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I arrived in Carlisle for my next military assignment at the U.S. Army War College in October 2002. I had just spent almost 6 years in Alaska, and I was anxious to get back down to the lower forty-eight and closer to my home in West Virginia.  Once I got settled in I started going to the church on base at Carlisle Barracks along with my wife Mary and daughters, Amanda and Brittany. We went there for almost 2 years but eventually quit.

In 2005, I retired from the Army and was looking for another full-time job. Somehow I was able to get a temporary job working full-time as a contractor at the U.S. Army War College, which led into a permanent full-time job. But still I was not going to church.

​My Testimony ​ by Dave Shrader

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In early 2009, one of my co-workers  named Jamie Hulsey invited me and my family to his church. I was skeptical at first, but then decided to give it a try. At that time my religious experience had me feeling like a tumbleweed, just being blown around by the wind. I had no real sense of direction.

I started attending the Sunday morning service with my family, and a few weeks later asked God to forgive me of my sins. On June 30, 2009, I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (see Acts 2:38). I wanted to learn more, so we joined a home friendship group and eventually started a home Bible study with a man named Mike Hensley. In October of 2011 I received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and for the first time in my life I spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance (see Acts 2:1-4).

Life was going pretty good for me, but I still encountered struggles in my daily activities. My dad had a situation, which I asked the church to pray about. I did not go into details, but we prayed for my dad. God’s Spirit spoke through one of the church members named Barbara Huston in regards to his situation. That response was a real eye-opener for me.

The bottom line is this: GOD IS REAL! I have learned that when I put God first in my life, all the other things will fall into place. He worked things out with my dad and his situation. God’s Spirit has given me a desire and a sense of belonging to this church. I no longer feel like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind. I feel like I belong to this church and I thank God for Jamie Hulsey for planting that seed in my life. God has given me inner peace
and a solid rock to put my feet on. I thank Him for His grace and salvation.

Life’s road is not always easy, but with God’s Spirit I sure do manage it better.