Listen to Denise Venturini-South and Jacob Barr talk about Denise’s book and single parent ministry. Hear her passion for bringing hope and healing to the hurting while also doing spiritual warfare to expose lies.
Summary
This is Jacob Barr, and in this episode of the Pro-Life Team Podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Denise Venturini-South. Denise shared her powerful story of redemption and healing, delving into her personal experiences with abuse, abortion, and her journey towards finding God. Her story, encapsulated in her upcoming book, is a testimony of finding hope and healing in the darkest of times.
Denise’s journey began with acknowledging her need for help and turning to God for forgiveness and healing. Her narrative is not just about her struggles but also about her relentless search for God. She described how her first child, whom she chose to give life to against all odds, played a pivotal role in her spiritual transformation.
Denise also spoke about the lies that society tells about abortion – the untold stories of post-abortive stress and the lasting impact it has on individuals. She emphasized the importance of exposing these lies to bring truth and healing.
An integral part of her ministry is the Isaiah 54 ministry, which she developed during a personal crisis. This ministry focuses on supporting single parents, drawing strength and guidance from the biblical chapter of Isaiah 54. Denise’s approach to prayer involves using scripture, which she believes holds powerful healing and transformative properties.
Reflecting on her recent experience of visiting the abortion clinic where she had abortions years ago, Denise described it as a moment of triumph over the lies and shame of the past. She sees it as a testimony to God’s healing and redemptive power in her life.
For those interested in joining Denise in prayer or her ministry efforts, she encourages using Scripture as a foundation and reaching out via her email for more information or collaboration. Denise’s story is a beacon of hope, showcasing the profound impact of God’s love and the transformative power of faith.
#ProLifeTeamPodcast #JacobBarr #DeniseVenturiniSouth #Redemption #Healing #GodsLove #AbortionRecovery #Isaiah54Ministry #SingleParentSupport #SpiritualJourney #HopeAndHealing #PrayerAndScripture #ExposingLies #AbortionTruths #GodsRedemptivePower #FaithTransformed #RestoredForHisGlory #ProLifeMinistry #EmpathyInMinistry #GodsPresenceInTrials
Transcript
The transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors.
Jacob Barr :
Welcome to the pro-life Team Podcast i’m here with Denise and we’re going to talk about how God is working through her book, her ministry, and really just her story for redeeming people out of darkness and into a place of healing and hope so Denise, I’m excited to have you on the pro-life Team Podcast. Would you introduce yourself as if you were talking to a small group of pregnancy clinic leadership teams?
Denise Venturini-South :
Absolutely well, thank you very much, Jacob, for having me here. So my name is Denise Venturini South and I am in South Jersey. I have been living here for 23 years i’m originally from New York, though not that really makes a difference, but my journey with abortion and recovery actually started in New York and my ministry started in New Jersey so I find myself like a bridge over the Hudson on both sides. But I’ve been working with single parent ministry i’ve been working with abortion recovery now, probably for about 21 years.
Jacob Barr :
Ok. And you have a new book that I think is going to be, it sounds like it’s going to be released in October, which is next month is that is that right?
Denise Venturini-South :
That is correct at least the audio version will be available in October. The hardcover book and soft to follow will probably be complete in the spring. It’s the, yeah.
Jacob Barr :
Well, I was going to read the first section and we can just sort of reflect on, you know, this beginning of your new book, because the first chapter is on your website. So yeah, chapter one. So it says there was a young girl, a virgin, who was tricked by her brother into entering his bed chamber to bring him food however, when she thought when she brought it to him, he refused to eat instead, he violated her even though she begged him not to. He would not listen to her and proceeded with the abuse. Once he was done, he hated her life was destroyed by the abuse heaped on her by her own brother. She ended up as a desolate woman living in her older brother’s house and has never heard about again. And this sounds like a something that happened today but this story is from Second Samuel chapter 13 in the Bible. Abuse is not new to our generation. So tell us about your book tell us about your inspiration, and yeah, the journey to writing this new book that’s soon to be available.
