Life outside of FALC

Someone recently told me, “I just hope you are happy.” This gave me the idea to write this blog post to share about my life inside of FALC and outside. I remember the way I thought and believed while attending FALC, and really thought there was no chance of happiness or a good life outside of the FALC. I want to address that in this honest blog post.

Being raised in the FALC, my childhood was wonderful. I have many cousins my age, and we spent so much time together. We had a river in our backyard & we would spend many summer hours in the woods, building forts, hiking around, and swimming. We had a pool that we swam in often too, and had friends over all the time. Every Sunday, we either had friends over or went to friends’ houses. Most of the friends I hung out with were cousins. All of them were from the FALC. We did not have a TV, and I thank the Lord for this, because we were protected from so much yucky worldliness that taints the mind. (“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27)

We spent so much time outside, playing four-square, capture-the-flag, lightning, basketball, soccer, baseball, and volleyball. We would bike up & down the road, go 4-wheeling, and play all kinds of games. We went camping every summer, sometimes for up to 2 weeks straight on Lake Michigan! It was the best! It was very carefree & full of fun. We also went to the UP multiple times a year to visit family. You cannot beat the UP! It was so great. So much sauna swim, boating, waterskiing, sleepovers with cousins, and great times with family and friends.

In the winter, we hooked up sleds to the 4-wheeler and went sledding behind the 4-wheeler. We skated on the pond behind our neighbors house for hours, playing hockey and all kinds of other games. We went skiing at Mt. Brighton once a week with ski-club. This was such a blast! I am truly so thankful for all the great memories & adventures we had. We really knew how to have fun. With having so many siblings, and so many cousins, we were rarely ever bored. There was always someone to play with, and if not play, fight with. I used to love to instigate and make my siblings mad at me & they would chase me around. I would lock myself in the bathroom & giggle at the stir I had caused. We had many good times, and many squabbles as well.

We were very close with both sides of our family, all of our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We often had family gatherings, for every holiday & many in-between as well. When we had these gatherings, the house would be packed, hot, and loud… full of story telling, laughter, kids playing, and delicious food. Truly, wonderful family bonds & great times were had by all.

We learned to work hard! I am the second oldest of 10 kids, so I had lots of chores. We took turns doing daily chores like dishes, sweeping, bathrooms, and vacuuming. Every Saturday was chore day & I woke up to a list of chores to do that day. The types of jobs were dusting, windows, scrubbing the floor, cleaning our rooms, washing cupboards, scrubbing the sauna, weeding, cleaning out the van, and more. My mom really taught us to clean really well & work so hard! I really appreciate this now, although I hated it at the time. We kept a pretty clean and put-together house for having 10 kids!

Every night my dad would read us books. We loved this! We would race upstairs and try to be the first to be ready for bed so we could be the one to pick out a few books to read. We loved to snuggle up and read and my dad would tuck us in and say, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thy Lord my soul to take. Mom and Dad love you very, very much.” I always felt safe & loved & comfortable.

My mom put me through piano lessons, although I hated it & desperately wanted to play travel soccer instead. I am so thankful now that I learned piano! I do not play as much as I would like, but maybe someday I will play more! I was always very disciplined in school and got all my homework done without my parents nagging me at all. I was a pretty much straight-A student. It was easy for me & I enjoyed learning & excelling at school. My mom allowed us to do school sports like basketball, volleyball, cross country, and track, which I loved! She picked us up every day before I could drive, and both of my parents attended most of my games/meets. This was great fun! This was definitely one of my favorite high school memories.

Our life revolved around church. We went to church every Sunday, Bible class every Tuesday (or Wednesday), Song Services, Night church, and every church services when we had Fall Services or Easter services. We went to everything as long as we could make it. At the FALC, weddings are open to all to come, so we went to weddings often (probably about 10 or so a year)! We also went to most funerals. There is such a strong bond there. I always felt instant love and connection at all of these events.

Baby and wedding showers were always happening on Saturday mornings or Thursday nights. The support at FALC is amazing! You are all set when you get married and/or have a baby. The homes are packed with ladies, and we sing hymns, eat delicious food, visit, and check out the gifts. There is always much happiness and excitement at these.

