G'day, my name is Joel Pearce I'm 16 and I live in Canberra, Australia.
Some of you who have been on this website before would have read my
testimony entitled 'Scared of the past, the present and life in general'.
After much soul-searching and talking with God I realised that I did not
mention the major cause for why I was saved in the first place, I realised
that I had to get past what people might think and tell it like it was, give
my testimony without holding back, and here it is....

My story starts in the small town of Bega, New South Wales in December of
2003, I was fifteen and had just graduated Year 10 the previous month. 2003
was a stressful year for me, I was getting ready to move to Canberra to do
Year 11 and 12 and I had personal issues that were dragging me down as well.

As the year went on I started to have very strong homosexual urges, as well
as severe anxiety and depression. I did not tell anyone about my situation,
I just denied it all and tried to move on as best as I could. After school
had finished for the year it was the summer holidays, and because I didn't
have many friends I spent all day at home feeling bad about myself.

I kept on denying my situation; I denied my homosexual urges, my anxiety and
my depression. I put on a facade for everyone pretending I was happy when I
wasn't.
Many nights I couldn't sleep because I was so disgusted with myself, I felt
so powerless to change it. I was moving to Canberra in January 2004 and I
didn't know how I was going to cope.

Things changed. I told my good Christian friend Catherine about my problems
and she was very supportive, and quite forceful as well. She said to me: "We
aren't leaving until you spill your guts and we sort this out!" I'm glad she
said that to me. That was the day I stopped denying, and that was the day I
said yes to Jesus and was saved.

I always thought I was a Christian. My parents were Salvation Army ministers
until they divorced in 1997. I read the Bible occasionally and prayed
half-heartedly, but I realised that this wasn't what made you a Christian.
Having Jesus in your life is what makes you a Christian; being in love with
him and seeking him with everything you have is what it is all about.

Now in August 2004 nine months later life is much more exciting. I'm
involved with a great church, I have singing lessons and I am seeing other
people in dire straights turn to Jesus as well.

My homosexual urges still come back from time to time, but it doesn't
control nearly as much as what it did. This is something that I had to work
out with God, and am still working thorugh with God. A lot of people do not
understand what it is like for people who have these kinds of tendancies,
they are too quick to judge and condemn. I knew all along that I didn't want
to be gay; at the time I was saved I got down on my knees and begged God to
make me straight, it was very hard at the time but I literally had to make
the decision to become straight.

Little by little God has changed me, all I needed to do was be completely
honest with God and allow him to work through me. I do not justify or
encourage homosexuality, it is sin plain and simple.
God has taught me when you expose sin in graphic honest detail to him it
quickly loses its power over you.

God changes people, nothing is ever impossible for God. With him all things
can be made new all you have to do is trust him. I am no longer living a
facade, I have Jesus in my life and now I have a reason to get up in the
morning, I have hope, truth and a passion for telling others about God.
Since getting saved I have started writing a book. 'A walk with Jesus
Christ' is a book I am writing to show other teenagers like myself that
living for Jesus is the best thing anyone could do with their life. Everyday
with Jesus is an adventure, his love and the truth that he died on the cross
for me is new every morning.

I have met atheists and other non-Christians who say God isn't real; this is
not true I have seen far too much evidence in my own life and in the lives
of others to dispute it. Jesus is the way the truth and the life, place your
life no matter how pathetic you think it is into his hands and he will never
leave you.

Cheers!
Joel Pearce
Canberra, Australia