MaggieBelle

I have been married to my husband, Juan, for 37 years.  We have 8 children (6 boys and 2 girls).  Five boys are married so that adds an additional 5 more daughters.  Both girls are married adding two more sons and leaving one son unmarried and on his own.  We have (at this writing) 15 ½ live grandchildren (3 girls, 12 boys and ?).

During my mid 20’s while reading the works of author Grace Livingston Hill I recognized my lost, sinful condition and I asked Jesus Christ into my heart.  I realized that the Spirit had been calling me since I was a young child.

to church every week and my dad didn’t object.  As well as the elementary school we attended provided a weekly, one- hour release time for Bible school.  We even received a Bible school report cards along with our regular school report cards.

I was raised in the Presbyterian Church, learned about the trinity, the virgin birth and that Jesus suffered the shame of the cross to save the world.  I just didn’t understand that Jesus would have come to save the world if I had been the only sinner.  Because I was oblivious to the Lord’s call as a youngster, I made some very poor choices for my life during my late teen years.

So the call was definitely was there.

During my mid 20’s reading the works of author Grace Livingston Hill caused me to recognize my lost, sinful condition and I asked Jesus Christ into my heart.

We have all seen how five-year-olds act with confidence as they use their newly acquired life skills, unaware that they lack the wisdom needed to make the best use of those skills.   This was true of me five years into my salvation.  It took almost two years for me to see the benefit of reading the Bible on a daily basis in an orderly manner while marveling each day that I could put my life in God’s hands and everything would be all right.

Eventually I came to a Baptist Church (regular convention) that preached the message of the cross.  I began to grow in my faith and by the fifth year of my salvation I developed a high level of arrogance that led to my disobedience.  God has graciously forgiven my sin of disobedience and blessed me immeasurably (Isa 26:3).  But like Sarah, I tried to help God’s promise come true by taking things into my own hands and doing it in my own strength.  I’m a born “fixer “ and God can’t fix it if we do not put it in His hands and leave it there, acknowledging His Sovereignty!

The “fixer” habit is so ingrained in my character that I automatically start functioning as if I had all the answers.  Whenever a problem presented itself I immediately put my head down and started running.  Daily I struggle to retrain myself to function as a slave, asking and waiting for direction.  I have prayed and asked God to change me so His light can be clearly seen.  He has slowed me down enough so that I now, I often hear the Holy Spirit reminding me to look up before I start running.  I never cease to be amazed at His mercy toward me and His graciousness frequently brings tears to my eyes.  I can remember, after I decided that I needed to read the Bible everyday that at first it sometimes took me 3 days to remember my plan.  Now, if I’m not in the word first thing in the morning and last thing at night I feel disconnected.  So I know there is hope for me yet.

My testimony (written 10 years later)
When I was first saved I was super enthusiastic (being a fixer) and thought I should be a missionary; after all I now knew the “answer” and wanted everybody else to know it too.  After much prayer, the Lord made me understand through the word that I needed to continue on the path I was on. My problem was I only thought of missionary work as being done in foreign fields.  Daily reading of the word instructed me that as believers we are missionaries in whatever field in which we live.  With a house full of kids I was deep in a mission field.  I became a rabid student of the word especially in the area of praise and prayer as a way of surviving.

Reading about the life of King David and how much he loved God (said to be a man after God’s heart) I was impressed when King David said he wanted to be God’s most obedient servant.  I thought to myself, “yes Father, I think I can do that.”  Never once taking Christ words into consideration to “think” before making a vow of that kind.  But God did take me at my word and sent me into a “boot camp program” that I would not have chosen.  However, being on this side of the training program I wouldn’t give up one minute of the training because I would not be where I am today without that experience.  I pray that you will call on God the Father to make you more like his son Jesus Christ.  I pray that you will count the cost of such a prayer and realize that despite the overwhelming price it is the only prayer to pray.

During the time I was raising my children I worked in food service (high school cafeteria, waitressing and hosting), teaching English as a second language for 5 years while my husband worked with his company’s “maquiladora” factory in Mexico.  On our return to the states I took the Realtor state test and began working as an administrative assistant for a very successful Realtor.  By this time my last child had graduated from college and began living on her own.  I thought now Lord?  And he said there are plenty of mission fields in your own backyard, look around! Through a number of circumstances I started working as a church secretary.

I was surprised that the church’s prayer ministry was limited to 4 people who prayed over the Sunday prayer requests on the following Thursday.  (Being a fixer) I began to get the prayer requests to the prayer warriors on Monday as well as soliciting more warriors.  As time went on ladies began coming to me for private prayer for their marriages; most knew that I was praying for my husband’s salvation.  Today, I pray daily for 24 ladies for their obedience to the Lord as a wife.  I have also developed the “It’s Wednesday” prayer emails.  Most people say when all else fails, pray.  But for me it’s pray first then sort out the circumstances.

Once again, I have been hit square between the eyes with the sovereignty of God.  In 2007 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  The medication that is available is a tablet with some main side effects being nausea, drowsiness, a drop in blood sugar level, etc.  Unfortunately I have had hypoglycemia (causing a nervous stomach) since the age of 7.  Consequently the medication side effects are magnified by my existing weakness.

Shedding many tears from mostly frustration and some pain

My Mom was raised in a Four Square church but drifted away as a teenager.  My dad who was born into a Catholic family; but his mom died when he was 5 years old and he was expelled from Catholic school and he took to the streets.  Nevertheless, when my sister and I were 8 and 9 years old my parents knew we needed to be raised in the church.