My Christian Experience

Being the eldest of four siblings, I became the one responsible for all that occurred good and bad. Dad ruled with an iron fist only to mellow out later with the last two brothers. God had a sense of humor because this discipline helped me in my studies and my time as a soldier in the U.S. Army.

For some unexplained reason, God instilled in me curiosity and desire for learning at an early age. Accepting Jesus as my personal savor in my teens, I was ready for all the nay sayers and stealers of hope thieves. This came to a fountain head in my senior year as my school counselor told me that my low SAT scores were not high enough for college. She attempted to rob my hopes and dreams of going to college with those simple words’ “You Can’t.” However, being a new Christian, I did not accept her dogmatism. It was then that I had serious conversation with the Lord about going to college. I said that if given the chance, I could succeed.

Fortunately, California had many community colleges than my home state of Pennsylvania. As I attended school, I worked part time and improved my study habits. After two years, I transferred to a university. I graduated four years later with a Bachelor of Science degree.

To volunteer and serve the larger community of the world, was another dream I always had. Upon graduation, I was accepted in the Peace Corps and later VISTA. The first became a trip near the Amazon in Brazil. The later was with the poor in Appalachian in western Pennsylvania. It was wonderful serving others and meeting important people in both programs.

Brazil opened my eyes to the extreme poverty, suffering of humans, evils of the world, and poor living conditions of an exotic culture thousands of miles from America.

The Lord showed me incredible evil through visiting a village practicing Black Magic. One evening I visited a small pueblo in the state of Bahia with a new Brazilian friend, Alfonso. If he had only told me what we aoing to see, I would never have gone. While late in the evening, we witnessed contimple or Black Magic. This experience showed me fear associated with evil. After getting off a bus, we walked through a small dimly-lighted pueblo. Without streetlights, we carefully depended on the dimly lighted cottages to fight our way through the shadows and bushes. Probably 100 yards away we were annoyed at the incessant drums beating along with darkness; it further aggravated my fear phobia. Suddenly the drums magnified in intensity as we approached a larger house. We entered an open-door. I stood still as a statue unable to move as I witnessed 5-6 women in seemingly hypnotic drugged state. They were shaking involuntary as if they were mere puppets hypnotized by an outside force. As they circled a rectangular table, a huge woman with blood-covered knife leaned over a motionless body on the table. I tried getting closer to see what I feared to see. Wearing a blood-stained white gown, she performed some sort of surgery. I could not believe my eyes as I saw her take something the size of a gold ball from this helpless woman on the table. The few women continued dancing mechanically around the table mumbling a cacophony of sounds. This went on for 30 minutes or so. The beat of the drums had a hypnotic pull on me which only augmented the indescribable evil. Luckily my friend tapped me on the shoulder motioning for me to leave. We both slowly stepped backwards out the door. Once we felt safe some distance from the village, the fear and evil engulfing me departed like ephemeral smoke. As I rode the bus back to city of Salvador, I felt like I dreamed a horrible nightmare.

After the Peace Corps and Vista, I joined the U.S. Army. From this experience, God taught me discipline, the price for freedom, patriotism, loyalty, honor, dishonesty, evil, dangers, and cruelty of the world. After Basic Training, I was sent to Ft. Rucker, Alabama for my MOS. My assignment was to Bamberg, Deutschland.

At this time, the Army would take men without a high school education. Sometimes a judge would give a convicted felon a choice: prison or the Army. Many a night I slept with one eye open. Once I was doing KP serving breakfast to soldiers. One soldier threatened my life because I accidently poured syrup over his eggs. Later I experienced his threat with two of his buddies. I was walking down a hall in the evening when suddenly I was pulled into a dark-empty room. The same soldier I spoke of earlier had this unthinkable hate in his eyes stuck a knife at my throat. For some reason, the ubiquitous peace of God surrounded me. Out of nowhere a sergeant appeared walking down the hall. I believe God sent this sergeant at that exact moment to pass by the door and order these nefarious individuals out of the room. By the grace of God, I was rescued.

After leaving the Army, I took advantage of the GI Bill and went to seminary. After a grilling three years I graduated with my Masters’ Degree. I continued with my education at a university to become a teacher.

​​ I taught inner-city middle school. For a few years, ran two computer labs, then taught English and US History. Many of the students I taught through the years were well below grade level and exhibited a lack of discipline. I visited many homes asking for help from their parents. No help came. I stayed teaching these undiscipline students unable to transfer to better schools. However, I believed that God sent me there to teach and to inspire them. I could not see it at the time, but believe Romans 8:28 rang true for me. Years later a few prior students came to me and told me they completed school. Best of all they were going to college, trade school or military. I felt my years there were worth it all.

At night I taught a college course entitled: "World Religions of the Western World.” It was wonderful to teach about God and work with very motivated adults!

Lastly, I will close with this thought. God created us in his image. And “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) He made all our parts. “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkedly and wonderfully made.” ( Psalm 139:13-14) God’s love and personal involvement is different from other religions. We all have unique gifts, talents, skills, and experiences that God can use in a powerful way. Amen.

Presently I am living with my wonderful God given wife in Florida.

God bless!

​AJ Grauf - Bachelor of Science, Master of. Div.

Munich , Germany

Rio de Janero, Brazil