Amanda, or Mandy as some people know her, went to the Homai School for the Blind at the age of 10 after spending her earlier years at a state school in Wellington. What she enjoyed most there were the Bible studies – surprising really as she had been brought up in a non-Christian home. Still, a seed had been laid, and that seed of faith was nurtured by Amanda’s grandmother who had already been praying for years for her little grand-daughter to come to know the Lord. This was realised when Amanda who had been thinking about God’s call on her life, attended a concert given by Mark Laurent.

Amanda grew quickly in her new life in the Lord as she attended meetings at the home of Bill Subritsky, and she loved the programmes from Radio Rhema. Wanting to share her new found faith with others she started talking to a young man at a Bill Gothard meeting who told her he had become increasingly desperate with life and was planning to commit suicide. As they talked on he suddenly interrupted her. “Do you know what I’ve just done?” She shook her head. “This very moment I’ve given my life to Jesus!

A week later Amanda was listening to the Joni programmes that were then being regularly rebroadcast on Radio Rhema. Joni was majoring on the parable of the 99 sheep inside and the one that was lost and cut off from the group. Amanda saw as in a vision a crowd of people. They were the 99. There was one out from the group – the man she had led to the Lord. This incident proved to be a real encouragement to her to reach out to others. A year later she had an even more dramatic word from the Lord at a women’s camp when two of the speakers – John Steele and Dereck Fox both brought a prophetic word from the Lord for her.

Amongst other things one of the prophecies said that the Lord would use her to break down stubborn people, that they would listen to her and she would overcome their prejudices.

You’ll find Amanda at the Centre virtually any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. She’s wonderfully reliable in her attendance, and has loved coming ever since first coming soon after the original Centre opened. Thursday is very special to her – that’s the day of the weekly prayer morning and Amanda is always ready there to pray for the needs of others. She has hardly missed an Auckland CFFD camp or meeting for years, or a National CMWDT Camp. She’s also a great supporter of the Torch Outreach.

But her interests and activities are not confined to the Fellowship. She has at different times worked for Youth For Christ, Rise Up, World Vision and Open Air Campaigners. She’s very well-known in each of these groups, and attends one of the largest churches in Auckland. It’s not generally known but the pastor there, each year on her birthday, takes Amanda out for lunch. Isn’t that remarkable, especially in such a huge church! but it says a lot about Amanda as it does about that pastor.

That man at the Bill Gothard meeting might have been the first person the Lord used Amanda to win to Himself, but there have been a number of others over the years, because she is so open and engaging about sharing her faith as she comes up to people and says,    “Amanda is the name, Jesus is the flame!”
Spread the Word