Firstly, my name is Pat and I’ve lived nearly all my life in my hometown of Mallow, County Cork. My early and later school days were one of complete unhappiness mainly due to the bulling and torturous ways of the “Christian brothers” and others. An unhappy school life was followed in later years by an equally unhappy marriage, which resulted in separation. This left me a “nowhere person” in life. For years I indulged in heavy drinking and debauchery and much more sinful acts of an unspeakable nature. Then after many years of pointless living a BIG CHANGE was about to come into my life.
Even though I was a Roman Catholic, I never really had much time for that church and its teachings. I always thought that the Bible was the same all over the world until I discovered that the Roman Catholic version was completely and confusingly different that the true Word of God spoken in the King James version. This knowledge I obtained when my son, Denis (now a born-again and wonderful Christian), used to tell me about it as he read it and explained to me in some detail the meaning of certain passages and so on. It was around this time another wonderful thing happened in my life.
It was when I met Marian. OH, HAPPY DAYS! She hailed all the way form Dundalk in County Louth, “the wee County”. We both enjoyed our life together, to the extreme in fact, for years. But we lived in sin and that was simply not good enough. Then, another wonderful change was to take place.
Marian, who had been attending the Baptist church in Dundalk for some time had been blessed by hearing the Gospel, so she was to also become born-again in Christ – Praise the Lord! So she wrote to me and earnestly told me she could no longer live in sin with me as her heart only told her to live for Christ in an obedient and righteous way. Amazingly, deep down in my own heart, I yearned and longed to hear something like this. I understood it wholly and it was at this point I knew that the events which led up to it were no mere coincidence. I had recently started attending the Bible Baptist Church in Mallow, and learning the Bible.
I knew in my heart it was the Lord at work. His great mercy upon me was clear as I thought more and more. I thank Him dearly for enabling me to see the truth, and so after a period of time I surrendered my heart and sinful life to Him as I read and understood His Word more and more. With the help of Pastor Craig and others, I went on my knees and repented, asking Him for forgiveness of my sins and told Him that I was only an unworthy person deserving nothing more than to be cast into hell. I asked Him to change the delight I got out of my sin into hate, and I asked Him to come into my heart and save me.
So from then up to now, today – HOW GLORIOUS A DAY – I put my trust totally in Him, my LORD, SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST forever. AMEN!