I’m still here in Australia. So I’ve brought with me a special guest today. His name is Dean Holmes. He’s 24 years old, and I know you’ll appreciate him as I have. I met him actually two years ago when I was here in Adelaide, And at that time, he’d only been saved for six months, but yet his heart for evangelism and for souls was already a challenge to me at that time. And I found that his heart has only grown even deeper and more genuine in seeking souls for Christ. And I’ve asked that he share his testimony, because what I’ve found is that his heart for evangelism actually stems out of his own personal testimony and what God’s done for him. And so I’ve asked that he share that with us. I know it’ll be a blessing to you as it has been to me. And hopefully you can focus on more than just the accent and actually hear what Dean has for us today. So Dean, why don’t you go ahead and share your testimony, whatever else you guys place in your heart to share with us.

Thank you, Ryan, for the introduction. It’s good to be here with you. Yeah, it just gets right into it. So I was brought up in a Christian home, a Siddharth Adventist from a young age. I wasn’t real strong focused on biblical truths. It kind of fell away, specifically when I started my first job. I was 14 years old at a fast food restaurant. And from there, I really fell into a dark life of sin and depression. Started with small things like small petty thefts, things like that. Eventually, the people I was with and associated with manipulate you or encourage you to do the wrong thing. And peer pressure can be dangerous if they encourage you to do the wrong things. And from small petty thefts to bigger things like trespassing and once again even bigger again to stealing cars or breaking into houses and things like that. I was clearly looking for something to fulfil the void inside me. And for a long time I struggled with depression. And that battle just got worse and worse as it went on. It got to the point where I didn’t see there’d be an end to the struggles that I was going on with. same thing I just continued down the dark life of sin and making these decisions that would just give me an adrenaline rush to sort of perk me back up again and make me feel like I was still living you get to the point where you’re apathetic and you don’t care what happens to just wanting to feel something and so you search for these things to make you feel something and we got to the point where I’d had knives at my throat and guns pointed at my face but the worst part was that I was proud. I was proud that I was living this life. I was proud that I had been in police chases and things like that. I moved out of home at a young age and from here it just got worse. I didn’t have the patience or the love that I had when I was living at home with my parents. So I felt alone and from there depression got worse. Suicidal thoughts clouded my age each and every day to the point of attempting suicide. and later on the train tracks waiting for the train to arrive and I planned the time, I knew when the train was meant to arrive but 15 minutes past the arrival time of the train, it never rocked up and clearly something had prevented that from happening and kept me alive but I avoided it, I avoided whatever possibility that was and just thought it was a coincidence. From there I completed my mechanic apprenticeship, I was living proud living out of home with my best friend and another friend. I had a relationship at the time. And one night I had a nightmare. I was stuck on earth while all the saved Christians were ascending to heaven. I did everything I could in my dream. I was praying, I was helping people. I was asking strangers on the street what I could do. But nothing mattered. In my dream it was too late. And those who were saved were ascending into heaven and I was on earth. And there was nothing I could do. From then I did as best I could to ignore the dream. however it was so clearly something that I needed to address in my life and from there every time I thought about it I broke down in tears, I just couldn’t handle it it was such a full on experience something that clearly wasn’t just a dream but it was something that was definitely speaking to me my relationship fell apart around the same time I found out my housemate was going behind my back and moving in on my girlfriend so therefore the relationship fell apart I kicked out my housemate so there I was in a tough situation I had just recently lost my girlfriend both of my friends were moving and it was a really really tough time for me I felt like I was alone and I couldn’t afford the rent because they were helping me cover it as well about a week later after all that had happened I spoke with my at the time boss and he actually let me know that there wasn’t enough work on at the time and they were going to have to let me go and so I had no job no friends couldn’t afford the rent and at the time felt like I just had nothing and depression was really really overwhelming. It was only at that time that I remembered a long time friend, my former school teacher actually that was honest, genuine and upfront with me for the few years that he taught me. Everything I had done and five years of almost no communication, I went to him and I told him what had happened and he led me to the Lord. He showed me that I was living a life of sin and that the only way I could have peace with God and peace with my life was accepting that Jesus Christ died for me. And that was the most overwhelming experience that I can’t even explain. From then I’ve never felt a peace like that, knowing that no matter what happens in this life, whether it be I lose my job or I lose my girlfriend or I lose my house or whatever happens i know that god is sovereign and he’s in control and that he loves me and it’s only when god takes everything away from you that you realize that you had nothing and he is everything and like the bible says you know pride comes before a fall and and i was a proud man and i certainly paid for that and um i just want to challenge you to be aware of the words you say um for my teacher probably had no idea of the encouragement and the impact that he had on my life for those short years that he was teaching me. But he might have just said a meaningless comment to him, but to me it was life-changing and it was encouraging and that’s what I knew I could go back to him when I needed him the most and I knew that he was faithful enough to lead me to the Lord and he helped me through that.

Amen. Thank you for that, Dean. I know your transparency is appreciated by all of us and sharing that with us. I want to add just maybe one thing and that is how I’ve been impressed by your testimony since then, even since you’ve been saved, how the Lord continued to shape you and grow you, give you a heart for evangelism, even a vision for the future. Let me just go ahead and mention Dean right now is a patrol mechanic for RAA. It would be like AAA in the States. So he goes around and fixes breakdowns on the side of the road, that kind of thing. It’s a very reputable job here. And the reason I mention this is that a lot of people would just see Dean from the human standpoint as having it made. He’s only 24 years old, has a job with RAA that really could last him a lifetime. It pays well. They take good care of him. And he would definitely be all set if he just kept that job. However, that is not Dean’s plan. And he has told me of a vision that the Lord has given him for the future. So, Dean, maybe you could just share now some of those ways that since you’ve been saved, that you’ve been involved in evangelism here in Adelaide. And then also just share what you believe the Lord’s given you as a vision for the future.

Absolutely. Yeah, I’m an active part of our church, involved in the youth group leadership, where we get out as much as we can to provide for those around the community. We’ve gone out on many occasions where we door knock with window cleaning equipment. And we just ask people if we can clean their windows for them. And if we get the opportunity, then we’ll share the gospel and hopefully see if God’s working through them at the time. Other times we’ve gone to other people’s houses with garden maintenance equipment, lawn mowers, whippersnippers, that sort of thing, and cleaned up their yards for them, whether it be people in the church just to give them encouragement or people outside of the church that will once again allow us the opportunity to sow some seeds and share the gospel with them. But my passion and burden that God’s given me is for young people. Definitely have a burden for people that have been in the same situation that I was in, in a downward spiral. Definitely just want to be that person that can encourage them and sort of get people out of that sort of area. But the plan that I’ve got, and hopefully God will direct my steps in the right direction, that he will allow me to go into full-time youth ministry for those kids that can’t find foster care or find care that’ll give them a good home to be in. Hopefully I’ll be able to provide the love that God’s shown me and be patient with them like God has with me and help them to shape them into godly young children. So that’s my plan and my burden that God blessed me with. And hopefully one day that’ll come to fruition.

Absolutely. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Dean, so much for sharing that. And young people, I just want you to think for yourself, you know, Dean here is dreaming big and the Lord’s given a big vision. And so he’s willing to follow that, even if it means giving up a good job, whatever it means, just to accomplish God’s will and see souls saved. And I would just challenge you to be seeking the Lord for that specific mission He has for you that’s different than your siblings, is different than your friends. There’s something specific He has for you that He has and will equip you for as you continue to seek Him in total surrender and total dependence. Thank you for joining us today.