When someone gets married, the bride’s family takes care of the planning & food. The bride’s mother’s friends all get together the 2 days before wedding, prepping the church, and getting all the food made. Some weddings are huge, from 300 to 900 people attending! Most people make their own food for weddings, so this is a huge task! It is amazing the amount of support there is in this, and everyone seems to have fun while helping out together! This makes weddings very frugal, conservative, and smooth.

Sunday School starts at 4 years old and goes till 8th grade. This is every Sunday (except in the summer) before church. Confirmation happens the summer after 9th grade, and this is a week long event, (with some Saturday’s), where the teens learn about the Bible and church. I honestly do not remember much from this. Confirmation was a great time. We spent a lot of time with friends, and that was the highlight of it all for me! It ended with confirmation Sunday, which is the first communion for the confirmants. At communion, you receive 2 blessings. One when you receive the cracker, one when you receive the juice. Elders pass these out, blessing each person with their hand on their shoulder, after they give the cracker/juice. I am not sure why there are two blessings here. Then, the girls turn to each other and ask, “Will you bless me?” and the other person will say, “Believe all sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood. Will you bless me too?” and the other person will say, “Believe all sins forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood.” Many times, tears are shed. The guys do not bless each other (most of the time). Then the girls go to their parents in the bench and ask for blessings from both & the parents bless back. Then all the girl confirmants go to the back of the church and all bless each other, bawling. The guys do not do this, I am not sure why.

To get converted to FALC, you get a blessing. Either at communion or from someone else. They believe this is forgiving your sins, and making you heaven-acceptable. Then you continue to receive blessings to assure you of the forgiveness of sins. I have another blog post explaining this here: https://amandakoppana.wixsite.com/website/post/the-blessing

After confirmation, the teenagers start going to “kyds” which is church kids gatherings most Friday and Saturday nights. You do not have to try too hard to have a great social life! I loved going to kyds. There is no drinking there, and is pretty much good, clean fun. They sing hymns & play games & visit. I went to kyds for 9 years and loved it! When you get married, you stop going to kyds. I was so sad to be done with kyds & cried the first time I missed New Years kyds!

Most people at FALC do not wear make-up, earrings, or nail polish. Most do not go to the movies, dances, or drink. I remember sitting out of music class in elementary school because they were doing some type of dance (I am sure it was innocent), but I believed I couldn’t dance. The only reason I would say is, “My church doesn’t dance,” and I would go sit in the hallway. I remember I colored marker on my toe nails when I was young and my cousin told me that was sin. I was SO ashamed and terribly embarrassed & vowed to myself that I would never do it again. These rules were unsaid, but definitely understood. I remember hearing friends say, “My Grandpa said that if God wanted us to have purple nails, He would have given us purple nails!” and “If Jesus came back and you were in the movie theater, do you think He would save you there?” I honestly did not even have interest in any of these things, so going along with the program was no big deal for me here. I was very low maintenance and remember thinking, “I am so glad I don’t wear makeup! I cant imagine spending that much time getting ready to go somewhere.”

Basically, you have a wonderful community of people you know and love. All of my cousins are apart of FALC and many second cousins as well. I am related to many people in FALC. There is a ton of mixed relations because they pretty much only get married within the church, and the church is largely generational.

The FALC has many wonderful qualities in the culture & community. As you can tell from my childhood, we had good, clean fun. We were definitely different from the kids at school. We stuck together, didn’t wear make-up, didn’t watch TV, so we couldn’t relate when people talked about movies & shows, and were very conservative. People at FALC really stick together & you always have friends, family, and community surrounding you. There are no shortage of good times!

We sang so many great hymns at church and every event we went to. I loved all of these, and still love them so much! There is such solid theology in these old hymns. I am thankful that I have many of them memorized and still sing them often and teach them to my children.

The way I viewed people is either or: they come to church or they don’t. There was a split many years ago, and I do not know much about it, but I do know that the 2 splits are very divisive. They call each other heretics & both claim to be the “one true church,” while both doing the blessing & believing basically the same exact thing. We barely ever talked about it, but all I knew was that FALC was right and they were wrong.

