News from UPCI Ladies Ministries

Testimony of Proof Positive of the Power of a Praying Mother

By Mary McLaughlin, Daughters of Zion Coordinator, Connecticut District

My children were brought up in church; my husband is a minister. As a young teenager, my daughter, Marcia, loved the Lord. She was always the last to leave the altar; she loved to pray. She and I were very close.

Just before her 16th birthday, my beautiful daughter changed. She no longer was interested in church and became very rebellious. She started hanging out with the wrong crowd. She became an alcoholic along with all that went with that life style, including suicidal. My heart was broken. I spent hundreds of nights praying and crying out to God and looking out the window for the headlights that would mean Marcia was home.

When she was nineteen years old, she became pregnant. I give her credit for immediately stopping the smoking and drinking and the staying out all night. She would once in a while come to church at the urging of her brothers and would be under great conviction.

I am so grateful God didn't give up on her. I am grateful for the church that we were attending at that time, Calvary Life Center in Waterbury, CT. They were so kind and loving to Marcia, even giving her a baby shower. That meant so much to me.

In 1998, her little girl was seven. My daughter had now been backslidden for ten years. I had taken my granddaughter, to church camp with me. On the first Sunday evening, my little granddaughter received the Holy Ghost. She called her mommy to tell her.

To show you how God works: My daughter was now married to her long-time live-in boyfriend and she was pregnant with their child. She worked for a national insurance company and received a promotion that meant she had to commute to another city. In the meantime, Sue, a member of the local UPC church who worked for the same insurance company, was asked to become the head of a new department. It turned out she and Marcia arrived at the same location, the same department, at the same time. They became fast friends. Sue was at church camp and saw my granddaughter receive the Holy Ghost. She felt impressed with a plan.

Since she was my daughter's boss, Sue called Marcia and told her she could have the day off on Friday if she would like to come to camp and spend the day with her daughter. Marcia took her up on her offer and the rest is history! That evening at the altar call, Marcia came forward and God gloriously refilled her with the Holy Ghost!

Today, Marcia is the leader of Daughters of Zion in our local church, Heritage United Pentecostal Church in Bristol, Connecticut.

Mothers, Grandmothers, don't give up. God is faithful! He will keep His promises!

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