Pastor’s Wife, Trudy
I grew up in your average American home. We claimed to be Protestant, but only went to church on Easter or some other special occasion. As a little child, I believed in God, but didn’t quite understand anything about what that meant. My grandparents prayed to this God each day, and read out of a book they said was sacred. So I remember early on saying prayers before bed, and asking God, “If you really are there, would you please show me who you are”. I’m sure God was using many things to get my ear, but it wasn’t until I was 13 that the Lord came banging on the door of my heart. Our home was in a bit of turmoil, and I thought my parents were going to divorce. A co-worker of my dad’s invited him to a revival and my dad told me I was going with him. As a typical rebellious teen, I told him no I was not, and he said he was going to dress me and put me in the car if I didn’t get ready. So under protest I went to church.
I had never heard that kind of preaching before, and it really interested me. After the service, the Pastor of the church came to me and asked me if I wanted to go to Heaven when I died. He took me through the Scriptures and showed me I was a sinner in need of the Saviour. Those little bedtime prayers had been answered. I asked the Lord Jesus Christ to be my Saviour, and nothing has been the same since then. My parents got back together, my mom got saved and we jumped into church.
Later, the Lord brought my future husband to the church. He was a Bible teacher, Sunday School teacher, youth leader, and street preacher. I had asked the Lord, if He wanted me to marry, to give me a man that was strong in the Lord and wanted to serve Him, and my prayers were again answered. We married June 15, 1985, and a whole new adventure began. The Lord gave us two beautiful daughters, Heather and Rachael. Both girls were saved at an early age, and immediately we began seeing fruit in their lives. Then another adventure began when the Lord called us to the mission field of Romania. We spent 4 1/2 years there operating a Bible Institute and printing ministry, and preaching the gospel in the villages.
Then the Lord called us back home to Ohio. He gave us the opportunity to help establish Philadelphia Baptist Church, and then in May 2005, the congregation called my husband to be the pastor. In 2008, both of our girls moved to Florida to go to Pensacola Bible Institute, where Heather met her husband, Robbie Powell. Rachael graduated from PBI in May 2011, and the Lord brought the three of them back to Ohio to help in the work here at Philadelphia Baptist Church. The Lord sure is good!
I thank the Lord for saving my soul, and then giving me the privilege to serve Him. What a Great Saviour we have!
