West Omaha Baptist Church - Omaha, Nebraska

Member Testimonies

The following are some testimonies about how God is working in the lives of those attending West Omaha Baptist Church.

After a broken relationship, I started coming to West Omaha Baptist Church. It was like I knew right then. Everybody here is so friendly. I went to lunch with Mrs. Robertson and she made me realize that I needed God in my life. So I went home, and thought about it, did some praying. I decided that I wanted my son to grow up here, in this church, with these people. I came, I never had read the Bible up to then, and so listening to Pastor Robertson was wonderful. I understood what he was talking about. It’s just been really wonderful. I was saved and was baptized in January. I’m just waiting on the day that my son decides, on his own, that this is what he wants.

As they say, the Lord does work in mysterious ways. I remember it was a Saturday morning, May 2007, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and two ladies from West Omaha Baptist Church were standing there. One of them read some scriptures to me and asked if I had been saved and I said, “Well, no.” I said that she had come at a perfect time because when my daughter and I first moved to Omaha we had started going to a different church and after a while it didn’t seem to meet my needs, so I stopped going. Then she moved to Texas and I was by myself and I was thinking that now was a good time to start looking for a church. So obviously, I found a church. She came and picked me up to take me to church. At that point, the church had been here, but had moved due to the tornado. And I never would have found it if she hadn’t taken me. So, we went there, and after a few weeks, Pastor Robertson and Mrs. Robertson came to my house and talked to me about being saved and some different scriptures. At that time, I decided it was time to be saved. And then, from there it was like the people at the church were so open and friendly and caring that I would come back. I always went to church. We went every Sunday, whether my parents went or not. They would get up and take us to Sunday school. When we got older, we went to church. We did the whole catechism thing. You memorized the books of the Bible. But until I came here I didn’t really understand the Bible, the way it’s explained here. During our meetings on Sunday mornings has really helped me to understand that. My mother used to read the Bible every day. She always said, “You just need to remember, He’s going to come back.” So I said, okay. I think it’s time to get going back to church. That knock on the door was a blessing for me and I just thank God that she did come. That discovering Jesus has and having Him in my life has really changed me. I have changed a lot, bits and pieces. You just notice little things as how your life has changed. And now my daughter and grandson come here too.

I grew up in a home where my mom would send us to church, but not go with us. We acted like Christians while we were at church, but the rest of the week, we acted like the world. When I was 12 years old, I remember listening to the sermon at church and felt that I wanted to be saved. I knew I needed Jesus in my heart. After the service was over, I approached my youth director and asked him to show me how to be saved. We prayed and I knew then that I was saved. As I became a young adult, I made some poor life choices. I wasn’t in church, and to talk to some of the people who knew me as a young woman, you wouldn’t know from their description of me that I was a Christian. After Abigail was born, my sister invited me to her church. I loved it and became immersed immediately. I knew that I didn’t want my daughter to grow up outside of church, so I was there every time the door opened. I worked in the nursery, as a Sunday school teacher, and eventually the music leader. I even cleaned the church. I thought that if I worked hard enough that it would be enough. That somehow I would work my way into heaven. I didn’t realize that that was what I was doing at the time. I knew that you couldn’t “work” your way into heaven. But I was trying to do it. I was substituting work for the relationship that I needed with God. That is still my biggest problem. I know that I am saved. I trust that God will take care of me in every way. But I forget that I need to have that relationship, the daily walk with God. I still forget that work doesn’t get me anywhere.

When we were moved to Omaha for my husband’s work, it was a really hard thing to leave our church behind. The hardest thing I think that I have done is change churches. I knew that we had to be in church, and God knew that it was meant for us to be here. I struggled a little at first, but I accepted what God’s will was for me once I prayed and spent time listening to God and not working against Him. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to know that our Pastor is securely founded in the Bible. Also, I have made so many wonderful friends here at this church. I love West Omaha Baptist Church and think that if you pray for God to send you to a church and you come here, this is where He will lead you to stay.

