Tonna Keith-Jones, Founder and Moderator of Sweetwater Ministry

I hope you enjoy reading these stories of how God has helped so many GLBT (&S) individuals reconcile their spirital life with their sexual identity. As you read these life stories, you may identify with one or more of them. If you have been ministered to by these testimonies, please let me know via e-mail at newcovenantgirl@aol.com.

Sweetwater Ministry Mission Statement (coming soon)

Tips for Writing Your Own Testimony

Why You Should Submit Your Testimony (coming soon)

Adam Vance (Michigan)

Coming Out of That Double Life!!! (My Testimony)

Have you ever recognized what it would acquire to live a double life, or constantly had a feeling whereas you felt as if you were being obligated to live in deception? It's a fact that every human being has a life to live along with story to make known. Perhaps this reminds you of someone whom you are acquainted with or maybe, just maybe yourself...Read More----->

Tonna Keith-Jones (California)

How God Delivered Me From a Mindset That I Could Not a Lesbian and be Saved (My Testimony)

...Concentrate on where the Lord is leading you, not on where you have been. He will use you! Read More--->

Brad Crosley (Georgia)

How The Jehovah's Witnesses Cast Me Out and God Rescued Me and Set Me in a Healthy Church Family (My Testimony)

...I am no longer an employee of the devil, but a faithful servant of God, and would like to let anyone know that it is never too late to have a relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I thank God everyday for the people at New Covenant Church of Atlanta. Read More---->

Anthony Whyde (Georgia)

Even Growing Up With Two Lesbian Moms, It Was Still Hard To Come Out of the Closet as a Teen (My Testimony)

...I’d like to add that growing up, you always know you’re a little different than everyone else, and you don’t really feel like you belong. I used to be very quiet and shy and never wanted to open up to anybody. But, once I started going to New Covenant that changed. I now feel like I have a giant family, like everyone’s just amazing. I have a real sense of belonging. I am actively involved in the youth program and I am a part of the worship team. Read More---->

Evangelist & PastorBrian Grizzle (Georgia)

How God Set Me Free From Drug Addiction and Set Me On the Road to Victory (My Testimony)

We had had addictions in our life that we previously could not break free from, but, as a result of Apostle Randy Morgan preaching a message on the blood of Jesus, we were completely delivered in one day.  All of the addictions: drug use, pornography, everything—it all completely disappeared!

Ed and I have been so privileged to be a part of the New Covenant church family.  We have grown in so many ways. Currently I serve on the pastoral staff and God has opened many doors. Ed and I, along with our evangelistic team, have had the opportunity to minister in many other churches

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"Karla" (California)

My Life Felt Like It Had A Big Hole In It! (My Testimony)

...I was still very closeted, so I asked the pastor for counsel. I will never forget that conversation. That is when I learned that I didn't need to hide who I was, because Jesus loved me just like I am. At that point, my life forever changed... Read More----->

Emil, Ghetto Gospel (Georgia)

A Lesbian's Road to God--A Poem (My Testimony)

...And truth will never see the light of day because of misinterpretations and hatred. This hatred surrounded my life for years...

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Jesse Klein (Georgia)

The Devil Tried to Kill Me Over, And Over, And Over Again (My Testimony)

Throughout all my life I feel like Satan has been trying to kill me. When I was a baby...

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Dick Verciglio (Georgia)

My Journey to Peace (My Testimony)

...After pacing and pacing and many tears, I dropped to the floor at the foot of my bed and declared to the Lord, "I don't think I can handle this." The still small voice simply said, "You don't have to!" That's when I gave my heart to the Lord fully and I've never tried to go it alone again....

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Ron Rock (Georgia)

I Danced for Satan, I Danced for Myself, Now I Dance for God (My Testimony)

...and I wanted to dance. Wanting to dance and be a dancer was an essential element of who I was to become. It meant that I could dance with other men and be seen on television....

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Shelly Jackson (Georgia)

I Never Felt Like I Belonged Anywhere -- Until Now! (My Testimony)

...Once Sara was searching My Space when she met Lisa and Leslie online. They introduced us to New Covenant. When we went, we found out that God loved us, we did fit in, and we learned about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. What a change this has made in our lives!

