The Terror of the Unknown

By John J. Gonzales M. Div, M.M.

The memoirs of a young boy and his family living in a house and community where strange and supernatural phenomena took place, and how he face the forces of darkness protecting his younger siblings and himself for five consecutive years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664228108

John J. Gonzales M. Div, M.M.

Rev. John J. Gonzales has served in ministry for over thirty years serving as a Pastor, Evangelist, Chaplain Church Planter and has served as a missionary in South America. He has worked with the Billy Graham Eva. Assoc Promise Keepers and has appear in Radio & Television.

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THE TERROR

OF THE UNKNOWN

John J. Gonzales M.DIV, M.M.

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Copyright © 2021 John J. Gonzales M.DIV, M.M.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version.

El texto Bíblico marcado RVR60 ha sido tomado de la versión Reina-Valera © 1960 Sociedades Bíblicas en América Latina; © renovado 1988 Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas. Utilizado con permiso. Reina-Valera 1960™ es una marca registrada de la American Bible Society, y puede ser usada solamente bajo licencia.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2809-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2811-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2810-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021905452

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/07/2021

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book first of all to my wife Priscilla, our children Joshua John, our twin daughters Jeanette Valery and Jennifer Grace who have made my life complete and given me a purpose for living and bringing so much love and happiness to my life. To my siblings, who like me, were victims of all those terrible events we experienced living in that particular community and that house.

So many years have gone by, but the experiences and terrible memories left scars that we will carry for the rest of our lives. Since I am the oldest of my siblings, I recall clearly the terrible things we experienced night after night. To my brothers and sisters I would like to say thank you for braving those scary moments at such a young age with me.

To my sister Irma Aragundi, I would like to say thank you for backing me up when we faced those terrible nights and giving me courage, support and trusting me. I love you so much sis.

To my sister Rosie Olguin I would like to say thank you for hangin in even though you were so scared. I love you sis.

To my brothers first of all Rudy Gonzales that went through some terrible scary episodes with me and to Victor Gonzales, I would like to say, you were some brave kids and during those times you sought refuge and protection and rightly so, in Irma and myself enduring it till it was over, thank you for trusting us. I would give you a medal of valor for being so brave.

To my brother Michael, you and Marco were so little and I am happy that you didn’t have to go through those terrible experiences with us, and that Mom took you with her every time she left to be with Dad.

Thank you brothers and sisters, I love you and miss not getting together as often as we used to. And I am so happy that we shared so many both good and bad memories together as a family. I love you all.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank first of all my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for coming into my life at the perfect time and delivering me from the grip of the enemy. Also for giving me the opportunity to finish writing something that I started about eighteen years ago; I am talking about the book that you have in your hands. Thank you, my loving Savior.

Also I would like to thank my wife for her unconditional love, her patience and care, and for always believing in me. For the way she demonstrates her love and concern for our children, grandchildren, and those around us. But above all for her love of God and his kingdom and never wasting an opportunity to share her faith with others. Thank you so much honey for being who you are, I love you.

I would also like to thank my good friend and co-laborer in the kingdom of God Bert Block, for his help in the english translation of this document. Thank you Bert for providing your valuable help and making yourself available for me.

God bless you, and may He continue to use and bless you in your journey with Christ and in your work for the kingdom of God.

¨fear thou not, for I am with thee;

be not be dismayed, for I am thy God;

I will strengthen thee; I will help thee; yea,

I will uphold thee with the right right hand

of my righteousness.¨

Isaiah 41:10 (ASV)

PROLOGUE

The stories told in this book are stories based upon true events which occurred during a space of five years in the place where I lived with my parents and siblings from 1959 to 1964.

It might be asked, seeing that I am a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, why would I write a book depicting stories of strange and incredible phenomena which could confuse some people or even create bewilderment among God’s people. The truth is that it is not my intention to cause confusion or even much less open doors of fear or perhaps cause people to fall under a spirit of fear. On the contrary, my main desire in writing this is, to acknowledge, the fact that strange things and events occur in the world, that cannot logically be explained. At the same time to acknowledge or recognise the fact that, there exists the supernatural power of God, revealed in signs, wonders and miracles and at times there has been manifestations of the power of God and visions of celestial beings or angels that historically have visited people. These demonstrations of God’s power, or visions of heavenly angels that, as we read in the bible, manifested themselves to some people from time to time. There is also the power of darkness, that manifests itself in different ways and forms.

Before my conversion to God I had encounters and experiences during my childhood and my adolescence, with malignant and evil forces. Why? I do not know. However, when our parents moved our family to a particular house and location, we began to experience a series of incredible and very scary events.

So, before I even experienced the power of God and the light of His Word, I was tormented by the power of unknown evil. Therefore, when I was introduced to God’s kingdom and His power I had no doubt about the existence of God and of the power of God. To God be the glory!