Denise Venturini-South :
Yeah, thank you so much. So my journey with the book started in started probably was 2000 maybe 10 or 11, when I was bringing my daughter to Bible college and I would visit with a friend who lived in the area upstate New York. And i was visiting with her in her church one Sunday and I was sitting in the back Pew listening to the pastor and i just heard God very strongly calling me to the chapter in Genesis that God requires Abraham to offer Isaac on the altar and I slammed my Bible clothes so loudly that I caught the attention of the people sitting near me and i got up from the Pew and I left the church and I out walked out and I said absolutely not God. I knew what God was calling me to do for some time. I know he was calling me to reveal my past, to which I thought was my children only, and I refused. And the conversation I had with God was very real. And I said i will not hurt my children. So the story that God wanted me to reveal to my children was that I was abused at three years old by my brother. And the abuse lasted for a very long time, probably until I was six or seven and I was warned not to say anything, and I didn’t. I internalized it all, and that certainly did a lot of damage to me, although I did not understand that at that time. And being that I internalized it and did not vocalize it, i wasn’t connected to the resources that might have been able to help me during that time. So i grew up, as I said, in New York. And when I when I began to reach probably my mid to late teens, i don’t want to give too much of the book away but i was out and about in the world. I was enjoying everything that New York had to offer, and I found myself making some very bad choices. And those choices, some of those choices led me to being married and so that marriage was actually a way to escape from the life I was living. And again, I experienced having an abortion through that marriage. And then that divorce led to another marriage, which led to another abortion and so on. So my book is about my journey through the bad experiences that I had, through making bad choices. But it’s also a reflection of my desire to always know God. And in the book I say that i stated that when I was a little girl, I would go to church with my mom and I would sit there and say I want to feel this good always. And my mom said that’s impossible. But I knew that it wasn’t because I knew that God was the one that was filling me with that. He was giving me those feelings of contentment that I did not have anywhere else. I did not have it at home and I had it in no other relationship, so I knew that those feelings were there from God and the book is also a journey of my search for God. So it’s kind of like, you know, on both sides. It’s my journey through making bad choices and it’s my journey through searching for God. And ultimately, I have 5 living children, and it was my first child who actually led me to the Lord. And I’m not going to reveal how. You’ll have to read the book for that. But i was very adamant about not letting anyone or anything influence my decision to go forward with that pregnancy. And at that time it would have been. It was my fourth pregnancy and I was determined not to let anyone or anything stop me. And she I saved her life and she eventually saved mine 12 years later. So it’s really a beautiful story of redemption. And why I wrote the book is because number one, God told me to. I still am unsure as to where he’s going to use this and how he’s going to use this. But I’m being obedient. And I came out with my story, I told my children and they all embraced me and continue to love me and support me through this process. But what I want to do with the book, what I want, what Denise wants, is I want to share the hope that I have found with others. And not only that, but I want to expose the lies. So both of those are biblical principles god calls us in Second Corinthians to comfort those with the same comfort that we were comforted with. And he also tells us that we need to expose the darkness to the light. So that’s what I hope to accomplish with the book.
Jacob Barr :
Oh, that’s awesome. Where would you say the source of the healing? How would you describe the steps towards finding healing from that experience?
Denise Venturini-South :
The first step to finding healing is actually a very common one in many platforms of struggle. It’s coming to an understanding that you need, you need help. You can’t do this by yourself. Whether it’s salvation, whether you’re just completely lost in life or whether you’re struggling with an addiction, or whether you’re just confused and lost about a decision you need to make in your life. It all starts with admitting that you can’t do it alone. And for me, I realized that when my daughter Giselle, she was she was my oldest daughter and she so she had asked me to help her write a story for her history class and the topic that she chose was women who suffer from socio economic disadvantage. And the first question she asked me was, mom, how did you find yourself in such a difficult situation? And I just was so convicted. I went in the bathroom of the restaurant we were, we were in a little coffee shop and I just got sick and i got sick and i just was overwhelmed with conviction that my daughter who knew nothing of my past would ask me like God was speaking directly through her mouth. And I went home and I said, God, how did I end up in this situation because I made really bad choices and I just asked him to forgive me. So that was the first step to my healing was to admit that I couldn’t do it by myself.