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Jason DeShazo (Georgia)

I Looked at the Worldly Side and the Godly Side of Being Gay. I Went From Rejection to Restoration, From Broken Heartedness to Being Restored to My First Love (My Testimony)

...the pastor told me that if I didn't become straight, I would never feel the presence of God again (that was a lie of the enemy and I never believed it). I was bound and determined to find out what God wanted....

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Dianne Burrell (Georgia)

How a Rebellious Gal Found the Protection Of God (My Testimony)

Scrubbing drill halls with a toothbrush and picking up cigarette butts and burying them with a spoon was my daily routine.Read More----->

"Johnny", (Georgia)

My Victory in Christ Can Be Yours (My Testimony)

I could give testimony about many things. God has given me victory over HIV and He brought me through an ugly and abusive childhood. But, the greatest testimony I have to give is this: God the Father so loved me that He crucified His only begotten Son for me so that I could have eternal life.

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Alton Bryant (Georgia)

My Life Hasn't Been Bad...Just Not Good Enough--Without Christ (My Testimony)

...A strange thing happened. At one of the churches we went to, I was hit on by one of the people that were helping with the youth groups....Read More----->

Pastor Joan Castle (Georgia)

Turning to Alcohol Didn't Fix My Problem - But, Turning to Jesus Did!!! (My Testimony)

...After a few months I hit another rock bottom. My family disowned me, my first lesbian love had left me, I was divorced twice and all alone. I CRIED OUT TO GOD. I CRIED UNCONTROLLABLY ALL NIGHT. I remember laying in a fetal position and waiting for help...Read More----->

Sandy Partridge (Georgia)

I Was Searching For A Spiritual Home -- A Safe Place (My Testimony)

...When I saw this "Saved and Gay" ad for some church, I thought, "What?! Is it really possible?!" I had to look into this...Read more----->

Cathy Campbell (Georgia)

God Gave Me a Heart to Forgive (My Testimony)

...Back to when I was 7 and 8 and my brother was 12 and 13. He used me for his sexual experimentation and molested me for about two years...Read More----->

Lisa Daniels (Georgia)

I Learned God Truly Loves Me - Just As I Am! (My Testimony)

...I struggled at age 18 and came to the realization that I was a lesbian. I was attending church were I was saved and baptized at 15. The church pastor found out about a young lady that I was seeing..... Read More----->

Ed Smith-Yancey (Georgia)

A Minister of Music Gets Booted, Experiences Defeat, Then Finds Meaning in Life (My Testimony)

...God moved greatly and there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit during our praise & worship. After that service I let the pastor know I needed to speak with him about something very important before the next service. We went into his office and I told him that I was gay. Before I could finish my thoughts to him, he relieved me of my duties and called my assistant in to the office and asked him to take over until further notice....Read More----->

Rhonda Sippel (California)

Although I Had Many Friends, I Was Lonely and Afraid of Dying (My Testimony)

...They never let up asking me to go- church and Bible study, Bible study and church- always asking!! My attitude was "Hey, I spent years in church as a kid so I knew what it was all about. I'm done with that!" Read More----->

"Rocko," Georgia

My Experience in Church – A Nightmare! (My Testimony)

“I ain’t raisin’ no sissy…,” my father yelled (as he snatched the yarn out of my hands). He’d walked into my bedroom to find me crocheting and became furious. I used to hide in my bedroom and sew and crochet because I knew that if he saw me, he’d be angry.

I was born and raised in a rural town in north Georgia. Chatsworth had about 5,000 people, and was the definition of the words “redneck” and “backwater”. I remember when they built the Arby’s, the whole town showed up for the grand opening. The police had to show up and direct traffic. It was disturbing… Read More----->

Janackeh Blackwell, Georgia

God’s Restoring Power Worked in My Life! (My Testimony)

Even though I had had my own struggle with reconciling myself with the fact that I was attracted to women, never would I have DARED to even THINK that God would not only accept me that way, but want to be in relationship and fellowship with me; and more importantly, He had a place for me in all of this. So the thought of this "gay church" had my mind reeling with self-righteous and judgmental thoughts of "What parts of the Bible is this so-called church throwing out ???" and "Who do these people think they are playing church?! I grew up in church and I KNOW what the Bible says about gay people!!!" (Hahahhahaa---I can laugh about that now because at the time I had NO CLUE at all!) ... Read More----->

Pastor Paul Walker (Georgia)

