Donna Chikowski's Testimony

The bell finally rang, we all gathered up our homework and made a b-line for the doors, as I was putting my boots on to walk home. My teacher came up to me and wanted me to go to the office. "Okay", I said, thinking all the way to the office, "Now what did I do."
I took the first chair right across from my teacher. He told me, "there's been a fire at your house."
I was shocked when he told me that, I remember asking him, "Did anyone get hurt"?
He then told me, "All I know is that you've had a house fire, and you have to go straight home. Someone will be waiting for you there."
I raced to the door, and ran out of the school. All I could think about was, "I hope no-one's hurt, I hope no-one's hurt, I hope no-one's hurt." I was half way home when I mustered up enough courage to look up towards my house. Even from where I was, I noticed lots of smoke billowing up. I ran the rest of the way.
When I finally got there, I walked up to one of the fireman and asked him, "Did anyone get hurt?" He ignored me, so I asked him again, "Did anyone get hurt?"
He then told me, "I can't give out any information."
I didn't know what to think. At that time, I didn't know Jesus personally. I was only 11 years old. Oh, if only I would have known Jesus, I would have had someone to cry to and to ask for help.
The neighbour then carried out my little brother who was only 3 years old and he was okay. My other brother, who was 12 finally made it home. As we watched the fireman put the fire out, our Dad pulled up in the car. He walked up to us and told us, "We're going to stay at the P.M.Qs." P.M.Qs are very nice homes right on the air force base where Dad worked on planes.
On our ride out to the air base, I asked Dad, "Where's Mom? Was she hurt in the fire?" Dad then told us that mom was in the hospital, so I said, "Is she going to be alright?" Dad said she would be okay, so that was it; everything was going to be okay. We finally made it to our new home, we walked in and everything we needed was already there, even a washer and dryer. Dad then told me that George and him were going to hospital to visit Mom, I had to stay home with my little brother. I was fine with that, after all Mom's going to be home soon. I made some toast for my little brother and me. I sat and waited for Dad to get home.
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard his car pull up in the driveway. I watched as the front door opened and Dad walked in, he walked up to me and gave me Mom's purse. I said," How's mom doing? When is she coming home?" I looked up at dad and noticed the tears streaming down his face. "Dad, is mom okay?"
He then told me straight out, "Your mother died."
I clutched mom's purse so hard my knuckles turned white. I screamed, "No! She's not dead, she's not dead. Dad, go get her right now and bring her home!"
Dad said again, "She's dead; she died of smoke inhalation when George and I were at the hospital."
I thought, "No, this can't be happening; this can't be happening, what are we going to do? No, I don't accept this, it's just not true!"
I'm sitting here now typing this out and there are tears streaming down my face. I was told that time has a way of healing but it still hurts to remember.
Anyway, we moved in to our new place a few months later. I had to learn how to cook, clean and do laundry at an early age. My grandma came and took our little brother back home with her to Prince Albert so he would be well taken care of.
Dad told us after quite a few months went by that social services wanted to take us away, because Mom was no longer there to take care of us. Well, needless to say, they didn't get us; we were able to stay together. I didn't realize it then but I know God made that possible. Dad, George and myself used to put one hand up in the air and Dad would say, "All for one and one for all." as we would hold on to each other's hands.
Time went by and we really started missing our little brother. Dad decided it was time we moved to Prince Albert where our little brother was. So we packed up and moved into our new place in Prince Albert. Life went on. My sister called and said she was coming to visit. I was really excited. When she came, we decided to go over to my auntie's. I noticed in her hand she had a couple of small Bibles. I remember looking at her and thinking, "If she thinks she's going to preach to me, she can just forget it."
That night, my sister invited my brother and me into a room to talk. She told us about God and Jesus; about God loving us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and about Jesus and her relationship with Jesus. As we all sat down and held hands, my sister said a prayer for us, I remember closing my eyes really tight and asking Jesus to come into my heart and forgive all of my sins, for I know I am a sinner and to be with me and never leave me, I wanted what my sister had.

You can have that same peace and joy in your life too.
I notice (even in my own life), that a lot of people have an empty void in their lives. Some try to fill that void with alcohol, some with drugs, some with money, some with the pleasures in this world and some with sex, and no matter how much you do of these, you find you're still not satisfied and are just as unhappy as ever.
There is a way you can fill that void, and that's a personal relationship with Jesus. It doesn't matter what you've done in your life, God still loves you.