TESTIMONY OF FAITH
FROM LOST TO FOUND!
The Testimony of Julie Chavoya - PART ONE (Editor’s Note: In the previous installments in the past two Newsvines, we focused on Gabriel Chavoya’s testimony of God’s miraculous deliverance from his involvement with street gangs in the Bay Area, and how he experienced a spectacular conversion into the Apostolic faith. Now we will focus on the testimony of his wife Julie and her deliverance from a worldly upbringing and what it took to pull her out of the darkness of a sinner’s life into the glorious light of salvation. At times Julie is frank in her telling of the faults and sins she, as a nonbeliever, had to endure, but her conversion into Truth is a testimony for the glory of our merciful Lord Jesus Christ. Read and be inspired!)
“The following is my testimony. It deals with the time I lived in sin before all was put under the blood when I found salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. You will find it is a life of mental and verbal abuse with sad choices I made falling into relationships that many readers might identify within similar situations. I am so glad I allowed our Lord to finally take control when I surrendered to His calling into a life of blessedness.” - JULIE CHAVOYA, September 9, 2020
to be a nun. Maria’s parents could not imagine not having grandchildren, so they immigrated to California and built a life in Fremont. Maria’s parents did not really favor the idea of their only daughter marrying Richerd, an American man who was not Catholic but a Presbyterian. Both 19, Maria and Richerd met and were married. If her grandparents had their choice, Julie’s mom would have married a Portuguese. Julie’s grandfather was a very hard working, frugal man who paid cash for everything. He was very good at saving money, had quite a good stash in the bank at all times, and often bailed Julie’s parents out of their financial problems. Her grandparents’ plans were to now go back to Portugal and come to visit a couple of times a year. Maria and
UNSETTLED BEGINNINGS
J
ulie Chavoya was born in Fremont, California in 1977 and grew up in the Hayward/Fremont area. Her parents, Maria and Richerd (no spelling error), sold their home in Hayward, and the family moved to Fremont the summer before Julie’s 8th grade year and her younger sister Neaomy’s 6th grade year. Maria’s parents also sold their home in Fremont and the profits of both homes were put towards the purchase of a four bedroom, three bath home with a swimming pool, as Maria’s parents, devout Catholics, had plans to move back to the homeland of Castel Blanco to retire in Fiãl, Azores, Portugal. They had moved to America when Maria was eight years old because she had dreams to be a nurse, but in the Azores, to be a nurse in those days meant 14 SUMMER NEWSVINE 2020 •
Maria and Richerd pose with their young daughters, Julie and Neaomy. Julie is seated on the right.
