My life in the US has been a walk and growth journey and my Christian values are the foundation of it all! In the upcoming weeks I will take you through my journey, miracles, trials, hoping you too will grow, learn or start your own My Christian Journey: Born Again.
My Christian Journey
The first chapter of my story is called:
Born Again
Let me start by saying that I feel like even though I’ve been here for a long time, my faith journey has just recently begun.
I’m excited with how God has been using me, as I walk in surrender, deep faith and taking baby steps to understand God’s word and become a better person as my walk continues.
I pondered where to start and found that the best place to start is sharing a bit about my faith background before moving to the US.
I was Catholic, my whole family was, my mom still attends a mess weekly and gets together with her friends to pray daily and gathers to pray for others.
My husband has served in the music ministry for over 55 years and serves at local churches as a music minister and has been a Christian since hi mid-teens.
When he proposed, he also asked me if I was “saved”; he said that I had to be saved to get married to him.
I had no idea what that was, that was a “foreign concept to this foreign person”, I thought it was an “American thing” Christians did before the wedding.
He explained to me and asked if I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, repented from my sins and I absolutely did. So that day, I was Born Again, but honestly I had no real idea of what that really meant because Catholics in Brazil don’t do that.
That was the first step to my journey as a follower of Jesus: in February 2002 I was SAVED, but it would take me almost 10 years to really live the life of a Christ Follower and pursue a life that honors God.
Church Life
Failure
I started attending the church my husband was affiliated with, we got married there and the people welcomed me but the church was, with some exceptions, a place which made me question what Christians were really all about.
I remember after a big gossip wave surrounding how we were raising my stepson and our life and the harsh judgement from church women and “elders”, it made me think: if these are Christian People, I don’t want to be like that.
They were judgmental, set in their ways and gossip dominated their conversations, not a kind and loving community.
They gifted me a bible, but I must confess, I couldn’t bring myself to open it while I was attending that church.
Their example and actions did not inspire me to grow in faith or get closer to God.
My husband started working seven days a week and I took that and the lack of Sunday School for my son’s age as “excuses” to find a new church; because at that point, God was pressing on my heart to seek him, I was then seeking God and craving a kind and warm community, the church described in the bible.
A New Step
Baby Steps Towards Faith
My son moved from public school to a private Christian School and the sponsoring church became my new church!
We received a warm welcome and later on, I was invited to start a Hispanic Translation Ministry.
There, the pastor’s sermons and the worship music were a breath of fresh air, they lead me to open up my bible for the first time in the US and learn what it was to have a relationship with God.
My son attended the school until it closed 5 years later and we once more moved to a new home church, where we knew some people and my husband was invited to play in the music ministry.
That was another a step back in my walk, sermons were flat, very condescending and borderline offensive. The fairly young pastor’s vision and the community just wasn’t there, but my son loved the youth group, so we stayed there for a few years.
Church Hopping
There was no growth there, my husband’s friend left the music ministry there and he felt lead to leave as well and we saw ourselves doing what I call “church hopping” from 2016-2020.
Pandemic: Online Church
Long hours confined at home and bible time lead me to get closer to God.
Covid and the Pandemic opened my eyes to watch church online: I found Elevation Church and pastor Furtick and their music (you know I love music) brought a whole new level to my walk and my relationship with God and faith grew exponentially.
I remember seating in front of my computer crying during worship music time!
I was facing trials at home with my son’s mental health issues, school closure, his school changes ( 3 schools in one year) and so much I don’t want to expand upon now.
His attitude, the bad and toxic environment at home actually prompted me to seek God’s word and his grace in the midst of the storm!
But….something was missing…..I was craving live church … community. I was ready to go to the next level and kept pressing my husband to find a church for us, since it is the man’s job to guide the family spiritually.
A New Beginning
I got tired of waiting, after 3 years not having a church to call home, I prayed and A God Encounter with Pastor Matt online lead us to check out his church, Keystone Fellowship South Jersey.
A month later we joined a community group and I instantly felt at home.
The experience at Keystone coincided with new trials in my life as a parent and our finances as well.
God helped me get through it all and that was the real start of an even deeper relationship with Jesus.
I feel like God brought trials to allow growth and maturity to set in, as I was starting to walk towards the person he wanted to me to be.
My life was forever changed!
I started supporting and listening to K-Love and Christian Music and doing bible devotions daily before my work day.
I will be sharing more of my journey in the upcoming weeks and the peace I have, even in the middle of the trials and storms, because God is there and he is faithful.
My walk is far from over, as I said, it has just begun, even though it has been 22 years since I’ve been saved, I feel like I’ve actually just a few years ago started a real relationship with God.
I hope you come back next week for the second chapter of My Christian Journey: Service.
Christian Stories and Movies:
I have had the honor to work with some of the largest Christian Productions in the US, like the Chosen, Lionsgate and more to shine God’s Glory here on my website and my social channels!
You can read about some other inspiring Christian stories and movies HERE or by searching for Christian on the search bar.
Start Your Own Christian Journey:
If you too want to get started, besides finding a home church and a loving community, I recommend to you:
Buy a Paper Bible
Here’s a great study bible which has explanations and author’s take on each passage! I love it:
Download The You Version Bible App for Listening to the Bible and Bible Plans wherever you are:
I recently learned that Craig Groeschel’s Life Church founded the You Version App which now brings millions of people the Gospel.
Buy a Journal, I always journal while reading the bible. You can find the journal below and planners I use by Clicking HERE.
Search for a friend/mentor who will help you walk that journey and answer some of the questions you might have.
Leave questions below, if I don’t know how to answer, I will find the answer for you!
I’m writing my life story and my legacy will be one to honor and serve God and that is an exciting journey I needed to share with you.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of My Christian Journey: Born Again and that you decided to get started on your own Christian Journey TODAY!
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