I am Maria Annunziata Stallo, a daughter of Cosimo Stallo and Maria Martucci. I was born in Massafra on February 20, 1940. It was during the time of the Second World War, and I grew up in poverty.
We were seven children in our family, and because my mother had already converted to the Gospel, I was raised with sound Christian teachings from a young age. My mother tried to instill in us, primarily by example, the love and fear of God, who is worthy of being honored in our lives... especially in adversity, because He is faithful and honors those who honor Him.
My mother faced every problem with serenity and unwavering faith in God, and every day we witnessed the Lord’s hand at work in our household, in both great and small matters.
This caused a deep love to grow in my heart for this amazing Lord who died on the cross even for me, saving me from eternal death.
I am deeply thankful to Him for being at my side throughout my life. Together with my husband, Salvatore Convertino, we have served our God with humility and simplicity in all that He has given us to do; we have proclaimed the Gospel in the towns and in the countryside, and by the grace and work of our Lord, we had the joy of seeing the birth of three churches.
God blessed us with six children, and throughout the years we have experienced both moments of joy and times of difficulty, but we can never be sufficiently grateful for the blessings that He has faithfully bestowed upon us.
I am now 78 years old, and about ten years ago, a deep desire began to grow in my heart to write down the simple but genuine testimony of my mother—a woman who, even though illiterate, was driven by a strong zeal for her “beloved Savior” (as she would always refer to God), and being filled with the Holy Spirit, she testified of God with words and by example until her very last breath.
I prayed earnestly for the Lord's guidance and began to write down in a diary all that I could remember about my mother's life. The purpose of this work is to make known to a new generation the faithful dedication of this woman’s service to the Lord and how He used her for the salvation of many souls.
Throughout her life, my mother never missed an opportunity to share about her mighty Lord and Savior. Now that she can no longer do so, may this little book continue to declare that only in Christ Jesus is there salvation, comfort, and freedom.
May the Lord of Glory continue to save men and women in this generation for His faithful service.
Maria Annunziata Stallo
2016