Our Testimony: A Heritage of Faith

Inspiration

Aug 25

Written By Andrea Portilla

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My grandfather was a missionary & church planter.

He went around all over Guatemala and the border of Texas planting churches and preaching the good news of Jesus.

One time he was at a church in a small obscure village preaching. The people of the village did not care for his teaching. They did not hear the good news, but rather were full of hate and rallied together to kill him. The mob waited outside the doors of the church with machetes in hand ready to attack as soon as he stepped out. The church people pleaded for him not to walk out but to stay safe inside. My grandfather, full of the Holy Spirit, walked out of the doors into the awaiting mob.

“The spirit of the living God literally captivated them and let the preacher freely walk past and many came to know Christ afterwards. ”

He walked right through the crowd with machetes held high. They were stiff; as if frozen in time and space.

He walked past them and the mob with fear in their eyes could not move.

The mob was released by the hand of God and with terror they fled back to their homes. The spirit of the living God literally captivated them and let the preacher freely walk past and many came to know Christ afterwards.

My children’s eyes were round and enthralled by our heritage.

They asked questions. I answered as best as I could.

“How did daddy’s family become Christians?”

“Oh well, Daddy’s family was in Cuba and they were very, very wealthy. Church was a part of the culture, tradition; what you did at Christmas and Easter. They weren’t Christians because well, what does the bible say about the rich man?”

“It’s hard for them to get into heaven” they replied. “Yeah, do you know why?” “Because they think they have everything they need.”

“Exactly. They don’t need anything and they don’t need God.”

“In Cuba our family had everything until it was all taken away. They came to the United States with nothing. God used that and He provided for them and showed who He was through many different circumstances until finally one family member was told the Good news of Jesus. She believed and she told your grandparents and great grand parents and her life changed and they all believed.

God in his mercy found the Portilla’s and many of them serve him with their whole hearts.”

“he went and he heard and saw how good and real and amazing God is and his whole life changed. He was never the same.” ”

“What about Pop?”

“Oh, my dad loves Jesus. His daddy, Papito, loved Jesus. He married Mimi because she was beautiful and full of fun and had a good heart, but she didn’t love Jesus at the time.”

“Why did he marry her?”

“Because she was an amazing woman. She still is. And eventually, she saw the love and compassion and the sincerity in which Papito lived his life and she became a Christian. One day when Pop was in college, he was invited to a bible study by friends and he went and he heard and saw how good and real and amazing God is and his whole life changed. He was never the same.”

“Pop promised to give his life to God and follow Him.”

“And what about Daddy’s other Abuelo?”

“He was in Cuba too. A strong, self sufficient man. He didn’t believe in God. He believed in himself. And then he too had to leave Cuba without anything. His story is beautiful because you see the beauty of the church in his story…in all of these stories really, but especially in his.”

“His story is beautiful because you see the beauty of the church in his story.”

“Abuelo had a pastor friend who he respected, but never let him talk too much about Jesus. He wasn’t a religious man, he says. But when he came to the US, guess who came to meet him…Yeah, His pastor friend who had fled from Cuba as well. And He said, ‘Go over to Arizona, a church there can take care of you.’ ‘Listen,’ said your great grandfather, "‘I’m not religious you know, and I don’t go to church and just because you help us out doesn’t mean I’m going to church or giving you anything.’ ‘Not at all, just go. Trust me. We have a place for you.’

“Your great grandparents had nothing. They had no idea what or where Arizona was, but they went because of a promise and a good man. The church set them up in a home with a pantry full of food. Your great grandfather, being the hard working proud man that he was said, “Thank you, but I cant take this for free. I need a job.” “Just get settled, we will take care of you,” they said. “No, I’m a worker. I’ve earned my way my whole life since I was 13 years old. I either find a job or we are out of here.”

The church found him a job the next day. He says for the first time he saw what God was all about: People caring for others they didn’t even know. He didn’t become a Christ follower for many years after, but he always said that in that moment he saw Jesus in these people and He says that God was after his heart ever since.”

“So, you have a long heritage of Christ Followers in you. It’s part of who you are and where you’ve come from. None of us are perfect, and we are all different with different stories, but we have one thing in common, we love Jesus.”

Your Yaya and Pop have served Jesus all their lives. Yaya and her family, my grandparents. Pop and his sister, Papito and Mimi… and I follow God like my mom, my dad, and all of my grandparents.

And your daddy follows God like his parents and his aunts and uncles and his grandparents.

It’s all a part of who we are. All their stories are different. Each came to Christ for different reasons with different amounts of faith. Each of them though, have a story to tell about the love of Jesus.

“It was one church, one person, one bible study, one miracle that brought us where we are today and saved the ones we love. ”

In our family you can hear stories of how Jesus healed, How he loved, how he brought people to them to help them, to save them. This is why we believe what we believe and we give our lives to God. He saved us, our family.

It was one church, one person, one bible study, one miracle that brought us where we are today and saved the ones we love. God loves us so much that He purposed people to invite our family to church, to tell about Jesus, to pray for us, to help us.

It’s powerful what one person can do.