I Am Blessed Because of Her!
Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Proverbs 18:22
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
I don’t believe I have written very many, if any, about my wife, Evangelist Missionary Vivian Valdez Pruitte, but I probably should have. I must also add, although I may not have written about her on this website, it is not because I have neglected her. Anyone who has ever met me can attest that if I am involved in any conversation of length, her name is usually mentioned. This is because of the role she has played in my life.
This month we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and I couldn’t be any prouder and more in love with her than I am today – that is until tomorrow when I’ll undoubtedly love her even more. I can honestly say she has been a gift to me, our family, our local church, our denomination and the overall body of Christ – she is an awesome lady.
We first met, December 27th, 1986 in Staten Island, New York. I knew before I even met her that she was going to be my wife (the Lord had spoken to me, but that’s another story). We were married January 15, 1988. God has tremendously blessed us, but I believe I got the better of the deal.
As a minster and pastor, if I have achieved any measure of success, it is because I have a God-given woman by my side. Mrs. Pruitte has been and continues to be a tremendous asset to me in ministry. She prays for me consistently. She is also an anointed vessel; I have seen the Spirit of God anoint her and use her to literally lift an entire congregation. In my 30 years of ministry, I have never seen anyone who has command of the Old Testament the way she does, and she is a gifted teacher. She is also an educated woman.
After twenty years of marriage, birthing four daughters, and putting up with me, she returned to college and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English (she graduated Magna Cum Laud). She is tri-lingual (English, Spanish and some Italian). But there is more.
Anything I even think about doing, she gets down in the trenches with me. There have been times in my career, and later in ministry, when I experienced lows. My wife has always been supportive and helped me believe in God and myself. I have seen her delay some things she wanted (and deserved) for ministry. I have seen her wake up in the middle of the night and leave the room to pray for people.
Some may ask, why I would devote an article to her and what this has to do with the Lord’s work? My answer is simple: for the men who have Christian wives, do all you can to make her successful, because if she is the one God has given you, you’ll find favor with God. To the men who are considering marriage, seek God and listen to Him. He knows who will be a blessing to you. Do not allow anyone to hear from God for your spouse – you’ll have to live with her. For the Christian wife, keep praying for your husband and ask God what you can do to strengthen your husband spiritually. Continue to invest in your husband and trust God to bring out the best in him.
Thank you Mrs. Pruitte for 30 wonderful years of marriage. I pray we’ll have at least 30 more and I intend to make sure you enjoy every one of them.
I love you!
Elder Eddie B Pruitte, Jr.
Holiness Tabernacle COGIC, Founder & Pastor