Did I have questions about things growing up? Not really, honestly! I was very happy & content & did not really question it. Why would I? I had all my friends & family here & all of my earthly needs were provided. I was very comfortable there. Here and there I would wonder if we were really the ONLY ones going to heaven, but this was a passing thought and I quickly dismissed it. Why would I question? What is the point? I know that I was going to heaven because I believed my sins forgiven & I belonged to the “one true church.” I was very busy as well, with school, sports, work, friends, and church, that I really did not ever just sit and think about it. No one challenged me on it & my mind just did not go there. I would drive by all kinds of churches, and the thought, “What do they preach here? Are they going to heaven?” maybe crossed my mind a few times, but overall, I did not think about it.

I had a tiny Bible that I brought to Sunday School, but honestly I don’t think I ever read it. The Sunday School teacher read the lesson to us and we just went along with it. I started bringing my Bible to Bible class when we got married and that is really the first time that I actually read my Bible, I am pretty sure. I really do not remember a time of reading my Bible before this. We were never encouraged to read it. The only time I remember reading anything from the Bible at home was at Christmas time, when we read a little part of Luke describing Jesus’s birth, that was on a wooden decoration thing. That was it. I remember my parents reading the “Greetings of Peace” (a FALC newsletter type thing), but that is it. I remember taking comfort in the fact that (I thought) my Grandpa read the Bible often, and approved of FALC, so it must be all good right?

The impression I got of the Bible was: we do not need to read it. The ministers read it and preach the word of God, and we believe our sins forgiven. That is all we need.

When we were first married, I got the bright idea to start reading the Bible! I was not scared of it, but I was genuinely curious what it said. Neither Paul nor I had Bibles, (I had my mini one but it was too small to read comfortably), so we went to Barnes & Noble to buy one! I remember looking at the Bibles, having no clue what all these different versions mean. I knew I needed to get KJV, but wondered, “Can we get just any KJV Bible? Does our church really just have our Bibles in this worldly bookstore? Do I have to get the Bible from our church to make sure it is accurate?” I thought it very strange that we would get a Bible from Barnes & Noble, and that anyone else could pick up and buy too.

We started in Genesis and read a few chapters, and stopped. It was hard to understand and we just did not see the value in it. You see, we were never taught the value of reading & knowing God’s word. We believed that we got all the knowledge we needed about God from the ministers, Sunday School, and confirmation. We were never encouraged to seek God, meditate on His word, grow in the knowledge of God, abide in His word, seek wisdom, work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, live for the glory of God or any of these things that are written in the Bible.

We were taught that as long as you believe your sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and precious blood, and you attend FALC, you are a child of God, and are going to heaven. We lived very moral lives (on the outside), and were “good people’ according to the world’s standards.

We would say things in wedding cards like, “May you always keep your faith most important.” Meaning, may you always come to church and be a good “Christian” girl, aka follow all the unsaid rules. We would say, “We are just so LUCKY! We have so much support and community… I feel so bad for other people, their lives must be so lonely.” Also, “I have no interest at all to go to any other church. I do not understand why anyone would leave!! Why would you ever leave this??”

Someone I looked up to so much would say, “The world is a lonely, lonely place. There is nothing out there. Everyone is so lonely, but we are so lucky to be Christians.” I was always so comforted by her & got warm, fuzzy feelings. I had zero desire to leave or seek anything outside of FALC. I had everything (I thought) I needed here!

I really did not understand why anyone would ever even consider leaving! Until Jesus saved me, and I started really reading the Bible and surrendered everything to God. I started really listening to the sermons. (Which I never really listened that intently to before.) We went to Bible class more and I really read the Bible and listened to what the ministers said about it. I read the Walter Torola books, and this made it very clear to me. The FALC does believe that they are the one true church. They do believe that the blessing is what forgives your sins. The W.T. books point to the church and the blessing for salvation, not repentance and faith in Christ alone for salvation.

What the FALC has done is replaced Jesus with the blessing and the church. This is an idol and it does not save!!

The summer after I was saved, I was talking to a friend, and asking questions about the Bible. I told her, “I am not leaving my church, but I am just curious what you think of this?” I truly did not want to leave FALC at all, although I disagreed with the preaching and teaching. I knew the consequences of it. I knew that my family would freak out. I knew the repercussions that would come with friends & family, and I would no longer be “one of them”. I knew it would be the hardest thing to walk through and I didn’t even allow my mind to consider doing this.