I told my salvation story many times. I grew up in church. I went with my mom and brother. We went to a Baptist church in town, it was a convenience thing. About 13 or so, we stopped going. My brother was 18 and he stopped going and he could decide what he wanted to. My mom got tired of forcing us to go. Every time we went we complained about it, or complained about getting up and getting ready. Regardless, we stopped going.

I was in public school, and one of my friends that I had known for many years, but was distant from…we had a class together. We were the only two who knew each other. We ended up sitting next to each other. She always had her Bible with her. I wondered why she was carrying her Bible with her all of the time. Well, they formed a prayer group in the library. This was in a public school, mind you. Every morning they prayed in the library. This really spoke to me. I was like, wow! These kids are for real? You always hear of kids going to church and they played xbox or playstation. It was a time to hang out and click with everybody. It was a safe haven kind of deal to them. One day she invited me to Easter Sunday with her. I was hesitant. I hadn’t been in 3-4 years to church at all and I was thinking that they were going to judge me. What if we have to turn to wherever in the bible and I can’t find it? It was a pride thing, that since I didn’t know anything about the Bible, I shouldn’t go to church. It seems kind of twisted, because you go to church to learn about God. Regardless, she ended up saying, if this kid goes, will you go. I agreed. We both went Easter Sunday.

The Youth Pastor, spoke about how this wasn’t just another Easter. I thought it was interesting. All of my life we went to church on Easter and Christmas. It was a big deal, even when we stopped going to church we went on Easter and Christmas. That’s what his message was about. Don’t just come to church on Easter to say that you got your Easter card in. I was a little intrigued. I thought that I would come back next week. My friend kept inviting me and made me feel that it was okay to come. After about 3 months, we were meeting at the Youth pastors’ house on Wednesday night, and he was going over the Romans road. Thinking about it now, I’m not sure if there was anybody in the room not saved except for me. And so I have to wonder if he knew that and took the extra time and go through Romans road. I don’t think that that was what his message was about. That’s all that I heard. Anybody who knows Romans road there are 5-6 different verses that point out that nobody is good, you need Jesus Christ, there is nothing that you can do and you need to call on him. I knew all of this stuff. I knew who Jesus was. I was in church all of my life. I knew the stories and I knew who he was. I just didn’t have the personal relationship. So when he recited Romans 10:13-all ye that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, I though whoa. I’ve never done that before. I’ve never called on the name of Jesus Christ and asked Him to save me. That was one of the last verses and I stayed right there. Whoa. I’m not saved and I need to fix this. He was about to close and he was praying.

After he closed and prayed. I slipped out so quick that I don’t think anybody saw me, except him and his wife. I slipped out and went into the bathroom and dried off my tears. I didn’t chose to receive Christ then, but I knew I needed to. My friend’s mom took us another person home. The whole ride home, in this Toyota Tundra, it’s a 3 person cab and there were 4 of us in it. I was on the floor. The whole way home, I was thinking, ”Oh please, no deer come in the middle road.” We took the winding way home. I was thinking that I was going to die because I wasn’t in my seatbelt. I made it home, and waited five minutes because they still had to take the other girl home. I called her house. She wasn’t home. 20 minutes go by. I was getting antsy. I was thinking that I had to do this, that I could die now. I’m crazed and close myself in my room. I’m not going to get distracted by anybody or by the TV. So she finally calls back and its 9:30, she asked me what was up. Dad said it sounded important. I told her it is and said “What the youth Pastor said, it just rang in me. I don’t think that I’ve ever done that and I need to be saved.” It was 9:44 that night, I prayed and asked God to come into my life that night and it’s not been the same since.

Praise God for this church. I used to be in a lacksadaisical church, but I'll never go back to that. I'm not settling with a church that’s not going to preach the word of God to the fullest. I want a church that won’t skirt around issues that may make one or two people uncomfortable. I’m very thankful for a pastor that will preach the truth and is not going to be afraid of a couple of comments that may come about. God said it and he’s going to preach that. I appreciate that very much.

