Good morning, Bishop!

I would like to share something with you…

Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When a man consecrates by a vow certain persons to the Lord… Leviticus 27.2

This passage is very true. I first came to the Church about 21 years ago, because my mother invited me. There was a big change in her. Even my father was happy at first, though he did not want to come with us to church. Shortly after, he, who was an alcoholic at the time, became possessive and evil, to the point of forbidding me and my mother of going to the church of “thieves”, as he called it.

From then on, the devil began his relentless pursuit by using my father. One Sunday morning, he barged into the Church with a huge pair of scissors to try to kill us. He wanted to drive it into my mother, and if it had not been for the assistants, she would have been dead today.

The arguments and aggressions were constant at our house. There were also the accusations and slurs against the Church. He forbid us to seek God, otherwise he would kill us. And if necessary, he would take his excavator and destroy everyone and everything in the Church.

My mother began inviting me to climb up a hill to pray to God, but something seemed to be missing because we still felt a void. So, in secret, we began attending the church meetings again. However, since the devil is wicked, my father found out and locked us in the house. He poured gasoline everywhere and held a lighter in his hand, threatening us to leave the Church, or we would burn to death.

At that time, a great fear came over me because I was not sure of my salvation, but I realized that I was on the right track. His accusations were untrue, he was just being used as part of a demonic strategy to make us deny Jesus, but it never happened. Time passed, and from that moment on, I remained firm with God.

He threw us out on the streets several times, and sometimes it was extremely cold, but we remained firm.

One time, while I was home alone with my father, he told me to choose. He promised to give me EVERYTHING I wanted, but I had to leave the Church or leave the house immediately. Bishop, at that very moment, I didn’t think twice: I grabbed a bag, put my clothes in it and left the house.

I truly converted to God. I gave myself to Him with all of my spirit, soul and body. I did not feel any resentment, bitterness or hatred towards my father. On the other hand, I have always had great love and affection for him. At that time, the desire to help others and a great love for people was born inside me. Later, I began doing the Work of God and left my life and my personal goals behind.

When I began doing the Work of God, my father denied me as his son and even went to the Church to try to kill me. It seemed like my life on this earth was going to end right there and then, but inside, I was safe because I knew, and know, Who I have served. God has never forsaken me.

I would call my father and try to talk to him, but he would pretend like he did not know me.

I’m not going to write about every little detail because it was a huge battle for my father to finally accept our faith. Everything seemed, to the human eye, like he would never accept me, and, much less, the Lord Jesus.

This New Year’s eve, he agreed to come to Church. He was with us as a family. And even though my parents are still divorced, for now, he still loves my mother.

As I led the New Year’s vigil and saw him enter the Church, those 21 years of battles and accusation passed through my head like a movie. I was fearful about what he was doing there, but I immediately reacted and decided to give the people what they needed, despite noticing how my father’s eyes were affixed on mine.

Bishop, 21 years of battles, vows, prayers and fasts have passed, but God’s Word never fails: my father has been attending his local Church on Sundays, and we are beginning to see a change in his life. I know, and always knew that this day would come, because vows were made in his favor and they would bring God’s answer.

Today, I’m able to have the relationship that never existed with my father!

Thank you for the attention.

God bless you!

Pastor Nuno Aleixo

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