As a child I would remember stories of Jesus from the Bible. I remember knowing that Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. Two would be grinding and one would be taken and the other left. I knew Jesus was coming from the clouds to take his people with Him. I became afraid to do anything wrong because I was afraid Jesus wasn’t going to take me with Him. How I knew this I don’t know, because my mom was a Catholic and she did not know the Bible. This wasn’t enough to keep me away from sin because as I grew I soon learned I did not have power over sin. I did not know about salvation; to be born again. I had never heard of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries.

I came from a broken home with no brothers or sisters. Born and raised in Colorado. I knew what it was like to suffer poverty. When I was two my mom took me to my grandmother in Mexico because she could not afford to take care of me. There I learned to wash clothes on a rock at the river and eat the food my grandmother harvested from the fields. When my mom couldn’t bear our separation, she brought me back across to the U.S. Many days my mom and I would go without eating. I believe it may have been weeks living on a piece of food at a time. My mom did not know who to turn to. When my mom found help it was food from the government. The “food” that was given to us was mostly canned generic food, generic cheese and peanut butter. We were given also yellow powdered eggs, which gave me a dislike for eggs for many years and the dislike for aluminum canned food was second to that. In coming home on freezing cold Colorado days, the only way to keep warm was to leave my coat on plus a blanket to avoid the cold drafts of our home. I could see my mom suffering from constant worry by the expression I saw on her face along with bitterness and anger. I was only three or four and knew what it was like to see the results of no order from God in a person’s life. In my heart I sought to look for righteousness in what I thought was in education mostly because I felt I was the only way to help my mom and myself.

My mom’s health deteriorated soon, in trying to support her and me. I was then taken away from my mom by the state department of human services at the age of either four or five and was told by social workers that my mom had a nervous breakdown. I was then put into a foster home and soon learned what it was like to be part of the “system.” I then became withdrawn and quiet. I was not much better off financially living with another family, because we lived in the projects. I never felt at home anywhere I went. A few years Iater I was about nine when my own family was able to gain custody. I went from living with my grandmother to my aunt and then my mother again. I eventually ran away and went to live with another aunt who went to Catholic mass on Sundays. Although my family was good enough to take me it was hard for them to feed and clothe an extra child.

I was presented with bits and pieces of the Gospel at the age of sixteen, through different family members. I was invited to my uncle’s church called Happy Church. When I went I did not see anything that made me see if there was a difference between them or me. My family was trying to get me to a right path, but nothing they presented convicted me of my sins, after all I did not see myself as a sinner. My aunt took me to a charismatic movement for women. My mom took me to the church she attended where it was mostly Spanish speaking people and it was called Assemblies of God. At their altar call I went down to the altar but had no conviction. I was prayed over instead of saying a prayer. When I lifted off my knees I had many questions but no one to answer them.

I soon decided that church was too old-fashioned and that it was not for me. To me it looked as if it was for people who had come off drugs and alcohol and who were horrible sinners. I kept working on my education but also saw that wasn’t the truth either but continued since I felt I had to; I never saw any truth in drugs or drinking, friends, marriage, riches, or poverty either.

Ever since I was young I felt compelled to go to California. For college I ended up going to LA to study interior design and architecture. Although the question ‘what does God want me to do,’ was in my heart. In my search I became more lost and fell into more sin. I saw people who were “educated” were just as lost as anyone else; they were just as immoral or crazy as the next person and many times worse than the “uneducated.” My search led me to question reincarnation, scientific religion and other false beliefs. I still did not get involved with drugs or drunkenness but God let me know that His standards were much higher than mine.

The Lord started to deal with me now in a stronger supernatural way. He showed me that my soul was dead. The strings of my heart were being pulled. I could tangibly feel this. Describing this is not able to be done except to say I did not have any strength to function or think. I could hear a voice tell me just go ahead and kill yourself. Something I had never thought of before. I fought a spiritual battle to keep myself from being hurt. I knew suicide was wrong but there was an evil force that was strong, but my will to beg for God’s mercy was stronger. Fortunately I met someone who cared enough to talk to me about the Lord. She lived in the same apartment complex where I had been living. I had never seen her before. She began telling me of the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation, the 24-hour prayer chain, where people were taught to learn the Word of God and live a perfect, holy life, also where I could learn one hundred percent of the Truth. She told me people could move in and turn their lives away from the corruption of the world. Everything she told was like music to my ears. I became indignant too, because nobody ever told me the severity of the Lord as I heard that night.

That night I said a prayer of repentance with her. I also was told about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which I sought for and received within what seemed minutes; I supernaturally felt the Heavens open and the Lord poured down His Spirit upon me.

After that night I said that prayer of repentance, I did not know yet there were more steps that God wanted me to walk. I now wanted to do what was right in every way. I wanted to fix my past therefore because I had put myself into debt through schooling. I wanted to at least pay a relative back before I moved into the ministry.

In Colorado I tried to witness to different people and to my family but I did not know the word of God. I found a job in a short time with a newspaper to do typing work. We that were hired were waiting for the trainer to train us. I began to look out of the building’s extended window and then as if I was the only one in the room, everything stopped; God audibly spoke to me and said, “I GAVE YOU THE TRUTH; NOW GO!” God let me know I had to get back to the ministry of the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation, because it is based on 100% Truth of the Word of God.

I have been part of the ministry going on nineteen years and still have seen His supernatural power working. Through different trials in my Christian life, Tony Alamo has been there to help me, and not only me but he has continued to help many others as well. I am so thankful there is a place where people can dedicate their lives to tell others of the Lord Jesus and live an upright life; for Tony and Sue who became a living sacrifice and for every brother and sister who prayed for lost souls as me. I thank the Lord for His patience with me and calling me to this ministry. Now my mom and I are united together again, where now we share a place where we have never suffered the lack of food spiritually or physically. I hope to return the greatness God has given to me through the The Tony Alamo Christian Ministries by helping as many as will listen to get to Heaven and by continuing to the end.

Adriana Levine

tonyalamochristianministries