Meet Rhonda Gordon

I was born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents of Russian and Turkish descent. As a child I heard about Jesus, but I associated Him with the Easter bunny and with Catholic "friends" who called me names because I was Jewish.

As a pre-teenager, I looked for happiness in alcohol, mild drugs and nightclubs. But deep down inside I felt empty and depressed. I tried many things to fill that emptiness. I even became an exercise-aholic, but each time the high of working out wore off, I'd fall back into depression.

In college I determined to get straight A's to prove my worth. I studied psychology, thinking to find answers there. I put so much emphasis on achievement that anything short of perfection on my part made me angry and depressed.

During my college internship I shared an office with a Christian. She would tell me about Jesus, and though I always told her I wasn't interested, I still listened. When I told her that I planned to attend bartending school to make some extra money, she prayed that I wouldn't become a bartender. The first week of bartending school I had a 104º fever and had to drop out. When I finally did attend, despite my straight A average in college, I failed the bartending exam three times!

I met another Christian who began to pray for me, and God answered so many prayers that I knew it couldn't be coincidence. So one day I prayed: "Jesus, if you really are who you say you are, then let me meet another Jewish person who believes in you." Soon afterwards, I was working at a health club when I silently prayed, God, do you still love me? Amazingly, a woman who was ready to leave after her workout handed me a tract that read: "God loves you." This woman turned out to be a Jew for Jesus. God answered two prayers in one encounter!

As I studied psychology and studied the Bible, I found that only the Bible gave me clear answers and filled me with peace. I could no longer deny Him, so I bowed my head and admitted before Jesus that I was a sinner. I asked Him to be my Lord and Savior. Now I have found a peace that surpasses all understanding.