By Brenda Boston, Alliance missionary to Paraguay 
 
Compassion happens in out-of-the-way places by people virtually unknown to the rest of the world. People whose lives emulate the love of Jesus. People like Ignacio and his wife. They run a small cafeteria in the market section of San Lorenzo, where occasionally children will beg for food. To teach them the value of earning a living, rather than giving them food, Ignacio has the children sweep or clear the tables, and then he serves them a nice meal. 
 
Limpia was an adolescent when she began going by the cafeteria regularly. Ignacio found out she was not going to school and offered to have her live with his family. She would help out part time in the cafeteria and attend school regularly.  
 
Limpia finished her minimum educational requirement and now attends beauty school. She also started going to church. After completing a new believer's class, Limpia was baptized. She is now 16 and teaches Sunday school to the preschoolers. 
 
Limpia's entire destiny was changed by Ignacio's kindness. And now, Limpia's little sister Belen and her cousin Andrea are benefitting from Ignacio’s compassionate care. He has taken in five children during the past five years that we have known him. 
 
Ignacio and his daughter Nancy are enrolled in seminary with funds that benefit Alliance Great Commission Ministries. Offerings designated for Paraguay help provide dental care and school supplies for the girls Ignacio and his family help—girls like Limpia, Belen, Andrea, Vanesa, and others. 
 
Compassion starts with lives transformed by the power of the gospel of Christ. When Ignacio was baptized, he was overcome with gratitude for all that Jesus has done for him. Christ's love compels Ignacio to love others. He can't help everyone, but he is making a profound impact on society—one life at a time. 

Posted by: Julie Daube

By Rich and Lisa Brown, Alliance missionaries to Ecuador 
 
With all the countries we represent as Alliance missionaries, we have seen so many injustices that we could no longer turn a blind eye. We wanted to do justice and love mercy. Thanks to the vision of Alliance churches in Trujillo, Inca Link Peru was started to help answer the needs of families living in a local garbage dump. Inca Link members are celebrating one year of government recognition and an all-Peruvian board. We have a day-care center that cares for the kids while their parents work in the dump, and we are feeding and teaching 60 children with the help of a sponsorship program. Every time we go to visit the day care, we are amazed at what God is doing!  
 
In the same way, Inca Link Ecuador was started and is now officially recognized by the Ecuadorian government. Recently, Inca Link Ecuador bought a property with five finished structures (three of them homes) for the incredible price $300,000. The seller listened to our vision and was convinced that this property should be ours. He took a risk and handed us the keys.  
 
We took such a huge step of faith because we want to defend the vulnerable. As Mother Teresa said, "a person who feels unloved or rejected by society experiences a kind of poverty that is much more painful and deeper" than mere physical hunger. 
 
Ecuador has the highest teen pregnancy rate in all of South America. Two out of three uneducated girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are pregnant, and this doesn't even count the pregnant girls who are 12 and 13 and alone. Inca Link Ecuador is committed to reaching out to these girls who have been rejected by their boyfriends, families, and, most heartbreaking, their churches.  
 
Not very long ago, a 15-year-old we know became pregnant with her boyfriend. Because of the shame the teens felt, they came up with a plan where he would beat her up so that she would lose the baby. She ended up miscarrying and almost losing her own life! We also met a girl with Downs Syndrome, whose parents had abandoned her at a bus station. She was raped and became pregnant. Inca Link Ecuador has pledged to give these girls a safe place to live while receiving parenting classes, counseling, medical care, and support. The largest house on the property will be used for this purpose. 
 
At a women's prison where we help out, we've been getting to know the inmates, many of whom cannot find work when they are released. One of the buildings on the new property will be used to start a sewing factory that will provide a source of income while these women are in the halfway house.  
 
