Ralph Parnell


This is my testimony of how I gave my life to Jesus. Please think of your life as you read it.


I lived in a home where we never went to church or even talked about spiritual things. My family consisted of twelve children. There were six boys and six girls. I knew my parents loved me but they never told me. I would hear my friends parents tell them they loved them. They would even give them a BIG hug. WOW! Was that strange. I thought to myself, is that the way real families are supposed to do? I never saw that in my home. There were times I wish I had been born in another home. I would always try to be at my friend's house at meal time.

My oldest sister lives in a little town about 8-10 miles from Spartanburg. As a little boy maybe 10 - 11 years old, I would slip off from home and flag down the trailways bus and go to her house. Sometime I would hitch a ride. There was so much love there. She had 6 children of her on. I think I would go there for that HOME COOKING and her ICE TEA. Did I say anything about CORN BREAD? Man, could she cook. All the family would be at the table having a good time. I needed that in my life.

My sister would have been ninty one this June 2008. She has been blessed by God. I pray I make it to sixty five. I guess growing up, she seem like an aunt more than a sister. She was much older. She went home to be with the Lord Feb. 12th. 2008 She was one of my heros.

I never remember having a Dad / Mom conversation growing up. We lived and let live. We never talked about church and spiritual things. We never talked about life and how to live it. I learn to live on my own. The only time I remember being in church with my mom and dad was at my dad’s funeral and my mom was at my wedding.

I was 20 years old when my dad died. At that time, I was not a Christian. My dad was to go in the hospital to have some surgery and I planned to go after work and spend the night with him. I had planned to go tell dad how much I loved him and try to build a relationship with him. The hospital called me at work that day and told me that dad had a heart attack and I needed to come at once. Before I got there, my dad had passed away. I never got to tell him I loved him. I wanted to hear him say I LOVE YOU TOO.

When my mom had a stroke and and was carried to the hospital, I was a Christian. As I was standing at her bedside, I told her I love her. The nurse said we could talk to her but she was in a coma and could not respond back. I then told her how much God loved her and wanted her to be with Him. I gave her the plan of salvation and I prayed that she could hear it and accepted Jesus in her life. After that, she died.

I do not know if my mom & dad are in Heaven. I pray that they are. Don't ever leave this life without your family knowing where you are. Don't do your family that way.



Around the age of nine, a neighbor invited me to church. For about two years, I went to church every time the doors were open. At first the pastor would pick me up and later on, I would ride the church bus. I loved Sunday school and even the preaching. One Sunday night, I went to the alter and ask Jesus to come into my life. But I think it was being lonely.

Later in life, I was married and after twelve years it ended in divorce. There were two precious daughters that I didn't get to raise in my life. That is when the big hole started in my life. This HUGE hole in my life I could not get filled up. It got bigger and bigger as I ran from the things of God.

Then one day I went to a home of a friend whose brother had died. There was one chair over in the corner in the middle of a bunch of godly men. As they shared stories about the man that had died and gone to heaven, they even shouted, laughed, and cried. There was a lady that had given her life to Jesus the night before in the next room. WOW! I was thinking what I had gotten into. This was supposed to be a “SAD” time. Everyone seem to be so happy. I wanted to leave but the more I listened about the love of God, the more I wanted to hear. If someone had asked me to, I would have gotten down on my knees right there. From that Friday evening until Sunday morning, God was speaking to my heart. I wanted what they had. I needed what they had. I needed that hole in my life filled.

Sunday morning arrived and I just had to get to the church. I sat with my friend in the second pew from the front. The pastor preached and a quartet was singing “THE APPLE TREE” for the invitation to give your life to the Lord. My friend’s mom touched me on the arm and asked me if I was ready to give my life to the Lord. Before she got the sentence out, I was at the altar on my knees. I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. That was 1977.

Before my salvation, I had no regard for Christians, preachers, churches, or anything that had to do with God. The second when Jesus came into my life, ALL of that went away! I am a NEW creation . My entire thinking about life was changed. Remember the HUGE HOLE? It was now full of Jesus. Since then, I married a Godly lady that went to be with the Lord in 1991 and now God has given me another Godly lady. Merle is a lady after God's own heart. That is how much she loves the Lord.

In seventeen years of marriage, (July 18 2007) Merle and I have lived a life time together. God Has blessed us in so many ways. God has taken this country boy with little education to different parts of the world to witness for Him. He opened doors in places in Romania ( read the Rainbow Story) that ONLY GOD could do. I have spoken in churches and homes in Romania and seen hundreds pray to give their lives to Jesus.

If He can use me, He can use anybody. Give your life to Jesus now. That would be the most important thing you will ever do. I did and if I died before tomorrow, I will be with the Lord Jesus. I believe that God put that chair in the corner just for me. Does He have a place where He can tell you how much He loves you? Would it be a chair, sickness, family, friends, or maybe someone that has invitied you to church? God is waiting for you to come. Are you missing something in your life? How big will you let that hole in your life grow before you let God fill it? The world can not fill it, only God can. He is waiting.

Go to the FAITH page in this web site and read it. ask God to come into your life as your Lord & Savior. If you need help, just get in touch with me. Also, if you did ask Jesus to come into your life, let me know. I would love to pray for you. Thanks for reading.
Ralph Parnell
Spartanburg, SC USA