Declaring God's Faithfulness: Our Story

The Lord has given us a story full of grace and mercy. We pray that it extends as a blessing of future generations.

I grew up for the first six years of my life in family that went to church, but after my parents’ divorce, we stopped going. My mom, who raised me, is an atheist. My life was full of kids that constantly made fun of me. I felt worthless, unwanted, and desperately needed a friend. The Lord gave me that friend in Ninth Grade. Amy loved me unconditionally. She told me about Jesus and His love for me. She walked with me down the hallway and stayed with me as the kids picked on me in a variety of ways. I believed her about Jesus. If Jesus was anything like Amy was, then He was worth following. It took four years, but in my senior year of high school, I accepted Him as my Savior.

John's story is a bit different. He grew up in a family that went to church, but there was no real relationship with the Lord. Church was what a family just does. His sister got saved in youth group and later invited John. John also received Christ while he went to the youth group with his sister. He was in Junior High at the time. When he went to college, he got involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and that is where we met.

The pastor and his wife in the church we attended in college allowed us to court in their care and helped us discern the prospect of marriage. Through their love and support, we married right after John graduated. I had been working in the area for a full year and the pastor had a pleasure of marrying us.

From there, John was on staff with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. He started out at Grove City College, while pioneering a chapter at Slippery Rock University. After two years, we were called up to Erie, Pa. After the move, he started working with the Intervarsity chapter at Penn State Berhend and Mercyhurst College. We were there for seven years. I worked a variety of jobs that ranged from daycare to dealing with mental health issues with children. All of our children were born while we lived in Erie. After the twins were born, I simply stayed at home. The Lord’s faithfulness continued in our lives, as we saw people help us pay bills and put food on the table. I never knew where the meals were coming from, but by the end of his ministry, I could trust that they would come.

We ended up in Wellsville, when Dr. Rummel needed a medical assistant and asked John to consider the position. We were living in Virginia at the time, but we had become close friends of JR and Cassie during our time in Erie. They were Intervarsity alumni. We ended up going to the same church and living within a quarter-mile from each other while we were in Erie. Grateful for the offer to move back up here closer to family and friends, we moved. The boys were two, Emma three, and Hannah five.

That is how we came to serve at the Presbyterian Church of Wellsville. Our dear friends were attending here and I requested to stay close to them in many ways. We were blessed by our friendship with them and grateful that the Lord has kept us close to them.

Since we have become members of this congregation, I have helped out with the Children's ministries in a variety of ways, leading song time, teaching Sunday School, teaching Preschool Church, VBS, and serving on the Children's Ministry Committee. I have enjoyed chairing Balloon Rally and am now very grateful that I can play my clarinet with the music-leadership team. John is a deacon. He creates the power point presentations for Sunday mornings, as well as for VBS. He tends to many behind-the-scenes needs in the church. We are thankful for the Lord's faithfulness to us through these years and glad to call our church “family.” We are also very excited that we are first-generation Christian parents and can, Lord willing, pass on a legacy of faithfulness to our children and their callings in life.

Editor’s Note: We are blessed with the addition of the Wagner family to our congregation. Michelle has outlined some of John’s and her participation in the life of the congregation, but it should not go unnoticed, the contribution made by the four Wagner children. Anyone who helps in the kitchen preparing or cleaning up after Fellowship Dinner, knows that Hannah and Emma are enthusiastic and faithful helpers, while the boys bring joy and delight by just being…boys!!

*ADAPTED FROM OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING OUR NEWLETTER, PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR, DOROTHY ACHILLES, AT MDACHILLES@FRONTIERNET.NET