By ISABEL Sermeno |
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Brian and I got involved in CMA in 2004 , and our children were brought up in the ministry . We took them to state rallies , Seasons of Refreshing , and lots of other events , but they didn ' t participate as much as they grew older . Until our 21-year old daughter ( and her boyfriend ) got baptized on April 18 , 2021 , and I read her testimony , I had no idea how much impact CMA ' s Flame On had on her . This is just an encouragement that even though they may not become a member of CMA and be part of our ministry , the end goal is to be a part of His Kingdom ! It may only be one event that a person comes to , but we can still be a part of God working in someone ' s lives and never know it . I thank the Lord for the lady who reached out and let God speak through her to our daughter . Thank you for changing the world , one heart at a time .
Carrie Sermeno Nebraska Area Rep
MY CMA STORY story with Jesus Christ
MY begins very early . I was blessed with a wonderful family and parents who taught me about Jesus and nurtured my faith from the beginning . My entire life , I grew up going to church , Sunday school , AWANA , VBS , etc . Even though I accepted Jesus into my heart as a |
small child , I don ' t consider that to be when I became a Christian . I went through the motions and did what I thought I was supposed to do until it finally clicked for me in my freshman year of high school .
Freshman year of high school was a year of loneliness for me . I decided not to try out for dance / cheer , when all of my friends did . They were always busy , so I spent a lot of time by myself . I was really struggling the first semester , and then Christmas break came around . My mom asked me if I wanted to go to a youth conference in Arkansas called Flame On . The only other person going was my sister , but she had been before and had friends going . I decided that I would go , and it truly changed my life .
At this youth conference , I made new friends from all over the country and had the time of my life . We dug into the Word , prayed on our hands and knees , and had the most powerful worship sessions I ' ve ever experienced . I had been praying throughout the semester that God would reveal Himself to me and make me feel less alone . Loneliness was something I had struggled with my whole life . At one of these worship sessions , I heard the song " Holy Spirit " for the first time . I sang the lyrics , " Holy Spirit , you are welcome here , come flood this place and fill the atmosphere ," and I truly felt the Holy Spirit all around
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me and in my heart .
This feeling was so overwhelming it brought me to tears . I went up to the prayer altar and was praying and crying out to God . This random lady that I ' d never met before came up to me , placed her hand on my shoulder , and said , " You are not alone ." She had no idea the impact she had on my life , but she was obedient to God . I came home from the trip as a new person .
I know that there are bigger problems in the world than not being on the cheer team with your friends , but God knew what was going on in my life at the time , and He used it to reach out to me . That ' s the crazy thing about God ; He will find a way to connect with each of us , even if it ' s different for everyone .
I ' ve grown up and had my faith challenged and faced struggles and temptations , but Jesus has always been faithful to me . I can truly say that Jesus will never let me down , no matter how many times I mess up . CMA
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