We don't want to see a repeat of Julia's story. Julia was in prison, attended our Bible study, and was so happy when she was released. She wanted to get a job to support her family again, but no one would hire an ex-prisoner. It wasn't long before her desperation led her back to the same circle of friends and circumstances that put her in prison in the first place. Of course, she was caught and imprisoned again. Julia recently died in prison. Doctors are saying it was literally from a broken heart. Inca Link Ecuador is committed to giving women like Julia a second chance. 
 
Since Inca Link bought the property, our family has committed to raising money to help pay for it. We decided to go for $1,000, but our kids are so excited, we might make it more! We have halved our grocery bill. We no longer buy junk food, and we eat vegetarian meals four of the seven days a week. We don't go out to eat, nor do we spend any money on entertainment.  
 
The other night, the kids lit candles all over the house and turned off all the lights to save on electricity. We are all on this mission together, and it has united us.  
 
Paying off this property will mean that Inca Link Ecuador can  
 
. . . hold the hand of a young girl while she is in labor and comfort her as she cries out for the mother who abandoned her. 
 
. . . walk a girl through the tough decision of giving her baby up for adoption and hug her as she grieves. 
 
. . . help a woman just out of prison get a job so she does not have to trade "sexual favors" for a roof over her head for her daughter and herself. 
 
. . . rehabilitate women who have lost their identity, dignity, and hope in prison. 
 
This is the gospel of Christ!  
 
 
To find out more about Inca Link, visit www.incalink.net.  
 
To give to this ministry, send your gifts to The Alliance and earmark them Inca Link Ecuador Property or check out the online giving options at www.cmalliance.org.  
 
To read more about Rich and Lisa's ministry, go to www.alliancelife.org. 

Posted by: Julie Daube

By Esther Schaeffer 
 
I left the annual women’s retreat at Ouessinville Sud Church in Bobo-Dioulasso and headed for my motorbike when several women gathered around to thank me. One of the women started the motorbike for me. Though I have ridden the motorbike for a number of years, I don't use it enough to be very comfortable on it. Just keeping the heavy bike up is a challenge for me, especially as many of our roads are sandy. I got on, adjusted my heavy sack on my shoulder, and next thing I knew the women gifted me with two live chickens, tying the fowl to the handlebars.  
 
The chickens were positioned in such a way that their heads were against my leg, and I quickly tried to remember if chickens bite. I have often seen people travelling with chickens tied to their bikes but never imagined I would be one of them. I bravely said thank you and headed off. When I entered the main thoroughfare, one of the chickens began to squawk and flutter and, in its excitement, managed to raise itself up onto the front of the bike. It stared me in the face with a somewhat angry expression. It was all I could do to keep the bike from falling, and I couldn’t imagine how to get that chicken back down to where it belonged.  
 
So the rest of my ride home, I had one chicken squirming at my feet and the other trying to convince me that this was a bad way to transport chickens, as he kept a trained eye on me from his position on the front of the bike. But I had the last word with those two. They soon became our Sunday dinner. 
 

Posted by: joan phillips

By Kiersten Hull, missionary to Burkina Faso 
 
True religion that God considers faultless and pure, according to James 1:26–27 is, “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” The national church of Burkina Faso held the first national widows’ conference in Bobo-Dioulasso in October 2008. Missionary Esther Schaeffer, working in conjunction with ACCEDES, the national church’s relief and development agency, organized this week of meetings, meals, fellowship, and encouragement for the widows of the Alliance churches in Burkina. This is the first time the church has made a special national effort toward our widows. It was a week when James 1:26–27 was put into action. 
 
The opening ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries of the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. The mayor’s assistant gave her address in Jula, instead of in French, so she could be fully understood by the women in attendance. She encouraged the widows to trust in the Lord and to work hard to raise their children. The church president, Rev. Job Dao, gave the opening exhortation. He spoke of the need for Alliance churches to care for the widows in their congregations and to practice this “true religion.” He also spoke to the widows, encouraging them to take their place in the church, to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and to trust in Him. 
 
