My Testimony
by Ioannis Kalos
Testimonies are very exciting and joyous occasions. It is also a time when the devil, who is the arch-enemy of the
Christian, is defeated. Revelation 12:11 says; ‘they overcame him by the word of their testimony.’
All Christians have a testimony no matter how significant or insignificant they think it may be. This is because God
loves all His people and gave himself for each one of us. If you trust him alone for salvation; then you have a testimony
indeed!
Testimonies do not end with past events; there is the present, plus the future. Each day is full of adventure for the
Christian. Prov. 4:18 says; “The path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto that perfect day.”
My Christian journey began by reading Mark’s Gospel, chapter 5:verses 25-34 about a woman who had severe medical
problems that was made worse by physicians who could not cure her; with the result of her becoming penniless and
hopeless. But she did press in through the crowd to Jesus and touched him after hearing about him and his miraculous
powers.
It is interesting to note that the scripture says in Mark that the crowd “thronged him,” but the woman “touched him.” It is
one thing to throng Jesus out of curiosity but quite another to touch Jesus out of necessity – or more importantly to have
Jesus touch us.
Well, I too was like this woman, desperate and pressing in to touch Jesus. It all began when I was 17, homeless, and living
rough on the streets of San Francisco and in the surrounding countryside of California. Teenagers poured into California
from all over America and Canada like sheep without a shepherd looking for excitement and a chance to get high. In those
days, I trusted no one and was very much a loner due to running away from abuse and neglect. I was born in Greece in
1953 and I am an orphan. To this day my identity is shrouded in mystery that only God knows. Even my birthday is
uncertain. But thank God, He knows me and gave me an identity. All I do know is that an official Greek Orthodox
document says that at the age of 14 days, I was found in a doorway of a house in the suburbs of Athens wrapped in a
blanket with a note pinned to it saying ‘He has no name.’ An orphanage in Athens eventually named me Ioannis: which is
Greek for John.
At the age of 41/2, I travelled with another Greek orphan girl of no biological relation to me by plane to New York to an
American couple who wanted 2 children. The next thing I remember was sitting on the lap of a stranger who played the
part of father speaking a strange tongue while big camera lens shone in my face while they took pictures.
I made the newspaper headlines the next day. I was on every major New York broadsheet. Bringing over a baby from
Greece to America was big news; but bringing over 2 Greek orphans at our age was even bigger news.
All was not well though behind closed doors. My time with the Americans was not pleasant. After the glare of the media
died away; I had 7 years of mental and physical abuse with them. Finally; at the age of 13; I was rudely thrust out of their
home for good.
There was no media attention, no photo shoots; no grabbing headlines. I was sent from institution to institution, from
home to home, and at one time I was put in a children’s jail, as Social Services had nowhere to place me. I suffered this
and more till I ran away some 3,000 miles from Long Island, New York to California.
Fast forward now, to age 18 and San Francisco. It is early spring 1971; I was extremely hungry and had no money. All I
owned was a rucksack with a few clothes plus a sleeping bag. As I walked down the now famous “Haight Street,” of the
Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, a place where the hippie movement was born; where dropping out meant taking
LSD and marijuana; a place also where many cults and religions were born also.
It was like what Paul says in Acts 17:21 about Mars Hill in Athens; the ancient Athenians in Paul’s day congregated at
Mars Hill and spent their time in nothing else but to tell or hear about some new thing (Acts 17:21). Well, San Francisco
society in those days was just that, every new cult, belief or thing was assimilated at Haight-Ashbury; even drop-outs and
druggies were welcomed. I never knew about this area; but I was directed there by someone who said I would get help
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with food and lodging. Young kids would ‘crash out’ in communal houses all over Haight-Ashbury. Thousands of young
people with sleeping bags wandered the streets searching for what they knew not, just like me.
As I wandered searching for food and lodging; I saw this diner. I went in and ordered a pie and cup of tea from the menu –
knowing I could not pay for it. I did this often – It was called; “dine and dash” …in other words; make a run for it without
paying. While leaving, I became concerned that someone from the restaurant would come after me so I ran down Haight
Street and looked for another shop to evade capture.
Seeing a small shop, I ran in and stood by the door looking for anyone who would follow me. Someone from behind a
counter then asked if anything was wrong. Saying nothing, I sat down. I then realized I was in another small diner. But
this place seemed different. This fellow was young like me with long hair, beard and sandals. But he was smiling and
seemed very content and happy. He said I could order anything I wanted from the menu and have it for free. I couldn’t
believe what I just heard. Free? Why didn’t I come in here in the first place? This guy is now offering me free food!
What’s going on?
Well, I looked at the menu and ordered a veggie-burger. While he was preparing, I noticed a poster on the wall in front of
me. It said, ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, King of Kings’, etc. etc. It had all
the titles of Jesus without ever saying his name. Puzzled, I wondered who this poster was about. I then noticed in front of
me a Bible sandwiched between a napkin holder and a salt and pepper shaker. As I looked around, I noticed the same set
up after each seat. I panicked and was about to dash without dining, when the smiling long haired fellow brought me this
enormous veggie-burger. Sensing what my panic was about, he said; ‘we are not religious here, don’t worry, I am not
going to button-hole you; just sit, eat. There are no obligations, no questions, and no comments.’
