“One day, while listening to satanic music,
I carved ‘666’ into my knuckles
deep enough to leave scars.”
Even though Vincent grew up in a Christian household, he never had a relationship with Christ. He simply wasn't interested in knowing Jesus at the time. When he turned 18, he joined the military and was swept away with the world. He remembers always having his headphones on, listening to satanic music with lyrics that blasphemed Christ. In fact, his fall into darkness was so deep that, one day, while listening to this music, “I decided to carve ‘666’ into my knuckles on my left hand—on the index, middle, and ring fingers. I cut deep enough to make sure the scars stayed on my fingers.”
Britny was raised by her Baptist mother and Catholic father, which deeply confused her spiritually. She says, “I went back and forth between the two, very confused as to which would work best for me. Yet I still remember as a seven-year-old sitting on our front porch singing to God and talking with Jesus. I felt such love for my heavenly Father at a young age.” Her simple faith in some ways filled a void left by a father who was often absent and never had time for her. But around the age of 14, Britny started hanging around a crowd that was into drugs, partying, and alcohol. She got caught up in all of the excitement, but was soon addicted to prescription pills. “It helped me feel numb,” she says. “That’s all I really wanted.”
As Britny moved through her teenage years, her parents lost all influence over her and she fell deeper and deeper into drugs. She explains, “After one night of heavy partying, I was pulled over and ticketed for thousands of dollars. I was ashamed. I knew my life needed to change. I was 17 and dropped out of high school, got my GED, and started attending college.”
Sometime later, Vincent met Britny. When they first met, she saw the scars on his knuckles and was deeply disturbed. Still, the couple fell in love and began a relationship. Soon, however, Britney was pregnant and scared. Vincent, only 19, received an honorable discharge from the Navy and the couple moved in with her parents and got married.
Their rocky relationship was already challenging, and it didn’t seem like it could get much worse until their daughter was born with jaundice. Then, about a month later, their little girl broke out in blisters and the family rushed to the emergency room. They ended up being in the hospital with her for six weeks. As frightening as a place it was for them to be, God would reach the both of them with a powerful message of hope.
Says Vincent, “While at the hospital, we shared a room with another patient. One day a chaplain came to visit our neighbor. While he was there, my wife leaned over and whispered to me, ‘We should talk with him.’ I quickly replied, ‘No way!’ I wanted nothing to do with him or with God. Yet even though I felt this way, the Lord was longing for me. Well, my wife ignored my response and stepped over to ask the chaplain to come talk with us.”
Britny reveals, “I wanted so badly to connect with Jesus. I heard the chaplain come and speak to the people next to us and something told me that this was my chance. Vincent told me not to talk to him, but I ignored him and went over and asked him to come over. When he did, I asked him, ‘Why is my baby sick? Why did God let this happen?’ He assured me that God didn’t want to see her or me suffer.”
Then the chaplain gave them the Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides and the Cosmic Conflict DVD. As they watched the DVD, it opened their eyes. It was perfect timing for a couple who were experiencing so much stress and were on the verge of breaking up every day. After seeing how evil in this world really began and God’s plan to restore His creation, Britny knew that she no longer wanted to live without God.
Miracle of Healing
They also began the Bible studies right in the hospital. The lessons both surprised and delighted them, as they revealed truths the couple had never even heard about God’s Word. The impact was nearly instant as the Lord had been preparing their hearts for this moment.
But no one expected the miracle that God was about to work! Vincent explains, “We completed the series, and, a few months later, we were both baptized. Not long afterwards I had an experience that taught me the depth of God’s forgiveness. It was my wife who first noticed that the scars on my fingers were completely gone! The Lord healed my hand from a terrible thing I did against Him. God knew of my struggle to feel forgive
n and removed these marks. I felt like the paralytic who was both physically healed and also told, ‘Your sins are forgiven!’ ”
The couple has since completely turned their lives over to Christ. Explains Britny, “Amazing Facts played a huge role! After we were baptized at Lake Saguaro, we were married the following day. Now the only addiction I have is Christ. I don’t think my eyes could have been truly opened to the Word of God or made much sense without Pastor Doug. He became a role model I needed and comforted me like I always hoped for. Through Christ, Amazing Facts has taught us so much. We now have two healthy, beautiful daughters and we have been married almost three years!”
Today, the two rejoice at the opportunity to share their story so that they may glorify God and His grace. “Thank you, Amazing Facts, for being there for people like me and allowing God to use your ministry to help others!”