Testimony of Luis Algarin

Header Goes Here

"Established September 15, 2003"

"Member of The Fishermen Ministry"

My name is Luis Algarin and I went thru an amazing restoration at Grace Ranch. I am a failed business man, a church pastor, a husband and father of 4. Before going to the ranch, I had endured the worst year of my life. I had a terrible business failure that affected many innocent people and put my life to an open shame. I became public enemy number one in Vermont and suffered the loss of all my assets. I also lost my Pastoral affiliations, was stripped of my ordination papers and all my ministry certifications. Finally, my wife and I lost our newborn twins to still births the day before her delivery date. I was angry at God. I became a bitter man and wanted to end my own life. I felt it was all unfair and God was judging me unjustly. I was lost in a pit of self righteousness in the midst of my failures.

As my life was falling apart, I received a call from a friend inviting me to spend time at their ministry’s ranch. He was also a minister and said I needed to get out to the ranch before things in my life continued to spiral. I could see the possibility of that and agreed to spend a week out there.

It is worth mentioning that I had been offered fellowship with the Fisherman’s Ministry several times over the last 10 years, but chose to remain in the holiness doctrine instead. The biggest obstacle was my belief in fleshly works as a key part of retaining the salvation that came thru Christ’s Sacrifice. Each fellowship rejection on my part was followed by an affliction in my life. As much as I wanted to separate the obvious connection between the rejection and affliction, I could not deny their amazing relationship.

My experience at Grace Ranch was like a roller coaster. I saw professed Christians doing things that I believed no one who loved the Lord could ever do. I was always tormented with the fear of condemnation whenever I fell into sin. I noticed that the People at the ranch were doing things I considered to be sin, yet there was no visible fear of condemnation in them. What I mean is, some folks were swearing in casual conversation and others smoking cigarettes with no visible concern for their health. I honestly felt like I was in a den of sinners who were trying to water down my judgments of sin. I strongly believed that Christians shouldn’t sin willfully and in my eyes, smoking and light cursing were obvious willful actions. I considered these actions as sin and their casual use disgusted me. I felt like there was no moral restraint at the ranch and I struggled day after day with coming back to my cabin smelling like an ashtray. I tried to deal with things the best I could and just make it thru the week.

I spent time being ministered to by Richard and others at the ranch. I would hear of the great deliverances experienced by people thru the Fisherman Ministry. I was even an eye witness to this power of God, but felt that my judgment of them was hindering me from really seeing or accepting the wonderful things the Lord was doing in the Fisherman Ministry. Kind of like the Pharisees who saw Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead, then somehow claimed those works were being performed by the Devil and not God. In my inner battle one morning, I cried out to the Lord and challenged the Lord. I said, “If Rick is of you Lord, speak to him and have him come over right now and answer the questions I have”. Within a minute, Richard pulled up in his truck and said the Lord had told him to speak to me about certain Doctrinal topics.

I experienced many personal miracles while at the ranch. I was extremely allergic to animals and could not spend more than 15 minutes in a house that had pets. Unfortunately for me, everybody at the ranch had pets. Even the blankets in my cabin were covered in animal hair. When I first got to the ranch, Richard Eutsler asked me if I wanted to be delivered from these allergies. He said they were a product of the pride in my life. I almost scoffed at him, but had a small voice inside of me truly desiring this deliverance. I opened myself up thru belief and received an amazing healing. The ranch had 11 or 12 dogs and several cats. Even thou there was animal hair everywhere, I did not react. My lungs did not close up as they had always done before. On day two I found myself in Ann’s camper with Richard, sitting next to 2 dogs and a cat. I could not believe it, but I believed it. The dogs were sitting on my left and right just staring at me. The cat sitting by my head on the couch about 3 inches away. By day 3 I was being loved and licked by the dogs. Reason I mention that is if a dog licked me, I would normally break out in hives. I was very allergic to animal saliva as well. Over the years, my poor kids would have to decontaminate before coming home every time they were near any pets. They could not go near me until they washed their hands and changed their clothes. Now, I was being loved by these animals with no reactions to their saliva.

If that wasn’t amazing enough, I also had bad dairy allergies. My first night at the ranch, I was faced with a cheesy spaghetti bake. I always stayed away from dairy. If I accidentally ate food with dairy, my body would react pretty violently with “explosive” diarrhea. Richard walked over and slapped me lightly on my chest and rebuked that spirit. I told him it was common for people of color to be lactose intolerant. He said it was from my desire to be special. The last 10 years of my life was spent with everyone catering around my dairy issue. I surely was not going to be some hero and risk a first night of explosive diarrhea at the ranch just to impress this guy. I only had a small out-house with a limited capacity potty and frankly, I was scared of how it would turn out. But somehow, I was overtaken with the thoughts of my deliverance from the animal allergies and believed that a deliverance from my dairy allergies where going to follow. That night I had 2 servings of CHEESY spaghetti bake as I sat next 2 a little dog and cat. I was dropped off at my little cabin with no signs of cramping or fears of “explosive” diarrhea.

I went thru the night and awoke snuggled tightly with 2 animal hair covered blankets. I pondered the moment in some level of disbelief. Could this guy who was smoking out of one side of his mouth and praying for me out of the other side, be of God? Is it possible that I was delivered from these allergies that were plaguing my life for over 10 years? I tried remaining in my self-righteous judgment of them, but as God began dealing with me, I realized that my selfishness hurt more people than Richards smoking ever had. My eyes began opening up. If I believed that I could be used of God with far more grievous offenses, then these people could easily be used of God. It was a tough pill to swallow because I still held myself in some level of pride thinking that I was a better servant to Christ than they. But whether Richard was of God or not, all I knew was that I was healed of the sicknesses that were plaguing my flesh over the last decade. I felt like the blind man who testified before the Sanhedrin that he knew not whether Christ be of God, all he knew was that he was blind and now he could see.

The rest of the week was spent in deep bible study with the Lord. I could hear the Lord as never before. I was marching thru Romans and Hebrews with a level of revelation that was amazing. The sacrifice of Christ was finally being seen with appreciation it deserved. The condition of my flesh was finally stripped of its confidence and seen for the wretch that it was. I was free in Christ, not to sin, but to be forgiven for my sins and hold to the promise of redemption that came thru the finished work of Christ.

I could identify with Paul in Philippians 3:7-9 once again.

7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
I had known this faith once and was pulled away from it several years ago as pride swelled in my life. I was now being restored to that faith which had originally found me. I also knew that without the ranch and the circumstances of my life, I would not have been able to see my terrible condition. I praise God for His Grace which kept me from total destruction. I praise God for the law in that it showed me the need for a Savior. I agree with James in his testimony in chapter 1.
2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
I praise God for my divers temptations in that it tried my faith and produced in me a perfect life only found in Christ. Not of my own works lest I could boast. Our labor is best found in simply "believing" on Christ rather than wrestling with the law in our flesh. Praise God that Christ took care of that for us, so that we could enter into His rest.