From Witchcraft to the Savior

The Ocampo Family Story


The baby was lying on the bed. The lady was going over her body with an egg and as she did so she repeated the Lord's prayer and the twenty third psalm. Ausberta then took her scissors and opened them in the form of a cross. She had finished rolling the egg over every inch of the babies body and now she began with the scissors. As she did all of this she prayed and repeated different Scripture verses. She asked the Virgin to heal the baby because someone had put the evil eye on this child. When she finished using both the egg and the scissors then her small daughter Roxana began to step over the body of the baby in the form of a cross. Hopefully when Ausberta finishes every step of this process the child will be alright.

If your child has had the "evil eye" put on him you can always take him to Ausberta de Ocampo. She will "pass an egg over him". This means that she would take an ordinary chicken egg and pass it or roll it over every inch of your infant child's body. The only ones usually susceptible to the "evil eye" are children under the age of two. As Ausberta "passes the egg" over the child's body she will repeat the Lord' prayer out loud, praying to God that He remove the curse from your child. She also would take her scissors, open them in the form of a cross, and pass them over your child's body also in the form of a large cross going from the head to the feet and then from one arm to the other. All that Ausberta did, she did in the name of God. This was never meant to be something pagan. She "loved" God the best way she knew how and was just trying to help others. When she finishes the ceremony she breaks the egg in a glass to see what has happened. The "evil" will have passed from the body of the person to the egg and Ausberta will be able to see just what happened and how bad it was. The white of the egg will bear special marks that she can read to see what other treatment might be needed. Her son, Victor, says that he has seen a fresh egg become hard boiled once it has been passed over the body of someone.

Others that have "the power" also "pass a guinea pig over you". Often times the guinea pig will die from the disease that the person has. "Passing the guinea pig" over people is quite common. Folks go to the "curandero" (medicine man or woman) whenever they have any type of problem. Age is not important. After the guinea pig dies, they open him up and take out his heart to see what you have and whatever other treatment may be needed. Ausberta can make you a small bracelet or necklace with red and black balls to prevent someone from putting the "evil eye" on your child. You just put it on your child and he or she will be protected from the "evil eye". She knows how to help you! She will also have her youngest daughter (Roxana) step over your child's body in the form of a cross. The "evil eye" is a very serious problem. If a person "evil eyes" another it can cause them to vomit, get sick, have a fever, and even die. The Ocampo family, Miguel, Ausberta, and their children, Victor, Liz, and Roxana, had followed in the tradition of good witchcraft of their country. Really the Catholic church lends itself to whatever the folks believe in the country they are in.

Ausberta learned all this as a little girl in Piura (a city in northern Peru with a population of more than 1,000,000 people that has no real gospel preaching ministry). Piura is known as the center of demon activity or spiritism in Peru. Each year bus loads of business executives from Lima travel to Piura to consult with the "brujos" or witches. The black magic of Piura descended from the black slaves that were brought over from Africa. Pray that God will send a preacher to this region.

When Miguel had built their house in Hunter, Arequipa, he had invited the "curandero" (medicine man) to come and bless his house. The man had buried some pieces of specially blessed materials in the stairs that go to the second floor. He buries the fetus from the first pregnancy of any animal except a pig. The preferred animal is a llama. They sell the fetuses in certain Indian markets. He also buries different crackers, cookies, candies, and other offerings. This usually includes three coca leaves for every member of the family. All of the family will get together with the medicine man to have a service at midnight. They want to make sure that the spirits hear and see all that they are doing. All of the lights are turned off in the house. The medicine man then leads them from room to room in the dark carrying incense and holy water. He prays sometimes in Quechua and many times in tongues. They drink wine and pour some on the ground. They chew coca leaves and have the "curandero" bless the house with "holy water. He then speaks in Quechua and tongues to the "four winds". Their house has been blessed now and will be safe.

