Katherine's Letter of Victory

Praise the Lord VG&B! We pray you've been having a fantastic summer. Today's Letter of Victory comes to us via Sis. Katherine Jara. We truly admire the passion and love Katherine has for serving the Lord. She has faced so much adversity throughout her life and the resilence she's had to bring her this far in life. Be blessed!

My Testimony

I have faced numerous mental illnesses beginning at a very young age. Ranging from depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality, anorexia/bulimia etc. It wasn't until I had encountered God, I was unaware of my purpose in life and thus attempted to end it. Now, with Jesus, I understand that God has such an enormous purpose for my life that the enemy tried to kill me off as a young girl.

Last year at camp, Bishop Esparza prophesied over me that I am a pillar of flame in the ministry of praise and worship and would be a healer and interpret dreams. Since then, this prophesy has been confirmed through numerous credible people of God and I know that what I went through has only prepared me for what is to come.

God has everything under control. He knows our rising and sitting, every thought before it is birthed within the neurons in our minds. He has every hair numbered and every tear collected in His merciful hands. God is with us. I understand atheists because I was one. I understand evolutionists because I had that faith of mind. I understand the broken-hearted because my heart has been broken. I understand the lonely, drug addict, the lesbian/bisexual, the alcoholic, the suicidal, the young woman who chose abortion, the self-mutilator, the absence of self-esteem because I myself have been there and now I place my life in God's hands. I'm not close-minded for putting my faith in something. I'm seeking God and a purpose.

Jesus has revealed to me a life I never knew possible. I remember walking up to the altar on Easter Sunday of 2011 before I was baptized, not believing in God but wanting to more than anything and just then, His great love washed over me, speaking to me as if face to face, that without this encounter I would never believe. I was like Thomas who needed to place my finger in the savior's wound to believe. So, the Holy Spirit filled me and I spoke another language; a language of heavenly love and power.

My life will always be for His glory. I hope my testimony reaches beyond where I can lay my hands to pray. All for the glory of Jesus' name. I'm here and grateful for this life. If there's a sister out there needing a shoulder or a hand, here I am with love.

Thank you for sharing your story Katherine! God bless you!

Cassie's Letter of Victory

Praise Him! This Letter of Victory comes to us by Sis. Cassie Reyna from the church in Wauchula, Fl. Cassie has a very infectious smile and we admire her courage for sharing with us why her smile is the way it is. Read on and be blessed!

I have had quite a fight living the life I chose to follow God. I wouldn’t give it up for the world! For a long time I have had trouble sleeping which is odd because I love sleep! Well, when I finally figured out it was God waking me up I didn’t pay attention at first. Me, being human, I ignored it. I thought it was just stress and me over thinking certain things, you know normal stuff. When I saw a very special lady that has a special place in my heart, she asked if I would share my story. I wanted to pray about it first. God knows what He wants me to say. Well April 18, 2014 He did it again. I woke up in the early hours of the morning. He said, “It’s time to share your story.” So here it is.

Now in days, women have overpowered the world and helped man steer it. Women are strong, courageous, and compassionate. For a very long time I was none of the above. I do believe with all my heart God has a calling for each and every one of us, but I’ve come to find out it starts with God’s time. His timing is always perfect. Time, I’ve come to find out, is limited. When I was 14 I learned that in the hardest way possible.

The phone rang and I had a gut feeling something was wrong. My mom stormed out of the house just saying my dad had driven himself to the hospital. I was at home with my best friend when Sister Bertha, our pastor’s wife, called me and she had said she was coming to pick me up. I only live 2 streets down from the hospital. When I got in her car she was quiet. I had no idea what was going on. She was on the phone with someone and said, “Please send a prayer chain. Brother Jesse is in the hospital. He had a massive heart attack. He had the heart attack while driving home from the store and crashed in the hospital parking lot.” I lost it.

We got to the hospital and they took me to the operating room where they were working on him. My mom was holding his hand on one side of the bed and my older brother and sister on the other. I just remember grasping his hand and saying, “Please don’t leave me!” I was praying so hard out loud asking God please not now! God had decided it was time. When they finally stopped working on him, God called him home. They took us out of the room to grieve in the waiting room. We didn’t make it that far. We all fell in the hallway next to his room and my mom was praying and I lost it. I was blaming God! Asking why? And how could you! I tried to run back to his room. I didn’t want to leave the hospital without him, but he was resting now.