I was saved in 1975. It was through a series of events in which the Lord decided to break my heart and burden my heart and then put me in this wonderful family. Sitting here is someone who was very instrumental in my getting saved. I think it shocked her when I came to her. I had gone to church a couple of times. I hated it. I was never going back there again. It was none of their business. But finally He began to penetrate the heart. I went to Ruthann one night, I had moved in with her, and asked, “What’s this getting saved business?” I need to know about that. Can you get a Bible and show me about that? She said “Yeah, I’ll do that!” I remember walking down those stairs. I don’t even remember the questions that I asked, but I remember that I had some questions and issues that I didn’t understand. Ruthann very patiently answered all of those questions and I was saved. I attended a church there, and just from there it grew until eventually we were in the ministry. I’ve been in the ministry for a lot of years. It was through that, that I have this wonderful daughter who, when it’s your dream that as a pastors wife you want your children to grow up and serve the Lord. We prayed and prayed that she would find a wonderful husband. And she did. I have had that privilege of watching that. The day came when they said, ”We’re coming to Omaha.” I was thinking that my grandchildren would only be two hours away. That was a wonderful thing. We all decided, and we didn’t miss church very often, that on their opening we would all be here. So I don’t know if you have seen the picture of their opening, we were here. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day that this would be my church.

My husband and I later left a ministry with a broken heart. So I came here excited about this ministry. I also came here with a broken heart. I came here a little cynical. I remember hearing a message about the goodness of God’s people. Inside of me I went, blah. I thought, there is something wrong with my heart. God’s people are good. But I wasn’t feeling it at that time. So at that time, I had made up my mind that I would serve the Lord, but I wasn’t going to get close to anybody. I would keep up that little wall up there of non-trust. Dr Hayes said that you don’t trust people, you just love them. It’s okay. There were some people sitting in this room today that just wouldn’t let me do that. So it was your heart, and your kindness and the goodness of Gods people began to show again. I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to overcome that.

When I first came here, I had to find a new job. As a former Pastor’s wife, my phone used to ring off of the hook. And now, nobody called me, nobody needed me. I couldn’t figure out what my place was. It was all new. There were just no huge responsibilities on my shoulder. I found this to be a time of rest, and a time of regrouping. This has been a wonderful thing; for a time that everything was upside down.

Then my husband died. I can remember sitting in the trailer a couple of nights the night of the funeral thinking now what? Now what? The Lord just said,” you had a concern that what would happen if he died at the church? You would have had to find a job, find a place to live.” All of these things were already settled in my life. All I had to do was get in my car and drive home and everything was okay. I had a place to live, I had a job, I had a church and the Lord had just eased it. All I had to do was just deal with his death. I didn’t have to deal with all of that other stuff. There is plenty to deal with when someone in your life dies. There’s business that needs to be taken care of, there is emotional things, there’s just adjustments. And I didn’t have to deal with all of those other things. So I thank God for what He did for me.

This has been a place of rest and refreshing. I think that I am ready to go back into the battle. I’ve been half-hearted. I have to thank my daughter. You know, daughters will let you live with them. They are wonderful like that. I also have a new pastor and that’s been an adjustment for me. And your son-in-law doesn’t have to let you live with them and act like he’s actually glad you’re there. I’m very thankful for my son-in-law and my pastor, and I’m thankful for this church.

