Angie Chapman's Testimony
I've always believed in God. I knew He existed. I remember singing How Great Thou Art in the Lutheran Church as a young person with tears welling up in my eyes. I was feeling the presence of God, but of course in the Lutheran church, you don't cry. My values and morals helped keep me from a lot of sin. But I went to college and gradually fell into the typical college life of drinking & going to the bars.
I met Brian in January 1997. The guys in Wilgus Hall called him Bible Boy. The first time I saw him it was after bar time, about 3am, and he was in the study lounge reading his Bible. I thought that was kind of weird, but at the same time I admired him. I got to know him a little bit that semester, but I was still immersed in my drinking lifestyle. In the fall of 1997, as graduation drew closer, I began to evaluate my life. I was about to become a real adult and realized I needed to grow up. The lifestyle I was living was not one I wanted to continue, especially if I were to get married and have children. I started spending more time with Brian. He was very different from the other guys I knew. He talked about God and the Bible quite a bit. My roommate asked me if I liked him, and I replied, “He's too good for me.” I knew he was a Christian and I was still a sinner. My lifestyle finally caught up with me and I knew I was stuck and couldn't get myself out. I wrote a letter to God and told Him I wanted to stop drinking, but couldn't do it myself. I asked God to help me stop drinking. From that day forward, I never got drunk again! He had delivered me immediately, only it took me several weeks to realize it. Shortly after that, Brian asked me to go with him to a church in Dubuque to a Thanksgiving dinner and I gladly agreed to go. We had a nice time, but were still just friends. The women there were preparing the dinner in the kitchen and were all wearing dresses and had their big hairstyles. I remember thinking that they looked weird and I didn't want to look like that. A few weeks later, Brian invited me to a church service at that church. By then I was getting more interested in what God had for me. The people were praying in groups and speaking in tongues, and it was pretty wild. Someone got baptized after service and I watched and took it all in, but still feeling like an outsider. Graduation came soon after that. I did go out to the bars with my old friends, but really did not have a good time like I used to. Someone bought me my favorite drink, but I couldn't even drink it, I didn't want it anymore.
I moved down to the Chicago suburbs to start my new job and kept in contact with Brian. He would write letters with scripture references and I would look them all up and read them. In April 1998 Brian invited me to an Easter drama his church in Waukesha was putting on. I was excited to go and looked forward to it. The afternoon before the drama, I spent some time with Brian and he said that God had something for me that night. So I went to the church in anticipation. When we got there, I could feel the love of God through the people and the atmosphere. The drama was completely awesome, and I could feel God's presence in that place. Tears started to fall especially toward the end when Jesus went to the cross. The pastor asked if anyone wanted to come forward and pray. I knew I wanted to, but felt timid in front of hundreds of people. But I knew if I didn't go up I would regret it. So I took one step into the aisle, and it was as if God Himself helped me walk up the rest of the way. Some people from the church came near to pray with me. I began to seek the Lord and in time He filled me with His Holy Spirit! I couldn't stop praying and speaking in tongues! What an awesome experience!
I went back to the Chicago area and I was still looking for a church to call home. Meanwhile I asked Brian if he thought his pastor would baptize me in Jesus' name. Of course he would, and I went back up the next Sunday and got baptized. Again I was in anticipation of what it would be like, and when I came up out of that water, I felt God's presence fall on me like an anvil falls on cartoon characters. The following Saturday Brian graduated from college and I visited. I saw my old friends briefly, but really did not want to hang out with them anymore. I was through with that old lifestyle. I mostly spent time with Brian and his friend, Tim. We talked about God and the Bible and prayed and worshiped God together. Brian told me later that as we prayed in his room, God spoke to him and told him I'd be his wife! I went back to Chicago that night and the next day walked into an Apostolic church in Schaumburg. I immediately felt at home as the people welcomed me and God's presence entered in that place. I received several Bible studies there and got grounded in the Word of God. In June 1998, Brian invited me to his church in Waukesha for a guest speaker. I met him there along with his Uncle Bruce. After the service I mentioned to Brian that he looked like he was getting tan from working outside. At that moment I realized I was getting feelings for him. But I was scared and didn't want to get into a relationship. I just wanted to get to know Jesus better for the time. But slowly, as we got to know each other better, we knew that God was bringing us together. In October, Brian asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We were married August 14, 1999. We've been serving God together ever since.