Peru is steeped in witchcraft and demonism. The people still sacrifice baby llamas and bury them to "pay the earth". Misti, a great perfectly cone shaped volcano that rises to 20,000 feet above sea level just outside Arequipa is also worshiped. People believe in trolls and something like a leprechaun. People everywhere know how to put a hex on someone else. On TV you can see adds that will tell you of a "curandero" that can help you have children, get well, do harm to your enemies, take an evil spell off of you, help you be successful in business etc. On the streets there are "brujos" (witches) that set up shop on "market days" and will do magic tricks, play with poisonous snakes, tell fortunes, etc. On market days as we pass out tracts we have even seen them blindfold the witch and then still be able to tell the crowd who the people were and what they were doing even though their eyes were covered. Sometimes the people they told about were from our church and they were not part of the "show". It is a sad situation. It is very hard to believe all of this, but they have no other answer. It is either the catholic church or their spiritism or maybe a little bit of both.

Folks actually believe that a "human skull" placed in your home can protect your house and your goods. Especially the old folks still believe this. They will get a skull by robbing a grave, or buying it from someone who has. They then put it in the house. They light candles before it and pray to it. Supposedly, it will take care of the house when they are away. It turns lights on and off, makes noise, plays music etc. to make people think that they are home.

God is great and powerful. There is no other God. He has the real power. In 1988 a missionary arrived in Hunter where the Ocampo family lives. He preached the Word of God. He told them that Jesus Christ was the only answer. Victor, the only son, was invited to the church on a Friday night. Victor was very well built, bearded young man. He looked ten years older than he was. The Friday night service was a very informal question and answer time. The missionary gave everyone a Coke and then said they could ask any question that they wanted as long as they allowed him to answer from the Word of God. Questions flew left and right each Friday night. "If you are a "Baptist priest" why are you married?" "Do you believe that Mary is our mediator to get a message through to God?" Victor went to church to see what was happening and to get himself a free coke. With each question the pastor would take the opportunity to show them just how the Word of God had the answer. They would read the Bible. They were often surprised that the "Catholic church didn't seem to know that". At least all of their lives they had never heard things like that. He really enjoyed the questions and answers.
Soon Victor accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. His family began to notice the difference. He was always asking the missionary to teach him more about the Bible. He began to go to the missionary's house to study the Bible. One day the missionary explained salvation, heaven, and hell. He showed the young men how every person that would get to heaven would have to know Jesus Christ personally to be saved. If they did not accept Jesus they could not be saved and go to heaven. It was Victor who asked: "How long have you known this? Are you saying that if my grandmother died without a chance to hear the gospel that she is in Hell suffering for ever?" The missionary hung his head and said, "Victor, that is what the Bible teaches." Tears began to fill Victor's eyes. He said, "How can you folks know this and not do something so that the entire world can know?" "It isn't fair that you and your country have had the gospel all these years and just recently are coming to tell us."

His parents came to the regular church services and enjoyed them. They came because Victor, Liz, and Roxana were going to be given a gift from the missionary that they could give to their mother and dad on Mother's and Father's day.

Miguel was a hard case. He listened to sermon after sermon. He evaluated every word. He would often times shake his head "no" during the message. He would always talk to Victor and the girls at home asking them, "Why?" It didn't make sense and he was not simply going to believe and go along with this. By now Victor was thinking of giving his life to God as a preacher of the gospel. On the night that Miguel finally raised his hand saying that he wanted to be saved, it was Victor, his son, who had the privilege of leading him to Christ.

As time went on the Ocampo family became more and more faithful. One night returning from a church meeting in Majes with all the young people in the car. (Majes is a town some two hours from Arequipa where the missionary had helped to start another church.) Liz had a question. She told the following story in order to ask her question.

Her cousin had died at the age of 9 or so. When the cousin died Liz had spoken to her in the casket and had promised to never forget her and to always visit her. Liz asked her to remember her and to visit her also. Liz did not know that she had just made a pact with the devil. She often came to Liz's house in the night and spoke to her. If she forgot to go to the cemetery and visit her grave her cousin would get mad. They were also seeing the "mano negra" in their room. The "mano negra" is the black hand or the hand of evil or Satan that can even cause death. Often times in the night they would hear "people" in the house. They would go up and down the stairs and would work on the roof where Miguel had his welding shop. The family was scared. They didn't know what to do. They no longer wanted the cousin to come for a visit. What were they to do?

