TESTIMONIES

Márcio Luís Sampaio Santos:

“I found myself completely ruined by drugs, living in the streets and was involved everything bad you could ever imagine. I received money as a security guard in drugs traffic, but I spent it all and in the end of the day I had no money, not even to eat.”

MARCIO’S TESTIMONY

My name is Márcio Luís Sampaio Santos. I was born on June 13th of 1974, in Salvador, Bahia. I have three brothers. ‘Till I was 18 I had a completely regular life like any other middle class young boy. I studied in private schools, attended to an English course, etc…When I got to major age (18) I decided to disdain my parents’ care and advices; they wanted me to remain living with them and continue to study too. I started to work and left home to live alone, though. The visit to my family’s house was rare. It didn’t take a long time for me to get involved with bad conduct people, because I worked in Comércio and when I finished my expedient I used to frequent pubs with prostitutes, trafficker and thieves. I began to become an alcoholic and drug user. I was 20 years old and totally addicted. I visited my family’s house rarely, and when my relatives and friends arrived there they couldn’t understand what happened to me (the easiest boy of that neighborhood). My face was much disfigured, my hair was very long and curly, I used two ear rings, has seven tattoos on my body, I spoke in such a dark way and never was without a gun in my hand.

After so many advices from my parents I decided to come back to their house, I was no more the easiest boy in the neighborhood, now I was the greatest disorderly of that neighborhood. People couldn’t understand what had happened to me, because I was always drunk and drugged, I fought with everyone, disrespected and hit my parents and brothers, I was an “ambulant disgrace”. When my sisters were asked about me they usually denied that I was their biologic brother and said that I was adopted. My neighbors made a petition to take my family out of the joint ownership we lived in, because they couldn’t stand what I did anymore. When I was armed I threatened everybody, where I arrived people ran and I was even called Lampeão – a famous northern bandit. I met a girl and I started to live with her, she gave me two children (today raised by my mother) I used to hit her a lot. Once more I tried to stop doing that, but I couldn’t, my life was each day worse; I already had lost my job and started to drink distillated firewater. One day after finishing a free lancer job as a security guard and had received the month payment, I began to drink and drug myself. When I arrived home I had a huge discussion with the mother of my children and hurt her physically in a very serious way (I was around 25 years old) I got desperate took some clothes and went to the Bus Station of Salvador, I waited till the next morning and bought a ticket to São Paulo where a childhood friend lived. After a trip of 36 hours I arrived in São Paulo with a bit more than R$ 200,00 in hand. I looked for this friend at the address he gave me years ago, but I couldn’t locate him. I stood there, living in the streets, involved with drugs traffic and the worst things of São Paulo State, Santos City. One day, very drunk, I got in an Evangelic church and when the service ended a woman came to me and talked about Jesus and asked me about my life. So I started to tell her about where I came from and what had happened to me. After that, she gave me some food and clothes, and asked me my family’s phone number. I found myself completely ruined by drugs, living in the streets and was involved everything bad you could ever imagine. I received money as a security guard in drugs traffic, but I spent it all and in the end of the day I had no money, not even to eat.
After some days I finally went to that church again to get some clothes. When the same woman, who was a missionary, informed me that had contacted my family and they were very concerned, she said that the mother of my children was living with my mother. This was when I decided to come back to Salvador. I contacted my family who immediately sent money and my going back tickets.
On 1st January of 1999 I arrived back in Salvador a hundred times worst than when I left, continued to do the same things (and even worse!) than I did before. My family no longer accepted me at home, except my grandma and my mother that were desperate having no idea of what to do. My mother said that the only place I could stay was at a Recuperation Center in Periperi – suburb of Salvador - and I’d have the opportunity to change my life. I was unsatisfied, but I had nowhere else to go, I preferred to go to the Recuperation Center with the objective of staying for a few days and then return to São Paulo. I arrived at the Center on September 19th of 1999 and I was welcome by the director and brother Ananias who talked to me and gave me a lot of advises, he also authorized my staying there together with 40 more people in the same situation.

