Mildred Frank

I was saved as a teen-age girl and enjoyed the service of the Lord. After I had been married awhile, though, my husband and I began to miss a church service now and then. Gradually, we did this more often until we weren’t going at all. We neglected to read the Bible and pray in our home also. Then, little by little, we began doing things that had been wrong, but now seemed to be all right. Before I knew what was happening to me, I was out serving the world. I loved the things of the world. I even made the statement that I would never go back to church.

We had a good home with five children. There was no drinking or smoking. We had many friends. We went everywhere except to church. I thought we should be happy, but sometimes when I would go to bed at night I would think, Why am I not completely happy? What is missing? This went on for twenty years.

God talked to us many times. I talked to God, too. No one knew I was praying, but a person can’t raise five children without talking to God once in a while. When problems came, I would ask God to help me. Oh, the love of God! He was so good to me!

I am glad that God calls backsliders. When trouble came to our home, I didn’t know which way to turn, so I wrote a letter to the Apostolic Faith Church requesting prayer. Within a week, that trouble began to clear up. Then my husband had a heart attack, and while he was in the hospital, he promised God, “If You will get me out of this hospital, I will go to church.” At the same time, I was at home kneeling by my bed and praying, “If You will bring him home safely, I will go to church.” He came home, but on that very day, I had to go the hospital. One thing after another happened to keep us from going to church.

One morning my husband said he was going out to start the car. He was gone so long that I began to wonder what else had gone wrong. When I went out to investigate, he was standing with a little radio to his ear. I knew it was too early for the ball game, so I asked, “What are you listening to?” He answered, “I am listening to the Apostolic Faith Church service.” I told him, “Come on into the house and we will both listen.”

We began going to church, sitting clear in the back and leaving before anyone could talk to us. Gradually we moved forward. The Lord was showing us our need.

Special meetings started and on Sunday morning, March 21, 1976, we were in church again. I thought that was the best meeting I had ever attended. Then an afternoon young people’s meeting was announced and we went. Tears flowed down my cheeks when I heard a young girl give her testimony, saying three times, “It is wonderful, it is wonderful,” but I still wouldn’t pray.

We went back that night and the Lord changed everything. Tears rolled down my husband’s cheeks, and when a friend of former years came to ask him to pray, he said, “I don’t have a handkerchief.” The friend said, “I happen to have a new one and you can have it.” There were no more excuses. We both got down on our knees, right where we had been sitting, and the God of Heaven saved our souls.

God has been with us ever since, blessing abundantly. We love to be in the meetings on Tuesday and Friday nights, and twice on Sunday. How the Lord blesses us for every little thing we do for Him! I literally thank Him for the breath I take these days. I thank God that I am here, saved, sanctified, baptized with the Holy Ghost, and on my way to Heaven.

Someone was talking to me earlier and asked, “Do you remember the old quartet song that we used to sing, If You Go, Go All The Way?” I said, “Isn’t that strange? That is the very song that has been going through my heart all day long.” It took me a long time to get to that place. I thank God with all my heart that now I do want to go all the way!