Leila's testimony

I was officially saved at the age of 18 in a Bible believing Baptist Church. My salvation story begins with the Book. That Book has fascinated me from childhood and it played a key role in my salvation.

By heredity, I was raised a Greek Orthodox, but at school I was raised Evangelical at an English school which was renouned for its classic heritage and high educational standards. The whole school lined up every morning and we filed to Assembly Hall, each class in his rank, down the aisles into the pews where on a daily basis, we read the Bible, sang hymns, heard school announcements, and very often missionaries came from England and gave us the message of salvation.Bible education was mandatory. We memorized the King James Bible since childhood, and we were graded for that, and it went into our school average.

I believe with all my heart that God was at work in my life since I was in grade 1 and even in Kindergarden. Why my siblings and I were sent to an Evangelical English school in a country that is widely Catholic French speaking is a question I can only answer by saying it was God's providence. It was at school (not at home) that I first laid my hands on a New Testament. To me that small black book was just fascinating. I remember flipping through its pages and admiring the calligraphy, and the black border around each page. As I held that book I knew I was holding something very precious. There was something special about that book, something mysterious, heavenly. Oh I can't describe it. I still get goose bumps when I think of the effect it had on me in those days (grades 2 and 3) and still does. One day my mother was not home (you know how little girls like to go through their mother's wardrobe) so I found a thick black Bible, the complete book in her cupboard. I took it down and read it for hours. That Book just fascinated me, but I did not know much more than that. I thought these characters lived thousands of years ago, but oh how things have changed since then.

Years went by and the little girl was now about twelve years old when rumous circulated that the virgin Mary had been sighted on the dome of an Eastern Church (my mother's). My mother, bless her heart, gathered her four children and we went out to spend the night outside that church waiting for the virgin's appearance. Before we left home, the five of us (mother and 4 children) decided to ask the virgin for one thing if she appeared to us. Eternal Life.

No one appeared that night (of course) and we all went back home feeling desponded. Then came Easter and my Greek Orthodox father took us to the Greek Orthodox church where if we went under the flowery hearse (a greek orthodox tradition) we were told we'd get eternal life. Sundays came and went, and we burnt incense at home to drive the evil spirits out, we recited our Creed, and the rest of the shabang but I had not met the Lord yet. At school I was evangelical, at home Greek Orthodox, but I never realized there was a difference.

Years went by and I became a teenager but I was ready to give up. Although at school, I still bowed down and told the Lord I wanted to go to heaven at every invitation from every missionary, but back in the classroom, the girls were cheating in exams and I would allow them to copy from my papers, so I knew I had commited sin one more time. I wanted to be perfect for God. I tried to earn my salvation by my own goodness. At home I was getting fed up with religion. I believed that heaven was for nuns and priests. Often during the ceremonial celebrations of Easter I would be moved to tears of despair knowing that I am not going to make it to heaven. I didn't want to live like a nun, and I did not want to look like the religious girls in my class either. (I was in an all girls school).

What I had not realized throughout all those years was that Jesus had paid it all. I did not need to do anything to get saved. It was simply by believing on him and trusting his finished work on the cross. For some reason, no body had told me that it is as simple as can be. All my life I had been trying to be a good person, and to work towards pleasing God to save me. But praise God one night my uncle came to visit in order to talk some sense into my brother who was about to quit school. But my uncle who was a saved man started discussing prophecy. He got us hooked. We all loved prophecy and so the visits were repeated. All this time my uncle spoke confidently of his salvation. I asked him one night how come he was so sure of his salvation. My uncle said "Do you have a Bible?" Sure I have a Bible I answered. Go get your Bible and open to John 3:16, and Romans 10:10 and one by one he made read verses which showed that you are saved just by grace, it is the gift of God. It is not a question of what we do, but what Jesus did. It is finished. The Book had finally cracked the code for me. I did not need to earn my salvation. I liked that. I immediately said, "I want to come with you to your church." The next morning, he picked me up with my three siblings and we went to First Baptist Bible Church in Beirut.

Soon I was in the church choir practicing a chantata for Christmas, and one Sunday afternoon we were all standing on the pulpit practicing the hymn "Have you any room for Jesus". Our song leader was giving us instructions to look happy because we are giving a testimony to the congregation. As I sang the first verse, the truth suddenly hit me. I am singing to them, asking them "Have you any room for Jesus". Hey, it means I have room for Jesus in my heart. At that very moment, I felt a surge of Joy, unspeakable and full of glory, come over me from head to toe, and I realized for the first time in my life that I WAS SAVED. Finally, I am saved. The seed that was planted in childhood now sprang to life. I have Eternal Life. I ran down the pulpit into the pastor's office and asked to be baptized. I was baptized that last Sunday before Christmas in 1974.

All my life I had looked for it. The Book showed me the way. The Lord, he is God, he paid the price for me. I am now eternally his, and his alone. I want nothing else in this life but to glorify his name and to serve him and to declare his love to the multitudes.

That is why my name is Consecrated unto God.