Even then, I wasn’t satisfied to be in that place and started to talk about leaving, because I didn’t like the services and didn’t like to obey the leaders of that Recuperation Center. I had already planned to flee from there to the September 14th. Many of the young people there advised to receive Jesus and remain with them, but I never heard them. On September 14th – a Saturday – around 19:00 hrs, one Pastor and one retinue arrived there to let another young man to recuperate. The Pastor was Aurizer Braga de Sena, from Missão Batista do Pelourinho. A service was done there and the Word was preached. God spoke to me in an unique way and said that Jesus could change my life. Then, crying a lot, I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. After more than three months I became a worker in that Recuperation Center and started to take care of the others young men that had drug problems like I did in the past.
I began to frequent the Missão Batista do Pelourinho and I returned to frequent my family’s house completely free from the addictions. Again, people couldn’t understand what happened to me, I was clean, well dressed and with the Bible in my hand, I started to get the trust of my family and neighbors. When I searched for my companion, mother of my children, to start over our relationship and get married, she didn’t accept. She said that she didn’t like evangelic and she wouldn’t handle to live with me. I thanked the Lord because I knew He was in charge in my life.
Many people that discriminated me now invited me to give speeches and testimonies at schools, etc. After sometime, I was baptized and continued to work as worker at the Recuperation Center VIDAS (Lives), congregating at Missão Batista Pelourinho, Where I met a Young girl called Valmira, who today is my wife, mother of my youngest son Elias, he’s 2 years old. I went out the Recuperation Center to get married and started to work at the Baptist Church of Garcia, where I stood for almost 2 years, when I was called by God to establish the Recuperation Center “Cidade de Refúgio” – “Refuge City” with MPB that is located in Amado Bahia. I was consecrated and sent to missionary field, where I am till today, taking care of my wife and young men who need Jesus. I thank God that had mercy and took me out of the kigdom of darkness and transportated me to His wonderful light.

Glory to Jesus!

PLINIO’S TESTIMONY

Salvador, January 22th of 2005

From Mendicant to Prince

I come through this testimony glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I was mendicant for 07 years in Salvador city. As a mendicant I lived through public charity, but I also ate the left portions of food on the garbage. I fought for one piece of cad board to sleep on the sidewalks.
Because of drugs I was dispised by family and by society. Sick, I was interned three times with tuberculous, at the third time I was 35 Kg. Without hope to live, I stopped to reflect and ask myself the reason for such an humiliating situation.
While I was thinking, a couple from Missão Batista do Pelourinho approached me and told me about the live hope and the possibility of experience a new birth.
This way I took part of the Christmas Dinner with People in Need, and soon I was freed by Jesus Christ’s power. Today I’m married, I have one little girl and my family that once dispised me, today embrace me with lots of joy.

In me was accomplished what is wrote in Psalms 113 v. 7-8.

With much joy I’M ONE OF THOSE, because I passed from rags to riches.

Ass. Plínio Mota.

RAIMUNDO’S TESTIMONY

Beloved brothers, Peace and Grace from the Lord. When I was the old man, I was known as Russo do Pandeiro (Russo of tambourine) not only by the media but also in artistic midst in Salvador and a little in Rio de Janeiro. God’s Word, the only truth in this world, says in II Corinthians 4:4 :”In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Today I’m a new man, my name is Raimundo dos Anjos Silva I was blessed by God’s mercy, because I spent 06 months at the Recuperation Home DESAFIO JOVEM PENIEL in Dias D’Ávila, Where I was very well treated and evangelized. This testimony is to show the great love that our God has for every one of us.
I had a good childhood, although my adoptive parents had a doctrine full of Idolatry. The woman that raised me, gave me love, care and education. I loved her very much. When I was 7 I started to drink wine with water and sugar on “Holy Fridays” and in “Saint Antonio Novenas” as well, that had a lot of liquors ( my adoptive mother has devotion to Saint Antonio, but Holy is our Lord Jesus). Like every child I liked these drinks because they were sweet and tasty.

When I was 17 I went to meet my biologic mother in Rio de Janeiro. There I started to have money in my hands, frequent samba schools, play soccer. I played very well, but I didn’t succeed as soccer player because I was involved with drinking.
When I came back to Salvador I noticed that I received the nickname RUSSO DO PANDEIRO and began to be very famous in Carnival blocks and baianan nights.

I got married for the first time with a very good girl, I loved her and she loved me too. Before getting married, when I was only bridegroom, I started to work in a big company and soon I bought a car to go out and party every weekend.