The more I sought God, the more I got sick of the twisting of the scripture and empty messages in the sermons at FALC. I got more and more frustrated with the lack of discussion about God, and apathy towards sin. I just wanted to be taught what God’s word said! I wanted to understand the Bible, know who God is more, and follow Jesus closer! I felt that I could not grow at FALC and that I couldn’t freely talk about Jesus with anyone there. It was always awkward and weird to bring up Bible verses because barely anyone does that.

I read Romans 6 one day in the yard, and was so amazed at this chapter. “THIS IS IT,” I thought. At FALC, the people I hung out with and I lived in sin. There was no heart change, no repentance. We indulged in things like watching “the Bachelor”, dancing to vulgar rap music, watching movies with sexual immorality, gossiped, joked about sexual immorality, swore, lied, stole, dressed immodestly, and more! We were really no different than the world, other than the fact that we didn’t actually go to the movie theater to watch bad movies, we would wait till they were out on DVD. Why did we think DVD’s were okay and theaters were not? Legalism. (This is a another topic)

On communion Sunday, I would go up for communion, and get emotional (about a variety of things), and “get my sins forgiven”, and go and hug my parents and sisters and bless them, and sing hymns and cry…. and then leave, and go RIGHT BACK to the EXACT SAME THING that I just “repented” over! (Although I never actually repented.) I maybe felt a little sorrow over my sin, maybe. It was just mostly an emotional experience where we actually got to hug our parents and tell them that we love them and hear “I love you” back.

Romans 6 is very clear. Before Christ, you are a servant to sin. In Christ, you are a servant to righteousness. I was most definitely a servant to sin before 2018 when I was saved by the grace of God.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”

Romans 6:12-13

I really recommend you going and reading the whole chapter now, if you have not yet! Along with Romans 7 & 8!

One of the problems with FALC teaching is that the fruit of it is, there is no church discipline, so people often continue in unrepentant sin, continually, and purposely, without sanctification. Many are servants to sin. I know this sounds harsh, but this was me before! I was not a servant to righteousness, but continued in my sin, willingly, and purposely, with no regrets (sometimes having worldly sorrow over it). I indulged in sin. I enjoyed it. I sought to see how much I could get away with without enduring consequences. I did not fear the Lord or ask Him to help me resist sin. I never heard anyone say they had repented of something, or was convicted of anything. I was never even taught to confess sin to God or the person I sinned against. We just blessed each other & that covered everything. This is not at all to say that Christans do not sin. But their attitude towards it changes. They are growing in sanctification, and becoming more and more like Christ.

“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Matthew 7:15-20

We are not saved at all by our works. But when someone's heart is changed, they will bear good fruit. John 15 explains this. Galatians 5 as well. Fruit follows faith in Christ. When someone is found in Christ, they are already made completely righteous before the Father, and at the same time, they are growing in Christ-likeness.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Ephesians 5:1-2

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,“You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-16

“Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:34-36

You are either a servant to sin or a servant to righteousness.

You are either a child of the devil or a child of God.

“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

1 John 3:7-10

The first time I read 1 John 3, I was shocked as well! I had never heard of the term “child of the devil” growing up. That is exactly what I was though! Yet, I was falsely comforted by the ministers, my family, and friends, that I was most definitely a Christian, going to heaven. How tragic is this!!! I know if I had died before 2018, I would be burning in hell’s fire for eternity, and rightly so, because of my sin against a holy and righteous God. I was not found in Christ! I really do not think I had heard the true gospel either.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….”

Hosea 4:6

I did not have a knowledge of who God is. The Bible says He is holy, holy holy. He is mighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect in every way, jealous, loving, gracious, merciful, and just. I understood that God was loving, and understood portions of the gospel. But I did not ever learn that God is JUST judge. I never learned that sin cannot be in His presence. I never learned that God hates sin! I did not even know that the full wrath of God was poured out on Jesus on the cross for the sins of the world.

