Hello My name is Janine VanDenBerg I am a full blooded American Indian, Tsimshian tribe! I am currently living in Roanoke, Virginia. I am a former alcoholic, crack addict, drug dealer and prostitute for 18 yearsI was adopted by a dutch family at 8 months old. I was raised in Holland, Michigan. I attended "Holland Christian Schools. I became ward of the state at the age of 12; because my adopted parents could not handle me. My father  was a pastor and professor of theology at Hope College in Holland, MI. I was in and out of foster homes all my life; The best Foster home was with Mr and Mrs Gary Peters. God bless Mr Gary Peters soul and Praise God I am still in contact with Mrs Edith Peters                                                                                                                                                              

I have Bi polar, severe depression, avoidant personality disorder, severe panic attacks,and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. God has been working through all of it with me! I have received disability ; it allows me to get the therapy I need! Praise God! I just love what God has me doing because I know I survived it all to lend a hand to those that need it! Praise God! I have been in several different violent relationships.                                                                             

I wound up in Orlando married and with a down syndrome child! He gave me a STD when I was pregnant! My husband left me, because he thought he fathered an imperfect child!  I then had to work the streets to survive. I had already been drinking , drugging and dealing!  I was raped 3 times and two prosecutions and one got away because I did not want to go through it again! I lost a child from one of my bad relationships where he threw me down the steps and then set the house on fire!                                                                                                                                         I later met a man who was a marine; in Warren , Ohio. He wound up on crack and would come wanting money and if I did not have it, he would take me and throw me on the floor face down; pull both of my arms back and get them to go out of joint and then beat me! I had 187 stitches put in the top of my head ; where he broke 3 full fifths of Wild Irish rose on the top of my head.He then stabbed me in the right hand , cut my left fore arm wide open; when I tried to leave; because I was bleeding real bad ,he took a baseball bat to my shins and kept beating me trying to break my legs, so I could not go to the hospital! I then died on the front lawn; from what the officer and neighbors said.  When the officer told him he was going to jail for murder, he jumped on top of me and revived me! I finally got away from him by going to a woman's domestic violence shelter in Ohio and I went back to Florida. Where he proceeded to find me and put 18 stitches on my left temple!                                                                                                                       

Then I met another man that did the same as he did! I had two children by him and he made me work the streets to pay rent , get diapers, pay for his crack and prostitutes! I lost my children here when My son died of sudden infant death syndrome and I had a nervous breakdown and went to Florida and did not know it ! I not only lost Cory, but they would not give me my girls back!I have been going through an awful lot of counseling and I go to Trauma group and am working out all my Traumas! I actually was able to cry and mourn my sons death for the first time since his death in Feb. 1996! Praise God! I am not cold any more I am a person with feeling!
  When I was 38 years old I was sitting watching my boyfriend smoke crack and drink with his friends off of the money that I had to make on the streets! This went on for a week.
 I would have to go out and make money so they could continue to party! Well; usually I was right along with them, but that week I chose not to participate in the party! On Saturday there was a knock st the door; it was two women! I saw that they were neatly dressed and I flew out the door! They were somebody sober to talk too; finally! They were going around neighborhoods that they knew; the older lady had at one time lived on that street! Praise God! They were looking for people to attend a program at there church for new Christians! Like I said was happy to speak to sober women and found out that the one had gone to Calvin College in Michigan! That was the rival college that I had done on semester at!  God is so awesome!  I had currently been  attending a Mormon Church; because they were the only ones coming to the door! I had no idea they were a cult! But I did not like how they would not answer my questions about the Bible! So praise God I started going to this program called "Alpha program! By Nicky Gumble!"Totally awesome! I became a member of their church. We started an outreach that has now stopped; but it was to focus on homeless and prostitutes and addicts, ex-cons, cons, juvenile detention homes and lonely! We would go out and have picnics on the health departments lawn and socialize with these lost souls! I too as a new Christian used music to get their attention. The singer was Carman! As time went on it turned to "Press Play" of the LA Dream Center!  You have to make friends with them first and gain their trust before you talk to them about God! This went on for about 3 years! I wanted a very intimate relationship with God so I could pass on what those two blessed woman introduced me to! God's Love!!! I am currently a member of "Parkway Wesleyan Church."  I have gone with them twice to the "Los Angeles Dream Center ; I especially recommend going out for the day with Chris VanWinkle of "Under the bridges" Ministry. With the guidance of God and help of  Short Term missions trip to Los Angeles Dream Center; I am going into crack houses, bars,places where the prostitutes work, juvenile detention homes, prisons to use my past to reach people that most cannot.  Yes,I also go to "Churches" :so that the congregations will get motivated and start doing God's work out here! They are sometimes in their comfort zones and they are missing out on the most blessed part of being a Christian and that is winning souls to God!                 

I was also busy with the Manna Ministry program that feeds people 1 box of food a month and it is amazing because most that come there are the people I use to party with!                     

I was also getting involved with Let Go and let God ministries based in Salem Virginia!They have since quit? They were awesome couple! Christopher is an former meth dealer and Sharron (Sam) use to be in Witchcraft! They befriended drug dealers and wiccans and on their Saturdays take them out to a farm that Christopher's dad owns in Trouteville and they'd go paint balling to break the ice! After wards they had a worship time and it is truly amazing!  There is also a young lady from Penn. State that has contacted me via e-mail and she asks for Prayer because she believes she is demonic! God is so awesome! I now consider myself; one of the wealthiest women in the world! I am able to wake up each morning and study and pray in freedom. I then can ask God to use me in what ever way he needs me! I am His tool!  Then am able to go out in the world and plant seeds! What more can I ask for? God is so awesome! I AM so blessed and I AM forgiven of my past; so I can use it as a tool to reach out to others that most cannot reach! I understand living on the streets! I have died 4 times in my life. 3 out of the 4 I was NOT saved , so God did not have to keep me here! Praise God! I would not trade my life for any amount of money! My spiritual freedom and relationship with God is so precious to me! You have a wonderful day and God bless! I have sites all over the internet! Google Janine VanDenBerg but watch out for the Doctor! LOL!God gets all the glory and I also learned that : Paul would not have been Paul had he NOT been SAUL first! God is so awesome!  Praise God! Your sister in Christ! Janine Marie Palma VanDenberg ; Please take time to sign my guestbook! Thank you and God bless! a little some thing I wanted to add to my testimony! Please find this site and you will be in total awe, Little Logan had me crying! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY   WE MUST UNITE and become ONE in GOD! He needs the warriors! Praise God!

God now has me as a facilitator for "Celebrate Recovery" program! By John Baker and a forward from Rick Warren and in the Purpose Driven programs! It is the 12 steps , but explaining them using the beatitudes!
  Now am also involved with Youth Prayer Teleconference. Tuesday night 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, 8:30 PM Centeral standard time, 7:30 PM Mountain standard Time, and 6:30 PM Pacific Standard Time. Call:219-399-4300, Access code: 840240, or go to   www.myspace.com/youthprayerteleconference,   or youthprayerteleconference.wordpress.com  if you go to the  word press.com  from a myspace page you will have to type the URL into the address bar because myspace puts spaces in between the letters !