Testimony from the Czech Republic
VERONICA SZLAUROVÁ
When God first spoke to me about Bible school, my response was not a clear yes. I felt hesitant and unsure, knowing it was not something I had planned for my life. Still, God was gently inviting me to trust Him and to place my plans into His hands. Looking back now, I can see that He truly knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we need, which areas we must surrender, and how to lead us exactly where He wants to take us.
The first semester is behind me, and it has been a great blessing. So many things have changed in my life during this time. God has been healing me—working deeply within me and building me step by step. The beginning was not easy, but one thing remained the same from the start: God. His presence, faithfulness, and guidance never changed. I came to a place where my prayers became very simple: “God, I give You everything. Lead me. It is all in Your hands.” In the crushing and in the pressing, He is making something new in me. I learned that when I truly trust Him, I do not always need to understand everything right away. His plans are better. They may stretch me, but they always lead to deeper growth.
Throughout this semester, I have seen how God is teaching me what it truly means to depend on Him. As I step back and give Him more space in my life, I can see what He is able to do through me—not by my own strength, but by His power alone. This season allowed me to know myself better, and at the same time to know God more deeply. It has also been a great blessing—learning to be grounded in His Word, growing in knowledge, and being equipped for future ministry. I believe we have the responsibility to cooperate with God’s transforming work in our lives. When Jesus says, “Come and follow Me,” there are things we all must leave behind. In the process, I hold on to this promise: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV).
Testimony from Wider Europe and the Middle East
AVI ALAM
Sometimes God puts people in our lives who we think are just passing through, or who are only there to add something specific, to bring about a specific change, or even to challenge us. Few of us understand in the moment why these people are placed in our lives and for what reason.
However, when we belong to the family of the Lord Jesus, we have people who work with effort, faith, service, and true joy to help us. Sometimes, they even seek to help us achieve our goals, no matter how important or unimportant they may seem.
John 15:5 (NASB) states, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit.”
This is what happened to me in my journey of theological education. My beautiful family— the followers of Christ in the Church of God of Prophecy—are the branches that abide in Christ, wanting to bear fruit as Christ said. The ambition of my beloved brother Bishop Clayton Endecott and his family was greater than my own personal ambition. I noticed opportunities like this [getting a theological education], but they were almost impossible for someone like me who was new to the church and evangelical teachings. I was in the early stages of life—married, having a newborn child, and running a sports project in my town so that I could provide suitable living conditions for my family.
But they saw in me what I could not see in myself. This, of course, was an act of God, for He also knows His sheep and His sheep know His voice. That is why He placed this family in my path—to achieve the goal that I saw as almost impossible at the time.
In Philippians 4:13 (NKJV), Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
This verse accompanied me and my family throughout the war [in Israel] and through the period of confusion and uncertainty about our family’s future.
Brother Clayton, whose heart was with the church in Israel (especially its people), provided encouragement and was determined to help us because we are a minority in our village and in our country. Our church is very small compared to other traditional churches. One night, as I was talking to my wife, she hesitantly said to me, “We follow the true God, the living God. Let His will be done, and let us listen to Him, whatever He says to you. Leave everything and follow Him. Follow Him truly, and do not hesitate.” And indeed, we began to do so. We left our projects, our homes, our families, and our village to come to Germany to start a new life, a new future, and most importantly, to build a foundation for our lives based on the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. But when we came here, we thought we were alone with no one to stand with us and support us. We had no house, no car, not even a pram [stroller] for our child.
But much sooner than I expected, God revealed Himself through His followers. In less than 72 hours, our house was filled with furniture and gifts, even school notebooks and pens, from all parts of the church family. From the smallest to the largest details, everything was provided in less than three days.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29 NRSVUE).
My wife and I had left our families, our sisters, and many people around us. But soon, the hundredfold came. The church and the family of Christ appeared with generosity I had never seen before in my life and had only witnessed in stories and novels. My wife said to me then, her eyes filled with tears, “Shall I tell you that our God is great and lives among us? He is the one who gives and who arranges things at the right time?”
Before I conclude this testimony, I would first like to thank my Savior and my great God, Jesus, who was with us every time we needed Him and every time we turned to Him, whether in prayer or in worship. Secondly, I would like to thank His humble followers and true servants who serve in His name with love and sincerity. I thank each one of you who helped us in our beloved church and elsewhere. I thank everyone who opened their homes to us during these circumstances and invited us to be part of the Church of God of Prophecy and our humble church in Israel. I also extend peace to my brothers and sisters and thank everyone who has given us the wonderful opportunity to begin our journey of service with the Lord and my theological journey.
From the depths of our hearts, we love each and every one of you.
Jesus says in John 13:34–35 (KJV), “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Amen.