I also did not know the depths of my sin. At FALC, they say things like, “I am so weak, we are grace beggars, there is nothing we can do, but believe our sins forgiven, I am so sin-fallen and weak.” But I never was taught that we are actually conceived in sin.

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Psalm 51:5

I was never taught that every intention in my heart was only evil continually!

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Genesis 6:5

I was never taught about God’s wrath on sinners.

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;

the Lord is avenging and wrathful;

the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries

and keeps wrath for his enemies.”

Nahum 1:2

I did not know that our sin has made us an enemy to God.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Romans 5:10

I was never taught that I had to be born again. (John 3:3). I was told that I was born into Christianity.

I was not taught that by simple faith in Christ, I am made holy, blameless, and pure before the Father. Justified. Righteous. Redeemed. A co-heir with Christ. Forgiven, forever.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:23-26 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Corinthians 5:21 (There is so much scripture I could post here. Please go read Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 10:9-13, 1 John 4:10, Colossians 2:13-15) You guys, this is AMAZING news!! There is no work or ritual or "rules" to follow to be a Christian. It simply by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Anyone, anywhere, can repent, believe the gospel, and follow Christ, and be saved for eternity! Becoming a child of God is the BEST thing that could possibly happen to anyone! To be forgiven of the debt owed to the King of Kings, and Lord of Creation, that you can never repay?? WOOHOO Celebrate!! There is a reason there are so many songs rejoicing in the gospel. The free gift of salvation, to be received by faith, for all who would believe on the Son. God is truly so very good, and His love is so vast, deep, and wide. All for His great name sake. All for His glory.

I could go on…. I was not taught most of the Bible.

Paul and I invited a minister over to share my testimony and concerns about friends and family. I was very disappointed overall. There was no humility on his part to see that this is the fruit of his teaching. I tried to share about my concerns about so many living in sin and indulging in it, enjoying it. He seemed concerned as well, but just said, “All we can do is pray for them.” He does not realize that if you love sin, you are not actually a Christian. Yet, he preaches every single Sunday, “You can believe all sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and precious blood.” Giving all of these people false assurance that their sins are forgiven when they actually are not. What a horrible thing.

You have to actually repent and receive Christ to become a child of God, and go to heaven! True repentance means a change of heart, a change of mind. You hate the sin you once indulged in, and you deeply desire to honor the Lord in all that you do now. You grieve over your sin rather than continue moving forward in it, on purpose.

After this conversation, my stance on FALC was solidified. They preach a false gospel, and therefore, people are remaining in dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1) & held captive by the evil one. (2 Timothy 2:26)

When I realized that I had to leave FALC, I mourned and grieved so much. I never knew I could cry like that.

When I first started talking about it with my family, it was an absolute disaster. Wow. Even before I left or even mentioned leaving, it was a fiasco just because I started asking my parents questions & saying that I believe in what the Bible says alone. Hearing what my parents actually believe also solidified my stance on FALC. I could not believe my ears when they said what they believed!! So unbiblical. This is the fruit of a lifetime of brainwashing with false teaching. It is tragic.

I started my journey of going to different churches by going to a Bible study. This felt less scary because I could still go to FALC on Sunday. It was wonderful to feel free to ask many questions, and to freely talk about faith! It felt like lightness and freedom.

Then I went to a worship service, and bawled, rejoicing and praising the Lord. I loved (and still love) all Christian music and it often makes me weep to worship the Living God!! He is so, so amazing!!

My last straw at FALC was at Fall Services. The minister said, “Some people think they can repent directly to God, but we believe you must repent to someone in the Kingdom of God (aka FALC). We have the authority to forgive sins, the keys to the Kingdom.” I just about jumped up and ran out, and was trying so hard to not shake my head! The Bible says directly that we have to repent to God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ!! (Acts 20:21, 1 Timothy 2:5)

The first time I went to a different church for Sunday service, I was so nervous. I remember praying fervently and asking God, “What should I do? What church should I go to?” I didn’t sleep much that night, so filled with anxiety about going to a different church. As nervous as I was, at this new church, biblical truth was preached. I reminded myself that FEELINGS ARE NOT FACTS!!!

The Word of God is what we rely on, not our feelings that can be so deceiving!!

