Meet our September 2023 Everyday W.W.I.C Feature

Veronica "Roni" Pulido has been nominated as our Featured "W.W.I.C!" 

Although her name is Veronica, everyone calls her Roni. She was born & raised in Southern California. A year & a half ago she took a step of faith & moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. She also works in the medical field. 

Roni grew up going to church but never had a relationship with Jesus. She strayed away from Christianity as a teenager and gave her life back to the Lord at 35 years old. Jesus is her everything!! 

Testimony 

 I am the eldest child of a single mom. I never knew my biological father, he was never in the picture. There was a lot of physical and verbal abuse growing up. A lot of it was aimed at me because I was the oldest. My mom was also very cold with me, unlike with my other siblings, where she showed more affection. My mom did battle with mental health issues her whole life. She was diagnosed with bipolar & some other things & she was really a loose cannon.

 I was sent to live with my grandmother a lot throughout my childhood. The atmosphere at my grandma's was very different. My uncle also lived there with his son & my uncle took on that father role in my life. Even though I had all the love I needed at my grandma's, I still wanted to be with my mom. I still wanted her love & couldn't understand why I was always sent away. So I grew up feeling very unwanted & rejected. As I got older I carried a lot of anger and resentment towards my mom. 

Since I was born...I was raised in the church. No matter who I lived with, I was made to go to church. Someone speaking in tongues & catching the Holy Spirit wasn't foreign to me. It was normal for me to see these things. However, I did see a lot of backsliding as well & people acting one way at church and another way at home. When I got older, it became hard for me to believe in the church & to believe that God was good because, in my short life, I had suffered so much hurt. I also never knew that you could have a real relationship with Jesus. 

At 13 I began drinking. At 14 I discovered the attention of boys. At 15 I stopped going to church. I really based that decision off of a couple of people that I knew went to church, yet mistreated me. Plus, I just didn't think it was for me since I couldn't "get into it." Around that time, I began smoking cigarettes & weed regularly. I had bought my first deck of tarot cards. At 16 I began experimenting with other drugs like cocaine & speed. I also became really fascinated with psychics & astrology & palm reading. 

At 18 I got into my first adult relationship. Shortly after becoming serious, this guy began being abusive, both physically & verbally. He isolated me from friends & family. He prohibited me from drinking & dressing in certain ways. He would break up with me every few months & then we'd get back together. I was so scared to lose this guy because it was the first time someone had given me that kind of attention & love. 

During this relationship, whatever self-worth I did have became non-existent. I had also never seen a healthy relationship before. Well, during this relationship, I was also told by a doctor that I would probably never be able to have kids of my own. Now whether that was true or not...I don't know, but I believed it. Not only did that crush me but I started looking at myself as if I was broken. As if I wasn't made whole. I also had never told anyone because I didn't want them to look at me in pity or view me as broken. That was another reason why I stayed in that relationship so long. I thought no one else would ever want me. 

When I was about 24, after a huge fight, I was finally able to leave that relationship for good. By this time my grandmother had already passed away. I began binge drinking on the weekends. Although I was single at this time, I was never really alone. I always had what I called a "backup" (a fling or a guy I would be talking to). I hated being alone & validated myself through men. About 1 year after this break-up, I met someone new. I fell head over heels for this guy. His upbringing was rougher than mine, so I found comfort in him. We both worked really good jobs in the medical field. We both went to school, but we both had a huge appetite for partying. Every weekend we would binge drink..& that was the norm.

 About 1 year into that relationship, my uncle passed away. I took that really hard. I felt more alone than ever. My relationship with my mom was still very strained. She actually moved away. So I really latched onto this guy I was with. I also became very angry with God and would often ask Him "Why would you do this to me?" That's how I thought. 

Sometime after my uncle passed, my boyfriend & I started taking painkillers, and opioids. We didn't think we could get addicted, but shortly after we found ourselves fully addicted. I attempted to stop taking these pills, but my boyfriend didn't want to stop & I didn't want to lose him. I would have rather continued on this wrong path than leave this situation & lose the love I thought I had. It was all downhill from there. We lost our jobs & started doing other drugs like meth. We began doing heroin a while later. I cried the first night I did heroin. I couldn't believe I was actually doing it. 

My boyfriend ended up getting arrested & going to prison. Since I had to support my own habit, I decided to sell drugs. I had seen it done enough by my boyfriend & his friends that I knew how to do it myself. During this time I didn't trust anyone & only hung out with a few people. 1 being my drug dealer, who I later found out was into witchcraft and "the dark arts". 

He turned me onto spiritualism, mysticism & new-age practices. I started using tarot cards, angel cards & oracle cards every day. I used a crystal pendulum to speak to spirits. During this time I began seeing & hearing demonic spirits. I didn't realize what they actually were. I thought they were spirit guides or guardian angels sent to help me. They got me to engage with them, they gained my trust & then the torment began. At this same time, The Lord began speaking to me as well. He let me know that I wasn't going crazy & that this was all real in the spirit. God really held my mind intact during this time. 

It was also around this time that my mom moved back & started inviting me to church & her small group. I thought everyone in her small group was so weird because they were always so nice to me. They never treated me like a drug addict. This was the first time I could remember meeting people who actually showed the love of God. I knew they prayed for me & I would actually see their prayers being answered...even in little things. Even though my addiction was at its worst at this time, I began reading my Bible here & there. I would draw a lot & I would look up scriptures to write out...not even realizing that God was doing something. 

After being homeless & staying in drug-infested hotels & my drug dealer's garage, I started getting a deep inner knowing that I was going to die soon. I began trying desperately to get into rehab & no one would take me in. I had run out of options...I was desperate & I was tired & going through heroin withdrawals & the only thing I could remember to do was call out to Jesus. "Jesus help me. I need you. I can't do this on my own." I didn't even think he heard me....but a few days later I got a call from a program that helped me get into rehab. 

It was provision after provision after provision after that. This journey has not been easy, but it has been worth it. The Lord gives strength! It has been a process to shed my old skin & completely die to my old self, but Jesus has walked me through it. Step by step, He has been with me the entire way! 

                                               ~ Question Time ~  

What does being a Warrior Woman in Christ mean to you?

 A Warrior Woman in Christ, to me, means being prepared to war in the spirit...for loved ones & friends & even people we have never met when God tells us to. It means being obedient to the Lord and letting our lives speak of Jesus. Leading by example & worshipping God through how we live our lives & carry ourselves as Kingdom women.🙏🏽 

What advice would you give a woman looking to start a relationship with the Lord?

 The advice I would give to women looking to start a relationship with the Lord is; "It's worth it!" It's better than anything I've ever experienced. It's not always easy, but it is so worth it!! 

What would you say if you could go back in time and talk to your younger self?

 If I could go back & talk to my younger self, I'd let her know that her worth is not in men or in drugs or in how many friends she has. Her worth is in Jesus. I would tell her she is the redeemed, the chosen & the healed. 

 *Fun Nuggets 

Favorite Scripture:  Isaiah 41:10

"Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will help you & strengthen you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. "

Favorite Inspirational Song?  Omigosh too many favorite songs...

"I Will Trust You" by Red Rocks Worship 

Keep in touch!

To follow and stay updated with Veronica, check out her info below ♥️!

- Facebook: @Veronica Pulido

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089567385527&mibextid=ZbWKwL