Jacob Barr :
And then when it comes to bringing the hope, how would you describe how the hope connects with the pathway to healing or that healing experience how does the hope connect with that?
Denise Venturini-South :
Sure so again, it’s Scripture. The Bible says that God’s word is sharper than any two edged sword and it’s able to penetrate even between the bone and the marrow. And it is God’s word that brings life and that is what does it so when we rely on God’s word, when we look to God’s word, that’s where we find the healing. We don’t, we don’t heal ourselves, but God’s Word is able to heal us that’s what he says and God’s word can’t lie god doesn’t lie. So if we really put our faith and trust in Him and in his word, then we have to expect him to do the work because that’s God that’s what he does. Again, it’s, you know, it’s all about really believing in him. And for me, I had no, this could actually be taking be taken wrong. But I had absolutely no other choice. I was at the bottom of the bottom. I had already tried to commit suicide once. Not that I was contemplating it at this time, but what I was where I was at a point in my life where I said all right, I’m just going to live like this forever and I’m just going to keep stuffing it deep down inside until I die because I was not able to face. I didn’t have my advocate. So Jesus says that he’s our advocate he’s the one who goes before us, and he’s the one who points his finger at the devil and says no, she’s not, she’s mine. And that was so comforting to me. That made me feel like I had a friend.
Jacob Barr :
When you said before one of the things that you want, you want to do is expose the lies it makes me think of like in my church, we call them tapes that we hear in our head, like something we hear plain again and again and again. And it’s sort of like, you know, it’s like a tape saying something that’s a false belief that we constantly hear. What’s one of the lies that you wanted to have exposed in order for it to be, yeah, you know, disarmed or to remove its power by exposing it?
Denise Venturini-South :
Sure, sure so that’s a that’s a multifaceted question and I’ll try to be clear in my answer. So for me, growing up as a child that was sexually abused, I grew up thinking that I was no good, that I was damaged, that there was something wrong with me and the shame that went with that I was the victim but yet I felt like I was the one causing the crime, committing the crime. And I remember on my walks to church, which eventually I walked alone to church. I remember just saying, God, I’m just not worthy of all your grace i’m not worthy of your mercy i’m not worthy of your love i’m just not worthy i’m, you know, I’m this and that i just kept condemning myself. And I started to believe that. So growing up, I started to believe that so when I was faced with the opportunity of making bad choices, I did because I felt like, all right, I have nothing to lose i’m already a loser, so I have nothing to lose. So that’s one side of the coin the other side of the coin is I want to expose the lies that society tells women, people, families, men about abortion, about sexual abuse. People need to hear the truth about what happens to your mind, to your heart when you are involved in an abortion and whether it’s you personally are involved, your body, or whether you are a family member or a friend of someone. I have a friend who was on the journey with me and she. You know, she was very not hurt by it, but she felt the pain that I felt and it’s kind of like I dragged her i didn’t drag her she was willingly coming with me but she felt all the pain that I experienced as well. But those lies need to be told. I was never told that I would suffer from post abortive stress syndrome. I was told I would never think about it again. I was told my life would be normal. First of all, I didn’t want my life to be normal to me was terrible. It was a terrible life filled with bad choices and normal was for the rest of my life i will always remember what I did. I will always remember that I offered up my children to that culture of death. That’s my new normal. And they never told me that. And I think that needs to be said. People need to hear that, just like they’re hearing the other side of the story. They need to hear this side of the story. And I’m i feel that God has strengthened me and given me the opportunity to do this.
Jacob Barr :
So this next question, if this next question is too much, we can skip it and go on to the next one but the question I have is through this healing experience and through your you know what you’ve, what you’ve explored and the story you have. Where do you think God was in those darkest times like if you ask God, like where were you during these times when I, you know, when I was at my lowest or what are your thoughts on where God was at those times, or have you supported?
