Rene's Personal Testimony
I was born and raised in Mississippi by my mother Mary Prince and
step-father Richard Prince. Both of my parents were educators. My father,
James Brown was also an educator and Mayor of Lake Providence, Louisiana.
My Christian parents were loving, generous givers, helpers, kind and raised
me to be the same way to people of all cultures and backgrounds. As a child
living in the south, I saw and experienced racism. My most difficult  experience
was my Junior year in high school. A law was passed to integrated the school
system.  I was sent from Amanda Elzy High School to Leflore County High
School. My first class was English. The instructors first statement in class was  
"Everything black is evil and everything white is good. That is why I shave the
black hairs off my white legs." That taught me that everyone would not accept
me, treat me fair or with respect.

After graduating from Leflore High, I attended Jackson State University and
Millsaps College majoring in Elementary Education. I later moved to Dallas,
Texas attended Dallas Fashion Merchandising College. I worked and modeled
for Neiman Marcus. While there I met a man that my mother told me not to
marry. Guess what..... I married him anyway. After two years of marriage I
realized my mother was right. He was physically and mentally abusive even
when I was pregnant. I never knew when my next beating would come or end.

I tell ladies now if the Lord gives a believer a word for you and you trust that
person because you know they love you and have your best interest at heart,
"Listen To Them". After a near death experience, I left him. Life became
peaceful and the Lord delivered me from a spirit of fear. I later moved to
Atlanta, Georgia.

I continued my retail and modeling career while in Atlanta. While there, I met
an gentleman from Modesto, California who was in Atlanta for a conference.
He was very nice and we enjoyed each others company the few days he was in
Atlanta. We continued to communicate after he left Georgia. Eight months
later, I was offered a job in Los Angeles. I had several college classmates who
lived in Los Angeles and decided to move. My friend and I stated dating. He
would come to Los Angeles on the weekends to visit.  One year later he
proposed. During this time I was not serving the Lord or attending church. I
was lonely and wanted to get married. Because I was not serving the Lord, I
did not ask the Lord if I should get married. I accepted the proposal and moved
to Modesto, California.

My husband was very kind and loving. We had our first child 2 years later
along with my son from my previous marriage. We also accepted another
young man into our family as our son. Life was great. Please know when I
share what I experienced in my marriage, it does not mean that my husband
was a bad or abusive person. In fact, he was very nice. Richard was loved by
all who knew him. People knew  "The Councilman and the College
Administrator".  However, I knew Richard. We must always remember there
are no perfect people on earth. Everyone has some issue they deal with and
seek to overcome. The Lord sent Jesus to us as an example of how we should
live on earth. Our belief in Christ is our only saving grace in this present world.
Remember, people may like you, but they don't always have your best interest
in mind.

The following year we had another son. I thank the Lord for my sons and love
them very much. Life was good. My husband had been a former Modesto
School Board member. He later ran for office as a Modesto City Councilman.
He was elected. He was and excellent City Councilman and respected. He
served on many local, state and national committees and boards. He worked at
California State University, Stanislaus for twenty six years.

My husband was not a Christian believer. When I moved to Modesto, I  
rededicated my life to the Lord and began serving Him daily and raising my
sons to do the same. I learned how to hear and respond to the voice of the Holy
Spirit. I also learned the word of God. I thank God for Pastor Jesse and Ethel
Stovall for teaching me the Word of God and how to teach scripture to others.
Knowing scripture and how to apply them to your life and the situations that
arise in your life, will help you stand during hard times. Life was good and our
sons were very enjoyable.

One night the Lord woke me up about 2am. My sons were asleep and my
husband had gone to the Bay Area for a over night meeting..........or so I was
told. The Lord told me something strange. He said, "Get up and go the to this
address and tell your husband that it's time to come home. I didn't understand
because my husband was in the Bay Area. The Lord repeated what He said
again, I had the same thought....my husbands not in Modesto. The third time it
was so strong that I got up. My children were asleep so I didn't wake them. My
mother was visiting from Mississippi, so the kids had an adult with them. I went
to the address the Lord told me and found my husband with another woman. I
went to the door, knocked, she open the door and there he was in an
uncompromising position. I realized that what others had told me about him was
true. He had been previously married, and was caught by his former wife with
another woman in there home bedroom. I told my husband that "the Lord said
it's time for you to come home". He didn't argue. He got up, put his clothes on
and came home. I never questioned him about his actions because the Lord
didn't tell to question him. He just told me to tell him to come home.
Remember, when the Lord tells you to do something, do exactly what He says.
Don't add or take away from His instructions.

