Bill’s Salvation Story at Disney World: How He Met Jesus

Pull up a chair my friend.  I’d like to share another story with you.  This is the story about how Bill came to understand and believe in Jesus.

Saying the Name: Jesus

I know, I just said that Name: Jesus.  Jesus. It’s distinctive. It’s divisive. It’s controversial. It’s ridiculed, taken in vain and even offensive to some.

Here’s the thing. It’s not a surprise that I believe in Him.  But I don’t just believe in Him. He is everything.  I would love to tell the story about how I came to know Him but this story, about Bill, is pivotal.  It’s the beginning of us and how we kept dating and eventually married, because without Jesus being in both of our lives, I don’t believe there ever would have been an us.

To Read the Story of How Bill and I met please read here:
https://juliedigitalcreation.online/lostlovedfound-com-the-night-we-met/

The Day We Talked About Faith

Bill was in a place of defending a faith he had always known.  It wasn’t vastly different from what I understood, but different enough that he couldn’t quite understand my relationship with Jesus.  He knew his religion well but he hadn’t met Jesus personally yet. His life didn’t have that personal, lived faith yet.

At the time, I was 19 years old and still living at home. Bill came over to hang out, and we were talking in my room.  What I found out later was that he came over hoping to convince me to believe as he believed. I’m not naming his faith here because my goal isn’t to argue religion. It’s to tell you what Jesus did and my desire is to be respectful.

It was cute, Bill brought papers, folders and evidence ready to challenge me. Bill was kind about it.  He wasn’t argumentative or harsh.  He was defending something he had always known and wanted me to believe as he did. I respected his intentions at the time.

After a little while of going back and forth in a civil conversation, he was sitting on my bed, I was leaning against my dresser. I said, “Bill, it’s so great that you have all of this information and knowledge of your faith, but if you don’t know God, if you don’t truly know Him, what good is it?”

He had no answer.

He gathered up papers and said, “I have to go. I’ll talk with you later.” And off he went.

I wasn’t upset. I wasn’t angry, I was honestly glad he had something to ponder.

The Note Card Prayer I Gave Him

A couple of weeks later, my family went to Disney World, like we often did.  We lived about 3  away from Orlando and it was our favorite weekend destination.  That weekend, my parents invited Bill to come with us.   He had his own hotel room, next to ours and for the first time of many future times, Bill became a part of our family vacations to Disney World.

Sometime in the weeks after our conversation, I gave Bill a note card.  On it was a prayer and something encouraging for him about believing in Jesus.  I asked him to keep it in his pocket or his wallet.

Bill’s Salvation Moment at Disney World

That Saturday at Disney, the sky was bright and crystal clear.  I’ll never forget it. I can still feel the sunshine. That day at Epcot Center the sky was so blue. My family and I were standing around deciding on where we were going to head to next.  We were standing in the area next to the World of Motion. The temperature was perfect.  Families were walking around, you could smell popcorn in the air, hear laughter and conversation and Epcot music playing in the background. I didn’t realize Bill wasn’t near us for a short while.  He came up to me and said he needed to talk.  We stepped aside.

He told me, “Julie, a little while ago, my stomach was bothering me, it was hurting. I was on the train earlier and I pulled out that notecard you gave me.  I prayed and told Jesus I believe in Him and I asked him to save me.”

He was beyond ecstatic.

Then he said, “After I prayed, my stomach stopped hurting. I was having such a difficult time, I prayed and I felt better.”

Right there in the sunshine, next to my family, I gave him the biggest hug I could.  We laughed. We were so happy.  It was a glorious moment, and it became a beautiful memory. This reminded me of Romans 10:9, that believing in your heart and confessing matters and God really does answer.

Love that Outlives This Life

This is a story I have told countless times and now I get to tell it here.

How strange, in the best way. I told this story when he was alive and now I’m telling it here while he is with the very Jesus He believed in that day at Disney World. The Jesus he loved and adored ever after. God chose the “happiest place on earth” to heal Bill’s heart and rescue his soul.

Why this Story Still Matters

To Bill:  Your story is being told here on a website that I created in dedication to you and for anyone who might read this today, whether they know God, don’t know Him, or simply stumbled in.  I never imagined you would leave so soon.  And yet here I am, writing about the moment you met the greatest Love of your life, for all eternity.

And how much more wonderful that I know I will see you again someday.  You aren’t here, but I always had that assurance, thanks to Jesus, and all He did for you, and for me, and for every person who feels like love shouldn’t end at a graveside.

Jesus saved my husband.  He loves you too.

A Prayer if you Want to Know Jesus

If you want to know Jesus, you can simply pray something like this:

“Jesus, I don’t know You, but I want to know You.  Please come into my life and into my heart. Please help me where I don’t understand and where I struggle to believe. I want to know Your love. Thank You for hearing me. Amen.”

If you don’t have the words, that’s okay.  Talk to Him like you’d talk to someone who already knows you.  Also, if you prayed that today I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you, my friend and reader. I pray you know that Jesus loves you so very much. It’s not possible for me to write enough words or find the ones to express it fully.  He proved it for you through His life, His suffering, His death on the cross and His resurrection, defeating death for you.

Until next time,
Lost.Loved.Found. xoxoxoxo

Continue the Journey:

I talk about why we feel crazy after someone passes away and how I felt like I lost my mind.
https://juliedigitalcreation.online/understanding-grief-brain-after-loss/

It may no longer be the beginning of the new year, but here’s a post with a prayer and encouragement:
https://juliedigitalcreation.online/a-new-year-prayer-for-strength/

Further Reading

1.  What is the Gospel?
   https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/core-christian-beliefs/what-is-gospel.html
2. I prayed, now what?
   Tell Jesus the truth daily, even if it is messy.
   Start reading the Gospel of John.
   Find a Bible-believing church near you.
   Talk to someone safe about what you are learning.https://bibleproject.com/

3.  If you are searching for how to know Jesus, here are a few gentle places to start.

• Learn what the Gospel is and what it means to follow Jesus (Cru)

• Explore questions about faith in a simple, no-pressure way (Alpha)

• Watch short videos that explain Jesus and the Bible clearly (BibleProject)

• Start a beginner Bible plan, “Knowing Jesus” or “New Believer” (YouVersion)

• Read these Bible passages: Romans 10:9-10, John 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:8-9 (Bible Gateway)

  FAQ

  • What does it mean to accept Jesus?It means you simply believe in Him.  It means you understand, by God’s power, that Jesus died and rose again for YOU. It means you recognize that you don’t have to work for salvation, because you can’t. It means you believe that Jesus did it all for you so you will be with Him for eternity.  You commit your life to Him as Lord, turning from sin to follow Him for guidance for forgiveness.  You are a new creation and can have a relationship with God, the Father, through Jesus.

  • What if I want to believe but I have doubts? Doubt is normal.  You can ask God to help you to understand His love. He is faithful to show you Who He is.  It’s simply believing.  It’s simply accepting that He is a God of love.  He is a God who wants all people to know Who He is and to experience His great love.  He wants no one to be separated from Him.  Ask Him to remove those doubts.  He will help you and lead you to Him.