From that point on, I knew my life would never be the same. He would never see me graduate High School, father’s day would be a day that sliced the wounds back open again and again every year. He would never walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. I no longer had a father. He was just a sweet memory. For a while I thought I was depressed. I wasn’t. I was angry with God. I didn’t blame him, but why did he take him away so suddenly? I didn’t even get to say bye or I love you. I miss him more and more each day. Not a day goes by I don’t think if him. Some days I just come home and watch home videos and just wallow. I would come home from school and realize his truck wasn’t in the driveway. My fear was I didn’t want to forget the sound of his voice or I didn’t want to accept the fact he was gone. At his funeral I just wanted to get in there with him and say, “Take me with you.” I knew that wasn’t right for me to want that but I felt incomplete.

At that point in my life things went downhill fast. Some issues came up in my church and my brother left, and then my mom and sister. They went to a different church. They still worship the same God and that’s where my mom was called to go. The problem was I was alone…again. I decided to stay with the assembly. It was my home for 16 years and I didn’t want to leave. Now I am 1 person, my own family. I had to learn to stand alone. Being left alone is something I was way to familiar with.

A little after my dad passed away, I ended up back in the E.R room of a hospital. My brother was fighting for his life and had lost his kidneys. He was in the ICU for a long time. God had already given Josh his miracle. We don’t know how long his kidneys had stopped working. When he got to the hospital the nurses and doctors couldn’t believe he was walking and talking not in pain at all, or worse in a coma. I tried to give my brother one of my kidneys, but I couldn’t since I didn’t have kids yet. I didn’t care. I would have rather saved my brother’s life. God had another plan at his own time. These have been the scariest 3 years of my life. At any moment I didn’t want to hear that he was also called home. 3 years later exactly 2 weeks before National Youth Advance 2014 my brother received his second miracle. He got a kidney transplant. He had only been on the list a year and 6 months. People can wait up to 10 years and are still waiting. Doctors say they have only heard of people getting one at 5 years. God knew what he was doing. I only pray now that it opens my brother’s heart to go back to the Lord. That’s all I really want is to have my family with me again.

For about 3 years I thought I was in love for the very first time. He was everything and more. Except little did I know he was pulling me farther and farther away from God. After 3 years, God finally told me it was time to say goodbye. I didn’t want to! I loved him. I’ve learned you can’t give your life to someone else because then what do you give God? It was a toxic relationship. I had been hit, lied to, and most of all just spiritually empty. I have always been in love with God. I loved going to youth activities. I loved singing with all my heart. That was my connection with God. When I sing I can’t explain it, but I just feel his arms pull me in close to him. It’s my safe place.  I fall in love with God all over again.

When we came back from NYA 2014 God confirmed it was time to let go. He had something better for me. He was ready to lead me to my calling and I am fully ready to change the course of my life to follow Him forever! I know God is not done with me yet. He has greater things for me. This is just the beginning and I am ready to take on whatever He wants me to do. I’ve decided enough is enough. The enemy loves to see you stumble over him well now I’m stepping over him and moving forward. I know when you feel like God is not with you, that’s when He’s there the most. It doesn’t matter what you have lost. I know I have lost my dad, and my family in my church but I have a father who will never leave me in my times of troubles. He will pick me up when I fall and stumble. I am not perfect. I make mistakes and I will keep making them, but I know with him I will become that strong, courageous, and compassionate woman He wants me to be. With Him I am not alone!

Philippians 4:13 “I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Thank you Cassie for sharing a piece of your family’s testimony! We are praying for you and your family. We love you and your ministry and we can’t wait to see where God takes you next. God bless you!

Andrea's Letter of Victory

Praise Him ladies! We have another Letter of Victory today by Sis. Andrea Marban from Bradenton, Fl. Andrea has such a beautiful talent that we love to see her do. Read on to see how this little lady has let God mold her into who she is today. Be blessed!

