Testimonies

Selah Boutwell

I was raised in a Christian home. On July 11, 2012, at the age of seven, I realized that I needed a Savior to cleanse me of my sins.
     When I told my parents that I wanted to go to heaven, they took me upstairs to their bedroom to explain clearly how to be saved and what it meant. They read and quoted some Bible verses, but what I remember most, is the illustration that they gave me. They grabbed an object - I can't remember exactly which one - and said something along these lines: “Imagine it's your birthday, and someone gave you this present. When does it become yours?” The question stumped me. Eventually my mom just told me, “It becomes yours when you accept it. And that's the same with salvation.” It was at that moment I understood it. The gift of salvation is available to anyone who receives it. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
     Although I trusted Jesus to save me that night, the next few years of my life I was just an “obedient child." It wasn't until July 16, 2021, at a family camp that I actually surrendered my life to the Lord.

When I was seventeen I took a geography course. Through the lessons, I learned about exciting places and quickly fell in love with all the beautiful landscapes that our Lord created. Geography became my favorite subject. By the end of the course, I developed a very long bucket list of places I wanted to visit.
      That summer I was invited to go on a missions trip to Fiji with Kory Mears and his family. I prayed about going but felt no strong “Yes” or “No” answer from the Lord. To be completely honest, I think what compelled me to accept was that it would be the start of my world tour. In September of 2023, I took my first international trip.

While I was enjoying my time in the South Pacific, it was the preaching that influenced and encouraged me. Most of the sermons were about spreading the Gospel and reaching the lost souls for Christ. My trip to Fiji helped me realize that there is little value in traveling the earth if ONLY to admire God's handiwork. I felt convicted that my reason for world travel should be to win souls for the Lord. Every country has lost souls that need the Savior.
      I realize that God has already told me what I need to do. In fact, He has told all of us what we should do. He commands us in Mark 16:15, saying, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

If you are a believer, don't live your life for yourself and what pleases you most. You will regret it in the end. Instead, be a light. Share to others what the Lord has done for you in your life. Help others realize that there is a God that loves them.

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 10:39