Although the atmosphere at the opening ceremony and throughout the week was one of joy and mutual encouragement, the collective sadness of these 400 widows could also be felt. Some widows are older ladies, whose husbands have passed away many years ago. Some are young, even with nursing babies, who are still trying to adjust to the loss of their spouse and their provider. Some live with other family members; some live alone. Some have children who care for them; some do not. Some are treated kindly by their extended family; many are not. 
 
It has been said that the face of poverty in Burkina Faso is a woman, more specifically, a widow. When the husband dies, a woman’s property and even her children are sometimes taken by the family of the husband. She has no rights, especially if the marriage was never formalized by the mayor or government official in the villages or in the city, as is often the case. A widow has a hard time earning a living without the help of a husband to work in the field, as most of the people in Burkina Faso are subsistence farmers. Some widows are left with large amounts of debt incurred by their late husbands. 
 
Widows are sometimes required by the family to participate in funeral rites that are contrary to their Christian faith. It has been a source of much persecution and difficultly with the in-laws when the Christian widow refuses to “honor” her husband with these pagan ceremonies. Even young widows, have a difficult time finding someone to remarry, as the common myth is that if a woman’s husband has died, she most-likely put a curse on him. It takes a brave man to marry a widow, as he will be warned of this curse and reminded that she could be a witch. Some older widows are believed to be witches, too, as any bad thing that happens in their family or village is blamed on them. It takes strong faith and perseverance for Christian widows to stand firm despite this sort of persecution and stereotyping. 
 
At the conference, the widows enjoyed hearing speakers who encouraged them to stand strong in their faith. Noelle Dembele, the Alliance Women (AW) president for the Malian nation church, was one of the speakers. Noelle lost her husband a few years ago, so she is able to speak to the widows at the point of their need. Other speakers included members of the national AW committee and respected leaders in the church. The messages were aimed, not at providing answers to these dear widows as to why their husbands are no longer by their sides, but they encouraged the widows to trust in the Lord’s sovereignty and to work for Him in their local church, holding strong to the hope that they have in Christ. 
 
At the conference, the widows also enjoyed lots of good food, which was a blessing to them as they do not often have the funds to prepare daily nutritious meals for themselves. Although the conference planning committee prepared for 250 widows, comprised of delegations from each of the districts, they were surprised when 400 widows arrived at the conference. After some extra trips to the market and a rather large increase in budget, the widows were all fed for the four days of the conference. The encouragement provided by the spiritual food from God’s Word, coupled with the physical food, surely satisfied each attendee. 
 
This was the first national widow’s conference held in Burkina Faso. We hope that it will be the first of many. As the church is made aware of the needs of the widows in their congregations, we pray that more tangible acts of help and encouragement will be provided in the future. Widows in the Bobo-Dioulasso district meet together four times each year for a special day of prayer and fasting or for a seminar. Also, they have begun a small enterprise of making soap to sell at the local market. Many widows do handiwork or sell other small items to provide for their families. The needs are great. It is our prayer that this conference will be a start to many more ministries with widows. May we all have a heart to practice true religion that is faultless and pure. 

Posted by: joan phillips

“We were so encouraged to see more than 100 people in attendance,” said Larry Burg after visiting the three-year-old Pissy (pronounced PC) church plant, which began with a core group of seven people. “They have had 34 conversions this year and 22 baptisms.”  
 
The church hosts a Compassion International ministry for about 175 neighborhood children, and members of the church have been hired by the organization to follow up with the sponsored children, making sure they receive food, shelter, education, and health care, as well as Christian training.  
 
The popular program has received a good response, even from families of the traditional religion, who are happy to sign their kids up because of the benefits. "The church needs to build a wall around the property in order to better supervise the children, said Burg. “The leader of the church told me that this young group of believers has sacrificially raised hundreds of dollars for this project, which will cost about $6,000."  
 