Denise Venturini-South :
That he was right there with me, you know. So I strongly believe that God allows us to experience these difficult situations in our life, whether they are self perpetuated or whether they are, you know, put on us or a combination of both. And just for instance look at what God did through Pharaoh. So god hardened Pharaoh’s heart. But what was the purpose? The purpose was for the people to see God, because if Moses was successful in manipulating Pharaoh or persuading Pharaoh to let the people go, then people would have honored Moses. But because Moses failed again and again and again and kept going back to God again and again and again, the people saw not only the relationship part that God was trying to create that he desires relationship, but they also saw that God was the word, was the one who accomplished the work. And I think that’s what God wants us to see here because we’re all fighting we’ve been fighting, you know, for this Roe versus Wade to be overturned since whenever 1975 and we’ve been fighting for different things and we’re getting nowhere and it’s because we need to turn to God. When we do that and we surrender the battle to him and we submit to his ways, then we will see abortion end. Man is not going to do this. Only this is a God task, and only he’s going to do it.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah, If it was in the power of someone to do, then they would take the glory of doing it. Obviously beyond, yeah it’s beyond the best of us to be able to and.
Denise Venturini-South :
That’s why I named my book Restored for his glory that’s what that is actually the title that God gave me because I asked him what do you want me to name your story it’s his story in me. And I thought of I have a whole page full of titles and it actually was not my publisher’s favorite title but I said, well, you take it up with God and because this is what he wants me to name it and it’s exactly that God restored me for his glory, that he get the glory now, you know, if I could stand behind a veil like Moses did when he came down from the mountain and he didn’t want the people to see him, i would because I want, I don’t want people to look at me and say, oh wow, look what you’ve come through no, I want people to say look what God’s done through you. For him to get all the glory because he deserves it all.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah and I can, I can hear that like I can, I can say, you know, as someone who is looking at you and hearing your story, I feel like that’s authentic, that you know you’re reflecting God more so than, yeah, standing on your own you’re reflecting God’s voice and.
Denise Venturini-South :
When God touches you in a very personal way. When God touches you in a very personal way, you can’t deny that it’s Him number one, because there’s no other experience that can compare. There’s no love story there’s No Fear, there’s no challenge there’s no, you know, like roller coaster ride excitement nothing can come close to the experience when God touches you personally. And that’s just, it’s undeniable and unmistakably the work of God that has done this. It’s just.
Jacob Barr :
Be here.
Denise Venturini-South :
The two years to I call it unpeel this onion. When God first put it on my heart to reveal my past to my children, I just kicked at the gourd for over 2 years and said I’m not doing it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it. And ultimate, you know at the end of that two years, he said to me finally, do you think that I am not able to heal your children? I mean, he really said that to me, you know, because I was so concerned that I would lose my children, that they would walk away from me, that they would hate me or that they would hurt themselves. Oh my gosh. Like, that’s a fear that women have when they have abortions, is that their story will hurt their living children and that God will punish them. So to me, that was a trigger i was like, no, God, I can’t go there until he finally said to me, Do you think I’m not able to heal them? Even if they were to hurt and to express pain, do you think I’m not able to heal them? Well, Jacob, that just broke my heart for God and I said, yes, God, I do believe that you’re able to heal them and I will do this. And I wrote down my first manuscript then and it took quite a while for me to get to this point where I am with publishing the book but during the first time and now I was involved in a lot of ministry and you know developing intimate relationships one-on-one with women and women’s groups. So it it’s been a beautiful experience.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah so to reflect on your on what you’re saying and I’m pulling i’m trying to remember a quote that one of my pastors had said but it sounds like when the divine touches humanity a human or the you know a normal a normal person, that normal person is never the same yeah when you’re touched by the divine, yeah, everything it will always create, change and make a difference.
Denise Venturini-South :
Yes.
Jacob Barr :
Undeniably tied, yeah.
