Level 2 Training Testimonies

Emma

I came from a poor Catholic family. We lived on a farm and my earliest memories were of going to the field to work. I also watched as my father beat my mother; it was hard to watch. My parents never gave me money, so I would go door to door and do the rosary for families and they would give me one or two cents. I'd compete with my friends to see who could do the most rosaries and earn the most money.

My parents separated when I was four years old. When I was in third grade my mother moved us to the city. It was hard for me as I was small. My parents had ten kids, and I am number ten. I had to fight for everything. When my Dad left, he had another wife and seven more kids with her. My mother became a seamstress. While she worked in a sweatshop sewing, I would go out on the streets and hawk newspapers. From day one, all the children were expected to contribute to the family's needs.

I was a good student in school. I was able get a scholarship to go to university and study business—human resources (HR). I paid my own way through school. My first real job was to study people, to make profiles of different workers in a company. Then I took a computer job, but did not enjoy that, so went back to HR, working for a shipping company. When I was 24 I worked in both the shipping and personnel departments. Then the union organized the workers in the company and I was forced to deal with the union. The negotiations went surprisingly well, and I was passed over others to become the head of the HR department. After a year in that company I resigned, as there was a lot of criticism of me for being too young for that job. So I started teaching computers in the university. While teaching I earned a master's degree in business.

I learned computers as I taught it; it was not my background or interest. I would study and learn at night, and then teach what I learned the next morning. During this time, one of my closest friends was a Catholic priest. I began to question him about what is my purpose for being here, but he did not give satisfying answers. By the time I was 28, I was single, living at home and the main provider for my mother. I was offered a top job with the police department as the manager of a precinct in Valencia. This meant moving to another city but it was a very good job. However I was the only woman in the entire police station, and took a lot of abuse from the men. Passing by a Protestant church one day, I heard a song that talked about God. This song really got me thinking. I was making a lot of money and going to parties, buying many things, but I felt empty inside. I really felt empty, so I told God, if you are real, I'd like to meet you.

I was very athletic. I went to the gym regularly and hiked a lot. I would ask God while walking to show Himself to me, but I never told anyone these things. Then in 2002, a sister I was close to died in a car accident. Some of my brothers and sisters had become Christian. At the funeral some of us were saying the rosary and others were praying to Jesus. With my sister's death I came to a crisis point in my life and my faith.

A few months later the same year, another brother died in a car accident. The whole family was depressed. But I had peace in my heart. I had just started going to a church and got into a Bible study. I was dating a guy who I really liked, but he was not a Christian. We were living together. God spoke to me about breaking up, so I told the guy that we were finished, but he continued to call and visit. It was hard as I still liked him. One day I knelt down and asked God to take away my feelings for that guy. The moment I stood up, I never again felt any pain or longing for him.

I go to a Baptist church. I was always generous to the church, and the church knew me as a generous person, but I thought I'd rather be known for my life in Christ. I determined to ask God what I should be known for. He told me to witness more, so I started sharing the Gospel with everyone. I have also discipled several women. My former boyfriend came back and asked for money, and I told him that I was praying for him and witnessed to him, and he never came back after that.

While in the police station I was asked to campaign for the local politicians, but I said I would only campaign for Jesus. My boss gave me a very hard time as I did not join in campaigning for the government leaders. However the local incumbents were not re-elected, so all my co-workers who campaigned for the opposition were all fired, and I was the only one to keep my job! So part of my job was to fire all these former people who campaigned for the former leaders. I would explain to people better to resign quick so you get some benefits, as you will be fired and get nothing. I tried to put the person first, looking out for their best interest.

One time my boss asked me to lie about an employee. I refused. I made it clear to my supervisor that as a Christian I cannot lie or show favoritism. So the boss began treating me badly too, calling me names, and making sarcastic comments about me in public meetings. So I finally confronted him, and shared with him about Jesus. After that he stopped criticizing me and at the end of that year he gave me a rise! But a police station is a very hard place to work in and do the right things.

My mission call came through a dream. I saw myself walking with a person who held my hand. It was like a person, but it wasn't a person, so I think it was an angel. The angel took me to a field and showed me the four corners of the field. That Sunday at church, there was a video on people groups and these peoples were projected to be in a field with four corners that needed to be harvested. The field in the video and my dream was the same. I knew then and there that God was telling me to go.

So after work I attended a mission training school, and learned about Muslims. They told me about the EVI level 1 program in Peru. My church did not support me to go, so I paid own way. My mother is 81, but she is supportive of me serving God.

Formerly in the church I served as the director of Evangelism and Discipleship, and nowadays as the director of Missions. Our church has sent missionaries on trips within Venezuela to the tribal peoples in the jungles, but not outside the country.