Testimony

 My name is Evelyn Pennington. I am the fourth child of Earnest P. and Esmer Alice Hardin. I have five brothers and five sisters: Faye, Dewell, Donald, James, Dolores, Charles, Sue, Mary, Carl, and Sybil, who went to live with God when she was only a few months old.

My depression in life started when I was a child. I can not remember any time in life that I was not nervous and unstable. I never seemed to do anything right and everyday I was told how wrong I was. I was never going to think there was anything good about me...that was the law of my homelife... "No Good Skippy". (which was my nickname).

By the time school started, I knew I could not learn anything, so I didn't. As a person thinketh, so are they. And the thoughts I had were that I knew I was no good. In school I was no good, at home I was no good to my entire generation. I became the one that was really set for trouble and trouble I had.

I was in constant remorse and regret due to my own instabilities and lies. Therefore, I became a vessel and heart filled with hate of just facing the day. I hated to wake up and when I did get up, I was always unhappy. I was a good actress, I danced and played with others and they they seemed peace filled and well. I enjoyed them although I knew I was playing out of nervous, hyper energy and I was always filled with torment.

As I grew into a teenager, I left home with my older sister and we worked on aircraft in the civil service at San Bernardino Air Base in California. Those years helped a little, but the demons of fear and torment never left.

I met and married the best looking and finest young man in Kannapolis NC. We really were happy with each other. I thought all our problems were his fault, so he had to fight my demons, which were by this time possessing my whole being: body, mind, soul, and spirit.

I could hardly get up in the mornings, the fear of death had consumed me. I would have killed myself if I had not had so much fear, fear of dying and fear of living. After many years of trying to help me and maintaining himself, my husband broke. I came home one evening from beauty school and he had taken his own life in suicide. The shock stayed with me for the next twenty years during which time I proved everyone right, I was no good.

I became a drug addict trying to live and sleep. I did not sleep a night for twenty years without the help of drugs or drink. Needless to say, my days were just as much Hell as my nights. My family did not understand me nor did they try. All of their prophecies of my "no goodness" had come to pass. They enjoyed my downfall and hated me for my weakness. The Lord said, Let the strong help the weak without all the gossip, fueding, fighting and fussing.

I was in the wilderness with the other lost souls who seemed to have the same feelings about themselves. I heard about God all of my life. All of my family were preachers, church-goers, and church workers, but I never saw any love among them. Thirty years later as I write this, I see some of them trying to say "I love you"...too little, too late for me to believe it... but I will receive it that they too can learn to love. Not me, but God. For if you know God, you can know me, for my Father and I are one. In Him I live, move and have my being. For to love me is to love Him, for He completely translated me into Him.

Going from one desert island to another, I finally asked my mother to let me come home. With reservation, she said yes. I took a cab home and she paid for it, thank God. That night in the backroom on my mother's bed, I made up my mind, if there was a God, I had to find Him. Not the flesh boasting, forever talking about and forever learning and never coming into the knowledge of God.

Until this day, I do not see repentance, forgiveness or overcoming in many people. If you are reading this and your mind, soul and body are in Hell, forgive your enemies, repent of your sins, overcome evil with good. Pray for those who have hurt or wounded you, out of ignorance, greed, or self righteousness. Do not hold these people in your mind or heart. Let them go and present them to God. "Revenge is Mine" sayeth the Lord. Let God have your burdens.

Some people say to me, how could you just leave your Mom and Dad, brothers and sisters and never look back. They were my burdens, I had to pray them all out of my heart. I didn't do it with hate nor bitterness. The rejection from them was part of my sickness and burden. So I gave my burdens to the Lord and stayed close to Him in the Word and Spirit and He filled the emptyness of them with His Divine Love. Where I once loved (and wanted love to be received by them) is now filled with a greater love and hunger for more of God's grace. wisdom and understanding.

The Lord has chosen me. I had a mission on this earth and an assignment from God. So I had to walk where I walked. My past is the best part of me, it has not filled my heart with bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy or hate. God has restored me. He has worked a work in me and shown me how to forgive and overcome in God. He taught me by the Holy Ghost how to pray. One by one, He took all of my enemies and He taught me how to love them in His Spirit and He set me free. Praise God!

On July 23, 1973, I was standing on a corner in Concord, NC asking for bread, while sick, lonely, lost, and hopeless. Living all around me were all these so called Godly people. They never said a prayer for me or offered to help in any manner. I was hungry and in need of everything, God had truly allowed me to be stripped of home, land, cars, people, pride, integrity, children and family. I was in such a state of mind. I could feel my bones shaking in my body. I could not live like this any longer. I weighed around ninety pounds and was dying.

I began to scream. I screamed and screamed. The drink was gone. I was in church. Every door was opened. I read my bible day and night, but I was still tormented, possessed with demon depression. I could endure this no longer. God will not put on us any more than we can handle. I screamed and I heard myself say "try me, try me, but I can not go back to Hell". All of a sudden I felt unseen hands come into me putting every nerve in my body back together. It felt like scissors had cut a band from my head, my mind expanded and felt wonderful. A praise of thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, came into me and it has never left me.

After this miraculous healing experience, I went to work one night about 3 pm and God spoke to me and said "You will feed bread to the poor during the famine". Go ye into all the world....I am the Bread of Life. The Spirit of the Lord then spoke to me to start a prayer meeting. From there the Mission of Hope was birthed. If you want more information, read my book, 'To The Lights Of Heaven, From The Flames Of Hell". My prayer meeting began to expand on radio for a while. Then He told me to move to Charlotte, NC where He has established me in a TV program and through His Love and Grace I have been expanding into many other states.

The love of God has no ending and He has filled my life with peace, righteousness, grace, and love. My life is full of people who love God and Christ Jesus, our Lord. I am like Paul, I am free but a true prisoner of Jesus Christ. If you feel outcast and lonely, go to God in prayer, He will hear you. After a little suffering, He will strengthen you and settle you.

With all the trails and hard conditions, I know He will sustain me and keep me in perfect peace. I love Him. You learn to love Him also. There's nothing you have ever done that He won't forgive you for. While I was yet in my sins, Christ died for me. He loves you.

Write me for tapes of our services. I am also available to speak, call me at (704) 556-0804.

Because He Lives,

Evelyn Pennington