Well several months went by and my husband told me he was leaving me. He
said, he married me only because I was African American and he needed to be
married to a black women to run for city council. He said he didn't love me and
never loved me. WOW...........What a surprise. He had also decided he was not
going to run for re-election to the council. Needless to say, I was so upset. I
went to talk with my Pastors and his wife. They helped me survive that
moment. This happen on a Friday. The following Sunday the boys and I went to
church as we always had done weekly. After service, we went home. I found my
husband in the bed. He told me he was sick. His speech was slurred and I knew
he had suffered a stroke. He didn't want me to call and ambulance so the boys
wouldn't be afraid or upset. He got up very slowly and walked to the van. I
rushed him to emergency and after a simple exam, they said he had suffered a
minor stroke. I stayed in the hospital with him every night.

Thankfully, my mother was visiting so I had her to care for my sons. By
Thursday, he was doing great. The doctor said he could go home on Friday.
Friday morning he got up and went to the restroom without assistance. When
he came out of the restroom, he look at me and it was strange. I knew at that
moment something was about to happen. The look he had in his eyes were not
his. I felt something strange in my spirit. I didn't want anything to happen to
him because he had not accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. When I
saw that spirit on him, I knew he was going to suffer another stroke. I told him
to lay back down. The nurses station was two doors away. I asked her to please
come because I thought my husband was about to have another stroke. I had
become a student of the Word of God and the gifts He gives us I could
recognize things of God and things not of God. One of those gifts is to discern  
evil spirits.

The nurse came immediately and called for other nurses and the doctor. The
stroke he had was massive. It was so strong we could not hold him down of the
bed. This really frighten me. This stroke placed him in a coma. The doctors
said he would never come out of the coma and I should pull the plug. I said no
because I knew he had not dedicated his life to the Lord.

Three months and three hospitals later, he came out of the coma. Two months
later he gave his life to the Lord. I then had peace. In Corinthians it states that
if the unbelieving husband is pleased to dwell with the believing wife, that she
should remain.....so I did.

The hard part was knowing he didn't love me and having to take complete care
of him after the stroke. If you have seen the "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"
by Tyler Perry, you saw apart my life.  Eventually, I was able to bring him
home to care for him with the help of my cousins James and Ruthie Walker.
While my husband was in Kentfield Rehabilitation Care facility, the Lord
allows me to lead him to the Lord along with my girlfriend Carolyn DuPree who
is also a Minister of the Gospel. When he came home, I took him to church
with us. He was later baptised by Pastor Stovall at Modesto Christian Center.

Well, time passed and he was getting better. One day a family member slipped
my husbands girlfriend into my home. That was the straw that broke the camels
back. I told him if he wanted to be with her, go to a facility. He shook his head
saying yes to the facility.  I found a facility the following week and he moved.
He never came home again. Years passed and he died.

I am thankful that the Lord has given me a gift to recognize Satan's evil
schemes. Remember, Satan will use "whatever" and "whoever" he can to
attack the Lords children. Gandhi said it like this: 1st People will laugh at you,
2nd they will ignore you, 3rd they will attack you, but them you Win. Usually,
those you least expect are those who will sometimes seek to harm you. Your
family and friends can hurt you the most because we usually don't keep our
armour on around them. Keep your Armour on at all times. The Bible never
tells us to take it off for any reason. The Lord has restored my joy. My life is
dedicated to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I have retired after working 30
years. I am currently the Associate Pastor of  New Beginnings Worship Center
in Modesto, California. I love the Lord for His saving and restoring power. I
have dedicated my life to helping others in need. This joy that I have, the world
didn't give it to me. I refuse to let the things of the world distract me from
serving my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Don't get me wrong. I am not
perfect. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within me, I recognize when I have
done wrong and repent. Thank God for the gift of repentance and His divine
mercy and grace. Jesus is why I live! Without Christ, life for me would be
fruitless.