I have to say, that the lord has been with me all of my life (I may have forgotten it now and then).

I was born in the Mojave Desert, Ca. near Boron. My father worked for the Borax Mines, and my mother is a Paiute Indian. I was born at home in a Rock House (that is what we have always referred to it as). We were not close enough to the hospital when I decided to arrive so my dad delivered me. We (siblings and I) weren't brought up with religion, and my father became very disillusioned with the catholic church after my sister was baptized.

But I can remember being "in touch", which is the only way I know of saying it, with my Lord since I was about 8. We had a difficult life growing up...parents divorced, mom leaving, dad remarrying very young women twice, etc. I didn't get into trouble with the police or anything, but I was a runaway for long periods at a stretch, and lived the life of a runaway, surviving on the streets of New York, which we had moved to when my parents broke up. The Lord took care of me then too. But that is not my story!

In 1994, after many years of stomach and lung problems, I was in a state of absolute stomach cramps. It was a Friday night, and I refused to go to the hospital. I had gone so many times before, and they would always tell me I was constipated or I had IBS. Well I waited till monday and my husband literally carried me into my doctors office. Needless to say I was immediately put into the hospital. After all the testing, the doctors still couldn't put their finger on what was wrong. The Gastric doctor called in an OB/GYN figuring it was "woman's problems" The OB/GYN took one test (which had already been done the previous day) a sonogram, and had them get a surgeon immediately. I had a large bulge on my colon. Before they could operate, my colon perforated.

They had to remove my entire colon, some of my small intestine and my rectum. I had peritonitis and was on life support. They called in my family and told them to gather everyone to say goodbye, I wouldn't make it thru the night. (of course I don't remember any of this). I made it thru the night and the next, and I remember bits and pieces of the time, family visiting, doctors poking etc, but for the most part, I was out of it.

Then I had a dream . . . .I was spiraling down a vortex or something, and I was seeing scenes. Some I recognized and some I didn't. I got about half way down and it ended (or I woke up). Later, I don't know if it was the same day or even week, but the dream started again, and I thought, ok, I know this one, but it didn't end where it did the last time, it kept taking me further down, and I'm getting scared. I remember yelling " I want to get off" but I kept going down, faster and faster.

When I neared the bottom, I saw 3 demons below. These were not the red face with horns or anything I had ever seen before, and I have only seen a picture of once since. But these demons were waiting for me, and I was scared, scared out of my mind. The only thing I could think of was someone once told me, or I had seen in a movie, I don't know, but, call for Jehovah, and that is what I did; I called for him, I asked him to please help me, and he did, as soon as I called him, the demons disappeared.

When I finally woke up in the ICU, I had been there 3 weeks already. I told the nurse about my dream and she said it was probably ICU psychosis. Well, thank God, I did recover and went home, but the memory haunted me. I felt that the demons were there to take me to hell, but I KNOW I don't belong there. What was wrong, I ended up going to a therapist because it was so bad. Then I spoke to a friend about it, who told me it had nothing to do with going to hell, but more like the devil takes anyone he can grab in a time of weakness, and my calling the Lord defeated him.

I don't know if this answer is correct, but it helped me get on with my life. I do know that the incident has brought me closer to my lord, I also know that I am living on borrowed time for a reason. I haven't found the reason yet, other than by being there for others who need a little spiritual lift in times of pain and hardship.

That is my story, I am not very good at telling it or even telling it all, there is so much more. But since that time, the Lord is a permanent resident in me. He speaks to me thru sites like this at times.

Thank you for providing me this opportunity to share the Glory of God.

Maria Perez-Roman
mariaakatiffy@aol.com