A land where Jesus walked

by Peter J. Froese

In 1926, I immigrated to Canada from Russia with my father, stepmother, three brothers and two sisters. We settled on a farm near Manitou, Man. Being German-speaking, we received several German periodicals, including one from Newton, Kansas. The editor, a man named Krehbiel, wrote a detailed report of his trip to Palestine, the land where Jesus was born, where He had taught, where He had died on a cross and where He had risen from the dead. I had not heard of anybody who had been where Jesus had walked. Many questions raced through my mind. Was it possible that all of the Bible stories had taken place in a land I could go to today? I was troubled very much.

About then, a church was being organized in Manitou. The Sunday school leader asked me to teach young boys the Bible stories about Jesus. But I asked, "How can I teach if I have a spiritual need myself?" He found someone else.

I read the Bible a lot that year, and wrote down verses about faith in a scribbler.

One evening, I went downstairs to talk to my dad about my troubles. He quoted a hymn that advised "simply trusting Jesus every day". I wanted to do that, but did I?

One day, as I was splitting wood for the winter, I felt an emptiness and anguish in me. I just could not work any longer. I went upstairs and got my Bible. Before I read, I prayed, "Hear me, God. This weight is getting too heavy."

I read a section of the Bible called Hebrews, chapter 11, where it explains what faith is. I kept reading until I came to verse 6: "Without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that He rewards everyone who searches for Him." I read the verse again and again. I said to myself that I trusted God's Word, the Bible that's why I read it all the time. Now, here it said that God rewards those who search for Him. I said, "Lord, I am searching for You." All of a sudden, I felt so good, so relieved. All of the weight on me had gone. I had peace. I had joy. I thanked God that Jesus, His Son, came to earth as a baby and became a man who walked in Palestine, teaching and doing miracles. He lived for a while among us humans, then died on a cross, was resurrected from the dead and went back up into heaven.

I am so grateful that God loves us and helps us by His Word, the Bible.

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