My Testimony
By Jeffery Rotondo
The date was Sunday, June 24, 1990. As usual, I had been drinking most of the day and decided to head over to my big brothers house, with more beer of course, to watch the Broncos game. When I got to his apartment my brother was dressed up and said he was going to church. I said to myself, “CHURCH!” We don’t go to church, and besides that, the Broncos are playing and we have John Elway. Nevertheless I decided to go, buzzing on alcohol.
When we arrived at this church we walked in and all I remember was major prayer going on. Not quite prayer or repetitive prayer like in the Catholic Church we were raised in. These folks were getting after it. I’m kinda drunk at the time so this was a trip to me. When the church service started, folks were running and dancing in the aisles and up front by the altar. They were not ashamed and didn’t care. They were acting the same way towards their God as we did towards our sports teams or bands. I shouted screamed, raised my arms and rejoiced for the Broncos and at concerts. Seeing people do the same for their God was so strange and new to me.
What seemed to be total chaos really wasn’t, looking back. Nobody got hurt or trampled on. It was so pure and genuine. During this time of what seemed like chaos, a black lady started speaking in tongues really loud to the point everyone stopped. I’m sitting there not knowing what’s going on. I mean these people running, shouting and dancing to nothing, and then silence. Next thing I knew an elderly lady stood up and interpreted what the black lady had said in tongues. That interpretation was straight to me! I’ll never forget it ever! The interpretation went as follows:
“I brought you here this night! I called you here! Come unto me if you are heavy laden and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. My name is Jesus, I love you. I brought you here this night.“
I didn’t know what was going on or what any of that meant but what I did hear was “My name is Jesus. I called you here. I love you.” He told me His name and that He loved me.
I really don’t remember much after that. All I remember was I started walking towards the altar, dropped to my knees and wept uncontrollably. Snots and tears, I let it all out and didn’t know why I was doing this but I meant it. I didn’t know how to pray I just cried uncontrollably snots and all from deep inside.
I asked Him to forgive me. I was 22 years old with a little boy around one and I was a complete alcoholic. I knew this and asked for help. I remember someone telling me to get up and lift my arms in surrender. When I stood up and lifted my arms I surrendered and completely meant it.
The next thing I knew my lips started to stammer. Someone told me to let that go and not fight it. I did just that and started speaking in tongues. I couldn’t stop! It was coming from deep down inside me. Deep in the gut, flowing like a river. I really don’t know how long this lasted. Someone then told me I needed to get baptized. I didn’t think twice, I went to the back changed into a robe and entered the water where a black man was waiting to baptize me in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. When I came out of the water I started speaking in tongues again and so did the preacher.
I really didn’t know what happened to me that night but when I went to work the next night, something was different. I couldn’t sit at the lunchroom table with my friends. I heard every cuss word and all the sexual talk. I was so uncomfortable with knots in my stomach. Something happened to me!
When I got off work that morning I went to my apartment crawled into my closet and started to weep before God asking Him what happened to me. Again I started to speak in tongues. Days later I was reading my Bible and I saw in the book of Acts people spoke in tongues when filled with the Holy Ghost. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. This happened to me! Nobody told me about it – it happened! All the things I loved like alcohol and immorality I had no desire for . I didn’t crave alcohol and other things. I got deep conviction thinking about certain things. I was a new person overnight. I found the scripture, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That’s what happened to me. No Bible studies, no indoctrination, it happened.
So I walked into a church drunk on booze, run into Jesus, and left completely changed overnight. Revival spread throughout my family. We all received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and got baptized in Jesus Name. My mom received the Holy Ghost in a Spanish Apostolic Church in Trinidad Colorado, and boy did she get it!!
Yes, I wear the Name of the one who died for me. He told me His name that night. I wear the family name along with many in my personal family. I have been called a Jesus Only like that’s supposed to be a slander! What an honor to called a Jesus Only. How about a Jesus Everything, scoffer! This is my testimony that happened to me 33 years ago on 6/24/1990.
Acts 2:38 -
