Testimony of Nick Jones

I was raised in a Christian home and the Church of the Nazarene. I was saved when I was 6 years old. My elementary years were pretty uneventful. During my teen years I took church lightly and never took God seriously. I viewed church as a hang out place where I could have a good time and occasionally worship God when I needed to. I did well in high school. I was a member of the National Honor Society as well as other organizations at my school. I also played varsity football and varsity soccer. Plus, I had a part time job at a grocery store. Basically I did four things. I went to school, church, work and played sports. My life was full.

My senior year I really started to veer off the path. I had a girlfriend. I began fornicating. My conversation was littered with curse words. My grades dropped, and I was slipping athletically. My life became a mess and everybody could see it--everybody but me. But God's great redeeming grace was there!

I wanted to play college football. I was a pretty good kicker and punter and had offers from several colleges. I ended up at the University of Toledo. The coach said that if I did well I would get a full ride scholarship (everything paid for). In August I went to training camp. At the end of the first week, I had passed all of the physical tests and was kicking well. The coaches were very pleased with me and said that I would probably be starting against Syracuse in the season opener. However, I thought I was in love and decided to quit and return home to be with my girlfriend and try to go to school somewhere closer to her. In the midst of all of that God's great redeeming grace was there!

After leaving Toledo, quick arrangements were made and since I had previously been accepted to Mount Vernon Nazarene College, I decided to go there. It is about 45 minutes away from my home in Columbus. Even though I was at a Christian college, I was still veering off the path--even more than before. I ended up breaking up with the girlfriend, and my lifestyle was a mockery of God's grace! Not only was I doing the things that I had done in high school, now I was getting into other things. I started to drink heavily. I started to smoke marijuana. I began to chew tobacco. I didn't even think about going to class. One time I took off in the middle of a group project and went to Michigan just because my friend wanted to see his girlfriend, and I was bored. I was stealing things like clothes and jewelry. Eventually I was asked to leave Mt. Vernon due to the fact that my G.P.A. was 0.0. This was because I rarely went to class. But God's great redeeming grace was still there!

Back home I headed. My plan was to go to school and get my grade point average up. I decided that if I got my grades up, I would transfer somewhere and play football again. I attended Columbus State Community College. Even though I was home and going to church every Sunday, I didn’t stop my evil ways. I continued doing everything I was doing before. But God's great redeeming grace was there!

I did well enough academically at Columbus State to transfer out and play football somewhere. I started contacting football coaches and finally narrowed my choice down to Ole' Miss, Kansas, and Boise State. I decided to visit Boise State University and check it out. After visiting with the coach and doing a campus tour I decided that I wanted to go there and play football on the blue turf. Due to NCAA rules I was ineligible my first year because of being a transfer student and my short lived career at University of Toledo. While in Boise my life continued to decay so much that I after 1 1/2 years was asked to leave the football team. I stayed in Boise for another semester. My life was in ruins. I was high on marijuana 7 out of the first 8 days of that last semester. Plus I was drinking every Wednesday and every weekend. But God's great redeeming grace was there!

My grades were suffering due to poor class attendance, but I wanted to play football again. So I started looking around for yet another college. I sent out highlight films and contacted quite a few coaches. Eventually I ended up at Olivet Nazarene University and after some summer school classes to help my academic eligibility, I competed for the starting job as a punter. But again, even though I was at a Christian university, temptation was there and I kept falling into the traps that the devil kept setting for me. But God's great redeeming grace was there!

I signed up to go on a Work and Witness trip to Costa Rica the summer after my first year at Olivet. Miraculously the money came in and I had enough to pay my way for the trip. However, when I came home from school, I was extremely ill and wound up in the hospital for 6 days and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and Legionnaires disease. My doctor informed me that had I been a smaller man physically, I would have died. I am sure that you and I both know what really saved me--God's great redeeming grace! I recovered quickly and two weeks later was on an airplane bound for Costa Rica.

My experience in Costa Rica changed my life forever! One miracle would have been more than sufficient for the entire trip. However we saw miracles every day! I will always remember looking forward to our dinnertime because, during our meal we would share the wonderful things that God was doing for and with us! While I was in Costa Rica God planted a seed in my heart and I began to think about mission work and what all God had planned for my life.

I returned to Olivet in the fall. At the end of the first semester I left Olivet, due to financial reasons, and returned home. On March 14th, 2004, my Mom and I went to Chicago Heights Church of the Nazarene to hear her friends Kay and Lindell Browning speak about their work as missionaries in the Middle East. God was speaking to me during that time.

I returned to Columbus and started my workweek. I was at work and around 7:00 p.m. on March 15, 2004, I felt like somebody took a whole fistful of emotions and socked me in the stomach. I knew then that it was God speaking to me and that He was calling me to be a missionary and to commit my life to God's work. I had to tell someone, so as soon as I could, I headed over to see my Grandmother at the care center where she lives. I knew my Mother would be visiting my Grandma so I could tell both of them my great news. They were so grateful to God for answered prayer!

That night I rededicated my life to Christ and to His work that He has planned for me. This process has continued and God has expanded my call. Time passed, and in October of 2004 I felt His call to become an Ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. And still His calling was not yet done. While attending revival services conducted by Dr. Manley at the High Point Church of the Nazarene, I felt the call to Evangelism.