PRAY WITHOUT CEASING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC.
MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY AND ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
My testimony is divided into 3 parts as I write you will see God’s faithfulness, His Deliverance and Healing Power that I have experienced in my life. I was BORN AGAIN in the year 1983 and I would like to share some thoughts that the Lord showed me after I was born again.
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
I was born to poor Catholic parents in the land of Sri Lanka. When I was conceived my mother tried to abort me, as she was ashamed of the pregnancy, as she was already a grandmother as two of my sisters were married and had children. In spite of taking strong medication to get rid of me The Lord protected me and I was born as the youngest of 8 children. But I suffered the consequences of it as I had boils on my legs that came and went for 25 years.
I was 3 years old when my father was forced to retire from his government employment due to a sudden shortness of hearing. Although he wrote letters to them requesting them to keep him, as his youngest daughter was only 3 years old, they let him go. How did I know this, I found the letters he had written to his employers after his death. When he was let go we lost the house that we were living in as it was only for the employers, government owned,
We were forced to live with one of our uncles who had a very little house with no bedrooms at all. I remember my 5 brothers myself and my mother and father living with him. My mother was a very religious Catholic lady and she went daily to the 5 a.m. mass. One day whilst she was gone one of the wicks from the oil lamp had accidentally fallen on my pillow, whilst I slept on the ground.
When my mother returned from mass, she saw smoke rising from my pillow and she screamed, the smoke did not frighten me but my mother’s screams did. When she woke me up, my dress was all burn but my skin was not touched. After I was saved, like in a movie one evening whilst I was in prayer in England the Lord showed me that His hand was on me from the time I was conceived and that He gave me favour wherever I went.
When I was 9 years old my father died and my mother had a hard time providing for us. Looking back, I remember when I was in school a teacher use to bring my lunch everyday and buy my books. The Lord had given me favour.
When I was about 12 years old, I went with my sister’s children to bathe in the sea, and there a huge wave swept me in where I swallowed a lot of water and nearly drowned, here again my life was saved.
When I was 17 I fell in love and got married but I found out pretty quickly that he was an abuser, and a womanizer, I was beaten till I was unconscious, my disc damaged owing to the beatings, nearly stabbed twice, spat on, kicked and treated very badly. I attempted suicide but God was with me and once again saved me.
I know what it is to go without, I know what it is to sleep on the ground, I know what it is to go without electricity and water and I know what it is to be abused, battered and beaten.
In the year 1973 God brought me to England, I stayed with my brother and his wife. The Lord gave me favour again, as I landed in England on a Friday and got a job on Monday.
I was thrilled and extremely delighted that I got this job, but my happiness did not last, as the enemy came in a very suttle way and entered my Sister-in-law who was a Spanish lady, After a months stay, a spirit of jealousy was upon her and she threw me out on the streets. But God was gracious. I was unable to get a place to rent for 3 months, prior to this because of colour prejudice but the day she threw me out the Lord provided a roof over my head.
I started life in England in a little bedsit paying 10 sterling pounds a week. Then from there I moved into another place where the Lord brought a Building Society Branch Manager for an inquiry to meet the Landlord, as he was in arrears of his mortgage and should not have rented the house. Because of this I was blessed with a mortgage to buy a home. With 300 pounds saved, God provided a home.
In 1982 I had a lot of trials, my mother died, I underwent a major surgery, I had children’s problems, my late husband was very ill in the hospital, whilst he was in the hospital he lost his job.
I was always a praying women. This same year on the 22nd of October 1982 I dreamt of Jesus for the first time. I cannot go into all the details, as I will take too much time, but Jesus took my hand and lifted me up. I am telling you all this to show you the Faithfulness of God.
In the month of May 1983, trials struck again, whilst living in England, I went to bed as normal, and I woke up at 2:20 a.m. unable to breathe. I didn’t know what death was at that time, but I now know as I felt the sting of death. Fear gripped me and when I was rushed out of the house in an ambulance I knew in my heart that I would never see my family again. Before leaving I shouted Jesus have mercy on me for the sake of my 3 children. As I said earlier at that time I had religion as I use to go to church for mass everyday 365 days in the year. I did not know the bible; I did not know that if you call upon the name of Jesus one would be saved. God in His mercy heard my cry. When I was in the hospital I saw Jesus again, I saw the crown of thorns and the blood flowing from his head and I still remember it so very clearly, the face of Jesus on the hospital curtain. When I saw that I knew I will come back to this world, but what I did not know was that I would suffer for 3 months, unable to eat or sleep. It was a horrible experience. All the tests that were done were negative and the doctors could not find out what was wrong with me. I went to the famous specialist in Harley Street, London, England and because they could not find exactly what was wrong, they said I was suffering from a poor blood circulation, as I felt numbed from my brain downwards, and by this time I had lost 28 lbs. in weight. I had lots of friends and no one wanted me to die, they took me to their homes and kept me there for the weekends, thinking that a change of environment would help.
I went to the catholic priest, the catholic priest sent me to an Anglican priest, the Anglican priest sent me to a nun, and the nun sent me to Lourdes in France. My Buddhist friends took me the temple where they tied a thread, my Hindu friends prayed to their Gods, and some of my other friends even took me a Muslim priest and nothing happened. I only got worse and worse. 3 months passed by and I wanted to end my life as I had come that point of no return. When I had come to a crossroad and at the point of giving up and attempting suicide this is when Jesus met me.
I am here only by the grace and the mercy of the living God.
I helped a girl 3 years prior to my sickness, and God used this family to bring me to salvation.
