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	Testimony Of Jeanne Lamica I came from a very solid Catholic background, including a priest in my family. However, ever since age 12 or 13 my mind said none of what I’ve been learning makes any sense. In fact, it seemed worthless. Now, I believed in God. There was no doubt in my mind of His existence. And so, one Saturday evening as I walked out of the church early before mass ended, I turned around and looked up to the heavens and to the church building. I said, God, when I come back here next week for mass, if I don’t understand anything I’m never coming back here again. I will just lie to my parents and go somewhere else for a while. (Fortunately, our family did not go to church together. We had four mass options to choose from and we were allowed to go to the one we wanted). So the following week I went with my promise in my heart. When it came time for the scriptures to be read, WOW! The words came alive. There was something there! And I listened intently and when mass was over, I couldn’t wait for the next mass. In fact, I started going to mass daily just so I could hear the word. This was the beginning of my walk with Jesus. Unfortunately, all of my learning was not from the proper authority and was seriously misled. I used God as a child uses a toy. I only went to Him when I was in trouble, confused, lonely, mad, sad and I always thanked Him for getting me through my problems, which He always did. I played with God using my rules. I shaped Him into the kind of God I wanted and needed. I believed if I read my bible daily first thing in the morning it was my free card to go and do as I pleased because after all I’m only human and God knows I’m not perfect and He will forgive me. I did this for all of my teen years. I figured I was doing OK because everybody led me to believe that I was the "good girl." People would say it to me all the time. And every time I heard it, way down deep in my heart I felt so disgusted by that so-called compliment but unfortunately I never knew why. And so my mind told me, if that’s what they’re saying about you, then you must be doing something right. Man! Old Slewfoot himself, had me right where he wanted me and I didn’t have a clue. According to Matthew 19:16-17 only one is good and that is God. Jesus said so. Look it up for yourself. Now I had read this same scripture as a teenager probably several times and my stupid response to it was, well that can’t be right because there’s so many good people out here in this world. REALLY? You know I went to confession one time for forgiveness of playing touchy, feely with a guy. The priest asked me, did you have intercourse. I said no, of course not. He then said, well, you’re alright then. You didn’t sin. You were just doing what any normal curious teenager would do. If you choose to engage in that activity pray that you are in control and that the two of you do not engage in intercourse. Cool! I thought. I can kiss, touch, squeeze, with my date and he can do the same with me just so long as we don’t have sex. That’s pretty easy. I have no problem staying a virgin until I’m married. Time moves on and I went to a catholic college and I took this course called "Christian Faith in the Modern World" (If I had the proper teaching I would have known that faith is the same as the days of Abraham, Noah, Moses, etc as it should be today but no, what was being preached to me and millions of others was that you change your faith according to the times. WRONG! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! And so you can just imagine what I learned next. We’re in college now and we’re adults who can now make responsible decisions. So if you really and truly love that man or woman and it’s expected you’ll be married, God won’t mind if you happen to have sex. After all you’re going to be married right? But you can’t have sex with just anyone or you’ll be known as a slut or a fornicator. You see Old Slewfoot had me right where he wanted me; hook, line and sinker! Fornication is fornication whether you do it the night before you’re married, if you do it with the one you truly love and intend to marry, or if you do it with somebody different every night. It’s all fornication! Read I Corinthians 6:9-12. It took me about a year to accept this "new teaching" because my goal was to remain a virgin ‘till marriage. But I was easily deceived. I became pregnant and that woke me up. I had not been reading the bible much lately and then I found the scripture about fornication. Fortunately, it was good that I became pregnant because I was on my way to another catholic college run by the Jesuits to study theology. If I had attended that school I probably wouldn’t be writing this testimony today. I gave the child up for adoption because abortion was NOT an option and I did not want to raise a child without a father--yes the father whom I had expected to marry. Afterwards depression sunk in and guilt. I felt forsaken by God and went on the path of drugs, drunkenness and self-pity. There was one catholic priest who gave me the best advice. He told me to get out from my hometown and make something of myself. I did and was asked to move to Vermont and be a nanny for the favorite children that I occasionally babysat. I attended the catholic church there and was not impressed with