Denise Venturini-South :
I had a medical condition that I needed treatment for and the treatment was to take a radiation therapy pill and I took it. And several weeks later I had to go back and get this type of X-ray taken. And I took the X-ray and on the X-ray you’re kind of all aglow. And the doctor was showing me what all that is. And I was just listening to him. But inside of me I said that’s the Holy Spirit. That’s what it’s like to have the Holy Spirit live inside of you. It’s like he just glows you just, you glow from the presence of the Holy Spirit. I’ve had many experiences with people just either at work or on the street where they will say, I want what you have. I mean out of the blue randomly and I’ll say, what do you mean, what do I have you want my shirt like you want my bag what do you want that I have? It’s yours. And they’ll say, no, I want what you have inside of you. And then I’m like, oh, you want the Holy Spirit? Ok, so let’s have a conversation. And, you know, God’s done that so many times. He’s opened the door for me and he’s used himself to do it. So praise the Lord. It’s nothing about me. It’s all about him and what he wants to accomplish so it’s a life surrender to him. Yes indeed.
Jacob Barr :
So I want to transition into the other area of your ministry which is the single parent ministry. Can you can you speak to yeah speak about your single parent ministry work and yeah what what’s the back story and we’re you know what’s your passion that drives that side of what you’re doing.
Denise Venturini-South :
So where do I even begin with that question? So my ministry was my life. My life was when I got saved that day, I realized that I wanted to be a missionary i always wanted to be a missionary. My idea of a missionary was to go to China or to go to Africa. That was my idea of a missionary. Being a young believer. And obviously with five children and a single parent, I wasn’t able to do that. So I resolved that I was going to be a missionary where I was. So I lived my life every day as a missionary. And I said, well, what can I do today? How can I show God today just in my everyday life? Obviously I started with my children. How can I show God to my children then how can I show God in my workplace how can I show God in the grocery store? Everywhere I went, I tried to be a missionary. And so I started to attend church after being away a long time and again, this is all in the book, and I started working in a nursery in the church. That kind of opened the door to expose me to other women that were in the church that were in the same situation being single parents, raising their children. I wouldn’t wish it on my enemy. Being a single parent to one child is enough being a single parent to multiple children is insane. Not only do you have to be your a mother, but you have to be a father and we can’t be fathers because we’re not men. We weren’t designed to be fathers, but yet we have to be father we have to play that role in some way. And I just asked God to show me how. And I read the Bible. I would look in the Bible for passages that talked about the character of a father, and I tried to incorporate some of those characteristics into my relationship with my children. But Jacob, there were times during the days when I had a hard enough time being a mother. Nevertheless, to be a mother and a father. And then you have to be a provider and you have to be a caregiver. And then you have to know how to multitask because you have five children, so you have to give to each child and each child is at a different developmental stage. So I gleaned all of these skills and these tools and I was able to relate to other women through the church that were that I was needing. And that’s how I formed the Isaiah 54 ministry. But God woke me up one night when I was in total despair. I was in foreclosure and I was about to lose my home. And you know, if you’re homeless the you know, the community government will come and remove your children and it was just a terrible situation I was in and I couldn’t do anything i was working three jobs i couldn’t do any more, but I had fallen behind in mortgage payments and I found myself in this very bad situation. God woke me up one night and all he did was put in my mind isaiah 54 Now I was a new believer. I was reading my Bible deliberately but Isaiah is not always the chapter you turn to read the Bible. So I wasn’t really familiar with it. I got up and I went into the living room and I opened up my Bible and the first verse is sing, oh, you, Baron, sing you who have not borne for more of the children of the desolate than the married woman. And I knew God hurt me. I knew he heard me. I knew he heard my cry. Like Hagar out of the wilderness, she was ready to die. She put her son far away from her because she didn’t want to see him die from thirst and hunger. And God saw her. And that’s what i felt like God hurt me. I didn’t know what to do with Isaiah 54 i read it and I read it, and I read it over and over and over again. And I prayed and I said, God, just show me what you want me to do with this. I don’t even understand it. And the Holy Spirit just discipled me, discipled me through the entire chapter and verse by verse i just started to I have a study Bible, which is an amazing tool if you want to learn you know more about the Bible. So I was going cross referencing each verse would bring me to different places, and I was journaling and writing and praying until I created this Isaiah 54 ministry, which