This family invited me to a Pentecostal Convention 25 miles from where I lived, and when I got there the pastor who was from Kerala, India, got a Word of knowledge and he said to me “stop all the medication, for someone has done witchcraft to see you dead, but Jesus will heal you tonight”. They asked me the famous question “do you believe?” and I said yes. That night was the night that I was able to eat for the first time. The Bible tells us there is life and death in the power of the tongue, although the pastor said I was healed I was still having the lying symptoms, I did not know anything different at that time hence I was confessing negative whereas the pastor was confessing positive.
I was invited back on the Wednesday, I still had the symptoms and I was invited back again on the Sunday and when they called people who needed prayer to come forward, pride took over and I did not want to go up for prayer as every time I went forward I use to scream and fall. My family forced me to go forward and I still refused. Then I heard a voice speak within me “Go forward in my name He that is humbled will be exalted”, I have never experienced this before I just listened to that voice and walked to the altar and when the pastor prayed I felt something leave me, I automatically raised my hands and praised God, and have not stopped praising him since. I was delivered from the captivity of Satan.
In my experience of religion I did not know that I had to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven, neither did I know that I was a sinner, as in my heart I was a kind person and a woman who was going to church everyday.
After a month of receiving Jesus into my heart which was the 24th August 1983, whilst in prayer at home in England I said to the Lord that I would like to speak like those people, and within an hour of my praying I was baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Since then the Lord taught me how to pray and empowered me with His power from above.
MY ENCOUNTER WITH AN ANGEL
My trials never seem to end, my late husband was gravely ill as he was coughing blood, and was again hospitalized. As usual whilst in church during my lunch hour I really broke down and cried unto the Lord. Whilst returning to my office a man came and spoke to me, He said to me “my name is Paul”, I see that you are very distressed, Then he opened a shining silver looking beautiful box and he said to me look at this and expect a miracle. When he opened the box it was a beautiful Plain shining silver crucifix and this man disappeared. Later on someone told me that I had encountered an angel but at that time I had no idea of things like that at all. When the surgeons operated on my late husband they found no cancer. After 5 years he died of a heart attack and was taken home to be with the Lord.
My eyes have seen His glory. My eyes have seen His salvation. He not only gave me back my life but He has healed me many times since 1983.
The Lord has healed me from bleeding ulcers where the doctors in England said to me that it is a major operation 50-50 chances. I was bleeding for 3 months. My stomach was distended; the Lord performed an operation in my sleep. In a dream I was turned on my stomach, raised from the bed about 6 inches an instrument came from under the pillow and scraped my stomach where I really felt the pain, I screamed, and then I was put down and instantly I was awakened and I noticed that my swelling on my stomach was gone. It was an instant miracle.
He healed my son of a blocked tube in his kidneys where he was in and out of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London England for 5 years, whilst going to the hospital I asked him one question, do you believe Jesus is able to heal you Son and he said yes.
We went to the hospital they inserted the dyes into his system and found that the passage was cleared.
The Lord then began to use me in England, with the Word of knowledge, gift of healing and gift of prophecy with signs following. After my husband died I visited Canada and I met Marc whom I had not seen for 25 years as I knew His family from back home as he use to visit my mother’s home regularly. I married him in 1989 and we are now both serving the Lord as pastors and ministers of the Gospel.
I have seen God work instantly and I have seen God taking his time. I have seen people healed; I have also seen people die. I have seen cancers smitten, as you know that we cannot heal anybody only Jesus can. For He is the Healer. The greatest physician of all physians.
GOD'S GRACE
God is faithful if we are faithful to him. When I lost my job 2 years ago God rained gold dust on me and now the gold dust is flowing even to the congregation.
I am now doing a part-time 3-day a week job, and also working voluntarily for the Lord helping my husband in the ministry. We both graduated from Bible School in July 2002. Words aren’t enough to glorify God for what He has done, days and weeks aren’t enough to tell you what God has done. He is real, He is awesome and He is Mighty.
Africa is a dream come true, I had a dream in 1983 that I was in a country with all black people, but I had no understanding that this was Africa. I had forgotten this dream and then the Lord brought it to my remembrance and after 18 years the dream came true. The Lord took me to Africa.
The Lord made it possible for me to go and I went to Africa in 2001, I did not want to go back after some of the experiences I had there, but the Lord opened the door again for me to return. They want me back they said as they were blessed the last time we were there, and in 2003 for the second time I was in Africa together with a team to preach the gospel to the hurting the wounded, the lost and the needy. Whilst I was there the Lord put it in my spirit to open a school, which is now funded by our church ministry Upper Room.
I have had many dreams in the year 1983, where I was taken to heaven twice and I heard this voice say to me “Watch ye and pray and prepare the way for my coming”.
The Lord is using me in the gifts of healing and deliverance where we have seen signs and wonders following. He is never too late, never too early but always on time.
He took this poor women and gave her everything. Out of nothing He made me something. He is a good God and what He has done for me He can do for you; only if you yield to Him; delight in Him and Desire Him. He will grant you the desire of your heart. I remember the Lord speaking to me whilst waiting for a train in England, “Jennifer all that you have and all that that you possess is what I have given you. If I did not give you health you have no job”, since then my whole life has changed. From Rags to Riches; Death to Life; Darkness to Light. There is so much more to say but I will stop here and Give him all the Glory, the honour and the praise.
Jennifer Dissanayake
Founder
Pray Without Ceasing Ministries Int’l
Associate Pastor/Evangelist – Upper Room Christian Ministries Int’l