That is precisely what drove me to write these stories. It is my hope that through them, the reader will understand and see the need that I feel to share them. It is also my desire that they may help other people, who have or are experiencing similar spiritual battles. Through the years, from ancient times to present day, we hear of events or stories of people of different races, nationalities, cultures, economic and social levels who testify of strange and unbelievable things they experienced, that are sometimes even terrifying.

Such events are completely found outside of what we know and understand as normal, and sometimes even defy our reasoning and intellect. Many times as we hear of such an event we are perplexed, astonished and confused. However, there are other times when people we know and respect are the ones telling us about their own experience, and we doubt that the experience or event actually happened, and that their story is a product of their own imagination or created by them.

Perhaps a friend, a work mate, neighbor or family member has told you a strange story. On the other hand, perhaps it was you who lived this experience and therefore no one in the world can deny that what you saw, what you heard, and what you experienced is true.

What is certain is that although we refuse to believe these odd things, we cannot deny that there are thousands of people all over the world who testify to having had these kinds of experiences however fantastic and unbelievable they seem to be. I am one of these persons. Fortunately or unfortunately, I experienced them, I lived them, I faced them.

Many years have passed since these events took place. However, I want to share some of these experiences, with the hope of providing some type of help to anybody who, just like me, are tormented and struggle with the memories of similar experiences.

It is for that reason that the following stories, as unbelievable as they seem, are something that my family and I experienced for five years. I have found that silence benefits no one, nor stops or repels the forces of evil. This is one of my ways of unmasking the enemy because denial does not work. God has given us power to defend ourselves against attacks of the enemy and from the forces of darkness. Isaiah 54:17 declares: ¨No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is of me, saith Jehovah.¨ (ASV)

Also, in the epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians the apostle St. Paul says: ¨For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds.¨ 2 Corinthians 10:4 (ASV)

Our adversary, our enemy is the devil, his demons and the forces of darkness. We cannot ignore them, but on the contrary, we need to know who he is, that wants to destroy us; rob us of our peace, health and salvation and ultimately destroy us completely.

¨The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.¨

John 10:10 (ASV)

CONTENTS

I The Night of the Strange Being

II The Fiery Orb

III The Shadow

IV A Voice in the Darkness

V On The Other Side of the Door

VI Groans and Wails

VII The Midnight Scream

VIII The Sphere That Flew Over US

IX My Aunts House

X What Force Threw that Object?

XI Attack in the Outhouse

XII Mysterious and Unexplainable Events

INTRODUCTION

Not everything in the world has a logical or scientific explanation. There are unbelievable things that occur that are heard and experienced in various places of the world, that we do not understand because they don’t have any kind of explanation, logic or common sense.

These encounters occurred during the time that we lived in the house owned by one of our aunts. This is the house where she lived for some time and also the place where she spent her last years and where she died relatively young, leaving three daughters and a son, a year younger than I.

Everything contained on these pages is based upon my own personal experiences. I assure you that although difficult to believe and beyond logical explanation, these experiences are real and true.

These all form part of a series of strange and terrifying events that my family and I faced. These experiences occurred over a period of five consecutive years.

As I relate these occurrences my focus will be on what I personally experienced. I am not relating what other members of the family experienced or things told me by others, only on what I personally experienced during that time, and what I witnessed.

Perhaps because of the incredible and unbelievable events that I have written about, you might think that all of this is just a product of my imagination. There will be some people who may think that these are just a bunch of stories created by my imagination. If this were the case there is no problem, seeing that most of the famous authors and writers write romance novels, science fiction, mystery drama and terror created by them. But even though I wish that this supposition were true, unfortunately all that I write here tells about real experiences.

This is something that I lived through, what I experienced and frightened me for five long years. It is also something that I would never wish another person to experience.

I think that to doubt the veracity of these stories is a completely normal reaction and therefore I am neither surprised nor annoyed if these stories are believed or not believed to be true.

Perhaps if someone told me stories such as these I would also doubt them. Actually, this is precisely the reason that I have waited these many years to be able to have the confidence and courage to write them.

I know that if this is published, I run the risk of being ridiculed by some of my colleagues and friends. Even if that is the case, I feel like I should share in the following pages some terrorizing things, which I faced as a child and adolescent.

My principle objective to write about these unbelievable and terrifying stories is to finally deal with these things that have tormented me for years. I assure you that I am not doing this purposely to convince anyone that these supernatural terrifying incidents are real. To be clear, I simply want to share these experiences that my parents, sisters, brothers and I experience.

Two important reasons gave me the confidence to decide to write about these incidents. First, as I mentioned before, to bury the memories that had tormented me for years, and rid myself of the heavy burden that I had carried around with me for many years.