If you are interested in helping the Pissy church build the wall, make a gift to the C&MA, marking “Burg work/Pissy” on the check memo line.  
 
 

Posted by: joan phillips

During a special Children's Day service at an Alliance church plant in Brazil, several children raised their hands to accept Jesus as Savior. The outreach featured a puppet show, children’s songs, and a story about Amy Carmichael, the late missionary to India who opened an orphanage.  
 
"Our church is a church plant so we don’t have lots of people yet," said C&MA missionary Diane Renick. "We usually have about 10 children each Sunday, and for this event 23 children came. Several came from the neighborhood where we had handed out 350 invitations." One mother who came with her son said she loved the service and would return next week.  

Posted by: Julie Daube

When neighbors on Dogwood Court in Winchester, California, decided to come to the opening of Chorus (Alliance) Church, they hardly knew each other. “And they had no idea that God would lead one of them on journey that would involve physical sacrifice,” reflects John Cappelen, Chorus pastor of Connections.  
 
Herb and Susan LaMadrid were a part of that initial group of neighbors that made Chorus their home church. The LaMadrids decided to reach out in love to all the families on Dogwood Court, including Chuck and Peggy Donnelly. The Donnellys responded to an invitation to join a small home group. Chuck suffered from polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that he was convinced would end his life early. “I just kind of accepted it,” Donnelly said. “This was something God gave me, and I accepted it.” The only thing that would save Donnelly’s life was a kidney transplant. 
 
Although Donnelly had not discussed his medical problems with the group, his wife encouraged him to share a prayer request for a kidney donor with their fellow believers, who unanimously agreed that each would be tested to see if one of them was a match. “When test results showed that Herb was a match,” said Cappelen, “he decided that since he had two good kidneys, he would give Chuck one.”  
The Donnellys had been attending Chorus for about two years. The four-year-old church with nearly 300 members is part of a greater Alliance multiplication effort in Temecula Valley. “[The church] just spoke the truth,” Donnelly said. “The love and compassion the congregation has toward each other—I have never felt that.” LaMadrid’s willingness to give Donnelly a kidney took that compassion to a personal level. 
“I didn’t look at this as something that would make me a better person or more angelic,” said LaMadrid. “It was something I was called to do. It’s a bond we’ll have for years to come.”  
 
Donnelly returned to Chorus a week after his operation. “I feel like Herb is a part of me,” he said, “When I woke up [from the surgery], I had this need to hear his voice and know that he’s okay.”  
 
“We had people all over the country praying for us,” said Peggy, who also was baptized after her husband’s recovery. “We give all the glory to God, because it is the power of prayer that made this come to pass.”  
 
“Herb’s sacrifice was an inspiration to the entire body at Chorus,” says Cappelen. “It is evidence that if we let God use us in our neighborhoods, we can reach a whole street— and if a street, then the city, the state, the country, and the world. It is the life-giving story of transformation.”  
 
 
 

Posted by: Joan Phillips

Since 1997, Alliance workers in Mongolia have ministered Christ’s love to hurting people through practical acts of compassion. Today, seven churches are flourishing in a land that had been untouched by the gospel for 700 years.  
In July, 110 young people attended the first-ever CAMA (Compassion and Mercy Associates) Mongolia International Youth Camp. During the event, 10 participants made decisions to follow Jesus, and 90 youth committed to “running the race” for God’s glory. A seven-member Youth Council was selected from among the youth leaders for the purpose of encouraging and equipping youth leaders and planning future events for the CAMA churches in Mongolia.  
 
As of this writing, Alliance missionary Bernie Anderson and his colleagues have been working to renovate a building to be used as a student ministry center in the heart of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. Dubbed the Grain of Wheat Student Center, its close proximity to several major universities will enable our workers to reach thousands of young people with the gospel. 
 
“I cannot share all of the amazing things God is doing in these far corners of the earth,” said Alliance missionary Jeremy Fields. “There is purposeful excitement [among our team] for what we believe God can do in our communities this coming year.” 

