TESTIMONY LIST

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Gayle Mahnke
Erika Harkless
Rachel Zanoni
Deah Hayden
Gayle Mahnke
Healed from Anger, Overweight

My name is Gayle Mahnke. Through hearing this truth that Gwen Shamblin teaches in the Weigh Down Workshop, and through putting it into practice, 45 lbs. of overweight is gone from my body. My highest weight was prior to 1999 when I first got to participate in a Weigh Down Exodus seminar, and I feel better physically now in my 50’s than I have ever felt in my entire life! The reason for this is because of all the selfish evil desires that are gone from my heart. Through this love relationship with The One True God, I have been set free from strongholds of anger, outbursts of rage, pride, criticizing and nagging my sweet husband that God gave me, mean-spirited toward others on the one hand and people-pleasing on the other hand, wrong shopping, over-talking, thinking I knew the answer to everything, hating authority, power struggles against co-workers and bosses… now my greatest joy is to be lined up with the personality and character of Jesus Christ who lived every minute to do the will of the Father! I am on a path of looking for God’s will in everything and laying down my will wherever it doesn’t line up with His will – for His will is perfect, and He has poured out generous blessings on me for submitting my heart and actions to Him! It is such a joy to have found others who are free from the pain that wrong choices brought to their lives, too. As a member of Remnant Fellowship since 2001, I worship God Almighty with those who have found this relationship that lets you rise up and fly above the pull of the food and the world’s desires that rob us and are going to pass away! (1 John 2:17) Only God is a true God who gives back when we truly repent of doing it our way. Anything else is a bad god, a false god, which only robs us and cannot give back! Now that I have learned these truths through the Weigh Down and Remnant Fellowship teachings of God’s Word—they are a life-giving foundation on which I live every minute for God! I thank God for all He has done! In my life before my repentance, before I turned from sin, I was absolutely full of pain. There was emotional and physical pain from my actions, which were destroying my body. In my life now, through obedience to His Word and His commands, He has healed me of searing back pain that was a daily part of my life and that drained me of energy. My body is now also free from the irritable bowel syndrome that was getting worse while I grabbed for food as I tried to fill the emptiness in my heart. I used to have headaches all the time… it is so rare now for me to have a headache that it is almost never! After the life of sin that I was living, I certainly don’t deserve to have anything good. But since hearing the truth and putting it into practice, my life has been a sweet journey of feeling God’s disciplining hand and turning, following His lead and being so blessed and healed. My marriage is so different than the painful emptiness that it was, and even to this very day God is blessing my husband and me with a stronger, more loving relationship than we ever thought was possible. And now that I know how to live for God so that I may go to Him for every need, money is not my focus or worry. Living within God’s boundaries there is no stress about money.

Remnant Fellowship Church and its leadership keeps to the plumb-line of Jesus Christ, that is – “not my will, but Yours be done, Father.” Through the example of their lives of obedience to God Almighty, through the teaching of the Word, and through the help that I get, I have been able to identify idols in my heart and lay them down – to God’s glory! No other church has ever shown me how to do that. The church that I used to attend not only left me weak and ineffectual against laying down sin, but it taught me that God didn’t expect me to lay it down. I praise this awesome, righteous God of all, who has shown us in His word that He “has given us everything we need for life and godliness” so that we may “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:3-11). In Remnant Fellowship the focus is on God, and all of us help each other to live pure lives for Him. There is no resemblance here to false churches where it is all about what they can get out of the people. Here the truth is spoken in love so that those who want to have only ONE God grow stronger every day in living righteously for God. Thank You, God Almighty, for this Remnant of believers… sold out to living for You so that we may all “take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19b). I have found true life!