Praise the Lord ladies! First and foremost, I absolutely love our page. I think it's a great way for us to connect on a much deeper level, sharing our struggles and our victories. I rarely talk about the past, so I will share my story before I wimp out. All I ask is that whatever is said in the next few sentences, remain here, with us. And that whomever reads this, may be blessed.

Now I know we've all hid something behind our smiles before, because when it comes down to it, we can be such great actresses. I'd consider myself a pro to be honest; there is much more to the superficial Andrea most of you have met.
To begin with, my upbringing was not all so great. My parents divorced when I was only 2 years old, so as expected my father wasn't in the picture. That affected me in so many ways. Since then, I never knew what having a family felt like. My mom was always so busy working to keep my brother and me stable. I honestly hold no resentment towards her for it, unlike my brother, I understood. My mom eventually remarried when I was 8 years old. The man she vowed to be with until the end was the same man who would bring a great deal of unhappiness to our new "family.” This is where it all began.

He was an abusive and beyond impulsive man. For years I saw my mother be beat to the ground. This all created hate within me. To witness your mother being put down by a coward is the most horrible feeling. It made me feel so helpless, because whenever I tried to get in between, it was just as worse for me. There came a point where I did blame my mother for it, I just couldn't fathom the reasons why she stayed with this man or why she would take it all in. I began to doubt her love towards us, her children. When you're part of an abusive family, you become all messed up in the head. I felt so unworthy, low, unloved, scared. I became traumatized and any little thing would set me off.

Finally, when I was about 10/11 years old, we came to church. I was a very negative and disturbed child. At only 10 years old, I had seen more than I should have. I was so hurt. I didn't get entirely involved in church until about 3 years ago, in 2011. I remember once praying in my room late at night. I felt beyond lonely and there was still a lot of pain. But I prayed. For the first time, I truly prayed. I remember just bawling, I didn't even say much. The feeling of peace and comfort I felt afterwards is what made me realize that there was a God and He had been by my side all along. He worked immensely in my home.

Now, my mother doesn't attend church, or no one in my family for that matter but I can say that a lot has changed since then. Coming to Christ was the best "escape.” Honestly, if my mom wouldn't have dragged me each Sunday morning, I don’t like to think of where I'd be right at this moment. I'm still in prayer for my family to completely come to Christ. Rather than being beat by my past, I have used it to build myself. It's what has kept me going. This and much more is what created my passion for what I love to do: mimes.

It's my way of showing my gratitude towards our good Lord for all that He's done and continues to do in my life because He sure isn't done with me. "The most sincere pantomime's are those brought together in pure darkness, where all you can do is offer each movement to God, in hope that He'll receive your worship as broken as you are" -A quote for what I do. If you sing, sing to where you can be heard across the world. If you play an instrument, go hard, make the noise because our mighty God is the reason for our joy, the reason for our genuine smiles. I just want to remind you all that it doesn't matter what your past consists of, JESUS can mend every unbearable wound.

I hope that this piece of my testimony has spoken to someone and just keep in mind that our worst moments in life come to be our best testimonies. You are ALL beautiful. I pray that you are all blessed :)

Andrea, thank you so much for stepping out and sharing a small piece of your testimony. We love you and are praying for you and your family! God bless you!

 

 

 

We Dare You....

We saw this and just had to repost. We dare you!

Tania's Letter of Victory

Praise the Lord Young Ladies of Valor, Grace, and Beauty! We hope you find yourselves blessed in the Lord! We have such a special Letter of Victory for you today. It comes to us via Sis. Tania Blandon from the mission church in Bonita Springs, Fl. Tania is a person that loves to laugh and can make pretty much anyone smile with her charm :) However, there is a deep personal struggle within her smile. Continue on to find out how victorious Tania is in Christ!

 

Hello and God bless you all and whoever reads this letter. I wish I could say this letter is filled with victory but it isn’t. It’s a journey I walked for many years. What you guys are about to read is something that isn't so easy for me to share but I believe God had a purpose for it all so I am going to share it with you guys. If there is anyone going through these struggles, know that it’s never too late to ask for help, and God is ALWAYS there even if you don't feel Him. So before I lose my nerve, here goes everything!

