My name is Arianne Toves and I am a 26 year old Senior at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. I have never written a music artist before but I've felt more than once that I was suppossed to submit my testimony to the band of Jars of Clay, I was saved by their music.

I was saved at the age of 19 iin 1997 in San Jose California in a small church called Springs of Life Fellowship. I was a total drug addict, night club dancer, party hopper, and college student. After meeting a friend who I had introduced to drugs in high school, he shared with me that he was "saved" and was on fire for God. I had no clue what he was talking about but asked if I could go to church with him to check it out.

When I went to the youth service there were about 50 kids aged 10-24 who were lifting their hands and praising God and experiencing something I couldn't. My friend had picked me up to take me to service and in the car with him was a 16 year old girl named Deidre.

When service was over and they were driving me and the other girl home, she was dropped off first but made us wait outside her home while she went into the house to get something for me. She brought me back about 10 CD's that she told me to listen to and see if I liked any of them.

I hadn't responded to an altar call at the service but I had been touched by God and wanted to see more. When I got home that night I picked up one of the CD's and played it in the stolen CD player I had (I had robbed a church with a few friends just a month previous). The CD happened to be Jars of Clay (I don't know the title) and it was kind of like the alternative music that I listended to and so I left it on, not really paying much attention to the words of the music.

That night I prayed and asked God to show me who He really was and to help me belive in Him (I was a professing Evolutionist and not only did I not believe in God at this time but I despised even the thought of Him and felt that those who beleived in HIm were just weak fools who couldn't handle the truth about life). My mom was a Christian and prayed for my salvation every day. That night after my first church experience, I opened my BIble that I had never opened before and happened to come to Proverbs 3:4-5. It struck my heart that I had only trusted in my own knowledge, wisdom and understanding and I surrendered my will to God that very night.

My CD player had a repeat button on it and I let the Jars of Clay CD play all night while I slept. I didn't realize it but the words had sunk into my soul and I began humming the tunes the next day in class.

To make a long story short, the song "Love Song to a Savior" broke me in pieces. When I finally heard the words to that song I began crying, crying like I had never done since my father committed suicide when I was 11 years old. I was raised in a very abusive and dysfunctional home and I hated God for everything I had gone through in my childhood and youth. I kissed God off as if He didn't exist to hide the pain and dissapointment I felt inside. The song broke my heart as I listened to lthe yrics talk about a girl being called by God and falling into His arms and crying her cries to God. After that experience I played that one song over and over in my room, constantly with outstopping, for about 14 days! I would kneel down and pray in my room listening to the words and I would lift my hands to God and allow Him to break the hurt and pain I had felt for many years off my soul.

Because of the Jars of Clay CD I became saved. I never responded to an altar call at the church but responded to the Holy SPirit in my room from the songs on the CD.

I've never told them thank you and I'm sure there's hundreds if not thousands of testimonies such as mine but I just had to let someone know who could share with them the beauty of their song.

Thanks to them I returned the CD player to the church about a month after I became a Christian and reported myself to them and shared my testimony about salvation. I am married now with two children and will graduate from ORU in May of next year with my bachelor's degree in Psychology. My husband and I will attend Missionary training school after I graduate and begin to prepare ourselves for a lifetime of service to the Lord both here in the States and abroad.

If this ever gets into the hands of the band members I just want to say:

Thank you so much for making me see God as a loving Father when all I had ever known was a destructive one. Thank you for writing that song about me, the lost and lonely girl who finally responded to the loving God who had been calling her all her life. Thank you so much for leading me to the cross where I found redemption and forgiveness for my sins (all these things were revealed to me through the lyrics on your CD, I was literally shown the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the words of your songs and I responded to God in the middle of my bedroom everyday for weeks). Thank you for saving me and bringing the gospel into my room and putting it into the package that I could receive it from. My family and I thank you from the botton of our hearts and I want you to know that every good thing that comes out of my life will be because you cared and shared the Gospel with me. I'm winnin' souls for the Kingdom, so there's lots of rewards coming to you and the bandmembers that you'll be able to share with the Father in heaven when we get there. I really want to say thank you so much and have a great day!

God Bless you guys,
Arianne Toves