In 1979, God got my attention.
It wasn't easy, but He did.
I didn't even realize it until 1980, late summer.

I was driving truck for an outfit out of Pontiac Michigan, the name of the company was Fleet Carrier.
They hauled full sized vans for General Motors I started driving for them in the middle of winter of '78-'79.

But the story really starts about 1 ½ years before this.
I was driving for a local distributor of building products in Saginaw, and had almost every weekend off.

My wife and I had gone north to a little town in NE lower peninsula, to visit friends and family.

I had read from the bible a little, but never understood a single thing I had read.
But I remembered something I had heard, about calling on God and He'll hear and answer. I assumed this would be right away.
God doesn't work that way [now I know].

I had been drinking with some of my friends, and wanted to talk. They weren't interested, so I took off to another friends house.
He wasn't home.
In desperation, I started to talk to God [had I known then], and issued a challenge to Him.
I said ' God, if You're real, then don't let me get away. Do whatever it takes to get me.'
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER open a door like that to Him, unless you REALLY mean it.

It started a chain of events that led me down a path I had no idea existed.

I was having trouble making ends meet, and wanted a new job, something that would make it easier for my family.
A friend told me that if I wanted to, I could try to get a job where he was driving, better money and better benefits.
I put him off for a year, struggling along as best I could.
Things started to go a little sour where I was, and my boss was looking at me like it was my fault.

I finally agreed to go along with him [my friend] on one of his runs to see if I'd like it.
I did.

I took the test, passed and started driving for Fleet in Feb. of '79, interstate.
I drove mainly in the great lakes area,Mi., In., Ohio, Wisconsin.

As the summer wore on, we learned that because of the oil embargo that hit in that summer, we were to be laid off.
As the time drew near, we worked as hard as we could, making as much money as we could knowing that we were not going to be called back.

I had moved my family to Tawas City [a little town on Lake Huron] while driving as I didn't want them to be alone in Warren while I was gone so much.

I did something I am not proud of, i took drugs to stay awake so I could drive longer,
I wanted desperately to get a lot of money together so I'd have it better when the lay off came.
I was laid off. Suddenly, I had no identity.
Truck driving wasn't what I did, it was who I was [am].
I was still taking speed to stay awake, and had taken the last one as I was driving home [God takes care of idiots, too]and the last one went down my throat just 20 minutes from home.
I walked in and told my wife that I was laid off, and wouldn't be called back.
I hadn't been home in about 6 weeks, and they were out of everything, in fact, they had just got up from the table and the last meal in the house.
I gave her my checks and told her to pay bills and stock up.
I don't remember to much about the next 2 or 3 days, my wife said I slept through them.

Things went from bad to worse before they got better.
I looked for work, but with almost 2,000,000 drivers [or so it seemed] laid off, it was near impossible.
I answered an ad for drivers in a local paper, but when I got there, they had already had over 500 apps for it, some from drivers with 30 + years experience.

And so it went, for the next 1 ½ years, I tried to find work……. Any work. Nothing.
We had moved into a house in the city limits, it was cheaper and more room [my mother had come to live with us by this time, a whole 'nother story].
One day in the early spring of 80, I found an invitation for a bible study in a local ad paper.
I answered it.
This started the next segment of my life.

By the way, Joan and Linda and the rest that did this, you taught me to leave 'em hangin'.
More later.

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Is what you're living for worth Christ dying for?

Gerry B.

[This message has been edited by Gerry Buck (edited July 26, 2000).]

Gerry

Please don't kep us hanging too long! This looks interesting.

As one trucker to another; I can relate! I'm a handyman right now; but you should see what God can do through a mere handyman.

I could tell you about the time that I thought I was going to a lady's house to fix a leaky tap; but ended up praying with her and doing a Bible study...But...I'm going to keep you hanging!

It's 5:30 am and I just got home! I'm pulling a few nights at a commercial painting job I landed. But, unlike trucking; this is good money!

Have a great and Godly day!

(what good is it if God isn't in it?)

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"The joy of the Lord will be your strength." (Neh.8:10).

Your brother in Christ

David T. Battler

my tetimony pt.2
In the early spring of 1980, I found a card in a local advertising paper. It was an invitation to a bible study.
A christian lady in SW lower Mi. had decided that as a mission project, she was going to give an invitation to every household in the state.