My Conversations With God Changed My Life (My Testimony)

I 'came out' to myself and started to do all the things that young gay guys are supposed to do; clothes, bars, clubs, messing around etc. It wasn't long before one of my new friends said, "Paul you're just a B O T H, Big Old Trash Heap!" I took it as a compliment. My parents would have been shocked to know just half of what I was doing. I felt liberated; I was finally enjoying my life. Like so many others I reasoned, 'if I'm going to hell for being gay I might as well make it worth it'...Read More----->

Kimberly Parks (Georgia)

Sexual Abuse Was Rampant Through the Generations of My Family--but, God Delivered Me! (My Testimony)

...One day my brother let his new "friends" from next door come over (they were not so much friends to me). I do not know where my brother was but they raped me from age eight or nine until I was almost 14. It happened so many times I couldn't count. I would throw up and burn myself with scalding water and Coast soap because I felt so dirty. They said that they would kill my mom and deny anything happened--or tell everyone I wanted it and that I was a whore! ....Read More----->

Eddie Chriswell (Georgia)

My "Obedience" was Heartfelt, but Wrong...Now I Know the True Meaning of Obedience! (My Testimony)

...Fasting didn’t change it, praying hadn’t made a single dent in it, pleading to God to change me didn’t make one bit of a difference. It was the same as if I had asked God to make my eyes purple. He didn’t give me purple eyes, He didn’t want me to be heterosexual. Before He formed me in my Mother’s womb He knew me. He set me apart before I was born and being gay was how He wanted me to be. ....Read More----->

"Billy" (Georgia)

I Wandered in My Wilderness for 40 Years Before Finding My Promised Land! (My Testimony)

....My brain went out of control and I needed help. The only thing I kept clinging to was that God would get me through. It was kind of simplistic....Read More----->

Scott P. Smith (Georgia)

God Working Through My Life Makes A Difference! (My Testimony)

Toward the end of the service they did another alter call for anyone who wanted prayer and again I just sat there in my seat. Cliff looked over at me and then he walked right up to me and said, "You need to get up there and stop sitting here, God is doing something in your heart and I can see it; so you just need to get up." So then, once he told me that, I got up and went to the front. And before I could even make it to the altar or the pastor, I was on the ground. It was such an experience for me because I have been brought up in church all my life; and I hadn't been touched by God like that in the whole time that I had been in church. I was on the ground for hours and then once I finally felt like I could get up long enough to stay standing we all went out to eat at Taco Mac and I fell out in the floor at Taco Mac also. It was great! For the first time in my life I could say that I was filled with the Holy Ghost and that I was gifted with the gift of tongues. I was speaking in tongues for the first time and bawling like a little baby. Read More----->

Heather Adams-Warren (Georgia)

They Tried to "Scare Homosexuality Out of Me" (My Testimony)

...When I got there the woman I used to live with, along with another woman from the church, was there to SCARE me out of being a homosexual. They kept me there for hours....Read More----->

Edward Moon (Georgia)

A "Safe Place" -- My Life was Filled With Sexual Abuse, Confusion, and Not Knowing... then God Revealed His Love (My Testimony)

...The pastor sought me out and talked my mother into letting me spend weekends during the summer at the church in the inner city. It didn't take long before the cycle of continuing sexual abuse began. At this time I again found a "Safe Place" even in this huge church on Pryor Street. It was behind a large wingback chair that was in a corner. He [the pastor] couldn't find me there.... Read More----->

Ed Bolling (Georgia)

I Found Purpose

In My Life (My Testimony)

...I have been healed of uselessness by finding that I have meaning and purpose within God’s family; and that I have spiritual gifts that are unique to me and necessary in the functioning of the Body of Christ. If you’re not already reading “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren, then you need to. We are studying it in our home groups and that book has put a lot of things into focus for me. I strongly urge any church member who is not in a home Bible study to visit several of them, because you are going to find one where your talents and your spiritual gifts will be put to work for the glory of God. Read More----->

Tristan Luciotti (Georgia)

I Went from Drag King to Servant of the King (My Testimony)

I went directly back in the party scene full force and even started my own drag king troupe. Some of my performances were risqué, others were very dark and it was a side of me I could let out on stage. Looking back, my stage performances allowed some inner emotions to be externalized. Read More----->

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