Vanessa & Daniel
Odessa, Texas
"I'm Vanessa. Daniel and I have been married for 17 years. In 2018, I found out that he had been cheating. It hit me like a bucket of ice. I didn't know what to do. I started snooping on his phone. I did things that I'm not proud of. He found out what I was doing and confronted me but I denied it. He agreed to change his phone number and promised he wouldn't do it anymore. I still had doubts. He became distant. He said he was dying and didn't want to be intimate, so he left. I thought he'd be back in a few days. I was wrong. It turned into almost three years of him being gone. He worked at a beer distribution company so he had a lot of access to alcohol and partying. That was his way of grieving. We were mourning a death, the death of our marriage. It was one of the hardest things that I ever had to go through. He began to date and he was very ugly to me. When we did talk, we'd argue and blame each other. We never took ownership of our part in the relationship. I had hope but it was just hope in me. I didn't have the faith background that I needed to sustain myself. I've always had religion, not relationship, so I had no idea that I could have such a beautiful relationship with Jesus and that He could fill the void. For two years, Daniel did his thing and I did mine. I began to date and this man and I became best friends, spending all of our time together. Suddenly, he ghosted me. That week I found Standing Supernaturally. I think it was Divine intervention. I lost the connection with my friend, so I began to focus on my kids. Then Covid hit. I got sick, and communication with my husband opened up. He began to bring me groceries and check on us. But then he said we needed to get a divorce. He wanted me to pay for it! He brought me the papers. I applied for assistance and they made me file for child support. That infuriated him. Things got really nasty with the divorce proceedings. Then, suddenly things would turn around, and he would be our Daniel again. I started to realize I could go to God and not to other people. I would pray and have peace. God always took care of us! I read The Power of a Praying Wife when I was feeling anxious or wondering where he was, what he was doing and with whom. Three years ago, I decided that I was going to fast and pray. I was still in unbelief that God was truly listening to me and was going to help me. I wanted my husband home for Christmas. I didn't mention it to anybody. I fasted and prayed. I did some of the Standing Supernaturally lessons and they brought hope to my life. I brought encouragement to other marriages that were going through the same struggles. Christmas was approaching. By now, Daniel had moved five hours away. He called and asked to come visit for New Year's but we already had plans. I offered to go alone and let him stay with the kids but the kids wanted us together. They asked him to come for Christmas instead. He ended up not having a place to stay, so he stayed at home with us instead! I had planned to give him space but we ended up spending that time together. That was the beginning of our restoration story. We still struggled as he was still torn between our marriage and the other person. God was faithful! It took time but he has left the other life behind. We are so blessed to celebrate our restoration with the birth of a new baby this year. Don't give up! God will see you through!"
