My Story by Todd Rekowski

Hi, my name is Todd Rekowski and this is my story.

I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of 2 kids in a Catholic family. I grew up learning about God and about how to do good works in order to please Him. I read my Bible and prayed and went to church regularly. But I gradually drifted away from my Christian practices, not knowing how to connect with God on a deeper, more personal level.

Eventually, I moved to Appleton, WI, as part of a job transfer. While I was living there, I met 2 people who were attending a United Pentecostal Church. One of them was a born-again Christian. We did a lot of fun activities together. I began to attend their church and was impressed with the worship and how everyone seemed to really get involved in the service. I began a Bible study with them at his apartment. However, I couldn’t identify with their Christian faith and understand what motivated them to commit themselves to a life serving Jesus. I decided that I would only attend a couple more services and then stop. At the end of the next service, one of my friends went to the front of the church and began to pray. Other people began to pray with him. The excitement level began to rise and people began to cheer. I went up to see what was happening and noticed the look of joy upon his face. He had received the Holy Ghost! I went home that night thinking about what had happened.

The next day, I was reading a Christian book and was given the idea to read Psalm 119:9. I broke down and repented of my sins, but felt “empty”. I realized that I needed to receive the Holy Ghost, too. I went to my next Bible study and at the end they asked me if I wanted to pray. I said, “Yes”, and began to pray out loud because the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost is that you speak supernaturally in an unknown tongue (Acts of the Apostles, chapters 2, 10, 19). It only took a couple of minutes and I began to speak in tongues! I was baptized the following day in the name of Jesus for the remission of my sins.

I learned that Jesus loves me and cares for me. He has helped me through some very trying situations in life. He gives me hope and strength and peace when times are tough. I look back and see where He has directed my life, guiding me through different situations, leading me to His salvation plan (Acts 2:37 – 39). I now know what it means to worship “in the Spirit”, to feel Jesus’ presence whenever I want to, to be born-again. If you are looking for a deeper relationship with God, here is your opportunity. He has brought you to a point where you can make a decision about your eternal future. Will you accept His invitation for salvation?