is all about unpacking Isaiah 54 and relating it to the struggles that single parents have. Now single parents can be both male and female, but I prefer to minister to women only. Now we know contextually that Isaiah 54 is about Babylon and returning, you know, to safety. But how do we relate that to us today is that God sees our desolation he sees, and to be desolate means to be without hope. But God gives us a hope, and that’s the message of Isaiah 54 is that He gives us that hope, and although we may be ashamed for a time, He will not allow us to remember our shame. And it gets even better when we come to verse 11 through 17. He tells us that He will build our walls with sapphires and gems, that he will build us a platform of Topaz, that he will teach all of our children in the way of the Lord and they shall inherit the nations. Talk about encouragement. So the Isaiah 54 ministry was created i say burst out of my difficult time and I tried to reach out to churches and women’s groups and we did conferences with this material. And then from this ministry, i began another ministry god actually launched me into the current ministry that I’m very active in, which is Cape Hope, and I’m the CEO for Cape Hope. It is a nonprofit we’re advocates for people experiencing homelessness and we provide services for all populations but from the Isaiah 54 ministry, God led me to work with women who had become homeless because of their desolation. So again, it was another layer that God was showing me and it led me to now where I am today. But it it’s he’s the master designer of my life. And to get back to your original question is where is God when we’re in these things right there next to us? And if we allow him, he will make, you know, Gunger has a song that he makes all things beautiful and that that’s been a very special song to me.
Jacob Barr :
I would encourage for those who are listening, if you think back of maybe one of your earliest memories where you were you felt alone or abandoned and you can, you can ask God where were you at that time and if you listen closely you can you can yeah that’s the that’s the way to hear God’s voice And if you’re not sure if it’s God’s voice you can. The Bible has a check by saying you know ask the voice. You can simply ask the voice is Jesus God come in the flesh and is Jesus Lord and it’s a voice agrees then you’re listening. Yeah to a good spirit versus.
Denise Venturini-South :
The devil will never honor Jesus. The devil will never honor Jesus. And yes, that’s exactly right, because I’ve put that to the test many times and thought I was going crazy.
Jacob Barr :
And asking God where were you in a in a difficult time it’s good to listen to what he’s what he says and hear that so wow this is, this is really. So I want to there’s two more things I wanted to ask you about one is your experience of going, you have some video clips of you recently of going to an abortion clinic on the sidewalk. So that’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about. Is that OK for us to talk about in this podcast?
Denise Venturini-South :
Or absolutely yes.
Jacob Barr :
Ok. So let’s go ahead and yeah, so tell what’s the story of going to that sidewalk many, you know, many years later after you had been there before.
Denise Venturini-South :
Well, I wanted to go back because I, you know, we all have memories and some of them are good and some of them aren’t. And I believe personally this is my belief that with God, all things are possible this is what the Bible says. So going back there was me telling the devil that he doesn’t have me any longer, He doesn’t have my mind, he doesn’t have my heart, he doesn’t have my spirit. And I was able to stand in front of all that evil, and I was able to pray. And I felt like David. I felt like David did when he stood before Goliath. Goliath was so big and he was so mean and he was so ugly, and yet he stood there in the strength of his God. And that’s exactly what he said. He said, You come to me with a spear and A and a shield of iron or bronze. I come to you in the name of the Lord. And that’s exactly what I did. I stood in front of all that evil and I prayed, and I just thanked God for restoring me and for healing me. And for me that was like shaming the devil and telling him that he does not any longer have any power over me. And I think that’s very important for us to do when we can claim that in Jesus name. I believe it is. It is a triumph. Just as you know, not only did David kill Goliath, but he cut off his head. And then after he cut off his head, he brought it with him and gave it to Saul, was like, this is what I accomplished in the name of the Lord. He was showing it off. And I think we should do that. We need to show off to the world, God’s strength, his accomplishments through us. We kind of take them and internalize them and say, oh, yeah, well, God did this, and that’s a good thing god wants us to do that. But we see in Scripture how he also wants us to show the world what he’s done through us. We see that in Scripture a lot of times. So i wanted to do it because I felt like it was a point of growth and strength and giving God the glory again. So after 30 years, I went back to New York and I went to the place where I had all three abortions. And I remember very clearly what I felt going those times. And although it was difficult for me and it was emotional as the as the video shows, I felt very accomplished doing it and felt God was with me the entire time.
