I was having extreme nerve pain—on the right side of my face, my neck and the back of my head. The pain was very, very strong. I told my husband, and though it was 8:30 p.m., we immediately drove to the nearest medical clinic. Several years earlier, I had gone to my doctor because of similar nerve pain on the right side of my face, neck and the back of my head. At that time, the doctor said I had shingles on my head, but the pills he prescribed would stop them from breaking out more.

July 18, 2003 It was a spectacular day in the Canadian Rockies, one of those cloudless, intensely sunny days that come only a few times each summer. I was standing just above the treeline on the slopes of Paget Peak in the Kicking Horse Pass. The view was awe-inspiring—the mountains of the Continental Divide towered above, their glaciers blinding white in the thin alpine air. Forests of spruce marched up from the valley floor, finally breaking like waves on the rocky heights above. The wind was calm, the setting was quiet and peaceful, and sun was gently lowering into the hazy, golden west. And yet I was filled with a sense of panic; I was gasping for breath, and I scanned the incomparable vista with eyes blind to its wonders. For I was alone and lost, I couldn’t find my path, and didn’t know how I would make the descent off this mountainside to the safety of the valley floor below.

I was born in Winnipeg in December of 1959. I was the fifth of six children, and the first boy in our family.

Our home was a difficult place to be. My parents struggled in their marriage; my father, who at one time professed to be a Christian, had started drinking around this time. My dad would come home drunk in the evenings, and I remember that sometimes I’d hide behind my mother to keep away from him.

My mother developed breast cancer and then died when I was seven years old. This caused more havoc in our home. Around this time, I started smoking and stealing.

October 10th, 1971 is a day I’ll never forget. It is the day I experienced “double grace” from the Lord! To His honor, I want to tell you what it took to get to this remarkable event.

My parents divorced when I was 4 years old. This was in Germany, two years after the war had ended. I was brought up by my Oma (Grandmother) and my Dad. Despite losing so much during the war we were happy just to be alive.

As Germany slowly recovered, so did we. I went along with Oma to a small church congregation and was part of that environment. At 16 years-old, the Holy Spirit convicted me through a sermon and I became a Christian. That lasted less than a year. I felt trapped, I told my Oma; I wanted to “enjoy life” and I couldn’t be a hypocrite, pretending to serve God, but longing for the worldly things. So I dove head first into what I considered fun. It nearly broke my Oma’s heart. I knew she was praying for me, but I didn’t like it. That seemed to rob me of my enjoyment and bother my conscience.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Psalm 119:9

I praise my eternal Father in heaven, for His mercies, and His grace in my life. As a young man, I gave my life to God, but I did not stay true. I walked away, better said, I ran away from Him, having never truly experienced His fullness—having never allowed Him to permeate my life completely. I delved into a life of sin, a life of service to myself, and to my fleshly wants and desires. I was feasting at the smorgasbord that the Devil had laid out for me. Alcohol, cigarettes, parties, and everything that goes along with those things, became my closest friends. I allowed the Devil to bring me deeper and deeper into sin, to the point where my marriage was in jeopardy, and my life was at stake. My addictions increased in intensity, and the Internet offered an addiction that just about ruined me completely.

Trudi Knelsen of Alymer, Ontario shares how she came to accept the Lord’s gift of personal salvation several years ago.

When I look back upon my life and see the person that I have become, I can truly say that I am here today only through God’s grace. I have seven brothers, one sister and wonderful parents. My parents made the decision to come to Canada for a short visit in 1990 and we are still here today. For the first 11 seasons we all picked cucumbers, which brought us as a family much closer together.

When I finished high school I wanted to attend a college, but it wasn’t an option for me. So I became an employee at a metal fabricator, doing “factory work.” I was on the afternoon shift. Initially I found it really hard to work during the day and early evening with little time to be with family and friends. Soon I made work my priority and after a short while I was going out after work with my co-workers, doing all the things they wanted to do.