Katherine Friesen

I appreciate God’s mercy to me. I grew up in a very sinful home not knowing anything about salvation, not knowing that God could save us from our sins. My mother died when I was a small child, and my father was anything but a Christian.

We lived on a prairie in Canada, and we never went to Sunday school or church. Still, I somehow knew there was a God and felt conviction for my sins. I also knew of Heaven and Hell. I always wanted to be a Christian, but I didn’t know how. I would wonder, Where is God? How can I find Him? How can He answer my prayers?

I married a man form an orthodox church, whose father and brother-in-law were ministers. Yet no one could tell me how to get out of my sins.

I obtained a Bible, and as I read it, I found so many verses similar to I John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin . . .” I wanted to know how one could be born again and stop committing sin, but no one could give me the answer, so I became very discouraged.

One night when my husband was working away from home and I had to go out to do the chores on the farm, it seemed the stars were hanging low. I just looked up through the stars and said, “If there is a God, I wonder if He is among those stars.” Then I cried out to God saying, “Oh Lord, lead me to someone who can show me the way to Heaven!”

A few years later, my husband came home one day and said, “Let’s sell everything and move to California.” I answered, “That is fine with me. Maybe I will find a church where God’s people are.” He wasn’t interested in that—he just wanted to get away from the cold weather. I didn’t say anything more, but such hope came into my heart! Maybe I would find someone who could tell me how to be born again.

On the way to California, we stopped in Dallas, Oregon, and decided to make our home there. An older man would pass by our house on his morning walk each day. He told me he went to the Apostolic Faith Church where they prayed for the sick, and God had healed him of cancer. I had read about such things in the Bible. I had even asked my husband and his brother why the people in their church didn’t pray for the sick. Now it seemed that God had heard my inquiry and sent a message straight from Heaven. I went to the little Apostolic Faith Church and heard testimonies of people who had been born again and knew they were right with God. One Sunday morning, someone asked me if I wanted to go to the altar. I did not know what they meant. I had never heard of this. I didn’t get saved that morning, but the next day, I got up and said, “If I could only have that peace they told about!” Right there God dropped His peace into my heart and set me free.  

When I had been saved about a year, my oldest daughter, who was four years old at the time, got hold of some strychnine and drank it. When I found her, my heart sank. I didn’t know what to do and I felt helpless. I picked her up and carried her into the house, placing her on a bed and began to pray. I told the Lord, “This child is Yours, and You said if we drink anything deadly, it will not hurt us.” I also said, “You healed the sick and raised the dead when You were here on earth. You can heal this child, too.” She went to sleep and her breathing was normal. She slept for about three hours, and when she woke up she said, “Mama, I’m hungry.” I gave her something to eat and she got down and went outside to play. That poison didn’t have any effect on her. She didn’t even vomit. When I told a friend about it, she said, “If God had not undertaken, you would have been arrested.” I am thankful that when we come to God in faith, believing in His promises, He hears and answers.

A few years ago, it seemed I hadn’t had any hard trials for a long time. I thought of that incident and wondered if God still worked in that way. It wasn’t long afterward that a man came to my door from the company where one of my sons worked and said, “Pete is hurt. A tree fell on him.” I asked, “How badly is he hurt?” He answered, “We have sent for an ambulance, but we don’t believe he will live long enough to get to the hospital.” When I got to him, I didn’t see how he could possibly live. The doctor said he couldn’t feel any pulse. But I had phoned several of our churches and asked for prayer, and the Lord was answering. About ten o’clock that night God healed him. Every bone went back into place.

Later, the doctor showed me the x-rays. Eight ribs had been broken—two torn form the backbone. His back was broken in three places. His spleen was ruptured and his body was filling with fluid. The doctor said he was in such a condition that nothing could be done for him, but the Lord healed him. In two months he was back in the woods falling trees. He didn’t even have to ask for an easy job. And he has kept right on working to this day.

My husband didn’t choose to follow me in the Gospel until about five weeks before he died. He was on his deathbed and two ministers went to pray with him. When they entered the room, he said he didn’t want to pray. They started praying anyway and soon, he was crying. God saved him, and he passed out of this world with glorious victory.

I have been in the Gospel for sixty years—I just had my ninety-first birthday—and I can still say Jesus is a wonderful Savior.

Katherine Friesen was known for being a strong prayer warrior who saw many miraculous answers to prayer.