 

 

For all you who know me, you know that growing up I wasn't the best person. As a matter of fact I was violent, explosive, mean, and I really didn’t care that I hurt people. The older I got, the meaner I became and eventually it didn’t matter who I lashed out on. Including my family. If I’m going to be honest, I guess it all leads back to when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I saw something that completely obliterated me. I saw a friend’s mom (whose name will follow me to the grave) with another man one day after school. She went to my church, her husband was a nice man and her kids were my friends. All I could think was, “How could she do this?! Didn’t she love her family? Her husband?” She was married and what she was doing was wrong. For weeks I couldn't look them in the eye because I knew but I just couldn’t say anything. I knew it would break that family and I couldn't do that. I just couldn’t bear the thought of breaking my friends’ hearts that way. As time went by, I grew resentment for this woman because in one way or another she indirectly made me keep that secret.

 

 

For days I couldn't sleep because of the guilt I felt inside. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. And the anger I felt at the time turned into resentment. I don’t even know when those feelings turned into hate but they did and I couldn’t control it. There came a time that I couldn't even look at her without disgust or help feeling so useless. I felt like a horrible friend for letting her get away with it but what could I do? I was just a kid and it really wrecked me inside. At first I just acted out in class when I was feeling anxiety. At the time I thought, I didn’t need an excuse for my behavior. Any little thing set me off and getting me out of that rage was nearly impossible. The more I thought about it the worse I felt and I don’t know, one day I just felt like I needed to punish myself for not being brave enough to speak up. I started starving myself and telling myself I didn't deserve to eat. I think that’s when I started to lose myself. After a while it wasn't enough and I adjusted to the amount I was letting myself eat. I think I was 10 the first time I cut and it just felt…good. Now I know it’s wrong and it wasn’t the answer and never will be. I was so desperate and too scared to ask for help and cutting took my mind off of what I felt inside.

 

 

I kept getting in trouble at school but I didn't cut often, not at first. Whenever I did, it was in places no one could tell and no one would have known because I hid it too well. Funny thing is that it started off as me punishing myself and it turned into an eating disorder and uncontrollable self-harm. Those things became the hardest struggle I’ve faced in my 24 years of life. Years passed and the struggle just continued and it just overwhelmed me. I took the doctrine classes at the same time as my brother but didn’t get baptized with him because I didn't feel worthy before the Lord. I know I probably disappointed my parents when I told them I wouldn’t be joining my brother. They asked me why but I couldn’t tell them I just said I wasn't ready. I was too ashamed to ask for help. No one knew what I was going through and unfortunately there was a sister at my church who didn't know any better. She began spreading rumors about me, saying I was anorexic and vain and all sorts of things. A lot of the members at that church began looking down on me because of my decision as well. At first the only thing that kind of hurt was the anorexic comment because she just threw it around not knowing how much I was being enslaved by that.

 

 

Over time it got worse and senior year I decided to join the Marines. Everything was set to go but home was the real war zone. My parents would ask me what I was running from, was I hurt, was I afraid of something or someone and I couldn't handle it? I would go to school, then track practice, then take the last bus home, just to avoid talking about it.

 

 

One night I sat in my garage with a puppy a sister gave me, when something inside me just…snapped. I felt so trapped, desperate, ashamed, and I started to cry. I couldn't keep running from God. I just cried for help, for a way out, and for Him to just take it all from me, just for Him to hold me I guess. I had been running track my entire life so my senior years was the fittest I had ever been. That night I got up and walked to one side of my garage. Before I knew it, I was sprinting as fast as I could into the other side of the garage. I don’t know how many times I hit my head, stumbled back up, and ran, did it again, and found no way out. My mom was the first to run into the garage. To this day I can’t shake the look on her face when she saw me. I can only imagine what she must have felt. She screamed for my dad and when he reached us he tried to calm me down but the state I was, I needed to let it out. After a while I just sat on the floor and didn't say a word I just cried and told them to leave me alone. Eventually they just gave me some space but cunning as satan is, he started up again. I looked around. I didn't really know what I was looking for until I saw the water hose. I didn't even realize what I was about to do but God works in mysterious ways, and as crazy as it may sound, I know He used my dog in that moment to help me come to my senses. If it hadn’t been for my dog coming out from under a table and licking me, I would have never looked down long enough to see that at least she loved me.

