(By: Lorenza Romance)

My name is Lorenza Romance. I am writing this to tell you about my testimony. I have come a very long way in my life. You see - God gave me something to do when I was 10 years old - the Lord wanted me to go read to the shut-ins and I told Him I couldn't read. So I went to my mother and told her about it and she told me if that was the only thing God asked me to do that I should do it. I ran from it because I thought I was too young, and I didn't have anyone in the house to teach me. Being the oldest child in my family, my mother couldn't read either. So for years this went on until I got older and started reading the Bible, which was by the way, the only book that was in the house at that time as I was growing up. My daddy didn't want any other books in the house because he didn't want me to learn how to read.

I started school at the age of 11, and would work two weeks in the field and go to school two weeks. We couldn't go to class in the gymnasium because we weren't allowed to wear shorts at all. Because of that my sisters, brothers, and myself would make F's everyday due to the teachers' anger toward us. My teacher asked my daddy if he would rather us just go to dinner everyday and to make our grade, and he said "yes" because that's what he paid for.

When I turned 15 years of age, I left school and went to the Iberia-Steam Landury for a job. It was three weeks before my daddy knew I was out of school, and when he found out he asked me, "So you have a job?" Then he told me that as long as I lived in his house I was to keep that job. I couldn't pick up my own check because he would pick them up and I have yet to see any of them. I joined the church and later got in the choir, but when the preacher's wife asked me to sing by myself I told her "no." You can see how Satan had me going, but I stayed in the church. 

When I turned 20 years old I decided I wanted to get married; I thought this would solve my problems but that only made it worse for me. I did get married and I had ten children, eventually 27 grandchildren, and now 26 great-grandchildren. I took care of my children by myself. It was hard but God was with me all the time and I didn't even know it because I was not reading my Bible. All of my children graduated from high school and went on to college. In my family I have two ministers, one lawyer, three nurses (including myself), and two owned beauty shops. I am very proud of all my children and their accomplishments. 

At one point in my adult life I began to read the Bible and could not leave it alone. I kept on reading and reading it - Jesus was knocking to come into my heart and when I let Him in He started working with me. I made up my mind to get baptized in Jesus' name and I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost too. Thank you Jesus! I love my God because He took me from a mighty long way! I kept on studying the Bible and I believe I was healed but I could never use the word "faith," because of all that had happened in my life. I had lots of fear in me so I would sleep with a light on at night. This went on for a number of years. 

In 1996 (I'll never forget the night) when I went to bed early and the fears I had for so long were suddenly gone! So I put all the lights out and was just lying there trying to sleep, and while lying there, there was a large light in the center of the ceiling of my bedroom. In that light there was a picture of a Bible and the voice said to me, "Open your Bible to 'faith' and write about it." I looked up at the ceiling and said, "Oh, I don't like to write!!" 

At that moment my Bible was closed and when I opened it again, He (Jesus) said to me, "Open your Bible to 'faith' and write about it; get a pack of loose leaf paper and a black folder and write about faith, and when you get through, don't close it until the day ends. Get on the telephone and tell your Miracle." So, I did. I called everybody I knew. Soon thereafter I found myself counseling people following that experience, never afraid to move out in faith again! 

I have been blessed with a certificate enabling me to do the work I was supposed to do a long time ago. I also got a "Great Mom Award" from my grandson, and I also can go into the jails, to the prisons, and into the nursing homes to minister and counsel others. I send out Bible lessons for whatever problems people in these places are experiencing in their lives. 

I am 91 years old (d.o.b. January 12). I was born in Jeanerette, LA. I don't get any money for what I do but I do get a lot of gifts for my labor because I did what God wanted me to do. I have been healed three times because Jesus just wants others to see what He can do for them. I am happy with my Lord and I praise Him a lot; you can't praise Him one day and then leave it alone because Satan is on the loose and he will subtly draw you away from your personal relationship with Jesus Christ if you're not careful. 

I write chapters and explain verses and words from the Bible. Sometimes I can understand some of those words or verses and sometimes I can't understand them, so I look those words up that I don't understand in the dictionary or the indexed section of the Bible, and that helps me understand because it explains what that word means. This is an excellent way we can learn about the Bible - by studying it. 

In Acts 10:34 the Bible says, "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.'"

If God healed me, He can and will heal you too because His Word says He shows no partiality, that is if we fear Him and do what is right in His eyes. In Isaiah 53:5 the Word of God tells us: 

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."

Transgressions...iniquities are literally wickedness and rebellion. The pronoun "our" in the above scripture is emphatic in that He suffered not for Himself but for yours and my sins and sicknesses. That is what we have inherited through His suffering, which is salvation and healing, and that includes all those who have accepted Christ in their lives as their personal Lord and Savior and are now living their lives as only pleasing unto Him. 

May I say too that the healing we have inherited can be applied to more than just physical healing - it covers all healing of our body, soul, and spirit. The body of course would mean physical healing, the soul refers to our emotional healing. Our spirit refers to the healing and restoration of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, which is attained through our salvation experience when we gave Jesus Christ first place in our lives when we asked Him to come into our hearts.

It was through Christ's atoning work on the Cross of Calvary that He took on all of our sicknesses and diseases. In other words, He bore our sins. This is what makes provision for both our salvation and our healing to the atoning work of Calvary. Neither is automatically appropriated however; for each provision - a soul's eternal salvation or a person's temporal, physical healing - each must be received by faith. Christ's work on the Cross makes that possible: simple faith receives each (salvation and healing) as we choose. 

I just want to say - when you give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him for everything - Jesus will take care of you. Thank you and God bless you all!

Sister Lorenza Romance from Watertown, NY (USA) 

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JESUS DID IT! and...

YOU ARE SO GREATLY NEEDED!

Remember: All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-21 is our assurance)