the priest. I engaged in several conversations with one of the property maintenance guys where we lived who happened to be a very serious Christian. I finally accepted his invitation to attend their services. It was great! So I continued going because I was finally receiving spiritual nourishment. I lasted there about nine months. One day something told me to get out and stay out for good. It was very strange because I had devoted so much time and energy into it. I knew my mother had been praying for me to get out so I figured that she got her prayer answered. She had sent me an article about cults and how they especially tried to suck in fallen away Catholics. The article made me look at the whole picture of this ministry I was involved in and I saw some of their weaknesses. But I still believed it was better than returning to the catholic church. So I stayed until one day something just told me to get out. It was a very horrible feeling but deep down I knew I was to leave. Not knowing where else to go, I returned to the same catholic church and a different priest had been assigned. I resumed attendance there and introduced myself to the priest who was easy to talk to. I told him much of my past and volunteered to help him out with the youth ministry. I was hoping to help teenage girls avoid sexual contact, pregnancy and if they did get pregnant use my example of adoption instead of abortion or keeping the baby. This was the self-righteous work of Jeanne and not of God. If I had only known God’s word back then I could have exhorted them to stand strong in the faith, conforming themselves to the Lord’s word and trust Him to strengthen them in the face peer and other pressures that sought to drag them down. As time passed I got married, had a child, moved around a lot, had many different jobs, saw some of the big wide world, had another child, committed adultery, and finally divorced. DIVORCE! How I hated the very thought of being divorced. However, it was the best thing that happened to me because fortunately my lawyer happened to be a minister of God with The Fishermen Ministry. As I was blurting out my problem on my initial phone call to this attorney/minister, by the name of Steve Atherton, he cut in and with such an authoritative voice firmly said, "Stop worrying. It’s a sin." Immediately my spirit, which felt like it was in the bottom of a well, soared to the top of the well and my whole being was strengthened and my hope restored. At that moment the Holy Spirit revealed to me that somehow through this lawyer I was going to find the truth of Jesus that my soul had been searching for. Prior to my divorce I kept going to the Catholic church, trying out different ones, but still something was missing. The priests kept preaching if you sin, just go to confession and God forgives you. Well, that’s all fine and wonderful but what about learning how to put off the old man and put on the new, living free from the law of sin and death, being perfect like God is perfect and putting on the mind of Christ. Sure those scriptures were mentioned but they didn’t have a clue as to how to go about it. In fact they made it seem impossible. But what they didn’t preach was that if you’re walking with God, all things are possible through HIM! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Blessed Virgin is not the way, praying the rosary is not the way, praying 9-day novenas is not the way, praying to St. Michael or some other person who was canonized a saint is not the way. In fact these are all counterfeits of the devil. Everyone of these things takes you away from God’s word. The Word of God is ALL YOU NEED! It gives you simple step by step commands for being CHRIST LIKE! It’s your one stop shopping manual for everything you need to know: how to pray, how to walk with Jesus and be like Him, how to believe, how to have faith, how to obey, how to be a wife, how to be a husband, how to be a boss, how to be an employee, how to forgive, how to ask for God’s grace when you screwed up, etc. etc. If you got a problem or a question you can find the answer in God’s Word! But hold it! Here’s the challenge! If you’re going to live by God’s Word, you’d better make sure you have the right Word! When I first entered The Fishermen Ministry that was one of the first things they asked me about. Let’s see your bible. They told me I had a watered down version of the Word. I was insulted. That bible was with me since I was 14. My response was what does it matter what bible you use. I was advised to borrow a King James Bible and read the whole book of Matthew. So I did and the Lord opened my eyes to the difference. I went back and forth from my bible to the King James comparing scriptures. My bible was missing KEY words and WHOLE sentences! Finally after all these years I found what I had been searching for (and had actually given up ever finding the truth but God is faithful). I am at peace now. I found what was missing in all the other churches I had attended. The thing that was missing is God’s Word WAS NOT being preached with authority in Jesus Christ and in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power. I am so grateful that God has chosen me, therefore I want to walk in His ways. Thank you Jesus for giving me Your Truth.
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Testimony Of Jeanne Lamica

