I was saved on June 25, 1994 at Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Gallatin, TN. I was raised in Missionary Baptist Churches and had been lost for some time, but I was too embarrassed to go to the altar or to admit that I was lost.
The Friday night before I was saved, I was at the closing night singing of the Cumberland Valley School of Gospel Music. As we sang “Amazing Grace”, I looked around at all the friends I had made at the school and realized that if I died that night I would never see them again. I knew that my grandfather was preaching at a revival at Salem that week, and I was determined to be saved. Saturday night I went to church at Salem with my mom.
After my grandfather preached, I felt a heavy burden and wanted to go to the altar, but I kept putting it off, saying to myself that I would go after the next verse, or after the next song. Finally, my grandfather came back to talk to me, but before he could say anything I started crying and walked with him to the altar. I was there for a couple of hours, trying everything to be saved. Finally, I realized that there was nothing I could do to be saved, and I turned everything over to God. At that moment, I felt an incredible peace come over me, and I knew I had been saved.