I had always been interested in the bible, andf read it from time to time.
Just never understood what it was all about.
Unlike the eunuch Phillip dealt with, I never asked how I could understand it, didn't know who to ask. But, God knows what we need and provides it in His time.

I sent it in, and after a few days, forgot about it.

Part of my story revolves around my mother and her living with me at this time.
She had no income, and was fighting with social security at the time.

She had an older brother that retired from the AF, and moved to Colorado, he came to Mi. on occasion, and always stopped around to visit my mom and take her to liunch or supper depending on the time he came around.
They were very close as children and it continued on in to adulthood.

It always bugged me that after the first 3 or 4 visits, he would pick her up and drop her off without coming in.

In the late summer of 1980, I was sitting in the kitchen when I saw a car pull into my drive. I knew that I didn't know the driver because I didn't know anyone that owned a vehicle that new or in that good condition.
I walked out onto my porch, beer in one hand and cigarette in the other.
This distinguished looking gentleman walks up to my door and asks'are you Mr. Buck?'
I assured him I was and he asked if I had sent in a request for a bible study. From the look on his face, I knew he wanted to be anywhere but where he was at that time.
I said yes, I had, but it had been a long time since I had sent it in and had forgotten.

His next question I will never forget ' You don't still want to take it, do you?'
I KNOW he was hoping I would say no.
Sorry, I said yes.
He left the first ( the old Bible Says series) and told me he'd be by the next weds to pick up the answer sheet and drop off the next lesson.

That worked for me, and as soon as he left, I went in and sat down and started to do the lesson. I liked it so well, I had it done in about 25 minutes or so, and wanted more.

When he came back the next week, I asked if I could get 2 of them a week.
He left 2 and my education began.
I was learning things I had never known, nor even suspected.

I did real well, until lesson #8- the Sabbath.
I wrote all kinds of unkind stuff on that lesson, some of it not repeatable.
By the time he came the next week, I had calmed down, realizing it wasn't his fault, it was the bible, it said it,so, it must be true.
I lied, big time, and told him that I got so mad, I tore it up, and asked for another one…… he brought it.

Now keep in mind, I can be a slow learner sometimes, I made another challenge to God.
At this time, I was driving for a local lumber yard, delivering materials to job sites, and worked 6 days a week.
I had been hired so that I could run the yard on Sat., as the yard foreman liked to party Fri. night and couldn't work on Sat.
I had been invited to church several times, and had to decline because of work
They asked me to pray about it, and I did.
In my myopic wisdom, I said to God that if He wanted me to keep the Sabbath, He'd have to make a way for it to happen.
Some of us never learn.

It is interesting how He did it.

I had to deliver material for building garages, pole barns, houses and finishing materials for inside.
This particular Thurs., I had 3 two car garage packages to deliver before lunch, supposedly, there would be people there to help unload….. yeah, right.

None of these loads were put on the dump bed, so, I unloaded them by myself, by hand… studs, siding, roof boards and shingles along with the overhead door and windows.

After lunch, I took a 2 car garage package on the dump bed, wasn't anyone there to help unload.
When I got there, I couldn't dump because of low hanging wires, off it came by hand.
I delivered 2 loads of drywall that afternoon, all offloaded by hand.
Just before quitting time, an order came out for a load of trusses, 36 foot span, made from 2x6's, yellow pine, very heavy, very awkward.
Don't worry, there will be plenty of bodies there to help unload.
Yeah, right.
There were lots of bodies there, all on 4 legs and they all whinnied.
Horses, as soon as I asked if they wanted to help unload, they ran off, smarter than I was.
I unloaded them, by hand, by myself.
There were about 20 or 25 of them.

The next morning when I woke up, from my shoulder to the tips of my fingers was swollen to at least twice its normal size.
2 weeks off, guess who attended his first sabbath service?

More to come.
Gerry B.

...Gerrrrrrry....I'm hanging on here with fingers curled hearing every word. The picture is getting painted and I am excited to see the 'Sun' put in it coming soon. Installments are good, now seeeee..

Good to see nobody is advertising soap at the commercial time. ..then we'd have a soapopera

Joan

I have not forgotten.
Things have gotten a little complicated these last few days, and as soon as I can, I'll post the next installment.

you are right sister Joan from Deutschland, it makes it easier to type it out, look it over and make it more presentable.

My appo;igies to those I harrassed in the past....... now I understand.

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Is what you're living for worth Christ dying for?

Gerry B.

Pt.3

I was off work for 3 weeks to allow my right side to heal.
I figured that as long as I was off, I might as well attend the service where I had been invited, so, I went.

I was hooked by the friendliness of the people there, liked it, and after 3 weeks of attending, decided I liked it.
When I went back to work, I told the general manager of the lumber yard I couldn't work on Saturdays any more.
I explained why, and he said something about another holy roller.

3 weeks later, I was laid off, and never called back.

I continued to attend the little church here in Tawas, and as I studied, I started to hear something about a health message.

Now, keep in mind, I smoked, I drank and I really liked grilled ham and cheese sandwhiches. J

I don't know when I lost the desire to drink alcohol, but I do remember that it was a test suggested by the then pastor to see if God would help me to overcome bad habits.
It worked, I lost any desire for it.

Smoking was the hardest, I was smoking 3 ½ packs a day at the time ( didn't eat) pretty much one after the other.
Pastor Danforth ( the pastor at that time) asked me if I had ever tried to quit smoking.
I told him yes, done it a lot of times, just never had been able to stay stopped, and wondered why.

The Tawas church, as luck would have it, was holding the 7 day plan (now the 12 day plan) to quit smoking and invited me to go.
I knew smoking was one of the things that SDAs didn't do, and by this time, I wanted to join. So, I went.
I walked into the meeting just after putting out a cigarette, and after seeing that first presentation, I really wanted to quit.
I had a little setback, I smoked 2 of those little killers before the next meeting, and felt as though I had failed again,
The people there praised me for not smoking more, and encouraged me to keep trying.
It worked. Pastor Jim and I had prayer before I left, the last cigarette I smoked was the one I put out just before the meeting Oct. 29, 1981.

I had several little victories the next few months, but a real big one tn January 1982.
I was baptized, I had been 'fighting' with them to have it done sooner, but they took their time.
I hung in there, and the big day finally got here.
I woke up with a temperature of 104 (F), shivering like a dog in a rain storm.
I was not going to let that stop me.
I didn't tell them about it at the church. I Waited to long for this day, and I wasn't about to give them an excuse to postpone it.
Funny thing, my temp went down after the ceremony.

My next 'surprise victory' came 2 months later.
My uncle came to visit my mom, and he was early. He had to come in and visit while she finished getting ready.
We talked for several minutes, and then they left.
When he brought her back, he came in and visited for a couple hours, something he had not done for a long time.
After he left, my mother told me that he hadn't been coming in because of me.
He couldn't stand talking to me, I was always complaining about something and blaming others for my problems.
He said I had changed, and was actually a pleasure to talk to now.

So you see, people do notice when we start to walk with Jesus, and they notice the changes He has made in us.

There is a lot more of what and how God has dealt with me these last 20 years `or so, but, I want to give others a chance to post their testimony here.

It encourages me to read how God has led in your lives, the victories, large and small, He has given.
Please, post them here, and give a sister ior brother a lift as they read about the Lord moving in, around and through His people.

This testimonial is not through.
It is an on going process.
Perhaps later, more will be added.
Would studying with friends and family be a part of our testimony?

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Is what you're living for worth Christ dying for?

Gerry B.

By now, most of you know that I'm Gerry's daughter. Well, I don't remember most of the stuff that he's described here, because I was too young to remember it. I can say, however, that my dad did the best he knew how to raise his three daughters right. There were mistakes, on all parts, but we've grown stronger and closer together because of them. I praise God every day that he made it so my dad could attend his first Sabbath there in Tawas City. Even if it did cause my dad to be in pain during his first few Sabbaths. Thank you, Lord, for helping my dad to see where he REALLY needed to be. Amen.

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God bless!

Angie

Gerry I liked your "harassment" between parts as different ones slowwwwwly posted their sequals. Feel free to "harass" me frequently till I get out my sequals & the story of how the conference told Josephine Cunnington Edwards to temporarly pastor a church in the early 1940's despite her sqwaking.

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Edward F. Sutton

[This message has been edited by Edward F. Sutton (edited August 27, 2000).]