- 2Cor. 5:17
On a free-lance base, I work as a translator among other things. There is a translation office that provides me with orders if required. Because of this, I recently received a phone call from a Latin American woman, Anabel*, who needed a letter to be translated. Two days later, I received this letter by post. I could see from its content that she at least basically believed in our Christian faith.
Shortly after I had returned her the translated letter, she called me again asking for the translation of a 2nd letter. This time, we chatted a bit and it turned out that she was a true believer. Yet regardless, I felt uneasy, something was wrong. But I wasn't able to figure out why I felt this way. I openly talked to her about Jesus and she agreed with everything I said. She told me about her believing family who lived in Spain and she was disappointed that she had not yet found a Spanish speaking church here in Germany. I offered her prayer and she gladly accepted.
For a while, I didn't hear from her again. Yet one day, I received an sms from her with a desperate prayer request for her daughter and her son. I did it - I prayed and later contacted her asking if she would like to talk to me about it. Immediately she phoned telling me she had received 2 horrible news. One was about her daughter who still lived in Latin America and who had traveled to Miami. Anabel suspected that she had fallen in with bad company. The other news was her son who lived with her relatives in Spain. He had disappeared completely. Nobody knew about his whereabouts.
Now I knew something was definitely very wrong. But I felt I shouldn't let her know about my feelings. She told me that her teenaged boy wasn't very healthy and she was worried to death suspecting that he had run away because he found out about one of her biggest mistakes in life. When she told me this, I heard the warning bells ringing. Yet I had the clear impression that I should not talk to her about it. It was left that I would talk to my husband and that we would pray about it.
It didn't take long for her to send me another sms. This time she included the whole truth and admitted that she had worked as a prostitute here in Germany... But she was aware of how wrong this was and she wanted to quit. She wanted to turn completely to God. Now I clearly knew the reason why I had felt before that something was wrong. It was God's leading. As this was completely clear to me in that moment, I didn't feel bad about it. Just the contrary, I felt sad for her and phoned her immediately. I guess she had hoped for this but doubted that I would respond. And so it wouldn't take long before she began crying bitterly.
Sobbing, she was able to get many things off her chest. She was presently with a man whom she loved. But they had had a bad fight and she thought that this relationship was over. He was very negative toward her since, yet she still loved him. At the same time she told me that God had become so important in her life that she would continue to pray for this man, but that if he did not turn to the Lord then she would not return to him. I admired her mindset! She told me of her daily Bible readings and how she became aware that God wanted her to turn her life completely over to Him.
Then she said something that at first I didn't like at all. She said she was very aware of the fact that she had to quit prostitution, but not just yet. How else could she live, eat? She had no other means of income. She regretted not being able to speak German which would afford her more chances to work a better job. I felt like "preaching" to her, yet at the same time, I had the strong impression that God was hindering me in doing so. My impression was that I wasn't to talk to her at all about it. I felt that if I did I would destroy something. I didn't want to do that, of course, and so I kept my mouth shut. Anabel said that as soon as she knew about her possibilities, working either as a cleaning woman or maybe her relatives would suggest something, then she would stop prostituting herself. Desperately, I looked up at Jesus and told her it was ok.
In tears she told me about her experiences with Jesus a long time ago, but now she had backslidden - maybe even dropped away. Now she regretted her life bitterly. I tried to console and encourage her by telling her that Jesus still loved her and that He was giving her a new chance. I asked her to keep on track now and that she should read the Bible every day and stay in God's presence. I told her I would try to find a church at or near the place she was living, a church where she would understand and make herself understood. At some point, we stopped talking and my husband and I prayed for her.
I felt very sad for her, but at the same time I always knew that things would turn out well for her. This was a big relief for me.
For a long while, I didn't hear anything from her. Then, one day she called again - from Spain! Happily she told me she was staying with her sister who was attending a Pentecostal church with all her family as well as her brother. In the background, I heard her sister talking and questioning. She wanted to make sure I was a "real" Christian - well, understandable! This was how I got to know about their Pentecostal church. When I said that we were attending a similar type of church, her sister was happy and did not interfere in our conversion anymore. She wasn't interested in my denomination, only in that I went to a Bible centered church.
