Former Hollywood actress and dancer, Robin Harfouche shared her moving life story at City Harvest.
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| CN PHOTO: Michael Chan | |
Despite being born into a normal family, as a child Robin Harfouche grappled with feelings of insecurity and felt unloved. Seeing she could not cope well with life in school and home, her parents moved her to live with her grandmother at the age of 5.
Though her parents meant well for her, it was in her grandmother’s house that Harfouche was sexually abused by her step-grandfather. Being so little and unable to protect herself from him every night, “I would leave my body,” described Harfouche. These out-of-body experiences caused her to open herself up to an unknown spiritual dimension. Harfouche was not aware of it yet, but her ability to enter the spiritual realm took root from a lineage of witchcraft in her family, generations before.
An overachiever in school, Harfouche bagged awards in academics and extra-curricular activities that earned her a spot in the hall of fame. At 18, while studying journalism at university, a spirit appeared to her and told her she was meant to be a prophetess and medium in the New Age. Psychic visions and paranormal encounters followed, causing Harfouche to believe that as long as she followed this spirit’s orders, her dreams and aspirations would become reality.
One day she walked passed a dance class and crossed paths with a professional dancer-choreographer. Harfouche felt her destiny unfolding before her as he affirmed her potential to be a star. He arranged for her to audition, and Harfouche found herself part of the famous Solid Gold dancers. This elite celebrity dance troupe traveled around America and rose in prominence with a weekly music countdown TV show.
Harfouche became a sought-after celebrity and was represented by one of the most coveted agencies in Hollywood. She was enjoying success people could only fantasize about.
But in a flash, the dream she was living in was interrupted by a life-threatening injury. Harfouche was hit by a 24-foot door and fell into a coma for six weeks. She woke up, paralyzed from the neck down. Days after the incident, she sat on a wheelchair and felt like her whole world had collapsed—the 23 different doctors she consulted told her she could not walk any longer.
One dark night as she drowned in despair and deep hopelessness, the thought of ending her life came. Suddenly the phone rang—a friend who was the bass guitarist of a rock band told her, “You need to come to church with me. His voice reached down that telephone line and pulled me right in.” Harfouche agreed to go to the Presbyterian church, wheelchair and all. “It was the first time I had stepped into a church, the very first time I heard about Jesus.” Harfouche felt heat envelope her body, and as the pastor made the altar call, she got up from her wheelchair, completely healed, and received Jesus.
Moving on with a renewed life found in the one true God, she dedicated herself to spiritual growth. Amazingly, as Harfouche walked with God, she received a revelation of the man she was to marry. It was the same person who ministered to her on the day of her salvation, a preacher by the name of Christian Harfouche.
In 1986, a year after her conversion and healing, Harfouche was caught up in heaven and heard God instruct her to cast out the spirit of pain in people. God gave her a vision to train and equip a generation of miracle workers for the final harvest of souls. To date, Robin Harfouche has traveled to more than 50 countries with her husband, Christian Harfouche, literally running to keep that divine mandate. Their children Christie, 23, and John, 22, are also serving actively in the ministry.
Christie plays the keyboard in the worship team, authored a book and wrote 30 songs, preaches and performs in various women’s and youth conferences with her parents. Her first solo album is due to be out this year. John leads a team of youth in the church group Unplug Society: to unplug from the world and connect to God. His ministry helps young Christians to be “not of the world though they may be in the world.”
From a start in life that threatened to destroy her, God redeemed Harfouche in an amazing way. Today, Harfouche has 23 years of ministry behind her. She co-pastors Miracle Faith Center in Pensacola Florida and Christian Harfouche Ministries together with her husband. The Harfouches have planted and established partner ministries in 193 countries worldwide. Harfouche is also the best-selling author of seven books, and hosts a daily television program, Miracles Today.
Last weekend at City Harvest Church’s four services, Harfouche, with her daughter Christie who ministered to the congregation in song, spread the Father’s love and power to heal through the Word and her heartwarming yet powerful life testimony. When she gave an altar call, crowds crammed the front of the stage eager to receive a touch from God.
