I was born in the town of Eldorado, Sinaloa in México, and I was saved at the age of 10 at my grandma’s house when a missionary shared the truth of the gospel at an evangelistic outreach. At the age of 16, my family moved to Tijuana, B.C. Mexico where we attended a mission that my in-laws were establishing.  This allowed me to meet my husband, Steve Pizano, the youngest of five children.  He stayed close to his parents in order to support and serve in the ministry with them, transporting people to services and maintaining the mission. As I got more involved in teaching and helping in the ministry, our relationship began to grow and soon we were married not too long after.  Things were great until five years into our marriage when my husband walked away from the Lord and the church.  Our lives were even more drastically changed as we moved to our new home of La Verne, California, two years later. My inability to speak or understand English placed a further strain on our marriage as Steve walked further away from the LORD.  I felt hopeless and sought refuge in the only One who could break my husband’s hardened heart and bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.

The LORD was faithful in His love and care as He provided a good church, an excellent pastor, and an attentive and loving married couple as biblical counselors who provided support for my children and me. After a rough fourteen years in our marriage, we were able to find victory. Glory to God for his faithfulness, patience, and boundless grace by breaking the wall of pride and bitterness that separated the communion between God and my husband and causing him to return to the Lord as the prodigal son we read of in the Scriptures. This not only changed our family but has given us the opportunity to serve our Redeemer in the ministry of Reformed Unanimous, a Biblical discipleship program for addicts for 11 years, where my husband is now leading this program.

The couple who helped us through this hard time were Tom and Debi Pryde.  It was soon after we made the move from Mexico to the United States that I met this couple and began studying the material they had written for the next 18 years.  Due to the lack of biblical counseling in my own culture, I studied Mrs. Pryde’s material by translating it into Spanish so that I could better understand and apply the principles Mrs. Pryde was teaching.  The principles I was learning helped me to apply the biblical truth I was receiving from the pulpit.  This truth would help develop, mature, grow, and enrich my spiritual life and relationship with our God and alleviate the hopelessness in which I found myself. It also helped me to minister to my family and friends in Mexico even to this day.

Mrs. Pryde’s work changed my family’s life, so when she approached me and offered me the opportunity to translate her work, it was a privilege for me to accept the offer.  I hope it will be a great resource that will help you and will be a blessing as you share it with others.  I hope this material will continue to bring others closer to our Redeemer and Savior and that it will be a support in your ministries to free the enslaved, give hope to the dejected, and much more.

In the love of the LORD,

Maggie Pizano