Our marriage was in shambles, as Paul and Juliet went to FALC and I went to different churches on Sunday. We would constantly be discussing faith and unfortunately, arguing a lot. I was not being the quiet witness the Bible called me to be. (1 Peter 3). I had never heard of this! Nor was I very submitted, but I was more trying to force the Bible down Paul’s throat. As you can imagine, this did not go over well.

We were actually throwing the “D” word out there. I really did not think I could go on being unequally yoked. I so badly wanted a godly marriage! I desired Paul to lead me spiritually, and to follow Jesus as a family!

Paul was never taught anything about spiritual leadership at FALC and had no clue what that meant. He had no good examples of godly men in his life. I prayed for godly men to lead him and God sure answered this prayer shortly after!!

We got to a point in our marriage where we both admitted that we needed help. We both hated what we had become & were willing to fight for our marriage! I heard on a marriage podcast about this “Weekend to Remember” and looked it up online. It was half off for the rest of the day! I texted Paul about it and asked if he would be willing to go, and he said, “Sure!” Quickly, I booked it, so excited to get away with Paul and be under biblical teaching with him.

There is a lot I could say about that weekend. It was amazing! We really fell in love again and connected in ways we hadn’t ever. We both surrendered our marriage to God, and said, “Lord, thy will be done.” It was so good for Paul to hear the true gospel from someone other than his wife. He got to see other Christian men who love Jesus and want to lead their families in a godly way. He got to hear others testimonies about breaking free from porn, and walking in freedom in Christ. He got to see other men loving their wives as Christ loves the church. It was so good for both of us. I got to see women who submitted to their husbands, and respected them! This weekend was the turning point in our marriage. We have not screamed or yelled at each other since, and it has been a year and a half! (Yelling and screaming was becoming more and more something we did, sadly).

We agreed to stay home from church for a while and just do church at home. So, every Sunday morning, we got our Bibles out and read a chapter or so, and talked about it! It was so cozy and wonderful. We sang a few hymns too. The first chapter we read was Hebrews 12, and we both learned more about God and faith than we ever had in our entire lives at FALC (and Paul with his Catholic upbringing).

When Easter came around, I was SOOOO eager to get to church and worship our King as a family with other Christians. Paul agreed to go to a Good Friday service, and it was amazing. I cried many tears of sorrow over the death of Jesus and the price he paid for our sins. The pain and suffering he went through!! And Easter morning, hearing about how Jesus rose again… it was just so amazing. My heart was SO, SO, SO happy. To be going to a true Christian church with my family, worshiping the Lord together, hearing true Bible teaching… I was loving every minute of it! (I put the “so” in all caps, because my heart was absolutely rejoicing and in awe with God’s amazing answered prayer that Paul would come to church with me.)

The Lord quickly led us to Howell Bible Church, which is where we still attend now. We pulled in and there were 2 big vans in the parking lot, and I thought, “Alright, this is my kind of place.” The first time we went, I bawled in the opening prayer. They fear the Lord so much and exalt His name so high. So much reverence, honor, and glory are due to His great name.

God answered so many of my prayers! For biblical fellowship, friends who are aware of issues with vaccines, and down-to-earth moms that we can talk about Jesus with and encourage one another in following the Lord!

Also, there are many who have left FALC and who know Jesus, and we have connected with them! We have a special bond, coming from the same background. We understand each other. God is so great. He even saved two of my friends from childhood, right around the same time as me, and we have been able to support each other & encourage one another in this difficult path of leaving FALC and following Jesus. God is so gracious. Praise Him.

Our pastor offered to Paul to read through the entire Bible with him! I was so excited about this! Paul did read the entire thing and meets with Joe weekly to discuss the Bible. Talk about answered prayer!! One of my prayers was for a solid biblical mentor for Paul, and for him to read the Bible daily, and grow in leading our family. Paul has grown so much in maturity, humility, and knowledge of God’s word. I am so thankful for a husband that loves the Lord and loves his family dearly. He is so special and dear to me.

As much as I was so afraid to leave FALC, God has 100% sustained us. He has given us so much more than I ever asked for, and much more than I deserve.

