Ania Wisniewska and daughters

Ania Świątczak, was one of the members of the small groups development training groups that took place recently at the Christian Fellowship South church, in Warsaw. With unusual attentiveness and keen interest, Ania stood out from others in the group. During a short recess in our second week of training I had the opportunity to hear from Ania her amazing testimony of God who did not give up on her. This is her story …

My name is Ania Świątczak. I was born in Katowice, Poland, in 1977. I’m a professional musician and singer.

In January 1999, my friend, Agnes Bellon, caught me on the street and invited to her church (Warsaw Church of Christ). In my search for God I was a little skeptical because many, many churches began to operate in Poland. I went everywhere to experience them. Agnes was a member of a small group of Christian university students who met once a week to study the Bible, worship God, and spend time with each other.

On the Wednesday before I went with her to her church, we had a Bible discussion, followed by a party on Friday. The party is called Mrożonka’s Party (means cooking with only convenience food). It was an amazing experience. I already knew a little of the Bible, but such relationships I had never experienced before! I was sure that the people I had met were not from this planet. There were no forced smiles or irrelevant discussions … there was friendship, openness, willingness to help, listen, and laugh. Life with this group was so different from the one that I had known (even from people who claimed to know and love God). After two weeks of building my convictions from the Bible, I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and He became my Lord!

Over the following three years, I started with my friend, Radek, to lead a small group at Warsaw University, and shortly thereafter began to work full time for the church on their worship team and the university students in church.  All of this probably would have lasted until today had it not turned out that I had exhausted my physical and emotional strength. I protested to God that I had done so much for Him, and He did little or nothing for me. Like a huge balloon that had burst open … air escaped from me. I left God, disappointed and tired.

Friends in my group, and the church, wanted to help but because I had for so long hidden from them my unhappiness I could not listen to anyone … and then I slept a full two weeks. After that time, my professional life had peaked. I travelled the world and performed at concerts. I met a man who became my husband. Our wedding was a transmitted ”live” by the broadcasting media in Poland.

Our daughter, Eti, was born in 2006, and one and a half years later, our second daughter, Vivi, was born. From time to time, I would look at the sky and wonder where I was, and where God was. In my mind, I would ask God, Do you see me? Do you hear me? I felt a great emptiness. It was at this time I decided to leave my profession as I believed I was on a road to hell. I wanted to escape far away because of my failures and mistakes – I believed I was a disappointment to God. I did not fulfil my promise to Him. I let Him down.

After 6 years my marriage ended. I moved out with my girls, with no idea of what tommorow would bring. As I had worked with my husband, I also said good-bye to my job. I was too ashamed of my life to look up to God , but His desire for me remained – I felt His hands upon me. After eight years, God sent “His people” to me J. At my first church service at Christian Fellowship North (SchPółnoc) I met many people from the former church and they told me how persistently they prayed for me … eight years! God heard their prayers – He accepted me, even though I had rejected Him.

It was last year (2010) when I returned to my Father. Today I am part of Christian Fellowship South church (SchPołudnie). I am actively involved in building our church through small groups and I am amazed as to how God is teaching me. The Lord used Beryl and Bill to help me experience the best that comes from walking with God. Their hearts of “celebrating honest mistakes”, openness, patience and love for us has become for me the essence of what Christ taught. From them, I learnt to rely on the Lord; learn from His source ”that never dries up”, to honestly admit mistakes, and a most important theme of their teaching: by working together, lives can change (Building the Kingdom is the real work).

I think that in a world where people every day use empty words (and who are completely lost in their personal lives), God teaches us that loving others, sacrificing for them, and helping them is our priority in life … giving hope to our friends who don’t know Jesus. What touched me the most in Bill’s book (Small Groups Development) is learning the importance of  ”doing life together”.

I now want to teach others how to be actively involved in building Christian community: to trust, serve, support, and learn from each other.

Thank you Lord for Your greatness and faithfullness in loving me as You  do. Our God is ”the” God of second, third, fourth, fifth … chance. His love changes us, and, through us, He changes the world!

What an amazing testimony!!