Level 2 Training Testimonies

Mary

Valencia Venezuela is home. I am the youngest in my family. When my mother was pregnant with me, she had bed rest and could not move. I think that may be why we have a special bond. My mother named me Mary after the mother of Jesus. I was very ill after my birth. The doctors thought I had leukemia. As they thought I was going to die, my family over protected me. So my family spoils me to this day. As a result I grew up self absorbed and became stubborn when I did not get my way. I was bossy toward my older brother. And my brother believed I was special so he took care of me.

When I was 19 I went to one of the better schools in Venezuela to study. These things all fed my ego. I glorified myself not God. But despite my education, God humbled me in that after graduation I could not find a job. I began my own leather business. I also started studying the occult—black magic. I even went to a retreat in the jungle to a center for black magic. It is believed that people who go there have special power. Immediately after that the leather business began to prosper. I won a prize for my products. I then married a man active in the occult. I thought that he was a military officer, who had money. A few years later I also worked as a manager of Wendys. I realize now that that was good preparation for managing a Mexican restaurant.

In 1998 I went to a church with my brother, who was seeking God. My brother and mother became Christians. They witnessed to my husband and I and my husband told them to leave the house. But we had been a close family, so it hurt me to see them so dejected. After my mother and brother believed in Jesus I saw changes in my family: they stopped fighting with others, and quit drinking and smoking. This aroused my curiosity so I wanted to know what the church was about. I went to church with my brother, but my husband wouldn't go. That evening I prayed to receive Christ. After I became a Christian I had a lot of inner battles between the dark and the light. So the leaders of the church got together to pray for me. While they were laying hands on me I passed out. The last thing I remember is that I saw bloody heads rolling in the street. The pastor said that as they prayed for me, I was screaming very loudly. They cast so many demons out of me that they lost count. I don't recall any of that. A few days later, my skin began pealing in multiple layers, and all my hair fell off. But after that I began to hear God. Jeremiah 33:3 was the first verse that really spoke to me. It says, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." God was showing me new things, unsearchable things about Himself.

The more I read the Bible the more peace I had. I read and read. I could not get enough of God's word. I was discipled by an American missionary, Rebecca, who also discipled my brother and mother. Then I took the Perspectives Course, a missions course for church members. In the course I learned about God's plan for the world. When Rebecca left for the USA, I was asked to lead a women's shelter that Rebecca had run. I've been part of leading this shelter for more than 20 women ever since. The shelter provides care for young mothers, deserted children, and kids with AIDS. My husband continued to use black magic. He also ridiculed my new faith. He began to abuse me and then I learned that he was having an affair with another woman who was in the occult. So I prayed and asked God if I should confront this other woman. Then this other woman called me. We talked and I realized my husband did not love me, so we agreed to divorce. It was very painful. I asked God to take my fears and broken heart and heal them. I told God that if He did heal me I'd serve Him anywhere, even in Africa. It was amazing. Immediately after my prayer, my longing for my husband and the hurt was gone. God healed me right then and there. He healed my heart, so I upheld my agreement and began to tell others that God wanted me to serve him in Africa. He confirmed this through Isaiah 62:4 which says, "No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah, for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married." In the church I took the name Hezebah, "I am His beloved". He loves me and wishes to use me to heal the land and the lives of others. My mother now leads a deliverance ministry. She was trained by Neil Andersen, and my brother is now a pastor. My former husband is now in jail. It came out that he was never in the military, but wore a uniform and used that to extort money from people.