Persuaded, I sat down and hungrily ate the burger. But being curious and a fighter by nature, I threw a barrage of
questions at him; ‘if you’re not religious, what are these Bibles here for?’ And before he could answer me, I threw out
another question; ‘who is this poster speaking about? who is Wonderful, Counsellor, Everlasting Father? I sure haven’t
met anyone like that. There is just nothing wonderful about my life; all the counsellors I met took advantage of me, and
speaking of Everlasting Father? I don’t have a father, period!’ He answered, ‘Oh that is Jesus.’ When I heard the name
Jesus, a flood of unkind and bad thoughts came to my mind. I absolutely detested religion; I left a very religious and
violent home with absolutely no love. I certainly did not want this again.
With those thoughts I picked up a stone argument and threw it at him angrily, ‘where did Cain get his wife?’ I didn’t even
know who Cain was, but I heard others use this argument. As I said, San Francisco in those days was like Mars Hill; the
only difference was that new thoughts became breeding grounds for religious cults of every shape and size; everyone
seemed to be open game for religious conversions.
By this time, Steve as he was called, never flinched from my stone argument and answered the best he could, but I was not
listening. I immediately grabbed what I thought was a rock solid argument and hurled it at him; ‘If God is a God of Love,
why all this suffering?’ ‘Obviously, either He doesn’t care, or He is too busy to care.’ Uninjured by my rock throwing,
Steve threw a rock of his own; and said, ‘I don’t know all the answers and certainly I am not about to try to answer what I
don’t know, but this I do know, ‘I know Jesus Christ for myself and you can know Jesus for yourself as well, In fact here
take this and read it for yourself, all the answers are in here.’
With that, he gave me a New Testament, which was the Good News Version of the New Testament published by the
American Bible Society; thousands at that time were given away. Being struck down and dumbfounded by his answer, I
accepted the Bible. I tucked it away into my rucksack and promptly forgot about it till 4 months later when I was high up
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Yosemite National Park. I was feeling quite depressed that day about my continuing
running and never being satisfied. I had a few nuts and seeing a deer quite close to me I fed it. I then thought what a
beautiful creature; who made you? As I was wondering about creation, a flood of why’s pierced my head. But, thankfully,
a refreshing thought came, ‘remember that little book you took from that guy in San Francisco; why keep it hidden away
like a good-luck charm? Get it out and read it. I thought, ‘yea, how silly to carry a book and never read it.’ I reached down
in the bottom of my bag and opened up to the story of that nameless woman in the Gospel of Mark who although suffered,
was eventually healed by Jesus. I read that story and put the Bible down. A battle raged in my mind. If this story is true,
then Jesus is the Son of God, for no one could miraculously heal anyone except God, and if he is God then I better
believe. But Satan was working hard to keep me from trusting Jesus; a contrary thought came; ‘what kind of God is that;
look at yourself.’ ‘He has done nothing for you!’ But, thankfully – God works even harder and another thought came,
‘well, God does provide for that deer and I am still alive; He can’t be all that bad.’ But then just as quickly I thought, ‘why
are there wars…and why am I running away all the time?‘ But thankfully, I couldn’t stand all this arguing anymore and
with that I trusted Jesus! All those ‘why’s’ left me instantaneously. I was filled with joy. In fact as I looked around me; the
mountain I was on at Yosemite; was greener and the sky was bluer. Everything around me shone and looked just lovely!
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Wow; God made it all! This reminds me of a song I now sing with other Christians in church called; ‘I am His and He is
Mine’ by George W. Robinson. The second verse reads;
Heav'n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in ev'ry hue
Christ-less eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o'er flow,
Flow'rs with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.
After that mountain top conversion; I immediately felt a great urge to go back to San Francisco and thank Steve at the
‘Vege Hut’ for giving me free food and the New Testament. I did just that and he directed me to a group of young
Christians who were living communally. I quickly settled into a house that was called ‘The Song of Solomon’ and read my
Bible morning till night day after day.
My initial faith in Jesus Christ led me to study the scriptures with God’s people now for 41+ years; a journey that has
taken me from Greece to the U.S.; from the U.S. to Canada; from Canada to England; [where I met my Irish wife] from
England back to Canada; and then finally from Canada to Northern Ireland; where I recently graduated from the Irish
Baptist College with a diploma in Pastoral Studies. I also had the privilege in attending Queens University and graduated
with a degree in Theology. I now live with my wife Joan in a rural part of Northern Ireland in County Tyrone for the past
10 years and attend a vibrant family oriented church; called Gortmerron Baptist Church where we enjoy intimate
fellowship with the family of God. I once was an orphan that much is true; but not any longer; as I now I belong to an
enormous family with one Heavenly Father and thousands upon thousands of Christian brothers and sisters; some whom I
have yet to meet with! Psalms 68:4-6 I love for it captures where I am now; “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of
the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families: he brings out those which are bound with
chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
I also speak in churches around Northern Ireland and in the south of Ireland for the Lord. Life is good and my journey has
not ended yet; nor will it ever end; for a Christian’s journey will last for all eternity; as John 3:16 states:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
Ioannis and Joan Kalos
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