My name is Rebekah Webb, and this is my testimony of how I became a believer in Christ Jesus.
Early Spiritual Encounters and Growing Faith
I went to church with my mom and my two sisters every week. However, I didn’t make all of the connections of what it meant to be a believer until I was about seven years old. That’s when I knew that God was real. I had some interesting experiences with the spiritual world, especially when I was alone taking a bath. As I ran the bath water, I was tempted by three evil spirits to say and do bad things to my sisters. I kept rebuking these evil spirits and telling them, “Go away! In the name of Jesus, go away!” After two months of being tempted and rebuking these evil spirits, they left and never returned. I could not physically see these spirits, but I could hear them and sense their presence. After this two-month period of testing was over, I became stronger in my faith. Later that year, during church summer camp, I went to the altar to pray. As I was praying, I saw the most beautiful white light surrounding me. I felt God’s presence in such a big way. It was like He gave me a piece of heaven that day. At the age of eight years old, I was baptized. I understood completely what it meant. Baptism is the outward representation of what has already happened inside of the believer. This was such a wonderful day, and I was happy to share it with my church family.
A Divine Revelation Amidst a Childhood Challenge
When I was about twelve years old, I began to read the Bible daily. I figured that if I wanted to know God; I needed to know His Word. At the age of thirteen, I broke my leg while I was at school playing basketball. This was no ordinary break. I simply leaned over to catch the ball, placing all of my weight on my left leg, and it broke. I was on the gym floor, and all my guy friends were staring at me as I had the ball in my hands. The gym teacher came over to me and said, “What’s wrong?” I said, “I don’t think I can get up without help.” Mr. Gravelly (not his name in real life) and another student helped me to hop over to the chair next to the where the gym teacher sat. I told Mr. Gravelly that I needed help multiple times. I told him there was something wrong with my leg, and that I needed a nurse to come to my aid. He didn’t seem to really believe me, as I didn’t cry. I have a high tolerance for pain, so I don’t cry much.
Navigating Pain and Seeking Help
I started to feel nauseous after sitting there for about fifteen minutes. Surprisingly, Mr. Gravelly said to me, “If you want, you can get back up and play again.” I was shocked, and I replied, “I can’t get up. There is something wrong with my leg.” I was not as bold at that time in my life, but I clearly was asking for help and Mr. Gravelly was no help at all. When gym class was finished, I was sitting there wanting the nurse to come and see me. Mr. Gravelly then gave me a pass to go and see the nurse. I said, “How am I supposed to get there? I can’t walk.” He said, “I have to put the balls away and I will be back.” So, I waited for about ten to fifteen minutes, but he never returned. I was sitting in the gym all alone with no one to help me. That’s when I decided to try to get up. At first, I hopped until I got over to the middle of the table while holding onto the edge. With all the pain and lack of support, I decided to put my leg down to see if it could bear any weight at all. As I put my leg down on the floor, all this pain rushed up my leg! That’s when I cried. I really was all alone; I didn’t think Mr. Gravelly or anyone else was going to help me.
Finding Relief and Assistance: A Nurse’s Timely Intervention
I managed to hop over to the other side of the table where I could sit down. About thirty seconds later, while I was still in tears, the Learning Disabilities teacher came in with her class. She saw me crying and said, “What’s wrong?” I told her what had happened, and she sent one of her students to get the nurse. I was so relieved that I was finally being heard and helped. I thanked God for sending her to help me. When the nurse came, she examined my leg and said, “I think it is broken, because it is more swollen on one side.” Mr. Gravelly finally showed up after the nurse came. He said, “I think she probably just sprained it.” The nurse jumped in. “No, this is definitely a break.” The nurse needed to get me to her station so I could call my mom. I was helped by two male students who I essentially used as crutches. Then, the nurse brought a rolling chair for me to use for the rest of the way. The nurse called my mom and gave her the news, but she began to cry, so I got on the phone and calmed her down. My mom had my dad pick me up as she had a day care to run at the time.
An Unexpected Journey to Healing
My dad picked me up in his work van, but there was no space to prop my leg up. He took me back to the house to switch vehicles so I could sit up sideways and keep my leg propped up. Most people would have just taken their kids to the hospital, but with my dad, there is always an adventure. He decided to take me to our chiropractor friend, Dr. Hauss. When we arrived, my dad had to help me hop into the building. My dad was at the time suffering from a case of gout, so he was in pain, too. Dr. Hauss took an x-ray of my leg and told my dad, “I think she broke her leg. I am not an orthopedist, but you can see that it is broken. Also, I think it broke because there is an area of her tibia that is hollow.” My dad pulled up to the front of the building, and Dr. Hauss carried me to the vehicle. We thanked Dr. Hauss and then we went to my dad’s appliance shop before heading to the hospital. My dad made me a sandwich because I hadn’t eaten lunch yet and told my foster brother (who was working there at the time) what happened and that he would need to lock up for the day. Then, finally, we were on our way to the hospital. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long because we brought the x-ray taken by Dr. Hauss to the hospital. My leg was placed in a cast from under my hip all the way to my toes. I had to wear the cast for two and a half months. The principal from my school heard what had happened, and the school covered all the medical expenses. I am sure we could have sued, but it was not in our hearts to do that. I was just glad to be helped.
Deepening Faith Through Prayer and Spiritual Growth
Over the next couple of weeks, I began to draw closer to the Lord. I continued to read my Bible daily, and I saw the power of prayer. There was one time where I had this agonizing pain in my big toe where the cast was. I couldn’t do anything about it, so I prayed. About five minutes later, the pain was gone! I immediately thanked God and my faith became stronger. After my leg healed, I was told I couldn’t play basketball for a while. However, I could go swimming. I was now fourteen, and I really wanted to go to summer camp, even though I wouldn’t be able to participate in all the sports. My main focus was that I wanted to go and spend time at the altar and pray. I know that I could have just stayed home to do that, however I felt compelled to go to church camp and have that time there. I went up to the altar every night. I was waiting to hear from the Lord. Finally, on the second to last night there, I heard God speak to my heart. He said, “Go and tell others about me and my Son.” I was so happy to be called by the Lord. Many from my church camp group doubted that I could fulfill this call because I was so quiet.
Answering the Call: Embracing the Great Commission
When I went to high school in the fall, I felt like a new person. I was no longer shy, and I had a new outlook on life. I was not afraid to tell others about Jesus. I wanted to encourage others and pray for others. I wanted to be a light to those that didn’t know or have Jesus in their lives. This is what I was going to do for the rest of my life. I accepted the Great Commission in which Jesus proclaimed, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:15
Living the Great Commission: Spreading the Gospel
Have you accepted the Great Commission? What can you do to help others in your community? Let’s be God’s hands and feet and spread His word to the nations! “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” – Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV