God’s Provision in a Desperate Situation
God’s Mighty Works Among Descendants of Ancient Aztecs
True Story of God’s Miraculous Healing Touch in Omaha, Nebraska
Deliverance from the Spirit of Witchcraft in Kenya, Africa
From Dreams to Reality – Five Remarkable Testimonies
Testimony of Pastor Julio Chuta of San Juan del Obispo, Antigua, Guatemala
Wheelchair From Heaven!
As told to Dave Penner by Chris Mooney, Director of Bethel Ministries International
It was May, 2008 and Chris Mooney, director of Bethel Ministries, International was working with Joni and Friends to provide wheelchairs in Peten, Guatamala. Sixty five people were expected to show up in Peten that morning to receive wheelchairs. Wheelchairs to the handicapped in Guatemala typically prove to be life changing. Often, the handicapped in Guatemala live in extreme poverty and have endured years of inability to enjoy basic mobility and the opportunities such mobility affords, such as the opportunity to attend school.
On this day, Chris and the others involved with the distribution were challenged immediately as approximately 120 people turned out in hopes of receiving a wheelchair. Wheelchair fitting stations were set up, and one by one, those in need of wheelchairs were attended to. A wheelchair of the correct size was selected for each individual. After the person was seated in the wheelchair, further adjustments were made to ensure that each component (e.g. seat back, foot rest) was just right to enable the person to use the chair without developing body sores or other physical problems. However, as the wheelchairs began to be distributed, finding wheelchairs to properly fit each individual became more and more difficult.
Then with only about 15-17 complete wheelchairs remaining, an amazing event began to unfold. Chris was in charge of going out to where the wheelchairs were lined up on either side of a walkway and selecting a wheelchair that could be properly fitted. A young girl, approximately 5 years of age, was next in line. Chris took some measurements on the little girl and went out to find a wheelchair. Sadly, Chris could not find any wheelchair of the right size for such a small child. Chris went back inside and had to tell the young girl and those who had brought her, that it didn’t look promising as he was unable to find any wheelchair that would fit the girl’s small frame. However, Chris indicated that the girl would be welcome to come to Chimaltenango and be custom fitted for a wheelchair at Bethel’s wheelchair repair shop.
Sadly, this did not seem possible. The little girl’s parents had actually known about the wheelchair distribution, but had not made it a priority to bring her themselves. Two young Christian ladies, knowing of the girl’s need and the availability of the life changing wheelchairs, had taken in upon themselves to bring the girl in. The young ladies told of the little girl’s situation; the parents did not spend much time on their little girl and hadn’t wanted to even bother with bringing her in to the local distribution in Peten. The ladies knew that the parents would not be at all interested in a 12 hour bus trip from Peten to Chimaltenango. Hearing this, Chris decided to take one more look at the wheelchairs, even though he knew there would not be a child’s size wheelchair to be found.
Chris went back and walked down the aisle between the wheelchairs that he had just walked moments before. However, there was still no wheelchair to be found that would be right for the waiting little girl. Chris once again had to turn around and go tell the girls how sorry he was that there just was no wheelchair that would fit. However, as Chris was talking, he suddenly felt an extremely strong feeling in his heart that he should go back yet once again and check to see if there might be a wheelchair for the girl. So Chris turned around and now for the third time walked along the same aisle between the wheelchairs that he had just walked twice before. And right there before his very eyes, right in the middle of the aisle stood a wheelchair that appeared to be the perfect size for the young girl. This was amazing for several reasons. Chris was in charge of moving all the wheelchairs personally, and this wheelchair simply had not been there before! And Chris had certainly not put it there! Chris knew immediately that God had done a miracle! Chris ran back to the girls and said “God just did a miracle!” The girls started crying, Chris was crying. And God’s gift was so perfect, that when they sat the little girl into her very own wheelchair, not one single adjustment was needed, not one single turn of the adjusting wrench was required! It was an absolutely perfect fit from an absolutely perfect God!
God’s Provision in a Desperate Situation
The following account of God’s incredible timing and sovereign care was relayed to Josiah Foundation President Dave Penner on January 10, 2012 by Taylor Foster. In Taylor’s own words:
On a mission trip in South East Asia I (Taylor Foster) was stunned by God’s faithfulness. I was traveling with one other brother in Christ, to unreached villages delivering the Gospel in their language. In some of these villages, we were the first white people they had ever seen. Getting to these remote villages was no easy task, the villages we traveled to were hidden by the mountain landscape and were over 19 hours of travel time away from the central city we were stationed in. This impossible task was accomplished only by God’s hand and at times, straight up miraculous answers to prayer. We were fortunately able to rent two Chinese made motorbikes. These less than dependent vehicles nearly broke down on us a few times.
One such occasion, unfortunately left us stranded in the jungle in-between villages with a burned out spark plug. We began to give thanks, and asked God to help us out of this hopeless situation. Within in five minutes a young man rode up on a moped. He spoke English very well and came bearing a new spark plug and tools. This man began to share with us how he found Jesus while studying in English in that country’s capital city. He went on to tell us how God told him to come and help us on that day. He began to share with us how Jesus had changed his life and asked if we knew Jesus. Our jaws dropped and we immediately glorified God. After he fixed my motorbike, we were able to lay hands on him and asked the Holy Spirit to fill him. His name I cannot share, but I will tell you that he knows no other Christians in that Providence. He truly is a light in a very dark place. Through him God proved his faithfulness and how he is always with us no matter how desperate the situation.
God’s Mighty Works Among Descendants of Ancient Aztecs
The following is an excerpt (taken with permission) from the book “Wind of the Son” by Dr. Dow F. Robinson.
Dow and his wife Lois were well-trained university graduates with backgrounds in linguistics and theology when they arrived in Mexico in 1955. Nothing had prepared them, though, for the raw power of God that was about to sweep through the Aztec villages on the Wind of the Son.
From Chapter Eight
THE CONFRONTATION
In the spring of 1972, Elpidio came rushing onto our patio, obviously frustrated, agitated and really desperate. He almost yelled at me, “My boy’s in the midst of one of those attacks! He’s been thrashing on the floor for almost three days now. Help me! Help me!” That meant an epilepsy-type convulsion, fainting, and slow death-so common to Aztec children. Then he shoved a book in my face, the Gospel of Mark that we had recently distributed, our first attempt in communicating God’s Word in Aztec. He held his finger in a certain page and opened the booklet to show me. There I saw the face and person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Sunday School drawing so many of you have seen. Jesus stands with one eye on the boy thrashing on the ground, but eyeing His disciples in their lack of faith. I looked from the picture to Elpidio’s face.
“Can you cast out a demon?” he demanded. I was speechless. I did not know how to respond. I certainly had heard about such things (in missionary biographies), but that was hardly my background in training and experience. He continued, “I want you to come to the house. We’ll have a meal together and then you can drive out the unclean thing so my boy will live.” Now Elpidio had heard that other families had invited us to share the Word of God in their homes. And he felt that the power of the Word of God was just what he needed within his household. And he wanted God to heal his boy who had suffered this shaking for at least five (not three) days now. His wife had already agreed to the visit. So Sebastian and I first entertained Elpidio-Aztec style-with sweet coffee and sweet bread. And we assured him that we would hike to the house that evening (about one hour). Elpidio went home somewhat heartened. But I still had no idea what I should do. And in regard to demons, Sebastian was no help at this point either.
THE HAWK GOT THERE FIRST
We hiked over to Elpidio’s house late that afternoon. The family anticipated, with great pleasure, sharing their one chicken in a Aztec soup-dinner (boiled and Chile-saturated). When we entered the home, the wife began apologizing that a hawk had carried off their only chicken about four hours ago. She was mortified-all they had to share with us was sweet bread and sweet coffee. Aztecs make this coffee drink from one gallon hot water, one tablespoon of ground coffee and almost two pounds of raw, brown sugar. It’s like diluted, coffee-flavored pancake syrup. Now add to that typical Mexican sweet bread-this is NOT the appropriate meal for a person with “low blood sugar.” We prayed over the meal-fervently.
As we shared the bread together, I became aware of Elpidio’s child lying on the ground in the corner under a blanket. His whole body quivered, at times vigorously. Elpidio reminded us that we had come to pray for his boy. But at this point, several neighbors came to visit. So Elpidio’s wife served them coffee and sweet bread. I was trying to begin the Bible study that Elpidio requested, “Explain John 3 to us,” he had mentioned to me when we arrived. And before I could start, several more neighbors arrived. They had to shake every person’s hand (Aztec politness) and be served coffee and sweet bread (Aztec etiquette). I finally got started and engaged the teaching of John 3 for about 20 minutes.
THE NEIGHBORS JOIN US
Then some more neighbors joined us (handshakes, coffee and bread for all the new ones). I repeated the 20-minute teaching that I had just completed. And more people arrived. At that point, I said to Elpidio, “I didn’t realize you wanted a neighborhood meeting this evening. I thought we would just pray with you and your boy.” He responded aggressively, “The people know that the Power of the Word of God is here to heal. And they want to receive it.” His focus and faith left me wondering. Then the scene repeated itself five times until some 45 people from Elpidio’s clan sat wall-to-wall on two-by-four’s for benches.
With each new arrival, I repeated the teaching from John 3. At that point, an elderly Aztec lady stood up and addressed the gathering. Since she was the oldest living Aztec in the home, she had the “right-of-the-word”. She asserted, “We must pay attention to what our brother says. We all need to be born from above so we can meet Jesus when He comes.” By reputation, this lady earned her living as a local shaman. Add to that her age-the eldest person present – and this roomful of Aztecs interpreted her word as a directive.
THE COMMITMENT
My amazement increased. I thought, “Has she changed sides? Is she for real? I wonder what I’m supposed to do now.” Then I remembered a comment from a fellow translator, “When in doubt, get aggressive in prayer!” I reviewed the teaching again, then I outlined that most ancient of prayers. “Most honorable and exalted High-God, please be kindly disposed towards us because we are all miserable sinners in Your sight. Please extend Your honorable and gracious mercy over us. I personally yield to Jesus’ lordship in my life. Please forgive my sins and make me Your own child.” Then I asked them if they wanted to pray this way. They all agreed. So we prayed together, phrase by phrase, in unison, with full voice.”
THE CHALLENGE
Immediately, Elpidio reminded me of three things: First, to pray for his boy; second, of the book of Mark we had just finished translating and publishing; and third, the color picture in Mark (9:14-29) where Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit afflicting this boy. And he asked again, “Can you drive out this unclean spirit the way Jesus did?” I felt caught—confronted by the unyielding reality of God’s Word. Would I risk rebuking an evil spirit according to the Word of God? Or would I ignore that issue and just pray for his illness? The very Word of God that we had translated and published—with color pictures—now demanded a decision from me.
SHOWDOWN!
I addressed several of the men whom Sebastian had already previously led to the Lord. “Brothers,” I said, “would you please go over and pray for Elpidio’s boy?”
“Certainly,” they responded, “after your presence has preceded us.” (A polite Aztec way of saying, “After you!”). Then Lois knelt by her two-by-four to pray for me! I went over and stood by the young man, still thrashing incessantly, and said: “In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, we rebuke you Satan, and command you to come out of this boy and stop afflicting him…NOW!” In the midst of the stunned silence, we saw and heard that spirit-presence leave the boy and exit the house with a rustling through the dry bamboo stalks that comprise the house wall. Several of us immediately laid hands on the lad for God’s healing Presence in his body and spirit. And in front of us all, the boy stopped shaking, color returned to his face, he got up, walked around, talked freely, and asked his mother for food.”
THE PROOF OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION
Sebastian was quite calm about the whole experience. “After all,” he said, “that is what God’s Word says.” I felt like I had just crossed a great divide. Personally, I had moved from rejoicing at the history of Jesus’ work on earth into a place of a current experience of His power on earth today. The personal Presence of God came into that house that evening. Jesus demonstrated to us all, believers or pre-Christians alike, that He is Lord over the spirit world. For Sebastian and his friends—all ancestral legends, all traditions of their elders, all required customs about the spirit world—that all collapsed the moment when the unclean spirit responded to Jesus’ authority, to our words of faith in Jesus Christ and our compassion for the struggling lad. No Aztecs in their collective history had even seen an evil spirit driven out. They had never known about or ever met anybody in heaven or earth who had that authority.
This factor, more than any other, opened the door for the local men to engage evangelism seriously. They now saw that Jesus Christ indeed has the power to command the spirit world through believing hearts. Appeasement of the spirit world, only this their father and ancestors had taught them. Now they could confront that lying, destructive spirit world and demand that it yield to Jesus Christ. Their fathers had trained them in local beliefs and insisted that they follow the Roman Catholic, the Protestant, the Indian, or the Evangelical claims. The local men realized that God had come among them. Now they had to decide to receive and follow the Son of God as revealed in His Word, or just to continue on in the old ways of received traditions.
I watched seven young men, who had witnessed the boy’s healing, engage the process of visiting all the homes in the entire county (at least twenty-eight villages at that time) by going house -to-house. As they said to us, “We must tell all of our relatives about the power of God to rescue, to heal, and to forgive.”
True Story of God’s Miraculous Healing Touch in Omaha, Nebraska
Forward by Dave Penner
On March 18, 2010 I was walking down the hall of the corporate headquarters of HDR Engineering (my place of employment). Sean Davis, a Christian friend of mine was coming towards me. When I asked him how he was doing, he had an incredible but true story to share with me. He was just returning from the physical therapist where tests had indeed confirmed the results of a miraculous healing just the night before.
Rather than me trying to retell Sean’s story, here it is in Sean’s own words:
Sean’s Story:
I guess I have to go back to Sept 08 when I woke up with a sore neck. It felt like I just slept wrong and needed to pop it and I’d feel better. Tried just ignoring it, but within a few weeks, I started having tingling and numbness in several fingers and thumb of my left hand. Weeks turned into months and after Mid January of 2009 I decided to go to the Chiropractor. I went about 5 times and after having no relief I decided to go to my GP. They took x-rays and an MRI of my neck and determined that I have bone spurs and the channels that the nerves travel through are growing closed. He prescribed anti inflammatory medicine and something for the pain, combined with physical therapy. After 2-3 weeks and 5-6 visits to the physical therapist I was feeling pretty much back to normal. Thank God.
Fast forward to January 2010, woke up one morning and “not again” the pain that I had before was back; only this time I wasn’t going to wait to do something about it. I made an appointment with a massage therapist and after 4 or 5 visits and no relief I decided I probably needed to head back to the Dr. So back to the GP I went on the 18th. I had a dentist appt on Feb 25th that I ended up leaving after a few minutes because it hurt so bad laying back in the chair. I was having similar pain and tingling as the year before, but now I was having muscle cramps under my shoulder blade and tricep of my left arm and the feeling and strength in my left hand was going away from the nerve damage. The Doc put me back on an anti-inflammatory and a painkiller with instructions to go back to the physical therapist for traction and electrical stimulation and strength exercises.
I went for 9 visits and after zero relief, the Doctor gave me a stronger pain killer, a muscle relaxant, and referred me to a spine specialist so he could review my case. That appointment was on March 15th. Penni went with me that morning and I was in a daze thinking that one of the options that my Dr. discussed with me was surgery and I just wasn’t ready for that. He gave us several options that started with a nerve medicine, that at best would be temporary, and if I was ”lucky” I could go through this routine several times before I actually had to have surgery. I asked him if he were in my shoes, what would his choice be and he said the nerve meds would be the place to start, so that was what we decided to try next. I took one on the evening of the 15th and the 16th and I went to therapy on the morning of the 16th and 17th. So far there was no change in my symptoms, and I was planning on going to church that night (March 17th) because I was scheduled to work in the media booth at church for a prep service for our women’s conference that would be starting the evening of the 17th and continue through the weekend. My Pastor came up on the platform and opened service with prayer as he always does and after praise and worship was done he returned and prepared to begin his message.
The pastor who was opening the conference the next night, Pastor Sheri Roberts, had arrived early and came to service to hear pastor Hart preach. He had announced Pastor Sheri’s early arrival and asked her to come up onto the platform and great the congregation, and maybe sing a song if she felt so inclined. Pastor Sheri came up and greeted the folks and began to sing a song, not a song that you would have words for, but a song (psalm) that she was singing straight to God. It was beautiful and it completely changed the atmosphere of the place. She then mentioned to pastor that on the flight to Omaha she believed she heard God tell her that he was going to heal someone who was having pain in the neck, left shoulder and nerve issue. She thought it was for the next evening because she hadn’t planned on being an active part of the service that night, but she felt as if she was being prompted to release that for Wednesday. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did God send this woman a day early just for me?
The minutes that followed were mostly a blur, but I tell you that I was receiving every bit of what God had for me. I threw my hands into the air and began to thank God for touching my neck and for sending the word for me. To be honest I was balling like a baby. I had been in pain for the past 2 months, taking all kinds of meds and really afraid that I would eventually have to have surgery on my neck. Several of the Elders and my wife who had been praying for me also knew that the word that was going forth was for me as well, and within seconds there were 4 or 5 of us in the media booth rejoicing and praising God for what was happening. Pastor Sheri then said that she wanted me to do something I couldn’t do before. I had to stop for a second because although I was in pain and had the numbness and tingling and the muscle cramps, there really wasn’t any restriction in my mobility…
However, in the midst of my thanking God I hadn’t noticed, but the pain in my neck was completely gone. Not only that, but I didn’t have any tingling in my fingers, and the numbness was also gone. I remember slapping the back of my left hand and the sensitivity in the skin was also there. I have seen God do some amazing things before. Miraculous healing types of things and has even allowed me to be used in a few of those situations. But I had not received a special healing personally. I have had the opportunity to testify to the gift I received that evening, to my doctor and the physical therapists, my workmates and others. I haven’t taken pain meds since and I went ahead and had one more final physical therapy exam just so I could show the folks that my strength was restored as well.
There is a God and He is still in the miracle business, and I stand as one who has received from God. I give Him all the glory, honor and praise because He alone is worthy.
Hebrews 11:6 says: and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
1 Peter 2:24 says that…He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Jesus Healed Me
Brazil – Reginaldo from Rio de Janeiro 2009
The following account is by Gwen Edland who was ministering with Fresh Start for All Nations.
On a visitation to a Brazilian Pavuna district neighborhood, my translator and I found 53 year old Reginaldo lying in bed waiting to die from Stage 4 lung Cancer. He was pitifully thin, hairless and emaciated, with a surgical port for chemotherapy in his chest. The room smelled of death, and I knew that this was going to be a divine appointment.
Through the Portuguese-speaking translator, I asked him to sit up to talk about Jesus, and in the corner of his room I spotted a shrine with an idol of St. Mary. As we began to converse re Step up to Life, I heard the word “unforgiveness” from the Holy Spirit, and I asked R. whom he did not forgive. For 30 years R. had held a grudge against a lady named Maria, and when asked why, R. could not even remember why he hated her. I showed him how to consider the offense like a debt, to surrender Maria to Jesus Christ and to cancel that debt, otherwise Jesus could not forgive R. anything (Matthew 18:21-35). R. hesitated but then afterwards repented of his unforgiveness, and said that Maria was forgiven by himself, “She owes me nothing!”.
Suddenly the Holy Spirit gloriously swept through his body and Reginaldo was set free from his sin AND the cancer! What a miracle! R. yelled out “Jesus healed me!”. After this I handed him a Bible, and he clutched it to his chest like fresh manna from the Lord. “Biblia, Biblia!” he cried with great joy!.
His sister-in-law and niece ran into R.’s room, and upon seeing R. praising God for his healing, surrendered their lives to Jesus as well.
The next day we returned to check on Reginaldo, and he was praising God, taking out the garbage, sweeping the floor with exhuberance! We had a celebration feast which he had prepared, and his wife, Fatima, ended up repenting and surrendering her life to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! He kissed my hand in gratitude and exclaimed with tears in his eyes, “You brought me Jesus Christ! No more dead religion!” Reginaldo has evangelized the whole neighborhood, sharing his testimony. Reginaldo is very much alive, and tells everyone about his deliverance from the great sin of unforgiveness. He gives all of the praise and glory to Jesus Christ and is heavily involved with his evangelical church. I even heard that he again has bountiful and beautiful black hair again!
(The Portuguese word “Pavuna” in which he lives means darkness) and it is a neighborhood district of high crime and drug dealing. Now Reginaldo is bearing the Light of Jesus Christ unashamedly to Rio de Janeiro. Thank YOU, dear Jesus!
Deliverance From The Spirit of Witchcraft in Kenya, Africa
On November 30, 2009, I received the following email from a dear friend of mine, Pastor Jeremiah Openda, who pastors in the slums of Kwanjanga (Nairobi, Kenya). Pastor Jeremiah and his wife Carol had just returned from Western Kenya where they had traveled to minister at the burial of one of the men in his church.
Jeremiah’s Email:
Praise the Lord we are back from Western Kenya, Brother we saw the Lord we for sure saw the Lord. We found ourselves in the midst of religious and traditional leaders. Me and Carol had to stay strong in the faith to avoid being entangled in the many religious and traditional rites they wanted to be performed. We challenged old religious leaders and traditionalist who believe more in cultural and traditional practices more than the word of God.
Those who trust upon the Lord will never be put to shame. Do you remember the story in the book of Kings about Elijah and Baal prophets? At the end of the day the Baal prophets were put to shame. That is exactly what happened in the western province at the funeral. After much shouting and false teachings the religious leaders gave me and Carol a chance to minister. Note this brother, these men do not believe in women ministering and one of them already challenged Carol in the morning. Carol ministered very powerfully and then I took up the platform.
A boy who had been infested with jiggers and the spirit of witchcraft and who walked around sitting on graves was totally delivered! This boy was so badly infested and was considered an outcast!!! Nobody associated with him and the Spirit of the Lord quickened me to pray for him. When I called him upfront all the religious leaders came forth and started screaming and stomping their feet down praying but nothing happened. I was praying in the meantime and when they got tired, I went and touched the boy and started praying in the Spirit of the Lord led me. The boy immediately started manifesting and everyone rushed forward to see the doing of the Lord!!!! The boy spoke for the first time in years and all gasped with amazement!!!!
I got the latest report this morning that the boy is totally delivered. This people are now asking us to go back to minister in that area for many are bound in witchcraft and traditional beliefs. We also prayed for the reconciliation in that homestead of a boy and father who lived in bitterness for years.
From Dreams to Reality – Five Remarkable Testimonies
Go to https://morethandreams.org/ for information on how to order a DVD containing five extraordinary stories of how Jesus Christ appeared to five different individuals and transformed their lives in an incredible way .
•A radical Egyptian terrorist changed from a murderous “Saul” to a forgiving “Paul” after Jesus Christ visited him in a soul-penetrating dream. This hater of both Christians and Jews set out to discredit the Bible, but instead, he was transformed when Jesus appeared to him and changed his heart.
•A Fulani herdsman in Nigeria found the deep love and lordship of Jesus Christ through a series of remarkable dreams. Jesus’ appearance in those dreams altered the course of his life. Though his father tried to kill him in the wake of his conversion, he survived the various attempts on his life and eventually led his father to faith in Christ.
•An Indonesian teenager let down by family, friends and society, became a Christian the night Jesus appeared to her in a vision. That special night was Lailatul Qadar when Muslims individualize their prayers to Allah. From the moment she saw Jesus, His peace filled her heart and stayed with her even as persecution began.
•A young Iranian man, depressed and without hope, met Jesus Christ in a vision. The Savior extended His hand and invited him to take hold, promising that his “life would change forever.” He took Jesus’ hand and, as he describes it, “waves of electricity flowed through my body over and over again. I wept for the first time since I was a child and joy filled my heart.”
•A Turkish man in bondage to alcohol saw Jesus in a dream and his life was changed forever. Desperate, he moved to Saudi Arabia — a place where alcohol is forbidden. However, upon his arrival, he found liquor there. He then made the pilgrimage to Mecca, hoping to be freed of his addiction and to be led in the way of a true Muslim. To his surprise, he met Jesus Christ instead.
Testimony of Pastor Julio Chuta of San Juan del Obispo, Antigua, Guatemala
-As told to Dave Penner via interpreter Jose Labrador, May 2007.
I was about six years old when my Mother died. My father went to live with a different woman. This lady came to live with us when I was about six years old. During that time I was going to grammar school; in the second grade. They used to wake me up about three in the morning for me to go and bring home bundles of wood before 6 a.m. when I had to go to school.
Going to school, all the food they gave me was a couple of hard tortillas and a cup of coffee. The daughter of my father’s lady companion had food to eat – meat and eggs while the food that I got was basically the tortillas and the coffee.
I went to school hungry, and on my way to school I used to steal oranges and bananas; I would exchange the oranges and bananas at school with other kids for beans and bread. After school my stepmother used to take me to the bushes to bring more wood, but her attempt was basically to punish me with the intention for me to leave the house and perhaps to die. When we used to come back from the mountain with the wood, I would become all purple and my head was bleeding from the punishment that I would get – she would hit me with a stick. And even though my father knew the condition that I was in from the lady, he would punish me and hit me with a wooden stick; to the extreme that once he broke my leg. He took me to the hospital and told me not to tell them how I broke the leg or he would force me to leave home. Because of my situation, I could not stand it anymore, and at the age of nine years old I ran away to Guatemala City.
I stayed in Guatemala City for 10 years. When I was 20 years, old I came back to Antigua, my home town. I met my now wife when I was 21 years old; we dated for about a year and then we got married. For the next four years I was a different person -I used to smoke and drink and was a different person from the person that I now am after I came to know of Jesus. There was a time when some people came to talk to me about God. They invited me to accept Jesus and invited me to come to their church whose name was Pentecostal Church. My heart was not ready to accept Jesus at that time.
Then I had an accident and went to jail. When I was in jail I remembered about the brothers who taught me about Jesus, and while in jail I received Jesus Christ. When I got out of jail I went to the church with the people that had shared the Word of God with me, and to this day I am sharing the Word of God. But after 10 months of being out of jail I got sick with seven different illnesses.
I was sick with multiple problems: liver problems, diabetes and some problems with my blood. I went to the doctor who said that I would live no more than 20 days. The doctor said that I needed to have surgery. Before I was sick I weighed about 200 pounds and now I was down to about 97 pounds. The doctors said that if I had any properties I should take care of those and put them in my wife’s name because I was not going to last more than 20 days. In those days, my wife used to leave the Bible by my bedside. There was a time when my wife went to pray and I listened to her; it was in a good place – it was located next to the church that right now I am the pastor of.
