Testimony of Conversion
I grew up in a nominal Roman Catholic home. We had no Bible in our house, nor did we attend church often. As a teenager growing up, I was not interested in spiritual things and was hostile toward God. I often said in my heart, “there is no God,” and I seemed like a happy kid.
God, in His grace, started invading my life through my hobbies; basketball and the English language.
The only basketball team in my town happened to be coached by a missionary from the United States, who, after each practice, shared briefly from the Bible with us. He soon told me about a family in town which held youth meetings in their house, where I could play games, eat snacks, meet some people, and learn English from native speakers. I didn’t need more convincing. They also happened to be missionaries, and the proclamation of God’s Word was part of the meetings too. My mocking was slowly changing to curiosity.
I started wondering why these people’s Christianity was so different from the one I had known. When they sang songs, they did it with joy. When they prayed, they spoke with their own words, and it sounded like they knew God. When they read the Bible, they seemed to explain it clearly, and believed what it said. I figured that it must have something to do with this book.
I saved up some money and bought my first Bible. I was fascinated with it, but didn’t understand its message.
In 1998, a new missionary (James) came to coach my team. We became close friends, and after every practice, we’d stay in the locker room, where James led me through a study of the letter to the Galatians. It was through that study that I understood the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I was convicted of my sin.
I realized that my sinful self was my own biggest problem. I needed forgiveness and now I saw that forgiveness is found only in Christ, that He is the only way, truth and life. The perfect Son of God paid the price for my sins on the cross. Three days later, He was raised from the dead. He took on Himself everything that I deserved so that through faith and repentance in Him, I could have everything that He had and deserved: the perfect inheritance of eternal life, peace with God, and His righteousness. My sins are many, but His mercy is more. He is my Lord and Savior. It was in August of 1998 that I made a conscious commitment to believe and repent. In 2000 I made a public confession of faith through baptism.
Call to Ministry
In 2003, after I finished a one-year program at Torchbearers Bible School in Sweden, I married Iwona and we were compelled to get involved in full time ministry. I was already serving as the youth leader and music leader at a local Baptist church in Szczecinek. I, however, wanted to serve as a street evangelist: traveling from city to city, performing music and dramas, and sharing the Gospel. My friends and I began forming an evangelistic group, however God had closed the door to that ministry; our plans were going nowhere.
My wife and I, in our Bible Study, came across Psalm 37 and realized that we were delighting in the desires of our hearts rather than delighting in the Lord Himself. In our youthful zeal and our prayers, we committed to God that we would delight in Him and serve Him in whatever ministry he opens up first.
The first ministry opportunity came up only about a week later. My pastor introduced me to The Bible League church planting program and asked if I would be interested in planting a church. Being a pastor was one thing I never wanted to do in ministry, so I said “no.”
When I told my wife about the conversation, she immediately reminded me of our commitment before the Lord. I went back to my pastor – hesitant, scared to death, unprepared, but bound in my conscience by the commitment I had made before God, and said, “yes, sign me up.”
I started attending The Bible League church plant training, where the pastor and elders of my church recognized my calling and gifting as a leader, preacher, and evangelist. I was sent by my home church to begin church planting work in a small, unreached town: Borne Sulinowo.
My wife and I moved to this town, and I began to walk on the streets so that I could get to know the people and share the gospel, with a hope and prayer to see a church being established eventually. This began in the winter of 2003.
Regardless of me being very young, unprepared, and without a team, God showed Himself to be very gracious throughout the years. He grew us, shaped us, tried us, led us, equipped us, and most of all, gave us tremendous joy to see Him at work in saving sinners and establishing a church in Borne Sulinowo. The ministry I had never wanted to be involved with before very quickly became the ministry I wanted to do for the rest of my life, Lord willing.
In 2018, my church in Borne Sulinowo sent me to pastor a small house church in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, where I’m serving presently. Our desire and hope were for us to be located in a more central area of Poland to one day establish a training center for pastors and church planters.