Posted by: Debbie Schermerhorn

By Paul Kiedel, France Field Director 
 
Rev. Ly Oudone, the first missionary of the France Alliance national church (AECM) to the Hmong people of French Guyana, died in a work accident on August 21. Pastor Oudone was cutting a large tree that suddenly broke loose, with the trunk striking him in the neck. His spine was broken and he died instantly. He was 40 years old. 
 
Rev Oudone did not allow “youth” to hinder his influence in a culture that esteems age. After completing Bible School in his late twenties, he was quickly appointed to lead the Hmong movement in France. As the President of the ten Hmong congregations, he formed them into the Hmong Alliance Federation of France, keeping the people strongly connected to their C&MA roots in Southeast Asia. There are young men in pastoral and congregational leadership today whom he mentored and “called” to ministry. He deeply impacted the thought and policy of the France national church (called AECM “l’Alliance des Églises Chrétiennes et Missionnaires de France”). I recall him challenging the national executive committee to sacrifice for Christ, when the older men were murmuring about their hard life of service. Oudone said to them, “I don’t understand your words of complaint. I have sacrificed everything to follow Christ. My parents sacrificed because of their faith in Southeast Asia, and now they are here. What is there to complain about?”  
 
He also challenged the AECM to involve their young people and their congregations in supporting the training of church leaders. When he requested Bible school scholarships for his young protégés, he stated that, in the Hmong churches, they would require the local congregation and the candidate’s family to pay two-thirds of their training costs, and only seek a one-third scholarship from the denomination. This caused the Executive Committee of the denomination to immediately apply the same principle to all candidates. 
 
Rev Oudone and his wife, Marie, were the first overseas missionaries of the AECM national church mission project. They went to French Guyana in the fall of 2001 where they began working with small Hmong groups already in that country. In the six years of his leadership, these churches pulled together and other congregations were established. He declined any financial support from the France Alliance, saying the local people would support him. 
 
Rev Oudone died, leaving behind his wife, Marie, and five children. She will be living with the extended family in Alencon, France. 
 
Funeral services were conducted from Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31 in Alencon, France. It was an encouraging time of celebrating Ly Oudone’s life as well as giving emotional support to Marie in her bereavement. Hmong family members and many Hmong Christians from France and Switzerland came to these services. Rev Norbert Clement, President of the France national church, and Paul Keidel, C&MA France director, represented the Alliance at the memorial celebration. 

Posted by: Debbie Schermerhorn

It was tournament day—the culmination of an entire year’s work pressed into one eight-hour day for Liza Gmetro and her Bible Quiz teams from Acts 29 Fellowship in Hamtramck, Michigan. The teenaged participants’ emotions ranged from excitement to apprehension as they faced their competition from quiz to quiz. After the second quiz, Shantanique,* who had recently accepted Christ, hit her limit. She had had two not-so-bad performances, but to her, she had failed miserably and was ready to give up.  
 
“I quit!” Shantanique told one of her coaches after the second quiz. “This is stupid anyway. All you guys care about is winning.” 
 
“It’s not just about winning,” said Shantanique’s coach. “Didn’t you make a commitment to Jesus?” 
 
“Yeah,” the quizzer muttered.  
 
“Then you can’t give up on your commitment to honor Him in everything you do,” said the coach. “Quizzing isn’t all about winning. It’s about commitment to character. It’s about your attitude.” 
 
The teen left the room and ran into another coach, with whom she had a similar conversation. That coach challenged her to make her own choice; it was up to Shantanique what kind of character she wanted to portray.  
 
When the third quiz was ready to begin, Shantanique walked in. “I’m going to quiz,” she told her coach. Shantanique had her most successful quiz of the day. Her choice to have a new attitude helped her win that game for her team and enabled her to continue quizzing in the subsequent competitions.  
 