We are so, very happy. We absolutely love going to church, worshipping God, praying together, hearing solid biblical teaching, and fellowshipping with genuine, loving, caring believers. We have become very close with our church family, and have gone camping with a few of them. We spend a lot of time together, doing play dates, lunches, and helping each other out with meals, housework, and whatever else!

God is so amazing.

I have always struggled with friends my whole life, probably because we were all dead in our sin, and really thought something was just wrong with me. I always felt like I was never cool enough, never funny enough, and just not enough for my friends at FALC. I did not feel like I could truly share my heart, even with the girls that I knew since diapers! There was a lot of hurt.

God has brought me so many beautiful friendships now, from many different churches. I feel so blessed, and cared for by God, that he would even show his love and grace towards me by giving me dear friends that love and accept me as I am. I feel truly treasured, loved, heard, and cared for by my sisters in Christ. Thank you Lord.

Most people at FALC stopped greeting us with, “God’s peace.” My parents told me that “God’s peace” does not mean “God’s peace”. It means, “I acknowledge that you and I are of the same faith.” So when we go to my parents house, they greet everyone with God’s peace, but me and Paul. It is very rude, but they do not know better. It’s the tradition that they were taught. It makes me feel frustrated, but I know they just need Jesus.

Most people from FALC are still very kind to us. They are truly wonderful people, but are just deceived by false teaching and are in spiritual bondage.

There has been so much answered prayer. God continually shows us his faithfulness and goodness each day. I could go on and on about the goodness of God and how we can trust Him completely in all things. He is wonderful.

It is amazing to be free in Christ, knowing my life is completely in His hands. My life is entrusted to the Sovereign Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. This is what brings my heart great joy.

Our family life is amazing. I am SOOO thankful Paul knows and loves the Lord. We sing worship music (most) every night as a family, and Juliet and I dance together. We read the Bible every night and Paul teaches a lesson from it. We pray as a family and give thanks to God for all that He has done for us. We have so much love and peace in our home.

I try to have meals ready for Paul, do his laundry, and clean, to serve my amazing man the Lord blessed me with. I teach Juliet about the Bible and letters, numbers, and pre-school stuff like that. I love it. I just LOVE knowing that the work I do for my husband, family, and home, is all for the Lord. It is not for my own gain or to look good to the world. As I serve my family, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who I serve. My work has eternal value. Every moment matters, and every day matters.

The great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) This is what we are commanded to do as Christians. I love this mission we have here. To make disciples of my children, my friends, family, neighbors, and anyone who would have ears to hear the good news, and repent, and receive new life in Christ.

Also, all the “one anothers” in scripture. Taking care of the body of Christ. This is such fulfilling and joyful work! I love being hospitable and making meals for people. I love to be able to bless others in many different ways, and give glory to God. Our finances are not ours, they are God’s and to be used for His Kingdom and His glory! This is much, much better than any material thing!

MY LIFE MATTERS!! This is what I was looking for with the new-age stuff. Something of more substance & worth & purpose in my life. Now, I know that I was made BY God and FOR God! For HIS purposes and HIS GLORY! This is so amazing to me, that my work has eternal value. The work I do (constant dishes, piles of laundry, feeding my family, teaching, disciplining, nursing, changing diapers, reading books, playing outside) has eternal worth. Teaching Juliet and Daniel to know the Bible, and training them up to know, love, and serve the Lord is amazing. Sharing the gospel with them daily, and living it out.

WOW God, what a blessing it is to serve my mighty King this way.

It is the most amazing freeing thing to trust God completely. My life does not stand on man’s word, traditions, my family, or my own ideas. My life stands on God’s eternal word that will last forever. Praise the Lord!!

The day of judgment is fast approaching. What are you trusting in for your eternity? Anything other than Jesus Christ alone? If so, I encourage you to be reconciled to God through Christ. Receive the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ! Repent and believe! I am 100% open to talking about any and all of this, so please reach out with any questions.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Matthew 7:24-27

“The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Isaiah 40:8

What is the gospel? https://amandakoppana.wixsite.com/website/post/the-gospel

YouTube video of gospel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X279TZToNCY&t=42s

First part of testimony: https://amandakoppana.wixsite.com/website/post/my-testimony