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By Fanny C. P. Basta, ITALY
Since I was a child in the Dominican Republic, I have been sensitive to the spirit world. In my country we often mixed superstition with our nominal Catholicism. However, the experiences I had as a child were quite unusual. Sometimes special knowledge came to me through dreams and visions. Sometimes as I worked I saw myself in a different place watching people and what was happening there. Then in a short time I would be back to what I was doing.
These supernatural happenings frightened me because I had no control over them. But they also made me curious and enticed me. Sometimes people asked what I saw and heard in the visions. I thought this spiritual gift must be given to me for a reason.
I am grateful that my parents watched over me, their eldest daughter. They were sincere Catholics, as were my grandparents. My family lived in the capital city, Santo Domingo, and we were comfortable financially. My mother worked in a bank and my father owned a ranch that has been in his family for generations.
I received a very good education on every level at the Catholic schools I attended. I was a very fortunate girl with lots of friends, relatives and a good school record. In fact, I finished college by the time I was 18.
When I was five years of age, my grandmother became ill. Every day Mother sent me upstairs with Grandma’s meals and I would stay to keep her company. Since I had started to read at age three, Grandmother asked me to read the Bible aloud to her. We began reading in the book of Exodus. Day after day I was thrilled at all the wonders that Moses was able to do as God delivered the people of Israel from slavery. When we read about Moses’ death in Deuteronomy 34, I felt so sad I began to cry. It was evening and Grandmother had fallen asleep. I set the Bible down and slipped quietly outside. I prayed with all my heart that the God of Moses would be my God.
My strange dreams continued. Often I dreamed of an evil man coming to me and trying to entice me with something that looked like a coin. I always refused him, but he would bare his teeth at me as though he wanted to harm me.
When I was twelve, I had a dream like no other dream I ever had. I dreamed that a white figure came to my bedroom and asked, “Do you want to see the source of power for the whole universe?” When I said “yes,” the angel took me by the hand and we flew beyond the earth, the planets and the stars. Then the angel told me to look at this cube that was a kind of blue in color. In the center of the cube sat a King with long, white hair and a face that shone with a blinding light. In front of Him 24 old men bowed down on their faces, each offering a crown to the One on the throne.
“This is the center of the universe and the source of its power,” the angel said. I could not say a word; I just stood there in awe. Moments later I woke up. Seven years later I found this dream described in the book of Revelations (4:21), the last book of the Bible.
As a teen I continued to search for the truth. I did not find it in my church; I never heard the good news of salvation there. In my search for truth I explored New Age teachings, crystals, ouija boards and the like. But I always felt uncomfortable with occult practices and magical objects. After four of five years of dabbling in those things, I turned my back on them and destroyed those items.
I was already working in the Ministry of Tourism when an awful toothache sent me to the dentist. It was the turning point in my young life. I went to Dr. Aura Rodriguez, my mother’s dentist that day, July 28, 1983. I had not met the lady, but she took a special interest in me.
Before beginning her work, the dentist stopped to pray. As she worked she told me her story. She had been a breast cancer victim, but God had healed her and she has been cancer-free for years. She asked me if I knew what the Bible said about God’s power and how we can know Him personally? I could only grunt a “no” as she was working in my mouth. Dr. Rodriguez went on to say that Jesus was real and that it was possible to get to know Him and have a relationship with Him in this life and for eternity. She read Romans 10:9,10 to me: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” She told me that I needed to be saved and that I could be saved right then.
“Would you like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and life?” she asked. I had my doubts, but I decided to pray with her. She shared other Scriptures with me during the three hours I was in her office. She told me later that she felt directed by God to spend that time with me even though other patients were waiting. She sensed that the Lord wanted me to come to Him that day.
Later, I wondered if what happened to me was real. After two or three days I seemed to hear a voice within me telling me to read the Bible. I took the Bible and started to read in the book of Matthew. I read from 8:00 pm until 3:00 am. I read and cried, read and cried. That night I knew I was truly born again and realized that I knew Jesus Christ personally.
I began to attend a wonderful gospel-preaching church. I also had the privilege of sharing the gospel with friends and relatives. Some of them came to Christ and were baptized. I continued to have occasional dreams and visions of a spiritual nature. However, now I could tell whether the dream or vision was from God or whether the devil was harassing me.
Only nine months after coming to Christ, I received a tremendous promotion on my job. I became the Director of Tourism Affairs at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Milan, Italy. I was only 19 years old, and I was already in the diplomatic service of my country.
In Milan, a city of millions of people, it took me nearly three months to find a church that preached the gospel. After a few months I became a youth leader in the church. I began to pray for Italy and the spiritual needs of the people. I prayed for the Lord to send us workers.
“Why do you think I brought YOU here?” I sensed the Lord reply. I didn’t know anything about being a Christian worker; I was a business person. However, out of love for my Lord, I decided to obey.
While busy in the work of the Lord, I met a fine young Italian believer named Giovanni Basta. Giovanni was a student at a Bible college in England when my pastor asked me to accompamny a group of young people for a month-long training session at the same Bible school. I was asked to be the interpreter for the group, since none of them spoke English. One of the girls in the group was somewhat disabled through cerebral palsy and could not walk the distance between the dormitories and the classrooms. The young student, Giovanni, gave her his seat on the student bus and he walked. I was very impressed with such a godly man who showed the love and servanthood of Christ.
How grateful I am to God that this fine young man, Giovanni, became the husband that God chose for me. We married in 1985 and together have established a Christian ministry based in Naples. God blessed our marriage with three fine children, two sons and a daughter. Giovanni has a godly heritage; his father was a pastor, so he comes from a strong Christian home. He knows how to raise our children to follow the Lord.
At present we are engaged in church planting while, at the same time, we carry on a business to support the minstry outreach. We are praying to the Lord to send us workers, for we are often overworked.
As I look back on my life, I see the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord in revealing Himself to me through a godly, obedient servant. I thank Him that the powers of darkness have no claim on me, and that God did not allow them to exploit my life. Instead, I have the joy of knowing Jesus, God’s Son, and the privilege of serving Him.
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