“Shantanique’s team took first place in its division,” said Gmetro. “And God taught her a valuable lesson—winning isn’t everything. It’s how you play the game that counts.”  
*Names changed 

Posted by: joan phillips

Although complications from surgery have caused Marcel, a national pastor in Sirasso, Burkina Faso, some health problems, the curse that was cast on him by villagers proved ineffective in its mission to harm the dedicated minister. The malevolent appeal by locals, who believe Pastor Marcel and Christianity are a threat to their way of life, manifested as an infestation of poisonous snakes on the pastor’s property. “When the snakes brought no harm to the family and started to diminish, the villagers told Marcel they were surprised that he survived,” says Alliance missionary Bonnie Oberg. Kevin Oberg has worked alongside Pastor Marcel on numerous evangelistic outreaches.  
 
A number of villagers are against Pastor Marcel’s ministry, and it is surmised that other curses may have been placed on him as well. “Even if this [current] illness is not directly caused by the curses and is simply a natural cause of living life in a fallen world,” says Oberg, “the enemy would like to use it for his benefit. Those who have placed the curses on him will see it as a victory. Please pray for healing for Pastor Marcel. Pray that God will be the One who receives the glory and that the spiritual darkness in this village would be broken.” 
 

Posted by: Joan Phillips

Emotions ran high on Sunday, April 27, when 102 people celebrated the first service of Church of the Vineyard in its new building in Peñalolén, an upper-class community of Santiago, Chile. “We held a communion service to dedicate the chapel to the Lord in recognition of our dependence on God,” said Alliance missionaries Bob and Cheryl Fugate. “From the very beginning, this has been a work of the Lord. Many who attended the service have seen the testimony of the power of God in their lives and in the ways in which Church of the Vineyard has grown from five families who began meeting in the living room of missionaries Bill and Patty Hall in 2003.”  
 
More than 400,000 of the country’s top leaders and decision makers live in the immaculately landscaped community of Peñalolén, where no evangelical church exists. A major challenge in sharing Christ has been making contact and forming relationships. “There have been tremendous spiritual struggles that have only increased as we approached the opening of the church,” said Bob and Cheryl. “The Church of the Vineyard is the first to lift the cross high in this suburb of Santiago.” 
 
The congregation expressed special gratitude for a short-term team construction team from the DuBois Alliance Church in Pennsylvania. “The team members tirelessly gave all they had to help us open our doors on April 27,” said the Fugates. “Without their help, our first floor would remain unfinished, with just rough cement.” The team’s commitment to the Lord to come to Chile and help build the church was a major testimony to the congregation. “The team members shared time with families in our congregation and built more than a building—they built bridges of love connecting two churches thousands of miles apart. They built eternity in the hearts of Chileans.” 
 
“Jesus promised to build His Church, and He has done so in Peñalolén, Santiago, and we are deeply grateful to be a part of His work in this place,” said Bob and Cheryl. “Your faithful prayers and support have made it possible for The Christian and Missionary Alliance to open our church where we minister to the least-reached people in Chile.”  

Posted by: Joan Phillips

Before he came to Christ, Youssuf had been tormented by evil spirits and had severe insomnia. “He was considered a ‘crazy man,’” said Toby Hull, an Alliance missionary to Burkina Faso. “Youssuf was often incoherent and acted out in strange ways.” After his father, a member of the traditional religion, saw the JESUS film, he brought Youssuf to the Alliance pastor and said, “If Jesus can heal those people, perhaps He can help my son.”  
The pastor met with Youssuf and prayed with him for several months. Eventually, Youssuf trusted in Christ and was recently baptized. “Now, he is freed from the spirits that were bothering him and is completely normal!” said Hull. “You would never know that he was the village crazy man. He is certainly a changed person.” Youssuf’s two wives and nine children are now following Christ and are involved in the local church. “What a boost to the church’s Sunday school!” quipped Hull.  
 