The "mano negra" had been in other houses in Hunter. It had actually left marks on the body of others. Many of the folks in Hunter were scared. Now the "mano negra" was coming to the Ocampo house. It was always Liz who had the worst problem with these things. But then it was Liz who had made a promise to her cousin, after her death, that she would visit her every year on her birthday and also on the day of the dead. The deal was, that Liz would go to the graveyard and visit her cousin and her cousin would also not forget her. Liz innocently wanted her cousin to visit her. She did not understand what she was doing. They had been very, very close since birth. She couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her special cousin again.
November 2 is the day of the dead. In Catholic countries especially, the folks celebrate this day. They will go to the cemetery and visit the grave of their loved one. Sometimes they will actually take a plate of food and his favorite drink to him. They will talk to him and pray for him.
When Liz's uncle died one morning, that evening he came to say "good bye" to Liz. This happened before they had heard that he had died earlier that morning. She was always having experiences like that. But she wasn't the only one. Her half sister, Carmen, would oftentimes see the "little people" in the house. Carmen is Miguel's daughter from his first marriage. His first wife died while Carmen was just a baby. Ausberta lived in fear when she was alone in the house. She didn't know who might be in the house with her.

Ausberta being a Catholic had a house full of idols. It is custom to put idols in every part of the house. The people do not put them up to decorate the house but to actually worship them. They pray to them. They depend on them to protect the house etc. They are a very important part of Peruvian life.

The question from Liz was "What can we do to stop these noises and appearances?" The missionary at first thought that maybe they were playing witall he was the "dumb gringo", the American who didn't understand these things. This was his first time to deal with Satanic things at this level. After taking the time to convince him that they were telling the truth and that they really did have this problem, they insisted that he answer by asking, "What should we do?"
The missionary said: "You need to go home and clean up your house. You need to get rid of all your idols, images, and sin objects (things like pornography, and aything was used in witchcraft). You need to burn all of these things. You then need to have a service in your house and say to God, "This is your house, Lord Jesus. We are now saved. We have put our faith in you and our lives are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan, we rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us. Get out of our house. You are not welcome here. We and all of our things belong to Jesus. God take our prayer of dedication and bless our home. Bind Satan from here." They were to then read some Scripture (verses that explain the power of God and how Satan is a defeated foe), sing songs about the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and pray as a family. The missionary told them that the father, Miguel, should be the person who decided to do this since he was the spiritual authority of the home. The missionary told them that he would be glad to go and help them have this special dedication service if they would like to have him.

When the girls told their dad, Miguel, what the missionary had said and also that the missionary would be willing to come and help, Miguel said: "This is my house. I know how to pray and read the scriptures. I will do it myself." After having the service Liz went to the grave yard and walked up to the grave of her cousin and said, "Cousin, I now belong to Jesus. I never want to see you again. I am never coming to visit you again. I rebuke you, Satan, in the name of Jesus. Do not bother me again." Since that day they have heard no more noises, nor seen the "mano negra", nor the cousin. Satan is real, but God is greater. They now have the victory in Jesus Christ!

God has blessed their dedication. Miguel and Ausberta have three children. Victor is the pastor of the Quillabamba Baptist Church. Liz married Miguel Murillo and Miguel is the pastor of Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Miguel and Liz now have a little daughter named Liz Andrea. Roxana married Octavio Paredes who is pastor of the Alto Alianza Baptist Church. Roxana teaches second and third grade in the Christian school at the Hunter Baptist Church. They are planning to go to Africa as missionaries. The Ocampo family is one of the finest families in the Hunter Baptist Church where they serve faithfully. Miguel has really developed one of the best testimonies in the church. Since he has to see it in the Bible to believe it, he has really had to study. He takes notes on every message and discusses them in his house with his son and sons-in-laws who are pastors. He understands what he believes and why. The folks respect him and look to him to see what he thinks. God has really made a difference in this family.
Many are lost in darkness and bound in the chains of Satanism. They just need a preacher. If you talk to Miguel, he will tell you what a difference Christ has made in his life. The Ocampo family are leaders in the work of God in Arequipa. They now sleep tranquilly through the night. Satan long ago recognized that they had the victory in Jesus Christ. OH God, what a Savior!
Can you hear the heart cry of Victor? Can you feel his pain when he hears that his loved ones are in Hell because we did not go, did not pray, did not send missionaries? What will you do to get the gospel around the world? Is it fair or just that we have the gospel and do not share it? Should our folks get the chance to hear many times how to be saved before they even have one chance?

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and vercame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. Acts 19:13-20