Erika Harkless
Healed from Anger, Overweight, Healed Marriage

I am 27 years old, married and a mother of 3. I praise God for this message. Just a small background: I grew up in a Baptist household where my grandmother took me to church 2 times a week, my mother didn't go to church regularly, and my step-father was Catholic. Amongst the confusion of the mix of religions I became very selfish. I was horribly self -focused and exceedingly manipulating. I would do and say what I wanted when I wanted to. I had no respect for authority. I received poor marks in school and had no respect for my mother. I was full of rage, to the point where I hit my family members (parents included). I was blasphemous and I took pride in making others feel miserable. I was self-seeking and I believed the whole world revolved around me. Through this thinking I was dominant in every relationship I had. I manipulated others into what I wanted by any means necessary. I was into sexual sins, cigarettes, over indulgence of alcohol, deceit, manipulation, greed, lust, envy—you name the sins of the flesh and that was me. I used to call them "traits of my personality" because I was "strong willed". I honestly believed that I was saved during it all from the false message of "saved by grace". I sat on a church pew for 17 years hearing messages but the second it was over, off came the smile of my facade and the worldly me was back. Nothing changed; I never heard anything to make me fear God to want to change. I didn't see people who loved God with all their heart and all their soul and all their minds and all their strength. So I continued to stay the same and get worse. I started gaining weight with every child, becoming more depressed, more rageful, and more lazy. I began to hate my husband because I thought he wasn't loving me enough, and doing things for me. I thought that someone else could do it better. Needless to say I don't deserve to hear truth, let alone to be in this glorious assembly. I tried dieting, over exercising, I bought every new fangled contraption known to man to get rid of the "pooch", the abdominal things, the kickboxing videos, the gym memberships, etc. I even tried several weird dieting techniques, including purging-but that didn't work since I loved the food too much. I was at the gym every night of the week, rain or snow. Yet I continued to gain. In my search for a thinner body and greed of material things my finances were in serious trouble, we let two vehicles go back and my husband and I thought that bankruptcy was the solution. So with financial trouble and depression on top of my selfish ambition, my marriage was over. Seriously, we were going to pack up and divorce that weekend. We were done with the counseling and the fighting and my deceit and lust. There was no hope. Then we found God Almighty through the Remnant Fellowship. Through the message of truth that is taught by Gwen we have learned to love God first and then wait for everything else. I am learning more every day and I am dying to my own desires when my will comes up. But I LOVE IT! God's way is so much better!! Our finances are being righted by slowly paying them off. My marriage is stronger now then it has been in all the years that I've known him. I have learned to love him by obeying and serving him. My children are becoming more obedient and respectful. I love having them around me ALL the time. I have a relationship with the most HIGH GOD OF THE UNIVERSE and it is so amazing to me that GOD wants ME!! Who am I to hear this truth and to be in this place. I have learned to be a sweet and loving member of my family, a sweeter sister, a more loving daughter, a better friend. All I can say is that I love all of you saints who put your wills down and pick up the cross to follow in Christ's footsteps to do God's will. Thank you God for all the mercy that you have shown me, and to the Shamblin family to show us the steps and for your obedience.

Rachel Zanoni
Healed from Anger

I grew up with a Christian family, went to church every Sunday, and attended a Christian school and university. You might think that I was very Christian since my family was Christian, my school was Christian, and my church was Christian, but I didn't know God's word, or how to pray, or what it meant to have a true relationship with God. Growing up without knowing the commands of God, I developed into a self-centered, prideful, lustful, young woman. I grew up with rules, and following the rules was my righteousness (even though I only followed the ones I wanted). I was lazy and I worried about everything. I was terribly afraid of the dark and would be afraid to walk to my bed after turning the light off. I didn’t love anyone and thought I knew better than everyone else. I was mad most of the time because people just irritated me. A person had to fit into my "box" of expectations and standards before I would stop my ruthless gossip and mockery and decide to tolerate that person. I would make fun of any one for any reason. I can't believe I'm not dead because I drove with rage all the time. I didn't really like being mad all the time, and that frustrated me, consequently, I was also sad and lonely. My excuse for being sad one minute and mad the next would be "PMS" and "post MS". Because I was self-centered and people irritated me, I didn't like to go out with people, except my ex-boyfriend (who I literally idolized), and didn't have any friends. When I was sad, lonely, mad, or irritated, I would go to my ex-boyfriend’s or go shopping. And since I was sad, lonely, mad and irritated all the time, I constantly thought about what I could buy when I got paid, or where my boyfriend and I could go when I had a free moment to spend with him. You could say that my life revolved around my ex-boyfriend and shopping, but really, I made everyone revolve around me because when I wanted to go shopping, I would pout or make up some excuse. When I wanted to spend time with my ex-boyfriend, I would throw a fit or bother him until we went out. Everything had to be what I wanted, and when I wanted it, or I was mad! After hearing what it really means to be a Christian, I THREW off my old self and put my focus on God and His Will! Every time I felt like going shopping, or running to my ex-boyfriend, or anything else that I had tried before, I thought about God and what He would like me to do! I would pray or read my Bible until the temptation passed! Because I was focusing on God, and not on things of this world, the emotional prison I put myself in was no longer in existence! I had the FRUITS of the Spirit and was a new creation! Since then, I have been obeying God and falling more in love with Him for a over three years! I get to be a part of Remnant Fellowship and I love everyone here! I love that I can talk to the leaders of the church without feeling intimidated. They are so patient and always point me back up to God. I know that they put their advice into practice because I can see the blessings and fruit in their lives! Their families are in order and their houses are always open to the church. Obeying God is the best thing and you could not trade me anything in the world for answered prayers! I would not take a million dollars to disobey God's commands! I love God and obeying Him and finding out more about Him and His personality through His word and the world that He created! He's the BEST and I owe Him everything!

