Passion For the Lost

Despite the harsh realities of it, Faith’s (name has been changed to protect identity) story is an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness through difficulty. At the age of 15 Faith was married. By 17 she began selling drugs to actors and actresses in Mexico City. Three years later, Faith was an alcoholic.

When Faith was young her parents divorced. Her childhood wasn’t easy and abruptly came to halt after her early marriage to the most well-known narco in the area. Theirs was an open and free love, which understandably triggered a reckless lifestyle. At this time, Faith knew nothing about God.

After moving to Tijuana, Faith began trading drugs and dispersing them to jails. This is where she first met Jesus. A natural evangelist, she immediately told her family about God and they slowly disposed of their idols. Though Faith loved Jesus, she went back into the world and became more enmeshed in her previous lifestyle. This time, however, she wasn’t alone and her family was praying on her behalf.

It wasn’t long until Faith began drinking again –– she lost her appetite for life. “I had a lot of money, houses, cars, a ranch…I had everything.” The more that she had the deeper she spiraled. When she separated from her husband, she began living an isolated and lonely life –– locking herself up in a hotel for weeks on end. She hardly ate or slept during this period and instead dove further into the world of drugs. In her own words, “the enemy was destroying me little by little.” Nevertheless, she knew that her mother was praying for her.

Empty and alone, Faith felt entirely hopeless. This was a breaking point. She realized her need for Jesus and knew that only He could help her get back up. After this encounter, she reconciled with her husband. The relationship, however, was worse than it was before. He became abusive and tried to kill her on three separate occasions. In those moments Faith would cry out to God and pledge that she would serve Him if He would give her another chance.

The last time her husband attempted to murder her, Faith woke up unconscious with a hole in her head. When she finally awoke, she realized that her husband had kidnapped her and she was locked her in her own house. In time her physical wounds healed, but her heart had not recovered from the trauma and after receiving medical care she attempted to murder her husband. In her own words, “it was a disaster.”

Around this time, Faith’s husband went to jail. With some much needed space, she decided to follow Jesus once again. To solidify this choice, she visited her husband in jail to tell him about her decision. Following Jesus wasn’t an easy choice. Faith was so deep in drugs that she knew that she needed to leave everything behind and move to another city. Before leaving, she promised her husband that she would come back and it would be okay again.

After walking with Lord for some time, He spoke to her clearly and told her that she needed to go back home. He also reassured her that it would be okay and she didn’t need to be afraid. Her husband got out jail and even walked with the Lord for a while. They were happy. Everything felt different.

Then the abusive patterns resurfaced. He fell back into his former lifestyle. This went on for 3 years until he ended up back in jail. Though hurt by his behavior and unfaithfulness, Faith  visited him in jail to tell him that she cared for him and wanted good things for him. She prayed and asked God to release him. He was released for a short time, but his life eventually ended in jail while undergoing Faith’s surgery.  Before he passed, he gave his life once more to the Lord.

With all that she has gone through, and having spent time in prison herself, Faith has a passion for the lost and can be found preaching in prisons throughout the area. On a recent medical trip, she prayed with several of the inmates and many of them were seen weeping afterwards. During this clinic, someone gave their life to Jesus.

It is hard to believe that Faith has only been following Jesus for five years. In the span of our 4 day medical clinic in Tehuantepec, many people decided to follow Jesus – some of whom were witch doctors. This trip to wasn’t the original plan. With hindsight, however, it is easy to see that the Father had these people in mind the entire time. It was an honor to partner with Faith and hear her powerful story. Please join us in prayer for her, her children, and her ministry.