He Was There

By Berlina M. Ramirez

He Was There was written to give glory, honor, and praise to God, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the Author and Finisher of our lives.As I journey through life, I find that He has been my constant companion. When I was lost, He guided me. Through the storms, He has been there.Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. (Luke 10:19)There are no limitations as to what He can do through us, when we become vessels and allow ourselves to be used by Him. We can live here on earth in the power of heaven by joining every part of our lives to God, including our hearts, wounds, struggles, and desires. Only then can we be complete in Him. We are called by His name to be called into the deep, that we might experience His love and blessings, the deep waters of faith, worship, and His presence. No matter what happens in the world, in our lives, remember we are not home; we are only journeying through.Today, as individuals, a country, and the world, we face a deadly storm, the coronavirus, COVID-19. If there ever was a time that we need for Him to be there, it is now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781098062903

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He Was There

Berlina M. Ramirez

Copyright © 2020 by Berlina M. Ramirez

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus

The Gift of Life

Art

June 1,2002

Losses

Spiritual Warfare

#7 Completeness

In memory of my daughter, Debbie, who was called by her Father on December 4, 2017.

To my sons, Luis and Ernest, for more than conquers in Christ Jesus.

Special thanks to my great-granddaughters, Jade, Jaylene, and Jaziley, whose creative talents and computer skills help make this book possible.

Chapter 1

The Foundation of My Journey

John 1:1 (NAB) reads, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

This is the beginning of the foundation of who I am and where I received values and morals, which will be with me all my life. I was blessed to be born into a family who values God, family, unity, and respect for each other. As a young child, I had a profound love for God, for the Blessed Virgin Mother, and for the saints. I especially looked up to St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus.

I attended a parochial school at Holy Cross, and since the church was in the same property, I spent a lot of time going to church during my lunch breaks and spending time before the altar. I spent a lot of time in prayer especially to the Blessed Mother. I liked to read the stories of the saints, how they lived their lives, what they experienced in their lifetimes, what miracles they performed.

My first seventeen years are the basis of the first chapter of my journey. These are very cherished years because I learned to value family and the importance of unity within the family. I was blessed to have a father who took his responsibilities very seriously. He was the head of the house, and he made sure that we were fed spiritually and physically. He always provided for his wife and children.

Growing up, our motto was The family that prays together stays together. Today I am seventy-two years old, and I can truly say that throughout our lives, my five brothers and I showed love and respect for one another. The Lord has since called both my parents and my two youngest brothers to Himself.

My grandparents on both my parents’ side, as well as my parents, were married over fifty years. My father’s seven siblings were all married with their spouses over fifty years also. My mother had three sisters, but they all died during the Plague at a very young age, so the only surviving child to Lala and Papa was my mother who was the youngest and the only one who had not been vaccinated.

My Lala was very instrumental in my life. She was an extraordinary individual; she loved the Lord. She lived the Word, and she was always ready to serve. I always remember what my Papa shared with me one time. He told me that he and my grandmother had read the Bible from beginning to end seven times together.

My grandparents on my father’s side also were churchgoers, as were my uncles and aunts. As you see, I have been surrounded by people who love God.

I was the only girl in the family and therefore was a spoiled brat, although at the time I didn’t know I was. I look back now and realize that I took advantage of the fact that I was the only girl and at times was a brat with my brothers. My brothers were raised to share chores in the house, which included washing dishes, sweeping, etc.

I could go on and on with the many memorable thoughts I have concerning my growing-up years; but I want to touch on the important things: God, family, and values.

As I look back at my life now, I realize and appreciate the fact that the Lord was preparing me for life. As I was growing up, I felt secure. I never had to worry about anything. I was blessed that I would get a new dress and new shoes for every occasion. I had no worries, because my parents provided for our needs.

Little did I know that my life would involve many blessings, many challenges, many heartbreaks, many obstacles, and much learning. But it is through these experiences that I am able to share with the world today that My God lives, that My God is faithful, and in Him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything (Philippians 4:13 NAB).

St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus

Growing up, St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus, was my patron saint. I was fascinated with her life story. She lost her mother at the age of four years; and at the age of fourteen years, on Christmas Eve 1886, she had a conversion that transformed her life: her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love.

At age fifteen, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She lived a simple life of prayer and was gifted with great intimacy with God.

Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the young age of twenty-four.

She wrote her autobiography Story of a Soul. In it she wrote, What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love. She loved flowers and saw herself as the little flower of Jesus who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God’s garden. My mission—to make God loved—will begin after my death, she said. I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.

Many times did I find myself on my knees as a young girl asking St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus, to intercede for my prayer needs, and I experienced time after time answered prayer. I remember that I would ask her for prayer, and lo and behold, I would get a rose from someone. Sometimes I would open a magazine, and there was a picture of roses.

Roses have always been special to me. I remember my children when they were growing up surprising me at times with breakfast in bed that they had cooked and bringing it to me, and I remember them bringing a rose in a vase.

The Blessed Mother and St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus, were instrumental in bringing me closer to God. Jeremiah 1:5–9 (NAB) reads,

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

before you were born I dedicated you

a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

Ah, Lord God! I said,

I know not how to speak; I am too young.

But the Lord answered me,

Say not, I am too young.

To whomever I send you, you shall go;

whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Have no fear before them,

because I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.

Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,

See, I place my words in your mouth.

God knows me, and He knows you, and He has a purpose for each one of us. Throughout the Bible, you read of people being called by God to do some specific task that He had for them. And time and time again, you hear the person being called to do something say that they are not worthy. That is true. We are not worthy on our own to do anything, but as children of the Most High God, heirs of Jesus Christ, we have been made worthy, and we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’s name, we can accomplish more than we could ever think or imagine.

Chapter 2

Dos Pepinos Verdes

Dos pepinos verdes translated means two green cucumbers that are not yet ripe. These are the words that I remember Father Casimiro Roca said to us when he was marrying us on June 13, 1964.

Ephesians 5:21 (NAB) reads,

For this reason a man shall leave [his] father and [his] mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

When I entered this marriage, I entered it with the belief that when you get married, you are married for life. I struggled for twelve years trying to make my marriage work, but in order for a marriage to work, there has to be a commitment on both sides. God has to be in the center of your life, and obviously this was not the case.

First Corinthians 13:4–7 (NAB) reads,

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

It all started in Ms. Bell’s English class, in my freshman year. This handsome young man with beautiful green eyes started pursuing me, although at the time I was not interested in him or anyone else for that matter.

At the time, this person who would eventually become my husband was very popular with the girls. There were several girls who were pursuing him, but he was busy trying to win me over and in fact did win me over. In the beginning, I did not like this person, because he came across as very arrogant, but he had a charm about him, and he was so persistent that we eventually became a pair.

There are two positive things that came out of this marriage. I am blessed with three wonderful, intelligent, generous children who are very caring. They have big hearts, and they all have the wisdom that comes from the Lord. I thank God every single day because even though the marriage did not work out, I have three precious children whom I would never change for the world.

At the time, I did not know these scriptures, but the Lord has always had His hand on me and my children.

The shame of your youth you shall forget, the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember. For he who has become your Maker, his name is the Lord of Hosts. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel called God of all the earth. The Lord calls you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit. A wife married in youth and the cast off, says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:5–7 NAB)

I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 NAB)

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will but born of God. (John 1:12–13 NIV, Life Application Study Bible)

The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. (Psalm 146:9 NIV, Life Application Study Bible)

For those who are led