“I came to LW because my issues are depression and suicide in my family. There are not a lot of places in the church to talk about that. People don’t know what to say. I found a place to bring my stuff, to hear what the Bible says about the consequences of sin. I got a real sense of the presence of the living God from the group context – and testimonies of the leaders and the prayer in groups.”
“I came to LW because despite having been a Christian, I had difficulties receiving the love of my Heavenly Father…and generally trusting men. I also found it difficult to relate to male authority figures. The animosity I felt toward men was a detriment to my marriage. I found that in Living Waters I came to see myself as a child of God, His delight. And as I did, my self esteem and confidence grew. My understanding of what it means to be female, bearing God’s image, as different from men, became clearer. I could see where I had failed to rely on God in my marriage. I had to forgive my earthy father for his sins against me, and come to understand how the other men in my extended family tainted my image of all men. I’ve had to learn to express my feeling and needs to my husband. My true identity, the person who the Lord created me to be is being restored.”
“I came to LW because my father was a well-known evangelist. We were shown off as children. I was always asking, “Am I enough?” It was a huge wounding, the feeling of not being enough. I found healing in understanding what drove my addiction…God met me, showed me He is savior, redeemer and friend.”
“I came to LW because Christianity has always been unsafe for me. I was left at a home for missionary kids in Canada and never really got to know my parents. The home was a legalistic environment. Everything was measured. I longed for love, and so looked for it in all the wrong places. I found for the first time that Jesus is real and am being knit together in my soul by God’s love, one tiny step at a time.”
“I came to LW because I am a pastor who has struggled with same sex desires for 40 years. Though I have not acted out in personal encounters, the advent of Internet porn has caused me a large measure of grief. I found that I have benefited greatly from my involvement in a Living Waters. It has been a great relief to speak openly about sexual struggles, and to receive prayer ministry. The degree of freedom from sexual sin and the amount of peace and freedom in my life as the result of being part of this group has far exceeded my expectations.”
I came to LW because my family had a truckload of divorces and my mother had breakdowns. I coped by closing down, not letting people come close. I’d help other people but I wouldn’t let anyone in. I got married, but I would let my husband get only so far. I found Living Waters provided a place where I allowed God to use others give me His love.
I came to LW because I grew up in a home where my parents were absent and in a church where not enough emphasis on grace. I sought comfort in food and fantasy. I found the way to freedom from my addictions began at the foot of the cross. In Living Waters God replaced the lies—that I was ugly, not worthy—with His truth. Truth which carries such freedom.
At Living Waters Canada, we provide a safe place where people can be honest about their life struggles, and ask their hard questions. Living Waters offers space for people to be renewed through God’s healing work, and for people to experience community and grace through others.