Posted by: Joan Phillips

It had been six hours since Thiery had been injured in an automobile accident. The young man had been riding with a dozen other passengers in an open pick-up truck 20 kilometers from Bongolo when the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled. A passing car brought Thiery and four other injured passengers to Bongolo Hospital for treatment.  
 
“He had an open wound in his upper arm that seemed innocent enough,” said Alliance missionary Dr. David Thompson. “But a severe infection set in that within three days devoured most of the skin and some of the muscles on the back of his upper arm and elbow.” 
 
During the month that Thiery was hospitalized, hospital personnel prayed for him when they made their rounds, and Jonas, an anesthetist, talked to Thiery several times about giving his life to Christ. During his third week, Thiery prayed a prayer of faith and told the team that he had decided to follow Jesus. “When he was finally discharged,” said Thompson, “we all encouraged him to attend the local Bongolo church. But after he left the hospital, Thiery went back to his old way of life.” 
 
When a renowned plastic surgeon, David Chang from M. D. Anderson Hospital in Texas, came to Bongolo to offer his services, Thiery was one of the patients who showed up. His right elbow was severely scarred, and his arm was useless. With Dr. Chang’s surgical skills, the amount of scar tissue was reduced, and a vascularized transfer flap was moved from Thiery’s wrist to his elbow, restoring Thiery’s arm to normal function.  
 
During his hospitalization, Thiery was again encouraged to follow Christ, and some staff will visit him after his release. “But unlike Thiery who lives close by,” Thompson said, “most who pray to receive Christ at the hospital come from all over Gabon. We have the privilege of introducing thousands of people to Christ each year. The challenge for our team and for the churches of Gabon is to encourage and help these vulnerable new believers to follow in Christ’s footsteps after they leave the hospital.” 

Posted by: Joan Phillips

"When I was growing up, my mother had multiple boyfriends," said Patricia,* who lives in Paraguay where Alliance missionaries Bob and Brenda Boston serve. "A constant stream of men stayed in our house." The only child of a single parent, Patricia became pregnant by her first boyfriend. "Our families forced us to marry, but we were never happy together," she said.  
 
Even before their marriage, Patricia's husband was unfaithful to her. "The pain of [his infidelity] led me to seek comfort in the arms of another man." The affair tormented Patricia. "Eventually, I confessed to one of my dental patients. Over the years this patient counseled me, and one day he accepted Christ as his Savior. He told me the story of salvation, and it made a big impact on me. He said that Jesus could help me give up my lover and change my life." At the same time, Patricia learned that her aunt was holding Bible studies in her home.  
 
As Patricia's children entered their teens, she became concerned about their behavior. Her son started drinking, and she worried about the influence his friends were having on him. She also feared that her children would find out about her affair. She realized she needed Jesus. "I accepted Christ as my Savior in my dentist's office with my patient sitting in the dental chair. I knew it was an important decision for me." 
 
Soon afterward, Patricia began attending Bible studies with Bob and Brenda Boston in her aunt's home. Eventually, Patricia participated in a discipleship class with them and was baptized. Her daughter accepted the Lord a year later, followed by her son. "I could see Christ begin the transform my family," said Patricia. 
 
"In spite of the miracles that God in my life, I could not find the power to give up my lover. I prayed and fasted, I pleaded with God, but I could not stop sinning," she said. Finally, Bob Boston agreed to lead Patricia in deliverance-style counseling. For nearly two months, he and another pastor met with Patricia twice a week to pray and talk with her until she was able to give up her sin. "This is one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life," Patricia said. "I cannot explain what a stronghold Satan had in my life." 
 
Since then, Patricia has seen God's faithfulness in many areas. Her children serve the Lord, and her mother also received Jesus. Although her husband has not yet come to Christ, "I can see him softening daily," said Patricia. "I believe that he, too, will one day accept Jesus as his personal Savior."  
 
*name changed to protect identity 

Posted by: Julie Daube