Secondly, I am doing it in hopes that in some way it may provide some type of help for others who have been victims of similar experiences, or who are living something similar, and that like me, have fear of being judged as madmen or liars, and because of that, you do not share what you are going through with someone, and for this reason you suffer torment by these terrifying memories without any support, help or understanding.

So, if you’re one of these people and you find yourself reading these stories, I hope they help you not to feel as if you’re the only one who’s ever been through these experiences, or to think that you’re a weirdo or maybe that you’re out of your mind.

Remember that neither you nor I decided to have these experiences. I would never like to experience these things so frighteningly terrible, strange and inexplicable again and I imagine that you also do not want to return to relive them.

Many similar events happened during those years in that community and particularly in that house in which my family lived during that time.

Although these events occurred during the last part of the decade of the 50’s and beginning of the 60’s, the stories are not written in chronological order.

The house where we lived in those years does not seem to exist, or if so, it is completely transformed since the construction of main highway Playas de Tijuana caused the house to either be moved or removed. This happened to many other houses on the same old street in the area to widen the road and make room for the eventual construction of the highway.

Now prepare yourselves to live with me the chilling experiences of these stories.

CHAPTER I

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THE NIGHT OF THE STRANGE BEING

August 1961

Our house was situated on the side of a hill and offered a marvelous panoramic view of the San Diego Bay, Chula Vista, and National City. A nice breeze continually refreshed the house.

International Street (Calle Internacional) ran in front of the house. Obviously, this street (now a highway called Playas de Tijuana), ran parallel to the border between Mexico and the United States. North of the street, the United States side, there were no dwellings, only one house and a large cattle and dairy ranch. The fence at the border that divided the two countries was in parts quite similar to the type of link fence used in today’s schools, except for the three strands of barbed wire on top. However, for the most part, the fence consisted of just three or four old barbed wires hanging loose on the old wooden post no more than four feet tall.

On the American side was a dirt road that ran parallel to the border, which was regularly patrolled by Border Patrol. The rest of the American side was uninhabited, hilly scrubland that went all the way to the beach. Strict vigilance at the border was not necessary because few people attempted to cross the border at that time.

On the southern side of International Street, the Mexican side, was the Colonia Aleman. This was the community where we lived, for some five years.

Note: Generally, a colonia is a name for a settled section of land, a neighborhood, or community that is part of and under the jurisdiction of a larger entity, usually a city. Mexican cities include communities called colonias. Colonias are unincorporated communities that are considered parts of a city. Colonias develop an identity, and usually those living in a particular colonia feel proud to be part of that particular community.

Although there were still many vacant lots in that area, and the lots were large, our nearest neighbors were the Valencia and Becerra families. Both were large families with small children and adolescents. We made friends quickly when we moved there, since all of the kids were close to our ages.

Electrical power and water services were very limited in the city at that time since it was during a long drought that affected not only the city of Tijuana but the whole state of Baja, California, so not everyone was privileged to have those necessary services. Also, where we lived was far from the center of the community, so we were one of the last places to receive electrical services. It was not until a year after we moved there that my parents, along with other families, helped form a community cooperative. My family and other families that my parents convinced to join in their effort, were able to collect enough money to install electrical services in our community. Because of the lack of electrical services and the fact that we were close to an uninhabited area of the community, the whole area was very dark at night, especially when it was cloudy.

When the wind blew during the night—as it usually does in the months of October and November—it passed through the trees and bushes and produced strange whistles and sounds. This made the surroundings feel interestingly silent, desolate, and sometimes even somber and spooky.

In the late afternoons during summer vacations after supper we would gather with some of our friends to play and talk for a while before we had to return home to get ready to go to bed. One of these times as we were out playing it got a little late; it must have been around eight or eight thirty. Something so incredible and strange happened that to this day when I remember it I shudder.

Allow me to relate what happened that unforgettable night.

It was approximately eight or eight thirty, and the temperature was comfortable, as it almost always was during the summer nights. We were enjoying a beautiful evening, and the first stars of the evening began to shine.

Earlier the children of the community had been playing in the nearby homes, and the sound of their playing and laughter resonated in the distance. The adolescents who had finished their chores had also begun to come out to enjoy the agreeable evening.

Soon the parents began to call their small children home, for it was time to prepare to go to bed. Now it was the adolescents who laughed and joked, mocking one another, as we used to do. It was common at that time, in the early 1960s, for us kids, to go out to play hide-and-seek before it got dark. We were all familiar with the game and knew how to play it and usually were ready and happy to play.

Hide-and-seek gives an opportunity for a boy and girl who like each other to be alone without the others knowing it. Very often when a boy and a girl liked each other they would hide together and enjoy a few moments alone.

The place where we