I'm Anne Gsellman.

When I was asked to give my faith story today, I felt like saying "no." I didn't know what I would say or how to talk about my whole life in such a short time. Yet, I couldn't get the verses from 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 out of my head.

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles,

and the judgments he pronounced.

So, here I am! I am here to tell you God's wonderful acts and to remember the wonders he has done in my life.

I grew up in a Christ-centered family and was surrounded by solid Christian people. From when I was 2-16, I lived in Nepal. We were missionaries there. People around me always were talking about how God was working in their lives and also explaining Jesus to people who had never heard about Him. In other words, I heard lots of faith stories. Those around us constantly thanked God for safe travel, enough food, and shared how God was using them. In church, I heard week after week God's provision for His people even in times of great suffering. Prayer requests were shared-similar to what we do at this service. Praying was all we could do in most of the situations, yet I learned how important prayer was. Miracles happened around me while I was growing up-what an affirmation of how important prayer is and how God wants to be a part of our everyday lives.

I met a pastor who had been so afraid of betraying God, yet when he was imprisoned and beaten horribly, God had given him such peace. I also heard a lady talk about her husband's dramatic healing from a coma upon which she dedicated her life to God. I saw daily dependence on God. I saw people ask God's Will in all situations-praying was a very normal part of my life. In fact, when someone came to visit us, most often, that person before he or she left would pray for us. My own parents studied the Bible a lot and trusted God for everything. Their very decision to go to Nepal was trusting God with themselves and their small daughter to go to a place they had never heard of! And I saw all the blessings that came from their faith-one of which was God leading us to people we later considered heart family. Dad and Mom often talked about how God was important to them. They talked to us about it in our family, to others around us who wondered why we were in Nepal, and to churches on furlough here.

I grew up around people who lived out their faith sincerely and who wanted to be a witness for God wherever they were. They constantly shared about how God was active in their lives. These faith stories profoundly affected my life. Listening to all of these faith stories made me realize how much God was there for ME all the time. I grew up knowing I could talk to God about everything. All those around me gave me such a special gift! They gave me the confidence of knowing God wants to hear from me and have me listen to Him 24 hours a day!:-) By their example, I automatically turn to God in all situations: whether I learn of the safe delivery of my foster niece, or can't see where I am driving because it is raining so hard, or when I am just walking to class.

Because I have seen how important it was in my own life and how my faith was strengthened by faith stories, I realize that it is so important to share our faith stories with others!

Yet, as I mentioned before, even though I knew how important faith stories are to me, I was debating whether or not to stand up in front of you today. Are we intimidated hearing the words, "Will you share your faith story?" Do we think, "I don't have anything dramatic to say," or "It won't be long enough," or "Where would I start?"

But what is a faith story? Very simply, a faith story is our walk with God-how we have seen God active in our lives. The Bible is full of faith stories-Adam, Samson, Ruth, Esther, David, Peter, Paul, Bauroch, Ananias. . . The Bible is a record of peoples' walks with God-the faithfullness as well as the stuggles. And, we must tell people that the God of the Bible is still active in our lives-we continue those faith stories. We are living out our stories-sometimes with ease and other times with doubt. Yet, God is with us the whole time. We need to share that with others. Faith stories are just letting others know that God is working in our lives. For example, recently, someone told me that he was looking for God's guidance in which of two jobs to take. That is a faith story! He showed me that he was trusting God to guide him-that God was so important to Him that he wanted God's will above all else. God is active in that person's life and it encourages my own faith to see that. At another time, a couple who I consider heart Grandparents told me that they have been praying for me every day. That is also a faith story. They daily entrust me to God and God's guidance because they know that is what is best. I have had such support-God has blessed me with my parents, brother, extended family, and church family! I have seen God working in my life and continue to ask for his guidance for each day.

One of my favorite stories about God caring for the details of our lives took place when we were moving to the village from the city. We had to walk for 5 hours from the nearest airport and it was a very hot day. We were tired and hot, and our water was warm. All of a sudden, a cloud covered us as we walked and it started to drizzle. We were surprised and looked around us. Everywhere else, the sun was still shining-the cloud and drizzle was just on us-cooling us down. We enjoyed it, but forgot about it until we went back to the city for a visit. Our church family asked how our trip out had been and before we could respond, said that they had prayed that a cool cloud would cover us as we walked up the mountain. Again and again, God shows us how much he cares for the details of our lives. Isn't it exciting that we have such a wonderful God-who comes to us? We need to tell others.

It is not easy to tell our faith stories-yet God calls us to do that. Make known among the nations what he has done, tell of all his wonderful acts, remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced. We need to tell those around us specific ways we have seen God at work in our lives.