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Emerlinda "Pichita" Rosado:
I am
a living example of what is stated in Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
turn from it." For as long as I can remember I have been a saved child of God. I grew up in church and have always been active
by praising God with my voice and other talents He has given me. I thank God and my parents for this. It's been 24 years that
I have been walking this path and although it's been hard at times, it's been worth it. Today, I am happily married to a great
man, our bass player "Juju" and I my handsome son "Ezekiel", which God has given me. My life is complete. I am an active member
of the Church of God of the Seventh Day, Inc. God has permitted me to be one of the vocalists of this anointed group, "Zarza
Ardiente." I also have the pleasure of working with Children's Safe Harbor, Inc. and New Beginnings Youth Ministry in Philadelphia.
God Bless You Always and remember no matter what the enemy throws your way the darts will hurt but with God they will not
break you. Maintain the faith our Father is coming REAL SOON. "Keeping It Real With CHRIST!
Johnny Valle: I was born
and raised on the streets of North Philadelphia. By the age of 10 I had stabbed a 15 year old. Due to this incident my father
disciplined me in a way that scarred me for life. This drove me to rebel against him and ALL authority. At the age of 11 I
began smoking cigarettes and drinking. I started running with the wrong crowd and at the age of 14 I ran away from home to
New York City. While living in New York I had my first experience with a drug that turned my life from bad to a living hell
- HEROIN. A year later, at the age of 15, I returned to Philadelphia where my home was on the streets or in abandoned houses.
I became a member of a gang known as the "Royal Lords" and continued using Heroin where my daily habit cost me anywhere from
$150 to $200 a day. I was known as "THE MIGHTY BURNER". The other gang members gave me this name because if an individual
got close enough to me, I would steal from that person and take all I could. I did not care who they were and my friends were
no exception. I did anything I had to do to feed my addiction! At the age of 20 I was put in jail for the first time. I was
then told that the Army was a place to get drugs easily. So I joined the Army for the drugs and served for four years. While
in the Army I was put in prison for abusing drugs. When I was discharged from the Army I went back into the streets only to
get deeper and deeper into drugs, living homeless and with four contracts out for my life.
One day I ran into one of these contracts and the guy put a fully loaded
gun to my face, he told me he was getting paid to kill me and pulled the trigger. The gun did not go off. He tried several
times but the gun never went off! As I stood there with my eyes closed I heard him say "Johnny it’s not your time, get
out of here". I ran and in the distance I heard a gun go off. I later found out this same guy had pulled the trigger aiming
at the ground, assuming it had malfunctioned, but the gun had not malfunctioned and a bullet was shot out of the gun and onto
the ground. It was not my time! A week later six guys attacked me for owing them money. They beat me badly but it was not
my time! I then got into a fight with the biggest, most feared drug dealer in North Philadelphia. He too had a contract out
for me for owing him drug money. We fought and he pulled out a loaded gun and aimed it, but it was not my time! Someone yelled
saying "Johnny you are one lucky person." I yelled back "I don’t think it has anything to do with luck."
One day a Christian handed me a track, it was not the first time I had received
a track, but this time I put it in my back pocket and I went into an abandoned house and felt curious and started to read
the track. It said "JESUS LOVES YOU". At that moment I said "God if you really exist, take me out of this mess." I had not
seen my children for months but led by the spirit one day I went to visit my son and daughter, they were 13 and 11 and not
known to me that they were saved. My son looked at me and said "Dad you look bad." He brought me his clothes and I was so
skinny that they fit. My daughter cooked me a meal and as I sat on the table with my son’s clothes on my back and my
daughter’s home cooked meal I cried. My children said "Dad come with us, we know someone who can help you". My son took
me by the hand and led me like a child along with my daughter to the home of the evangelist, Joey Perez.
When brother Joey opened his door he looked at me and pulled me into his
home and said "Brother I have been waiting for you for a long time". At that moment it felt as though God pulled me in. I
asked the Lord into my heart. I was saved and was given the privilege to attend a christian program for two years. I attended
Bible college and traveled with Joey Perez and his ministry for five years. Through out this time I started to sing for God.
When I lived in sin I sang for the world. An opportunity was offered to me to sing with the Temptations, a chance to be famous,
but I turned them down because in my spirit I did not want to be part of that world. I have understood while singing to the
Lord that there is nothing in the world that could replace the blessings I have received from my Almighty Father. It has been
nineteen years that I am part of God’s family and I thank him for all he has done. Today I sing with this anointed ministry,
a ministry I can dedicate my God given talent to Him and only Him. I LOVE MY GOD! Please remember, if he did it with me, he
can certainly do it with YOU. God Bless.