Then I raised my leg; it was so thin that I realized I was pure bone. Seeing how bad I was, I started to cry. The words that Jesus Christ told the Father came to my mind. I repeated Jesus’ words to the Father saying “not my will, but thy will be done”. At that precise moment I made a promise to God; I told him, “Father I have done nothing for you. But if you let me live I promise you that I will preach the word of God without receiving any money back or any payment for it. But if it is not your will, as Paul would say it is better to be with you in heaven.”
At the time I just kneeled, asking God and crying, and I made an agreement with God. I made a promise to God that if He would let me live, I would preach without any monetary reward. At that time I had already been in bed for three months and in a grave situation. Nobody came to visit me and people ignored that I was sick.
I understood that my brothers’ hearts had become hard. Then when my wife came in I was crying. She asked me what had happened. And I told her that I was really happy because I was talking to God. Then afterwards, there were about 20 families that came to visit from the membership of the church.
Also the Pastor came in, and he asked, “Julio what is happening?” And then I told him about what the doctor had said, and that the doctor was not giving me more than 20 days to live. At that moment I gave my brother, the pastor, my testimony. I told him that when the doctor had told me about my situation that I had said that the one who has the last word is God. The pastor told me that “you are correct because God is going to cure you and you’re going to be free of all the sickness.” The Pastor told me these words, “my brother Julio, God is telling you that you are in debt with God.” And my brother the pastor told me to talk in secret with God and tell him that I recognize my debt to Him. The pastor and the rest of the elders from the congregation prayed for me to God. And after we prayed the pastor gave me a hug and told me that I was free of the sickness.
The pastor told me to take tests again. That was on Thursday and then I went to see the doctor on Monday. The doctor was not happy and he asked me to come back for an appointment. The doctor read from the seven different envelopes for the results of the test. The doctor asked me what I had done because I had no more sickness according to the tests. The doctor was very surprised and in awe and told me that God really does miracles. That was the way that I was cured of my seven sicknesses. It was a miracle from God.
That was how I started with the ministry that God gave me to preach his word. It has been 30 years of fulfilling my promise to God. And that is how I continue to fulfill my promise to God; I do not take offerings because I promised God that I would not take any offerings. That is why our church has been prospering to the point that we have reached more than 100 families.
We grew so much that there was not any space in the church. There was a time when my son-in-law came to me with some news. His Grandfather was ready to sell a piece of land whose value was 216,000 Q . I told my son-in-law to tell his Grandfather that I would offer 60,000 Q for this piece of land. In a kind of joking way my son-in-law’s Grandfather told my son-in-law to tell me that I was crazy.
But we do what the Bible says is impossible for man, for with God everything is possible. We believed the word that Jesus Christ said. We started to pray, and we stayed praying for about two months. We believed that that land was going to be for the church.
After two months of asking God, I received a call. I was told that if I had the 60,000 Q to go to his house and he would sell the land to me for the 60,000 Q. Then we opened up the box where we used to put the offering. We counted the money and we had 67,500 Q. When we went to my son-in-law’s Grandfather, he was in disbelief. He never thought that I could have that kind of money. And when he saw that I really had the money, he just looked at me and got in his car and went away. But then we went to a table with a lawyer, and he then decided to sign the papers to sell the land.
And now we are building a brand-new church. Glory to God. We are building a new church with money from the offerings. When Brother Dave and Sisters Patricia and Deborah came to my church, I told them about my testimony and the story about how we bought the land for the church. After talking to them, they communicated the testimony to their Pastor in the United States. Glory to God. God bless them because they’ve been helping with God’s work. Their Pastor in the United States authorized monetary help to buy the reinforcement for the structure of the church. They also sent money to buy wood and cement. And with the help that they’ve given us, the church is taking form. The church is in the last phases of being built. The only thing left to do is the flooring, the windows and the doors.
And that is how I’ve been fulfilling a promise to God. I have been preaching the Word of God for 30 years without receiving monetary reward. Even though the Brothers are not in agreement that I do not take the offerings, I cannot break the promise I made to God 30 years ago. I feel that I’m the happiest man in the land because God has allowed me to build two churches.