Anabel told me that in the meantime, she had been several times to that church there and had talked with the pastor and other members. Everyone was so very caring and wanted to help her. She was totally thrilled by all the attention and love she received there!
She said she could imagine staying there. Her family had offered this to her and she was thinking seriously about it. And then she spoke out something that I was thinking: that where she was living in Germany, there was nobody with whom she could share her faith and talk about Jesus. This fact would more than likely draw her back into her old life and there was no way she wanted that to happen!
I was so proud of her! I told her that and I was ever so thankful to God!
Still, she continued to think that she had no other choice than to go on with that "lifestyle" until God Himself would tell her to stop. NOW I felt a strong push forward inside of me and asked her, "Can you imagine God wanting you to stop right away with it and trust Him completely? Even in providing for you?"
There was a big silence at the other end... I expected her to object. But then she quietly answered, "I will think it over. Honestly, I promise." How relieved I felt! I prayed to Jesus to make this an easy decision for her.
And then a miracle happened. The phone call I just mentioned had taken place one Saturday morning. The following Monday, Anabel called me again, talking enthusiastically and bubbling over: After our last talk she immediately went into prayer and asked God to give her a sign if He really had indeed spoken to her through me. She asked that God find her son for her.
Now imagine: that same afternoon, somebody from a neighboring village phoned her sister saying that Anabel's son was staying with him for the time being. He didn't want to see his mom just but that he was fine.
Anabel was so happy about this that she wanted to call me again immediately, but somehow the telephone didn't work. Maybe even this was worked out by God, because Anabel went to church instead and gave her life to Jesus!
I could only shout "hallelujah"! It must have been somewhat loud as my husband looked at me in amazement! But he understood the reason why and rejoiced with us!
Anabel was very determined when she told me that now it was completely clear to her that it was God speaking through me and that she never again wanted to return to prostitution! She decided to permanently stay in Spain. Her family offered to provide her with whatever she needed until she was able to stand on her own feet. Her next project is a faith course and her baptism. It is her absolute desire to become a missionary! Well, let's see what the Lord has in store for her!
Two weeks ago she went to Germany again to get her things. With her ex partner she could agree at least not to fight any longer. Even he saw the change in her and encouraged her on her new way now. She thinks that she still loves him, but she was also thinking about what I had told her that she should let him go. This would be his only chance to change. Now she said she was able to do this without a great deal of pain. She is still hoping that he will also come to faith. But if that does not happen, then she realizes that she would be able to live with it because now, she only wants to do what is pleasing to God! She had done all that she could. Not only has she talked to him, but she also bought him a Bible and the book of Walter Heidenreich "Help" (I think it also exists in English). And now she happily and thankfully has returned to Spain.
Isn't this a wonderful testimony?
Anabel insisted that I talk with her former pastor, a woman, in Latin America. So she bought an international phone card, quoted me the necessary numbers - and I talked with this pastor for an hour! What a great lady who is completely sold out to our Lord! She told me a lot about Anabel and also about their past phone calls. Had I entertained doubts - this phone call would have completely taken them away! And I now know that Anabel is being prayed for by a lot of dear people. So I can confidently look forward and leave her in God's hands! This pastor also has a successful ministry among drug addicted youth in her city and she is blessed with prophetic gifts.
I am so very thankful to God for having allowed me to experience this! In many faith courses that I have co-assisted, I have already seen many people discovering Jesus and giving Him their lives. This is so touching every time. But I have never experienced such a dramatically radical dedication toward Jesus as with Anabel. This is simply fantastic!
Anabel and I are keeping in touch and I feel very confident about her future. She has made the light experience: Ever since she has given her life to Jesus, she is palpably standing in His light. She had to return to Germany to collect her things and finish some errands. In doing so, she was once again confronted by her past and she said she literally felt the darkness around her. "I don't belong here any longer," she said in one of her many phone calls to me. "In fact, I have never really belonged here anyway! There is nothing like the light of Jesus!"
How right she is!
Whether things will go on the way she is hoping for or whether they come in a different manner, I know she will make it, because she consciously has decided to follow Jesus and Jesus is victorious over all!