I grew up with a mother that was a paranoid schizophrenic, she spent half of my child hood in adult day care and I spent this time with my great grandma who gave me my first Bible at 6 years old. I still have the Bible it just needs to be rebound. I grew up with her reading me Bible stories and watched her as a Christian example. My grandma, aunt, and mom were all saved but my great grandma was the biggest example in my life. I remember going to church with my great grandma and aunt , my little brother and my mom when she was not in the hospital. On a Sunday night when I was nine we had “the power team” come and present at our church, during the invitation I accepted Jesus as my savior. From there I started traveling with our Sunday School doing Bible knowledge competitions and did this for several years. Our Pastor left the church not much later and my great grandma developed dementia and had to be placed in a nursing home. The combination of these things kept me from regular service, but I would go when I could get rides from friends etc.. but it became less and less. On Wednesday October 25th 1995 my life changed again… I was 16 a sophomore and had little sleep from a JV football game the night before. . at 530 am I was woken up by my mom yelling for me I found her sitting on the floor and she kept saying please God help me.. please God help me. I got her to her knees but she then went into full arrest and started seizing.. at 630pm that evening we let her go…

I was emancipated a few months later and my brother was adopted by my aunt. Later I knew that God had taken my mother so that she could have a perfect mind, a perfect body and allow my brother and I to have a better life.. but that didn’t really matter to me at the time. I felt cheated, I felt that all the work I had done, everything I had sacrificed to be there to take care of my mom was wasted and there was nothing to show for it, I was full of what ifs… but that was short lived… I started to live life and not take anything for granted and tried to get something out of everything I did, I knew that there was a reason for everything that happened… but I wasn’t in church..I wasn’t in my Bible… the next August my great grandma died.. At this point my aunt was an alcoholic, my grandpa converted to Catholicism with his 2nd wife, no one in my family was in a fundamental church. My life continued like this through graduation and through the first few years after graduation.. I slipped farther and farther away.. lived a very worldly life I had no one that could hold me accountable.. no one that could or would question what I was doing.. but I felt empty.. I had a lot of girl friends but always felt lonely.

I eventually went to work for a major retailer and met the woman that would become my wife. I knew all of this was happening for a reason. She invited me to her church, a Baptist church. By this point I didn’t think I needed to be in church.. I knew I was saved and I knew that regardless I was going to heaven.. and at this point my salvation was simply fire insurance. Then she told me about a month into our relationship.. I will not be with a man that is not in Church… At first it was difficult because I had told myself for a few years that I didn’t need to be in church and one of my reasons was because only hypocrites were in Church. I had this conversation with the Pastor and he said “son you may be right.. there may be a lot of hypocrites in church.. but at least they are in a place where they can get help for it” A month later I was hooked again.. I remembered the joy I had as a child and the completeness I felt.. I was ashamed at myself… I saw my life the last few years… I needed to be in church. I recommitted my life to Christ and I had never been baptized so I wanted to Join the Church so in order to join I had to get baptized.. so I got baptized in April of 2003 and after I recommitted my life to Christ I changed… I was a completely different person. We were married in Aug 2003 and we served the Lord together in that Baptist church until a job transfer moved us to Omaha in 2007. After visiting every church with Baptist in the name, we ended up joining West Omaha Baptist Church. I thank the Lord every day that I have found a Church Family and that My Family has a place where we can go together and worship and grow together.. and having the opportunity to see Abigail saved and baptized this past year and I look forward to When Colin makes that choice as well.. In closing.. stop and smell the roses, take in all the moments of your life.. you never know when you are in a moment that will change the rest of your life.

I knew Jesus and God existed, but also knew I didn't really believe in Jesus. I didn't really like believers and tried to make life hard for them even though I respected them for how they dealt with problems and their better outlook on life. Finally, I too trusted Christ as my Savior. Things I wanted to change about myself, problems I had struggled with for years were gone like some one flipped a light switch. After moving a few times, we ended up in Omaha. Lying in bed one day, I asked God what he wanted me to do. "Go to church!" was the reply. It was crystal clear, I couldn't ignore it! But which church? With so many churches in Omaha, how was I to choose? The answer was clear when Pastor Robertson walked up my driveway and invited me to West Omaha Baptist Church. I'm not planning on going anywhere else! Since coming to this church, I have grown exponentially listening to Pastor's teaching of God's Word and from doing the ABCs of Christian Growth. I am now more giving of my time and self to the Lord. I'm learning how to evangelize this city. West Omaha Baptist will grow into a great ministry for the western part of our city. Praise God.