 

 

I guess that’s when it hit me. If this animal can look at me with so much love even though I’m damaged, imagine how God looks at me. I had never felt so low in my life. And I wept that night like I had never wept before. Things were ok for a while after that but like every addict with no help I eventually fell back into it. I hid it all again, and got a little too confident. The Bible tells us that God always humbles the boastful one way or the other. It’s like He wanted me to see for myself how much He loved me. I could feel it. So I tried asking for help but how does one ask for help with an issue like this? I grew up in church and I knew better but I was still doing it. I was so ashamed of myself so every time I told myself I would ask for help I would chicken out.
 

Then one morning my best friend (now boyfriend) came over. We headed to the playground like usual but I had forgotten my watch. I don’t even know why I had picked my wrist because I never did it there. I guess God had it all under control. We headed to the playground and just waited for my sister and brothers. He was the one who figured it out. If I picture his face at that moment for too long I’ll cry. I had never seen him cry, but he did. Then he hugged me and told me God could help me. I tried to deny it at first but he gave me an ultimatum. Either I said something or he would. I went home but nothing felt real.

 

 

I can’t even explain it. It just felt like a dream. I don’t know why I thought cutting was the answer but I did and I felt it so I knew I wasn't dreaming. In that same moment, my dad walked into my room and saw me. If I thought I felt low before I must have fell through the ground when I saw his face. That’s when it all became real, and I asked for help. My mom is a pretty strong woman and I could say the same for my dad. As a family we have gone through a lot so to see them cry just as bad as I was kind of hurt. But they were there, and they got me help. I started counseling but the real healing came through Christ. I had finally come to the end of the road and I just told Him to take it away. It’s almost like a sponge effect; like taking a dirty sponge, dipping it in water, squeezing out the dirty water, and repeating it. My heart literally felt like He was squeezing the pain, hate, remorse, resentment, fear, and everything else that was bringing me down, out of it and dipping it in His grace.

 

 

It’s been about three years since I’ve cut or starved myself. It’s not easy all the time, but its better. I eat everyday now, I’m more open, and I fold my knees before I think of cutting. It was hard for me because in my time, it wasn’t something people (especially in church) talked about but I believe that can change. Lord knows had I had some guidance I might not have gone through the things I did but I also know He has a purpose for me bigger than I could imagine.

 

 

So if anyone out there is struggling with these issues, shame is the mask hiding recovery. Learn from me and avoid the things I didn’t. Trust in God and don’t lose faith. I leave you all with this verse because believe it or not, God makes beauty from pain.
 

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. “Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

 

Tania, thank you so much for being brave enough to share your testimony with us. The Lord has so many wonderful plans for your life. This is only the beginning. We love you! God bless you!

 

Ministry Mustard Seed Guidelines

Praise the Lord! Here is the link to fill out the application to be considered for Ministry Mustard Seeds. Be blessed!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3qsgJueLhndNTB1NWo1SkU3cE0/edit?usp=sharing

Please email your completed application to lupevp4@gmail.com Thank you!

New Series

I greet you Young Ladies of Valor, Grace and Beauty in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Since the beginning of this year, I have had this ministry in God’s hands. I have waited to see what His will and word for this year would be.

His word to me is "Claiming Your Spiritual Inheritance" based on the book of Numbers 27:1-5.
I will be bringing a lesson every other a week on how we, as his daughters, can claim our spiritual inheritance and take possession of our rightful inheritance by our Father in heaven that He has in store especially for us.

Secondly, I want to announce that we will be giving away 2 start-up seed offerings for your ministry that God has purposefully placed in your life and that you are actively participating in now. Of course there are a few rules to qualify for, in order to receive the start-up seed offering. The ladies of valor grace and beauty is a blessed ministry and as such we want to be a blessing. Our motto is "Blessed to be a Blessing." We are planting mustard seeds and when one receives a mustard seed you plant it by faith, and God will then take care of the rest.

So I encourage you to stay tuned.
God Bless You Ladies of Valor, Grace and Beauty!
Lupe Perez