I came from a very solid Catholic background, including a priest in my family. However, ever since age 12 or 13 my mind said none of what I’ve been learning makes any sense. In fact, it seemed worthless. Now, I believed in God. There was no doubt in my mind of His existence. And so, one Saturday evening as I walked out of the church early before mass ended, I turned around and looked up to the heavens and to the church building. I said, God, when I come back here next week for mass, if I don’t understand anything I’m never coming back here again. I will just lie to my parents and go somewhere else for a while. (Fortunately, our family did not go to church together. We had four mass options to choose from and we were allowed to go to the one we wanted). So the following week I went with my promise in my heart. When it came time for the scriptures to be read, WOW! The words came alive. There was something there! And I listened intently and when mass was over, I couldn’t wait for the next mass. In fact, I started going to mass daily just so I could hear the word. This was the beginning of my walk with Jesus.

Unfortunately, all of my learning was not from the proper authority and was seriously misled. I used God as a child uses a toy. I only went to Him when I was in trouble, confused, lonely, mad, sad and I always thanked Him for getting me through my problems, which He always did. I played with God using my rules. I shaped Him into the kind of God I wanted and needed. I believed if I read my bible daily first thing in the morning it was my free card to go and do as I pleased because after all I’m only human and God knows I’m not perfect and He will forgive me.

I did this for all of my teen years. I figured I was doing OK because everybody led me to believe that I was the "good girl." People would say it to me all the time. And every time I heard it, way down deep in my heart I felt so disgusted by that so-called compliment but unfortunately I never knew why. And so my mind told me, if that’s what they’re saying about you, then you must be doing something right. Man! Old Slewfoot himself, had me right where he wanted me and I didn’t have a clue. According to Matthew 19:16-17 only one is good and that is God. Jesus said so. Look it up for yourself. Now I had read this same scripture as a teenager probably several times and my stupid response to it was, well that can’t be right because there’s so many good people out here in this world. REALLY?

You know I went to confession one time for forgiveness of playing touchy, feely with a guy. The priest asked me, did you have intercourse. I said no, of course not. He then said, well, you’re alright then. You didn’t sin. You were just doing what any normal curious teenager would do. If you choose to engage in that activity pray that you are in control and that the two of you do not engage in intercourse. Cool! I thought. I can kiss, touch, squeeze, with my date and he can do the same with me just so long as we don’t have sex. That’s pretty easy. I have no problem staying a virgin until I’m married.

Time moves on and I went to a catholic college and I took this course called "Christian Faith in the Modern World" (If I had the proper teaching I would have known that faith is the same as the days of Abraham, Noah, Moses, etc as it should be today but no, what was being preached to me and millions of others was that you change your faith according to the times. WRONG! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! And so you can just imagine what I learned next. We’re in college now and we’re adults who can now make responsible decisions. So if you really and truly love that man or woman and it’s expected you’ll be married, God won’t mind if you happen to have sex. After all you’re going to be married right? But you can’t have sex with just anyone or you’ll be known as a slut or a fornicator. You see Old Slewfoot had me right where he wanted me; hook, line and sinker! Fornication is fornication whether you do it the night before you’re married, if you do it with the one you truly love and intend to marry, or if you do it with somebody different every night. It’s all fornication! Read I Corinthians 6:9-12.

It took me about a year to accept this "new teaching" because my goal was to remain a virgin ‘till marriage. But I was easily deceived. I became pregnant and that woke me up. I had not been reading the bible much lately and then I found the scripture about fornication. Fortunately, it was good that I became pregnant because I was on my way to another catholic college run by the Jesuits to study theology. If I had attended that school I probably wouldn’t be writing this testimony today. I gave the child up for adoption because abortion was NOT an option and I did not want to raise a child without a father--yes the father whom I had expected to marry. Afterwards depression sunk in and guilt. I felt forsaken by God and went on the path of drugs, drunkenness and self-pity. There was one catholic priest who gave me the best advice. He told me to get out from my hometown and make something of myself. I did and was asked to move to Vermont and be a nanny for the favorite children that I occasionally babysat. I attended the catholic church there and was not impressed with the priest. I engaged in several conversations with one of the property maintenance guys where we lived who happened to be a very serious Christian. I finally accepted his invitation to attend their services.

