A Fearless Abuse Survivor, Turning the Jungle Upside Down! 

Amazonian Wednesdays 🌴

Note: this post deals briefly with the difficult subject of sexual abuse.

June 2018
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Perla is one tough lady*. Life hasn’t always been easy for her. Many years ago, she experienced the agony of rape. She became pregnant. Courageously, she chose to give her baby life. Today, he is one of the most stalwart, faithful servants at our church. 

All these years later, Perla continues to serve the Lord with fierce devotion. Her passion, I am convinced, makes hell tremble. Every week, she leads four different cell group meetings. Almost every night that she is not at church for a service, she is somewhere in the city leading an evangelistic home gathering. 

Besides these four groups, she has nine more under her leadership. The nine women that lead them are her spiritual daughters. She led every one of them to Jesus, discipled them, and raised them up as leaders. 

Perla amazes me. Total, she has around sixty women under her leadership, through this network of cell groups that she oversees. 

I want to tell you a recent story from Perla’s life. There is a certain couple she had been sharing Jesus with for many years. This man and woman are a part of her extended family. For decades, they had refused to listen. Instead, they avidly kept their trust in an evil man who claimed he could guarantee prosperity for their business. This man was a witch doctor. 

Year after year, they faithfully paid him a wage to “certify” that things would go well for them. For a long time, this seemed to be working. As a result, they saw absolutely no need for Jesus. 

However, the day came recently when financial hardship crashed over their home. Their income completely dried up. They could no longer pay the witch doctor for his “services.” 

This swindler was angry over being deprived of his payment. He sent a demonic curse against them. Immediately, both of them fell deathly ill. No doctor and no medicine could avail for them. Nearly overnight, they were dying. 

She urged them both, gently but firmly. They were humbled, broken, and entirely ready. 

She led them in a prayer to give themselves to Him completely. In that moment, they were born again. After that, she took authority and broke the witch doctor’s curse. Instantly, they were healed. 

As I mentioned before, Perla is a formidable woman. However, though she terrifies the enemy, she exudes humility. Looking at her unassuming, joyful face… you might never guess how petrified the devil is when she comes near. She is full of God! She engulfs me with the biggest, warmest hug every Sunday. She simply exudes the love of Jesus. Truly, I cannot wait to see the enormous rewards awaiting her when she gets to heaven!

*name changed out of respect for her privacy