About Patti Phillips
I
rejoice in being brought up in a Christian home. My earliest
memories are of prayer and Scripture reading. As an infant in
arms I was in the assembly each Lord's day.
Even so, the time needed to come for me to personally put my
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. That time came for me at age
nine.
No one else knew of my secret sins and the conviction of heart I
had because of them. To outward appearance, I was a fine little
girl who faithfully attended Sunday school. But deep inside I
knew otherwise.
With brokenness of heart, I confessed my sins to the Lord and
asked His forgiveness. I forsook these evil practices, never to
return to them again. What freedom and joy I experienced as I
became truly born again.
I can remember often singing songs of praise to the Lord as I
played about the streets around our home. Even at that tender
age I testified to my friends and schoolmates of the wonderful
salvation that I had come to know.
But this also began many sorrows for me that lasted for years to
come. My girlfriend, a Mormon, turned against me when I spoke to
her about the Lord Jesus. As a result, she influenced many at
school to also shun me.
Early on, I can even remember my own brother and sisters not
appreciating my zeal. "How can you expect us to live like that?"
they would ask when I would speak to them from the Bible about a
matter.
Though I had few true friends growing up, there was a
companionship that I always treasured. Whenever my parents had
missionaries or the Lord's servants in our home, as they
frequently did, I was there quietly and eagerly listening to
their conversation around the Word of God. These are some of the
most precious memories I have of my childhood.
At age 13 I felt strongly impressed of the Lord to serve Him as
a missionary, yet I did not know how this ever could be. My
father was not in favor of a single woman serving the Lord in
this manner, and I was sure no one would ever wish to take me as
wife.
Nevertheless, I continued serving the Lord as I was able, in
children's meetings, teaching Sunday school, and by personal
witnessing at college and in my work place. I went with a summer
team to evangelize in Newark, NJ, and took a mission trip to
Mexico while at Culver City Bible School.
It was during the summer of 1984, after a soul-searching time
with godly counsel from an older sister in the Lord during the
Yosemite conference, that I resigned myself to a life of
singleness if that be the will of the Lord for my life. Little
did I know that the very Sunday I was away in Yosemite, the man
I was to marry attended my home a assembly for the first time!
We met that next Sunday, were engaged that November, and married
the following April. At age 30 now, I could hardly believe what
the Lord had done. And what's more, it seemed as if the Lord
were also about to fulfill the longing of my heart to serve Him
as a missionary as well.
In 1985 my husband and I were set to leave for Peru as
missionaries when the Lord abruptly closed the door on that
avenue of service. "How could this be, Lord? We were so certain
that this was Your will," and many such thoughts poured through
my heart. But to these questions the Lord gave no answer. I then
began to settle into the idea that missionary work was not meant
to be for me.
A number of years passed. I was now the mother of five children.
The Lord had taught me many precious things about Himself. He
had proven Himself faithful over and over. His Word had
transformed so many things in my heart and life.
It was late 1996 when my husband and I began to pray,
cautiously, about whether the Lord might send us to Nigeria to
serve Him. We did not wish to invent anything in our own minds
or rush ahead of His will.
We asked only that He who has the key of David might open so no
one could shut, or close that which no one could open; that He
would make it abundantly clear to us and others that this was
His will, either way.
We give all the glory to our great Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, that He has heard our prayers leading up to the time of
our departure, and confirmed His will to our hearts through His
Word and by the commendation of our assembly.