Jacob Barr :
There’s a here’s a song that one of the women at my church wrote it and it’s it talks about having a feast in front of our enemies and it’s really beautiful song and I’m going to, I’ll put that at the end of the podcast i think it’s really good i love it.
Denise Venturini-South :
Yeah.
Jacob Barr :
Repeat that sentiment yeah. So if someone wanted to join you in prayer, like, let’s say that you know, there’s a lot of people who will be listening to this hopefully. And so if people listen to this, how would you encourage them to pray if they wanted to join you and some of the prayers that you are praying?
Denise Venturini-South :
Well, I pray in Scripture. I believe there is. There is a wonderful power and comfort in praying with scripture. As I said earlier, God’s word is powerful and it is sharper than any two edged sword. And then again, we’re told in Ephesians chapter six that it is the armor it’s part of the armor of God and it’s actually the defensive weapon it’s not an offensive weapon, it’s a so it’s a sword and it cuts. So that’s how I pray so if someone wants to join in prayer with me, find a scripture that just is God’s gift to you and speak that scripture, pray that scripture to God. I also talk to God. I pray with my own words. But I find praying with his words is where the victory is because his words are powerful. Obviously i remember someone, actually, my spiritual mentor, Elizabeth. My daughter, my baby girl, my last daughter was born. And so she has the gift of seeing as well. And she was a little girl and she was not even 2. And she would see things in the house and she would go for the like the wooden spoon in the drawer and she would be hitting things and I would say what are you doing and she would, well, you know, she couldn’t talk she was a baby but she obviously was distressed over something that she was seeing. And I asked my spiritual mentor about it and she said that through her innocence that she’s seeing the evil that was there. And we prayed and we anointed her and we anointed the house and we prayed but she taught me to pray Psalm 91 She taught me to read Psalm 91 But then she taught me to pray Psalm 91 And we can read the Bible. But when we pray the Bible that that’s when we’re turning the Bible into that armor, into part of that armor that God gives us. So when we’re reading, we’re using it to educate ourselves and to inform ourselves and to fill ourselves up. But when we’re praying it now, we’re using it as a weapon. And I prayed Psalm 91 all through the house and all over my children, and I continue to use Psalm 91 in my ministry for myself. If I may find myself in an uncomfortable position, I will pray Psalm 91 So that that’s how I could ask people to pray along with me as I pray through this journey. And I know, and I’ve been told that you know, this is I’m in a spiritual battle, that the devil is not happy that I’m doing this but you know what I it The battle belongs to the Lord and he will go before me and he will fight for me. I know that.
Jacob Barr :
So how might a pregnancy clinic or a church connect with your single parent ministry work?
Denise Venturini-South :
Well, they can. They can reach me at disgrace. I’m done for you@gmail.com that’s my email address and they can email me and I will be happy to reach out to them either way to set up a time where either I can meet with them via Zoom or if I can meet with them in person and i would love to share what it is to be restored for his glory and that’s really what it is. It I would love to share with other women what it is to be restored for his glory. It is a new life indeed when you walk in the freedom of him, but we’ve got to give that to him. You know we hear a lot of times that God sits on the throne of our heart and that’s true if we, but we have to allow that we know that God doesn’t force his way in, right? He knocks at the door and he waits for us to open it. So obviously there’s a lot of discipleship that needs to happen. And that was a beautiful part of my ministry as well my early ministry was discipling young women and children, you know, into that new life, into that new relationship with God. And I’m actually planning a trip to Poland at the end of this month working with the refugees from Ukraine. And I’m bringing a lot of my material, my Sunday school material with me that I used with the children then. And I’m excited, excited to see what God is going to do with that, ’cause they’re, you know, those ministry tools have all been prayed over and they’ve all seen the miracles of God happen and I just know that they’re all anointed and I just pray for all that that’s going to happen it’s going to be a wonderful experience so but i can be, I look forward to connecting, you know, to other women and I’ll do my best to you know to get back to them in a timely way. You know, for such a time as this we see in the story of Esther, you know that she was faced with the opportunity of possibly losing her life and yet Mordecai told her if you don’t do it, God don’t think God will, you know he you might get away with it but God’s going to raise somebody else up to do this work. And I truly believe that it is for this time that God has prepared me.