I was baptized as a kid and went to church sometimes with my parents, but didn't really know why. After I got out of the military, I didn't really have any direction or know what I was doing with my life. I just went to work and came home. One day, Pastor and Mrs. Robertson came to my door and everything turned around. I received Christ that day after talking to them. Then I was baptized. I prayed for my son to be healed and God healed him. The more you pray, the easier life becomes. Life is turned around greatly, I don't feel so lost and directionless, everything has purpose. I think this is going to be a wonderful church and I have never felt pressured while attending this church like you do at some others.

A co-worker told me about West Omaha Baptist Church and encouraged me to come. He told me "Pastor and Mrs. Robertson are really nice, it's a good church with good sermons." My husband later called Pastor Robertson and asked him to come over to our house to visit. Pastor and Mrs. Robertson and their children all came. We thought they were a delightful family. We started coming to church and it's been a blessing ever since. My sons have also started attending and it's encouraging to see the church growing.

I was brought up in Baptist churches and made a confession of faith when I was four years old, but I didn't really understand it at that time. One evening, I woke up in the middle of the night. The pastor had preached a message on Hell. I was terrified. I had gone to bed and I had a dream about what the pastor had preached about. I woke up in tears, and asked Christ to come into my heart. I was eight years old. From that point on, I went to church. My parents went to church, but they were Sunday school and church only, so that was it. When I was in high school, I got my driver’s license and a car and became more involved in the Youth Department and made it a point to go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. After graduation, I went to Crown College for a year and a half. I had a really good time there. Then, when my grandpa passed away, I moved back home to help my grandmother. I met my husband and got involved in the church where she lived.

I traveled with my husband for work, which is why we are here in Omaha. God brought us here. The first thing I did when I got to Omaha was call Crown College and ask if there were any churches here. Mrs. Robertson’s sister was working there at the time and she was actually the one that picked up the phone! And that is how we ended up coming here. This church has been such a blessing to me and to my family. The people in this church make this church what it is. It's so great. Pastor and Jaime are so wonderful, and the people are so wonderful. The churches where I am from are very different. The people are set in their ways, and they are afraid of growth. They are afraid to go out and expand. They are afraid to do new things. It's so wonderful to see people in this church that do want to grow and see the church grow. I love being a part of it and it's such a blessing. My kids love the Patch the Pirate Club on Thursday nights. They always ask if we are going. God has blessed us while we are here. It’s such a blessing to be here and I hope that God continues to keep us in this place so that we can grow.

Someone came to my door years ago and asked me if I knew if I was going to Heaven when I died. No one ever asked me that before and I never really thought about it. I too trusted Christ as my Savior. One thing that impressed me about Pastor Robertson is that he encouraged me to go to a good church he recommended that was closer to my home than West Omaha Baptist. That's when I knew he cared more about me being in church than having to drive to his church. He cares about me and my soul. We have good harmony, love and unity at this church. We're going to grow.

