel Colony. I came to Bethel as soon as I could get in. My experience at Bethel was one that I will walk with for the rest of my life. I wish I could say that when I left Bethel everything went well for me. Sadly, my life continued to spiral downward. But, at the most precious time in my life, what was instilled in me while at Bethel came forth! I had "NOT" surrendered everything to Jesus! I had held on to anger, resentment, and deep emotional pains. My most precious time was the point of surrender of everything to Jesus!

Feeding on the Word, I began to discover how much He loves me. John 3:16 says; "For God so loved the world (me), that He gave His only Son." I discovered His identity within the Bible and began to see my own identity through His eyes. This experience changed my life forever! You see, as I discovered these truths through the Holy Spirit, I discovered who was the author of my failures...Satan! I learned I have authority over my enemy in the name of Jesus! Because of this discovery, my life has purpose and meaning today. Yes, I lost everything, but God has restored my health, both mental and physical. Today I am as healthy as I have ever been in my life. God is blessing me in so many ways.

On June 8, 2007, I graduated from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville, NC. I am a licensed Baptist minister. I will be attending Florida Baptist College to pursue a Master of Ministry degree. In the meantime, I have traveled from Kentucky to Florida preaching the Word of God and giving my testimony. I feel the Lord has placed a burden on my life to write a book concerning the role of the "Spiritual Priest of the Home". God is doing things for me that I would not have thought possible! My testimony is simply this; He is still in the business of raising the "dead"! He is no respecter of persons and He will do the same for "whosoever".

The roses no one could find in my hospital room? One day I read in the Bible that He is the Rose of Sharon! Praise God! The tomb is empty! Revelation 12:11; "And they overcame the evil one by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." Praise God, we win! And as the old song says..."It is well with my soul!"

 

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