SID: Now, Laurie Ditto, you’re up, you’re happy but in the year 2000 you were at rock bottom. How bad was it?
LAURIE: I was so depressed. I had planned my suicide different times. My life just didn’t feel … I had hurt and pain rejection inside of me and I didn’t know what to do with it. The only acceptable answer was just to try and find a way to end the pain.
SID: And then you get a flyer in the mail about a conference in another state, and IHOP Conference. Why in the world did you go there?
LAURIE: I held on to that postcard. It’s as if it had a sense in it to draw me there. I think someone had prayed over it before it got mailed to my house, and I just knew that I had to go there and it changed my life.
SID: You get there, you’re in the prayer room, what happened to you?
LAURIE: When I got there, I didn’t know what to expect. People worship God in different ways. I heard the voice of God, he asked me, “What do you want?” I wanted to know if speaking in tongues was real. So, then I got it. I love speaking in tongues.
SID: At the conference you started speaking?
LAURIE: In the prayer room.
SID: Did someone pray for you to?
LAURIE: No, I just asked the Lord, I want to know if it’s real.
SID: But not only did you speak in tongues, you got something more. What happened next?
LAURIE: When I came back to the prayer room just in a few hours because I’d left and came back. I wanted to ask God for something else. I had a list of three things I was going to ask Him for. I wanted a log cabin on Lake Superior, I wanted a four-wheel drive truck and I wanted world peace. I figured if I used up one of my wishes already, I’d give up world peace because somebody else should ask for that. In an instant, Jesus came and got me and took me to heaven. It was the best.
SID: I’d protest. I’ve never been to heaven, and all these guests go to Heaven.
LAURIE: I did. In an instant, I knew that the man Jesus Christ was alive. He was standing there, He was made out of light. He wanted me to see Him for who He really is. He turned the volume up so fantastically. It was like a dimmer switch that just was so bright. It was as if it was stronger than you were looking in the sun and I had to close my eyes.
LAURIE: Jesus turn the volume and Himself down so that we could behold him. I believe now that we can only behold Him to the degree that we love and obey Him.
SID: You know, you saw Jesus dancing with someone. Tell me that story.
LAURIE: Yes. The Lord had me look inside Him. He wanted me to give Him something and I was concerned about giving Him the pain, I didn’t know how. So, I kept telling Him, no. People say you can’t say no to Jesus, but we say no to Jesus all the time. He’s so patient. He turned into … There’s no way to explain it, it was as if I was watching a movie inside of Him, and that movie was Jesus dancing with this beautiful bride. He was doing a very specific dance with her. While she would turn, I would notice the fire in His eyes. He has such beautiful fire for the one that He loves. And then the darkness would try and sneak up and touch this girl’s dress. As it would sneak up, His eyes turned into this fire. You don’t mess with his bride.
LAURIE: As she turned and danced, I ached inside. I’ve never been loved like that. I knew that if I could have that one thing my life would be complete. If somebody would love me like that. Not just somebody, but this God who’s fantastic. When I looked at her feet, I realized those were my ankles. I have very pretty ankles.
SID: You were envious of Him loving her and that was you.
LAURIE: It was me. It was me.
SID: He wanted you to give something up.
LAURIE: Yeah. He kept asking me for something and eventually he asked me and I realized I can trust this man. When I gave the pain to Jesus, He put his forehead to my forehead. I asked Him, “Is there anything I can do for you?” He said, “Go tell others about me.” What happened when I came out of the vision was, I was set free. I used to smoke three and a half packs of cigarettes a day, I did not need the medication that I was on, the depression medication I was on anymore. He actually changed who I am. I didn’t used to be like this. I am supercharged now.
SID: Now, in 2008 God took you to hell, and here’s the sad thing. She saw some of her relatives there. She saw many Christians there. I know that’s hard to believe, but you’ll understand when we come back. I know you will.