After married I used to arrive home very drunk and started a fight without any reason. My mother-in-law, which worked with witchcraft, proposed me to do some work with spirits affirming that I’d get better, but I was worst everyday. I drank each day more and more, and, there were so many fights that caused the end of my marriage. I kept my car, only to party, with no thoughts in my mind and almost lost my job, because I occupied my car with many false friends and went out to have fun, as we say today. Once I hit the car on a pillar and it burned in flames. At the time I didn’t notice but I had a deliverance from the Lord Jesus, because the car could have exploded, destroying my face. Then I bought another car that I changed for box of beer.

The addiction was so strong that I could have lost my job. I was interned sometimes in Healthy Houses to treat alcoholism and even this way I lost many days of work. When they liberated me, I got back to work. I believe that I got retired only because of God’s mercy, because in spite of working for a great company I worked only 02 to 03 three years. Glory to the Lord for that.

Looking for another woman and always with the hope to find a special woman, because women like the ones I used get along weren’t good enough. They were very vulgar. I got involved with a woman that soon got pregnant and became mother of my three kids. I lived with her in Maciel, place called Pelourinho nowadays. That was a place of perdition, each time I got drunk I went to parties and she, who liked it too, used to accompany me in many pagodes and drinking. As I said before, I missed lots of working days; I used to arrive there completely drunk and to search for a room to sleep and to flee from work.
The most absurd thing is that I started drinking the best quality of scotch and when the money began to end, I drank what I could find, even alcohol fuel.

My biological mother came to visit Salvador and decided to take me to Rio de Janeiro again. I spent 03 months with her. When I came back to Rio I went to my house and the life with the mother of my children was getting even worse, I left home after so many fights and bad treating (she incited her brother to hit me while I was to drunk, without defense and asked the cops to arrest me. I was hit by the cops and she felt pleasure in everything).
I started to live in the streets. I became a mendicant in Baixa dos Sapateiros. Look! I was retired and had enough money to rent a small bedroom to live, but the enemy wanted to see me in the worst place, and I was there. I lived this infernal life between 05 to 06 years as a mendicant, sleeping on cad boards without taking shower. I smell bad just 10 meters away. My friends, my family, no one ever believed I was going to be recuperated; everyone ran from me and called me crazy.

I felt sad and humiliated, because I really had no strength to set me free from this damned life. I felt a great pain inside of my heart to see those who once were considered friends, got in my car, used to went out with me, went to Samba school, that partied with me, drank and ate many times on my treat, considered me disgusting and were embarrassed to talk to me. I was slaved by Carnival and by “Lavagem do Bonfim Party” and, I’m writing this testimony to the HONOR and GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS, during the day of “Lavagem do Bomfim” HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH!
When there were 15 days before Carnival in 1997, I saw a Kombi that used to pass singing to mendicant people. They started to call some of them but I wasn’t. Even that way, I decided to get in the Kombi. Today I have absolute sure that the Lord Jesus was the one who called me. When I got in that car I left behind 1 liter of alcohol.

The mendicant went to that piece of heaven named DESAFI0 JOVEM PENIEL, a great work of God. It is in Dias D’Ávila, which Ministry of God is the Pastor Magella. A true man of God.

Well, for the Record, this was my best Carnival. Inside that house, in the presence of the Lord Jesus, I found a peaceful place which I didn’t know. I used to beg when the 1st Christmas Dinner with People in Need happened, produced by Missão Batista do Pelourinho, and at the 7th I was there telling my beautiful testimony, as a new man.

I medicated next to Forum Ruy Barbosa and today I’m married with a blessed woman, which is the chief at the same Forum Ruy Barbosa. I’m part of an evangelic musical group called BONS FRUTOS (Good fruits) where I play tambourine and I’m the coordinator. The brothers that form the group passed through many problems in life too and give great testimonies to reach lives to the Lord Jesus.

AND THE MENDICANT OF YESTERDAY IS THE LORD JESUS PRINCE.
HONOR AND GLORY BE TO LORD JESUS. AMEN.
THE OLD MAN: RUSSO DO PANDEIRO
THE NEW MAN: RAIMUNDO DOS ANJOS SILVA. AMEN