Jacob Barr :
So if a Precy clinic or church anywhere in the country, probably just English speaking I would guess, but no.
Denise Venturini-South :
Actually, I will go anywhere. With Google Translate we can go anywhere in the world.
Jacob Barr :
Ok, well OK, even taking out the language barrier, let’s say someone’s in a different state or a different area they can connect via Zoom. Now you provide ministering to the woman who needs healing. Or are you also ministering to someone who might become someone who can then lead small groups and things like that?
Denise Venturini-South :
So i believe it’s like a pie. We can’t eat the whole pie at one time. So some groups, there are women who are, who are, who are believers and some women who aren’t. But that’s God’s job. That’s God’s job, you know, to bring them along to where they need to be. And then he breaks their heart for him. But my job is to present the meal, It’s to present the pie. So i have experience working in groups where women are both believers and unbelievers, and what I would ask is the facilitator of the group have a good understanding of where the participants are in their walk with the Lord. But I truly believe in the Montessori method that the unbelievers, that the believers will bring along the unbelievers, and that the unbelievers will continue to teach the believers. So it’s a it’s all together, and it’s a beautiful thing to see what God does for.
Jacob Barr :
That awesome. Well, so Denise, i really have enjoyed talking to you and I think your story is, well, it seems to be a beautiful reflection of like of God’s voice and so I think it’s, it needs to be amplified and shared and it’s and it’s going to be heard. And I think it’s just, yeah, it’s amazing that you’re, you know here you are serving God, giving him all the glory and that’s just, you know, that’s beautiful.
Denise Venturini-South :
Thank you. Thank you. And what’s even more beautiful is the people that are going to come to know him from it. And that’s my purpose i believe that’s why God allowed me to experience all of what I did is because now I can connect intimately with women families that have experienced maybe similar circumstances, if not similar. I can have the empathy in whatever relation or situation that they’re in, even if I didn’t personally experience that, because God has given me a heightened awareness of that need to empathize with people. I’ve been working in Hospice for the last 22 years and I’ve sat with many people who were in God’s waiting room and he’s allowed me not only to minister to the person but also to the family and what an amazing ministry that has been for me as well. So I’ve seen people come to know Christ in their last breath, and I’ve known family members to come to know Christ. As I’m praying as a chaplain for someone who’s leaving, they’ve come to know Christ so you know what when we try to predict where God is going to show up, he just surprises us and he’ll, he’ll just work that out because it’s his work.
Jacob Barr :
That’s just so yeah, my understanding of Hospice is that sometimes it it’s a very somber, difficult situation. But you seem to have such great joy in being able to share Jesus with someone, even in those final moments or when their family is dealing with life and death. What an opportunity to share eternal stories.
Denise Venturini-South :
Yes, and God put me there as a single parent. I used to be in hotel restaurant management when I lived in New York. And how God put me in Hospice was i had to get a job and I couldn’t go back to work in the restaurants because I had five children. Like, how am I going to do that? And I prayed about it and I said, God, you have to give me a job that I can do and take care of my children. And he put me in Hospice. So again, God answers our prayers he sees He is a God who sees. You know, I I’ve been, I’ve been asked why do I relate so well to Hagar, the story of Hagar when she wasn’t a believer and I believe, you know, we don’t, we don’t know Hagar was a Pagan yes, she was from a Pagan nation, but we don’t really know what her relationship was with God she’s silent after, you know, that period in the Bible. But we do know that God spoke to her, and that’s very special.