I grew up going to church with my family, every Sunday. It was just something that we did. It’s the church that my grandparents went to and my dad grew up in. It was the traditional thing that we did. The rest of the week, we did what we wanted to. There was nothing really Christian about our home, other than we went to church. I think it was around the time that my parents were divorced that my mom started really digging into the Word and really discovering that she needed a Saviour. Somewhere along the way, she started talking more to me about it, but I didn’t want to hear it. When I was in college, we started getting more involved in the church. Just sitting out there wasn't enough for us. We were one of the people that were there every week, and at our church we would often times have what we have here, where the pastor would ask if anyone was not saved and if they would want to come forward to receive Christ. I thought, "I have been going here my whole life, I have been serving in the church. I live a very good moral life to the best of my ability." I never thought for one second that I wasn't saved. One Sunday, in my early 20s, it was the same thing, an altar call. It bothered me. I really wasn't sure and I didn't like the feeling every week of wondering if I was saved or not. So I went home. I rushed home that day, went in my room, got down on my knees and finally asked Christ to forgive me of my sin and be my Savior. Not much changed. We still went to the same big church, but I wasn’t getting any real Bible teaching. I wasn’t sure I couldn’t lose my salvation. A couple years later, I started reading the Bible, getting answers to questions I had and started to see things taught in church that were not in the Bible. I wanted to leave that church, but my family went there and I thought they would be upset if I stopped going. I started praying about it and after several months I saw major differences between what God said in the Bible and what my church was teaching. I wasn't learning anything at church and I wasn't growing spiritually.

A few months after that, I met my husband. We stayed at that church for a while, but the one thing I did know going into our relationship was that I needed a Christian man to marry and I wouldn't settle for anything less than that. While we were dating, we prayed together every night on the phone or if we were together. It was a very short courtship. We got married and we continued going to that church. Then we moved to Kansas City. It was our chance to finally seek a church that was more involved in the Bible and not just using it as a secondary part of the sermon. We found a church there that was similar to WOBC and we started growing and reading our Bible together and really delving into the Word. When we moved back, we knew that we couldn't settle for anything less. At WOBC, God blessed us with a church that we didn't think we could find. We've absolutely grown since we've been going here and getting into our Bible as a couple and individually, and just seeing all the blessings that the Lord has for us. We will be continually growing for the rest of our lives.

When I was a kid, my parents dressed me in a shirt and tie and dropped me off, kicking and screaming, at the church. I went to church for years by myself and learned about being religious, but had no idea what the Bible said about being saved by trusting in Christ alone. I was confirmed when I was 14 and it meant nothing to me. But when I was 16, a friend of mine asked, “If you were to die today and stand at the gates of Heaven and the Lord asked you why He should let you in, what would you say?” I didn’t have an answer, so I started going to his church where, for the first time, I clearly heard I was a sinner that needed a Savior. I could not earn salvation by being good. Doing the Ten Commandments was not going to save anyone. The Lord Jesus Christ paid my debt with His blood on the cross. I asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive me of being a sinner and received Him as my savior when I was 18. Slowly, I grew spiritually. My taste in music was changing, my attitude toward a lot of sin in my life was changing. Sinful things I used to do without a second thought, now plagued my conscience with guilt as I knew I was wrong. I stopped doing those things. While I knew I was saved, I was confused about correct doctrine and what church to attend. By 2002, I started following the prosperity preaching on TV. But in 2004, the Lord revealed the false doctrines to me and I got back to the Bible. After researching the matter, I discovered that the King James Bible is the Word of God. Unlike other Bible versions, it didn’t have verses cut out of it. It didn't have doctrine that was watered down. I threw out my Good News Bible and other false versions. The Lord has worked in my life in a great way these last three years. The week after we moved back to Omaha, I found WOBC on the internet and here we are.

It was a long journey, but when you’re a child of God, the Lord doesn’t let go. He’ll clean you up, he’ll chastise you. For whom the Lord loveth , the Lord chasteneth. That was my case. Anyone that has been going to church for a long time, trying their best to follow the ten commandments, doing their best to be a good person or a moral person, that’s not going to cut it with the Lord. You've got to be covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have got to put your faith in Him, only in Him. Not the Virgin Mary, not the Pope, not the priests, not good works, not keeping yourself saved. You need to recognize that you are a sinner, hellbound and that the only place to go is the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for you on that cross 2000 years ago when He paid for your sins. When you put your trust in Him and ask Him by faith to be your Saviour, he will cancel your sin debt and you will have eternal life and go to Heaven when you die. If no one has ever told you before, Heaven is a free gift, You don't work for it. You just believe in the Lord for it.