It was great! So I continued going because I was finally receiving spiritual nourishment. I lasted there about nine months. One day something told me to get out and stay out for good. It was very strange because I had devoted so much time and energy into it. I knew my mother had been praying for me to get out so I figured that she got her prayer answered. She had sent me an article about cults and how they especially tried to suck in fallen away Catholics. The article made me look at the whole picture of this ministry I was involved in and I saw some of their weaknesses. But I still believed it was better than returning to the catholic church. So I stayed until one day something just told me to get out. It was a very horrible feeling but deep down I knew I was to leave.

Not knowing where else to go, I returned to the same catholic church and a different priest had been assigned. I resumed attendance there and introduced myself to the priest who was easy to talk to. I told him much of my past and volunteered to help him out with the youth ministry. I was hoping to help teenage girls avoid sexual contact, pregnancy and if they did get pregnant use my example of adoption instead of abortion or keeping the baby. This was the self-righteous work of Jeanne and not of God. If I had only known God’s word back then I could have exhorted them to stand strong in the faith, conforming themselves to the Lord’s word and trust Him to strengthen them in the face peer and other pressures that sought to drag them down.

As time passed I got married, had a child, moved around a lot, had many different jobs, saw some of the big wide world, had another child, committed adultery, and finally divorced.

DIVORCE! How I hated the very thought of being divorced. However, it was the best thing that happened to me because fortunately my lawyer happened to be a minister of God with The Fishermen Ministry. As I was blurting out my problem on my initial phone call to this attorney/minister, by the name of Steve Atherton, he cut in and with such an authoritative voice firmly said, "Stop worrying. It’s a sin." Immediately my spirit, which felt like it was in the bottom of a well, soared to the top of the well and my whole being was strengthened and my hope restored. At that moment the Holy Spirit revealed to me that somehow through this lawyer I was going to find the truth of Jesus that my soul had been searching for.

Prior to my divorce I kept going to the Catholic church, trying out different ones, but still something was missing. The priests kept preaching if you sin, just go to confession and God forgives you. Well, that’s all fine and wonderful but what about learning how to put off the old man and put on the new, living free from the law of sin and death, being perfect like God is perfect and putting on the mind of Christ. Sure those scriptures were mentioned but they didn’t have a clue as to how to go about it. In fact they made it seem impossible. But what they didn’t preach was that if you’re walking with God, all things are possible through HIM! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Blessed Virgin is not the way, praying the rosary is not the way, praying 9-day novenas is not the way, praying to St. Michael or some other person who was canonized a saint is not the way. In fact these are all counterfeits of the devil. Everyone of these things takes you away from God’s word. The Word of God is ALL YOU NEED! It gives you simple step by step commands for being CHRIST LIKE! It’s your one stop shopping manual for everything you need to know: how to pray, how to walk with Jesus and be like Him, how to believe, how to have faith, how to obey, how to be a wife, how to be a husband, how to be a boss, how to be an employee, how to forgive, how to ask for God’s grace when you screwed up, etc. etc. If you got a problem or a question you can find the answer in God’s Word! But hold it! Here’s the challenge! If you’re going to live by God’s Word, you’d better make sure you have the right Word! When I first entered The Fishermen Ministry that was one of the first things they asked me about. Let’s see your bible. They told me I had a watered down version of the Word. I was insulted. That bible was with me since I was 14. My response was what does it matter what bible you use. I was advised to borrow a King James Bible and read the whole book of Matthew. So I did and the Lord opened my eyes to the difference. I went back and forth from my bible to the King James comparing scriptures. My bible was missing KEY words and WHOLE sentences!

Finally after all these years I found what I had been searching for (and had actually given up ever finding the truth but God is faithful). I am at peace now. I found what was missing in all the other churches I had attended. The thing that was missing is God’s Word WAS NOT being preached with authority in Jesus Christ and in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power. I am so grateful that God has chosen me, therefore I want to walk in His ways. Thank you Jesus for giving me Your Truth.