Testimony of Faith Deisy Alvarez

(Editor’s Note: Meeting Deisy Alvarez for the first time, you will be impressed by her innocence and sweet demeanor. As she speaks, her face glows with the joy and thankfulness that only a life fully surrendered to God can produce. One is taken aback, however, by her testimony, a story of how she was delivered from a life of drugs, alcohol, and gangs, surely bound for prison or death.)

Deisy Alvarez

A Troubled Home

Deisy was born in Modesto, California, to Emma and Alberto Alvarez. She was the only girl, the third born of four siblings. Her parents worked hard: her father in agriculture, driving tractor for a nut company; her mother, employed at the same nut company and seasonally at Del Monte cannery. Although her mother tried her best, she was unable to shield her children from a troubled home.

“I had a very hard childhood because there was alcohol in our family, and it grieved me that we were not like other homes,” she said. There was a lot of family drama, and sometimes the neighbors would overhear the heated arguments emanating from their home. “It scared me,” she said, “when I saw my loved ones using drugs.” She was troubled by the physical abuse in her family.

Deisy learned at an early age to deal with her troubles by turning to prayer. “My mother taught me to pray to the Virgin Mary,’’ remembers Deisy. Although she saw God as one God, she did not pray or praise Him. Instead she prayed to Mary as she was taught not to have direct access to God. Raised as a good Catholic, she learned all her catechism, but did not go to confession on a regular basis. When she got older, she rebelled. “I knew God was there,” she said, “but I lived life very lightly. I only went to church for special services like Christmas and Easter.” Soon Deisy would find herself being pulled into the life of a “chola”.

A Troubled Youth

By the time Deisy was a freshman at Downey High School, she started smoking marijuana, paid for by her part-time cashiering job. She also was drinking beer and even whiskey. The weekends were filled with partying. When her brothers joined a gang, she was drawn in as well. She admits she looked the part of a home girl or “chola”: Converse shoes, black clothing, heavy make-up, lots of gold jewelry and gelled hair. Deisy was tough and did not hesitate to fight when she sensed she was being disrespected by a member of a rival gang. In fact, she was kicked out of Downey for fighting and had to attend Elliott Continuation School. Even there, she was expelled as she was a discipline problem and had to earn her high school diploma through independent study. Her frightened mother would warn her again and again, “Mija, you must change your life or you will end up dead or in prison.” At that time she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl she named after her mother. Her mother’s words woke her up and encouraged her to go to college to make something of her life for the sake of her daughter.

Deisy enrolled in San Joaquin College in Salida to train to become a pharmacy technician. She enjoyed the field as she was very good at math. Although she was still partying on the weekends and was involved in the gang, she was very careful not to commit any crimes. She knew if she were to be arrested, all her training would be for nothing, as a criminal record would prohibit her from becoming a pharmacy tech. She did not know it then, but God was about to step into her life.

On the invitation of Mercy, one of her friends, she visited Revival Center a few times when she was 19, but it was so different from the way she was raised. These Apostolic Pentecostals taught not to pray to Mary or the saints. “I would cry in the service because I felt something, but I didn’t come back for months at a time,” she said. Things became serious for Deisy when Mercy’s daughter, Madeline, became demon possessed. Deisy realized the supernatural was real. There was a real devil, so there must be a real God.

A Life Possessed

Madeline was just a little younger than Deisy, and they were very close, so it was very frightening when this horrible event happened. A man who was involved with gangs recently had been killed. Some members of the gang wanted his spirit to go into Madeline, so

they decided to use her as a medium. They lured her to the graveyard, and while they conjured up his spirit through the use of a Ouija board over his grave, an evil spirit entered her body. The first time Deisy encountered Madeline after this happened, she froze with fear as she entered her room. “I felt darkness, fear,” she said. “I was frozen.” Horrified, she witnessed Madeline crawling around the room, grinding her teeth and cursing. These episodes went on for two months! In fact, she would have attacks about 75% of the day. Eventually, she tried to kill herself by tying a belt around her neck. In her confused state, Madeline insisted she died on the cross for the gang member who had died. Desperate, her mother would bring her to church. She prayed and fasted fervently for her daughter to be delivered.

Deisy’s 21st birthday was nearing, and Madeline still had not been delivered from this evil spirit that had been tormenting her day and night. Deisy remembers praying one night. During that prayer she told God that the best gift He could give her on her 21st birthday would be to completely deliver her friend. That night, Deisy went to a club with her friends. “All I could see around me,” she remembers, “were demons and evilness. I never noticed them before.” The powers of darkness were soon to be conquered by the King.

A Life Delivered

Madeline’s mother called on Deisy’s birthday. Excitement was in her voice. “You need to come see Madeline,” she cried. “It looks like she is healed!” When Deisy walked into the room, she immediately noticed a profound difference in her friend. On previous visits Madeline’s eyes had been black orbs and evil, but now they were light brown in color. That day, when Madeline had awakened, the spirit had finally left her. When questioned, Madeline could not remember most of what had happened to her during those long tortuous two months of possession. That night Madeline’s mom brought her to church and Deisy went with them. Madeline got baptized and Deisy watched with joy in her heart as her friend worshipped at the altar. Several people came up to Deisy and asked her if she wanted to be baptized as well. “God will forgive you of all your sins,” they told her. Without hesitation, Deisy agreed, anxious for God’s forgiveness. But she did not receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost right away. God wanted her to forgive.

Emma rejoices with her parents, Emma and Alberto Alvarez, after her father is baptized in Jesus' name.

Sister Deisy hugs her daughter Emma.

After three months of not receiving the Holy Ghost, Deisy asked herself what was wrong with herself. That

is when she realized she needed to forgive her father. She had not spoken to him in a long time. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. “Dad,” she said with tears in her eyes, “I forgive you for everything you did to us.” As soon as she hung up the phone, she felt a powerful presence in her room. “God, I have been waiting for this for three months, and I am ready now,” she prayed. She lifted up her hands and started praying, and God miraculously filled her with His spirit and she began speaking in other tongues. “It was powerful,” she said. “I spoke in tongues for hours.” She was given a Bible study by Brother Antonio Gutierrez about the futility of idols, referring to Deuteronomy, Chapter 4. That helped her understand that she had been in error in praying to Mary. She carefully compared her Catholic bible to the King James version and realized she had been taught false doctrine. She immediately stopped praying to Mary and turned her eyes to Jesus, the author and finisher of her faith.

A Life Victorious

Ever since that day Deisy has surrendered her life to God. Deisy is active in the church’s Spanish ministry with Brother Antonio and Sister Gloria Gutierrez and is faithful in outreach with Brother Leonard Alvarez.

Deisy and her daughter Emma God is also doing a miraculous work in the lives of her family. Both her father and her brother Alberto have been baptized, and her mother has been coming to church and almost received the Holy Ghost. With great conviction Deisy says, “I really believe there is a living God, and I’ve allowed Him to completely transform my life!”

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