Deah Hayden
Healed from Anger, Overweight

My testimony starts way back in March of 1999. I followed behind a lady in the line of the hospital's cafeteria where we both worked—Praise God for that woman. (I wish I could see this woman again to thank her) I politely interrupted her conversation she was having with another co-worker. My spirit was ANXIOUSLY trying to overhear her conversation. While in line she QUICKLY told me about the Weigh Down Workshop and wrote the contact number down on a napkin. My life has TOTALLY changed since that day. Praise God our lives interacted that day for He had a marvelous plan for my life! One of TOTAL TRUTH AND PURPOSE! I immediately called the number while at work and the rest is history. At that time of my life, I had one daughter 5 yrs. old and put on about 70 pounds with that pregnancy and was unable to loose about half of it. It was still on my body 5 years later...YUCK!! I hated it. I was sooooo self-centered with my life up to this point that I drug my husband and daughter into this horrible way of living. I was sooooo jealous of my husband, always suspicious of where he was, what he was doing, who he was talking to, actually suspicious of his whole life due to the fact I was so self-centered into thinking that finally once we got married it would no longer be about him but ME, for if Deah wasn't happy, no-one was happy...YUCK, double YUCK!!! This grew into jealousy with my own daughter and then into jealousy with my husband’s family members since "they were all out to get me" YUCK, YUCK, SICK, SICK!!!! O.K. how depressing let's get to the GOOD STUFF!! I started a Weigh Down classed in my home, was pregnant with my BEAUTIFUL son Abram (who is now 7 yrs. old) by the time that our first class started. I couldn't believe it. I didn't quite understand how all of this was going to work out, since now I'm pregnant and started these classes for only weight loss. But without a doubt, trusted totally in God to lead me through. As my belly was growing bigger I was actually loosing weight from EVERY OTHER part of my body! My very concerned nurse mid-wife was blown away, my family members were blown away, I was even blown away, I mean I was pregnant but loosing weight. At my last OB visit I gained a total of 5 pounds the whole 9 months, and........Abram was a very healthy 8lbs, 7 oz. baby boy. I call him My Weigh Down Baby!!! I trusted God the whole pregnancy, I knew He would not lead me Astray. I knew if I only OBEYED His signs of true hunger and fullness that He would be faithful to His promise and He was all that!!! I was wearing clothes from high-school—I had a new ward-robe. I eventually had another baby (she is now 5), and had no fear of over doing it and quickly lost back down. This obedience that I have learned through the voice of Gwen Shamblin has impacted EVERY aspect of my life. I know am totally under my husband's authority and to other authorities around me, no more GREED, JEALOUSY, FITS OF RAGE, no more love for MATERIAL POSESSIONS, no more PULL TO THIS WORLD!! My old life is behind me, Praise God, I look back and it is no comparison to the way it is now, not even close. I would NEVER go back to that old life of self-centeredness. I know all to well the misery of straddling that fence, and not going all the way with this 100% obedience. I was definitely in a church system that said it is impossible to obey all the way, always leaving a foothold for Satan to re-enter, and causing confusion, chaos, and misery. NO LONGER, I'M STRONGER! GET BEHIND ME SATAN!! NO THANK-YOU!!! God is so much better—this is truly a life worth finding and living daily. There is true PEACE, PATIENCE, JOY, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, SELF-CONTROL AND MORE.....THIS IS NO OTHER LIFE TO LIVE, THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE TO GO. Please don't straddle that fence as long as I did--get down and make that choice TODAY to only one God. You must go all the way or you will stay miserable in some area of your life, take it from someone who knows!! Remnant Fellowship is beyond what I ever imagined. We all love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, we are off of ourselves and on to the needs of others. We are all like-minded believer's who fear to not obeying God. Nothing is superficial, sugar-coated, or sweet to the ears sounding like “you must obey, but God doesn't expect you too.” Rather, it is 100% TRUTH. Rev. 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” WOW! His voice is sweet, quiet, convicting, heart changing, easy, and TRUTHFUL. Thank God I heard His voice that day while standing in the cafeteria line. My life has just begun! ALL GLORY AND HONOR GOES TO GOD ALMIGHTY, AND JESUS CHRIST HIS SON!!!!

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