Nancy's story

Fellow missionary team member Barbara Rivers works with women in prostitution. She continues to see lives changed by the power of the Gospel. In a recent prayer letter she shares Nancy Morales story:

“I am the oldest of eight brothers and sisters. When I was 14 years old, my mother put me in a school. By the time I was 15 I had fallen in love and went to live with the man that became the father of my first three children. When my third child was five months old, I became critically ill. The man I was living with all but abandoned me. He sent me to Guayaquil where my mother was living. She took me in as well as my three children. I tried to get a job as a live-in maid but it was difficult to find any kind of work, especially for a woman with three children. I had to go from family member to family member for help. Our situation became more and more difficult. The children’s father did not help in any way and I had to find a way to feed the children.

One day, a friend of mine took me to a casino to work. She told me that I would make money. Thus I entered in the world of prostitution, fiestas and drunkenness. During that time, I came to know the man who would be the father of my other three children. Since this man also abused me and did not provide any money to feed my children, I had to stay in prostitution to make ends meet. I ended up marrying him and have three children with him. There have been consequences from my life that have caused my children to suffer greatly. I have one grown daughter who has dedicated herself to work in prostitution.

One day a friend of mine invited me to a Bible study. I accepted with the condition of not pressuring me to give my life to the Lord. When I arrived, I was afraid, nervous and uneasy. I did not understand what was happening with me while I was listening about the love and forgiveness of God. One of the ladies came up to me at the end of the meeting and talked to me about accepting the Lord Jesus as my Savior. God touched me in that moment and very emotionally, I repeated the following, guided by this lady: “Lord Jesus Christ, forgive my sins and cleanse my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Enter into my heart; thank you because you love me and for giving me eternal life”.

At that moment, I wanted to laugh, sing, cry and jump for joy! My greatest desire is that my children and all my family come to receive Christ too. My life now has hope and I can rest in the Lord. I now have strength to face the problems I have and feel He will protect me even when others try to do me harm. I no longer feel indignation when people offend me. I do not respond as I did before, fighting and offending back. I have changed. I no longer pay back evil for evil. I am not as upset when someone hurts me. I have hope that my mother will soon give her life to the Lord. One of my sisters has noted how I have changed and now accepts my advice and likes to listen when I talk to her about God. I believe she is very close to knowing Christ too. I no longer drink and have left the evil and corrupt life in which I found myself. I will be baptized and my mother will accompany me. My son who is eleven years old has accepted Christ and will also be baptized.

I now know that Christ loves me. He fills my life and has made me a new person just as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; all things are become new”. God loves you and has a plan for your life. You can receive Him in your heart right now.”