Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
How the Lord gave me children in really impossible situations!
A testimony of Diane Villanueva
My husband and I were married in 1986. Five years passed and we still didn’t have a baby. We were both Christian workers that time. We prayed to the Lord to bless us with children. The Lord answered us by declaring His purpose through the passages of Psalm 128:3 “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table.”
May 1990, we hosted a special gathering in our community. We invited close friends and relatives so we decided to add a chair in our table for two, making it for three. We recalled Gods’ promise to us. That time the Lord told me that I am conceiving and I will call my son John.
July 1990, during my 1st trimester, I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. Laboratory tests, Ultrasound, and Biopsy confirmed the disease was already on its 3rd stage! Yet, I never lost hope. I recalled Gods’ faithfulness and I declared “Your words will never return to you void, but it will lead to fulfillment”. This was where I based my faith on- “by the stripes of Jesus I am healed”. I continually declared verse 6 of Psalm 128 “…that I shall see my children’s children” “It is YOU, Lord who promised life for me and for my son, John…” was my prayer.
August 1990, I was scheduled for Chemotherapy. My OB made one final test and to her surprise, the result was negative! NO TRACE OF TERMINAL CERVICAL CANCER was seen. That day I decided to call my son John Mark-- JOHN – as Gods’ given name; and Mark – for he would be a “mark” of my covenant with God.
PRAISE BE TO GOD!
Four years later, May 1994 we again hosted a special gathering in our community, so we needed to prepare our house. We replaced our 3- seater dining table into a 4-seater one. We recalled Gods’ promise “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table”. Again I conceived and this time it was a baby girl. During my 1st trimester, a Cyst was detected on my right ovary and it grew so fast, it became larger than my baby. There was threat for the cyst to rupture so I underwent a series of ultrasound checking the cyst’s size and to see if my baby was developing normally. Laboratory tests were also done in preparation of my surgery.
August 1994, the cyst collapsed and ruptured. I was rushed to Makati Med for an immediate operation. According to my OB, if the rupture occurs, my baby and I will only be safe within 15 to 30 minutes. Otherwise, we will both die because of the poison that will spread quickly inside my body as a result of the rupture. But God was really true to HIS promise. The operation lasted for about one hour and forty-five minutes. The baby was removed and returned to where she was in my womb. February 1995, I finally gave birth to my daughter- Rejoice without any trace of abnormalities on her physical and mental growth. GLORY TO GOD!
October 1995, since we were having birthday and anniversary celebrations in our house, we converted our 4-seater round dining table into a 5-seater oblong glass top dining table. A week before, my OB told me that it was impossible for me to get pregnant again because of my previous operations. Laboratory results showed that only my left ovary survived. My fallopian tubes and right ovary were no longer there. She was very certain and firm about her diagnosis. But after a week she was surprised, because I was pregnant! On July 13, 1996, I gave birth to a very strong and healthy daughter-Reign. She was my third child.
On November 23, 1996, Saturday at 5 o’clock in the afternoon an accident happened in our house. Reign fell off our 13- step staircase! Her head hit the door. Blood covered our doorsteps.
I was still in the office when it happened. I saw God glowing in great brightness. In awe, I bowed down and prayed feeling no strength. I said: “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. All I know is that you want to embrace me with Your Greatness!” He said nothing. He was just silent. The brightness disappeared, and I went home.
My brother told me what happened. I went to Reigns’ room, broken and in tears. I began talking to HIM. I said “Ever since, you’ve been declaring your provisions to me. Now, this is my declaration and I will do this my entire life. Sundays will be yours, Saturdays will be for my family, during weekdays whenever there’s a need to work overtime, I won’t file it. It will be Yours – it will serve as a token of my love offering to You, because AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE YOU!” In the hospital, I knew God accepted every word that I have declared. I heard my daughter calling me “mommy” from the operating room. It was a sign of a new life for Reign, a new strength for us. TRULY GOD DESERVES THE HIGHEST PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE!
Seven years later, our 5- seater oblong glass top dining table cracked and got broken. So we replaced it with 6-seater round table. Again we recalled God’s words: “your children will be like olive shoots around your table”.
By that time I had no fallopian tube and only had one ovary. But again I became pregnant and gave birth to my fourth child- Jeremiah. My OB was really amazed because it was clearly a miracle! Celebrating Jeremiah’s birth, we renewed our faith and God declared HIS promises to us confirming it in the book of Jeremiah 29:11-14. We were overjoyed because we knew that GOD is really true to HIS promises. Everyday we enjoyed life with God’s blessings.
Year 2005, my husband and I had this marital problem. He stopped attending church and our relationship was dying. I found myself complaining. I was living in absolute depression and was even hospitalized because of a heart ailment. Nevertheless my children and I never skipped church during Sundays. It is for Gods’ Glory as I’ve promised. We kept on going and searched for Gods’ wisdom and provision.
February 2007, I decided to leave my house and my kids for 3 days and 2 nights, just to be with the Lord and to remember what He has done in my life while fasting and praying. Again, God that time was so silent, no words came from Him. But on the third day HE said: “Go home”. Though I was heartbroken, I went home and found the same man blessed by God to be my husband, finally home! Nowadays, he attends church regularly with us. He is also the guitarist of JOHIA Knights, JOHIA’s men’s ministry. He leads us in our daily prayers living in God’s holiness and continually changing from glory to glory.
And now I am declaring with joy that the God of Abraham and Jacob who is the same GOD I AM SERVING, IS MORE THAN AMAZING!!
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