Diandra Y. Negron: Hi,
my name is Diandra. I'm 9 years old and in Fourth Grade. My parents have taken me to church since I
was 5 years old. I accepted the Lord as my personal savior when I was 7 years old. I love the Lord alot and that
is why I sing to worship him. I am proud to be in my Dad's group, Zarza Ardiente.
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Eric Linares: In 1975, I came to this country from
San Juan, Puerto Rico, leaving behind my entire family and a terrible sorrow that my family and I were facing; my mother's
death. I came to the United States with a well known secular orchestra. Through this orchestra I started meeting different
types of people in the music business. Due to the excitement and notoriety that this orchestra brought to me, along with the
sorrow from my mother's death who was everything to me, I became so lonely and distraught that I started using cocaine
and alcohol. Seventeen years went by and my addiction to cocaine grew. As long as I drank and did drugs I didn't have to face
the pain, loneliness and despair. One day at a doctor's appointment I was diagnosed with an extremely high blood pressure
reading. The doctor told me to stop doing whatever I was doing or I would be facing my own death one day soon.
Without a home to live in nor money to eat as I was getting
high one night on cocaine and hoping to meet death at the time, nothing surrounding me in an empty room, just me and the walls,
I looked up to the ceiling trying to talk to God and I asked "if there is a God, please, please take me from this misery and
darkness." I wanted someone to change my life inside and out, mind and soul.
A couple of days later I had to do a performance at an area
park in Philadelphia. While I was singing on stage I noticed a friend that I had met in the past while singing in the secular
circuit. He approached me. Minutes went by. I noticed that he was a different man from the one I originally met. He had confidence,
peace and was drug free. He talked to me about how he turned his life around thanks to Jesus. He knew that I was looking for
a place to live. He offered me a room in his house as a place to eat and sleep. While living with him I noticed that he read
the Bible, praised Jesus with his music and he invited me to his church. One day after several invitations, I accepted. I
started to visit church. I noticed that I started to surround myself with friends who praised the Lord. I had to change my
lifestyle. I felt uncomfortable around them because I was still not where I was supposed to be spiritually. I started to go
to church more often. I started to observe more and more of my secular friends giving their life to Jesus. One evening during
altar call, I ran to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior. I realized that my biggest desire was to rid myself of the
misery I had been carrying for so many years. I cried at the altar like I had never cried in my life. I knelt and asked God
for forgiveness and to take my heart that was full of anger, depression, loneliness and sorrow and make it new. At that moment
a reassurance from God told me that He loves me and he took me the way I was. I also understood at that moment that He took
me out of a living hell. God promised me that I was part of his divine plan and no one can take that away from me. God in
all his mercy did this for me about 10 years ago and he can do it for you too. All you need to do is ask Him.
God made it clear to me that I was going to praise him and
worship him with the talent He gave me, which is my voice. I thank God for another opportunity as part of "Zarza Ardiente."
A christian salsa ministry that Jimmy Negron has been called to direct.
I
support "Zarza Ardiente". I believe that this ministry has truly been called to serve the Lord. I pray and also ask you to
keep us in your prayers so that we can be an example to others and be witnesses for Christ. I
hope that in reading these testimonies that our ministry makes a difference in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ.
May God continue to Bless You.
Jose Luis Perez: At
an early age I got involved in gangs & drugs, which led to drug addiction and 11 drug arrests over a span of 20 years.
By 1979, I was addicted to over 5 different types of drugs and had at least six life threatening drug overdoses. Then
the worse thing that could happen, happened. I took a life over drugs.
In 1982, my best friend was murdered and I basically
lost my mind and will to live. I gave up on my family and friends. I just wanted to die so this gave me an
excuse to dive deeper into drugs.
One day in 1989, I went to buy drugs and while I was paying
the dealer I heard a voice that said, "José, you have a month to live." This voice repeated the same thing three times on
my way home. I was scared and crying. My friend who was waiting at the house could see how upset I was when I
got home. What's wrong?" What happened?" he asked. I knew that he would never understand. How could he? "
Im going to die!" I said. He thought I had lost it; that I was going crazy. So, we smoked the five caps of crack that I had
brought back. He got high. I didnt. Something was happening. During that month the Lord proceeded to send several of his messengers
to me. But I would not give in to the Lord. Later a true friend took fifteen minutes of his time to tell me that
the only person who could help me was Jesus Christ. I walked away from him saying "Thanks, but no thanks."
Still, something had begun to happen in me. I started shaking
all over. Afraid, I ran back to my friend and begged him to take me with him to church and he did but I did not give my life
to the Lord that night. I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior about two weeks after.
I
now have served the Lord for the last 14 years clean & drug free. I try to give back to the Lord what he has given me throughout
these years by working in ministries, on the streets, prisons, and sharing His word through music throughout the community.
To God be the Glory!
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