The following is one of the many inspiring testimonies of PACE ministers.
One participant stood before the group and spoke to his wife, who was also present. She looked very young, probably not yet thirty. With deep emotion, he apologized to her in front of everyone. He confessed that for many years he had been drunk almost every day. He was suffering from the effects of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War, and his life had been filled with despair. Because of his struggles, he admitted that he had treated his wife very badly. With tears in his eyes, he sincerely asked her forgiveness.
Then he made a second promise. He declared, “From this day forward, I want to do God’s work.” At the time, none of us knew exactly what he meant by those words.
In the years that followed, however, I heard from his pastor and witnessed with my own eyes that he had faithfully kept his promise. I visited the church several times to provide follow-up training and encouragement, and each visit confirmed the remarkable transformation that had taken place in his life.
First, he built a Lay Pastors Ministry (LPM) office on the church property. It was large enough to accommodate fifteen to twenty people, and the lay pastors gathered there regularly for fellowship, prayer, and ministry. During one of my visits, I spent time in the office talking and praying with them.
He also worked tirelessly to improve the church grounds. In the front yard, he created a beautiful pond filled with colorful fish, making the church a more welcoming and pleasant place for people to visit.
Most remarkably, he developed a daily habit of getting up at 4:00 a.m., even during the cold winter months, to ring the traditional church bell. The bell called people to the 5:00 a.m. dawn worship service. Day after day, he faithfully continued this ministry.
The man I had once seen standing before us in tears had become a faithful servant of God.
PACE ministry had become more than a program for him. It had transformed his life. His repentance was genuine, his commitment was real, and his faithfulness demonstrated the sincerity of the promise he had made before God and before his wife.
He made a promise that day—and he kept it.
Sometimes, the most powerful evidence of transformation is not what a person says in a moment of emotion, but what he continues to do faithfully for years afterward.