We sat on the side of the mountain in the shade and shared our stories. We shared about what God was doing in our lives, our struggles, our dreams...we shared our lives on the side of that mountain. That day God blessed me with a friendship that will last forever. Because it is in Him. We challenged each other to seek Him more and walk with Him more and love Him more. In those four days that Eli translated for our El Salvador team, I realized more and more that God provides. He even provides friends. The kind of friends that come alongside and grab your arm and push you to run faster than you did the day before.
Today, you get to meet one of those dear friends of mine as she shares her story with you. Or at least part of her story. :) Eli, I love you SO MUCH!
It was March 20th, 2011 when I decided to share with my parents more details about how and why my life was about to change after I spent two days locked in my room seeking God and His will for my life. "Everything started when I was praying and telling God that I didn't want to keep saying 'I'll do Your will', but never actually take the time to stay in His presence until He tells me what to do. What I didn't know was that God was going to tell me His will and that it was going to be so crazy," I said. Everyone was paying close attention as I started sharing. At this time everything seemed normal, but when I started telling them details about what God showed me, their faces changed. I told them, “I am going to quit college. I will not continue my studies with economics and business. I am going to move to another country to study something related to the ministry and fulfill the plan God has given me by the middle of this year. After I graduate God wants me to start building an orphanage and planting a church in India." There were mixed emotions in the room including, anger, sadness, confusion, fear, and more. Without words, their expressions were telling me "WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS? ARE YOU CRAZY?" It took me so long to take the courage to tell my parents God's plan, but I finally did. I felt free. However, I was right about their reaction. The living room remained quiet for a while, but then the attack began. "Eli, are you sure it was God? Don't you think, maybe if it was God, He was telling you to move later on in the future?" they said. After doing her best to hold her anger, my mom added, "Why did you wait so long to make the decision to quit? It is a waste of time, money, and your brain." I began to cry before they even finished, but I couldn't help it. I didn't care if the whole world thought I was crazy, or that I was making the worst mistake of my life. What hurt the most was not getting the support, trust, and blessing from my parents that I thought I would get. It is impossible to forget that stressful moment, not only for me, but for everyone. "Eli, are you really leaving us? Are you moving to another country?" said my brothers, wiping the tears on their eyes. For a variety of reasons, everybody was crying.
For the first time in my life, I felt that it was just me and God. My mom and my grandmother kept telling me what a big mistake I was making and focused on all the negative things about the plan. "With what money? Where? Who are you going to live with?" Honestly, I can't even remember exactly what they were saying. I had a headache and everything around me was just a big noise. "God, why is it so hard for them to understand that it is You who is changing my plans? Why do I have peace about it and why are they taking it away? Why are my parents in the middle of the way stopping me if this is Your will? Please, do something," was my prayer while they kept talking, but I was not paying attention to them anymore. At some point in the middle of the noise, God remind me about one thing I didn't tell them. “Oh, and before moving to study, I will travel just as a tourist," I said. Their eyes were wide open, someone laughed, and I knew that my comment just made me look even crazier. There was no money for me to travel. There was another silent moment. My grandmother broke the silence again and said, "Ok Eli, if it is God who has told you all of these things, we will believe it when they become true, that will be the sign." In that moment, my entire headache went away. I was both sure and confident of what God had showed me. It was my time to live up my faith. Everybody became calm and just meditated. There was nothing else to talk about, we just had to wait and see what was going to happen.
The next day, I received a call from one of my aunts. "Eli, you are going to Miami on Wednesday. I was going to go, but I decided to give my ticket to you. Everything is paid for. "I was in shock, speechless, thankful, and amazed. Here was the sign! I was going to travel for fun, just as God had told me. My parents and grandmothers were surprised. From that day on, their attitude changed, and their negative words became positive ones. "God will provide. God will bless you. We are proud of you." What a good feeling! Everything was falling into place.
In those 24 hours, my emotions went from one extreme to another. It was one of the hardest moments to walk by faith, trusting only in God's word. In those hours, I felt lonelier than ever, but at the same time, I became even more confident that God was with me. I heard the toughest words from my family, but the most encouraging ones, too. I passed the test of faith even though the jury was against me. Faith is believing even when everything tells you that you are wrong, that it is impossible, and that you are crazy. No matter what, trust God because He is faithful. Since that day, He has been supporting me and helping me accomplish all of what He said. I moved in August, and I am currently studying in Texas. I also own property in India, so that I can start the project immediately after I graduate. We have a God who never
lies, who is perfect, and knows what is best for us. The jury may be wrong, but God is NEVER wrong.
What are you looking forward to most about this year?
I made a commitment to accomplish all of God's dreams for my life. Which means that I look foward to please Him and honor Him in the different areas of my life. This year I have less than two more months in Texas. I will do my best to finish the semester with excellent grades. I want to show God's love to all the people I have met at school and give them a true friendship. Then I will move back to El Salvador, and I will serve God in my home church. I want to continue to disciple a group of girls that I know God will use to change this world. oh!I want to be a blessing for everyone around me and wherever I go. I will get married this summer, so I am also looking foward to be a good wife, too. One of my goals this year is to show my future husband how much I love him, make him happy, and be a blessing to his life. I want him to say that his life is better with me on it. After getting married we are moving to Guatemala. I will continue my studies online so I pray everything will work out. We are praying with Gabriel what does God want us to do over there. We don't know specificly what are we going to do, but for sure, we will love the people over there. We will introduce everyone over there to our wonderful, almighty God. We want to build good relationships and offer real friendship. We are not looking to just preach with words about who God is and His love, but we want to show it with our lifestyle. We will look foward to make an impact wherever we go. Every word, every decision, every action in our lives needs to shout to the people around us that God is good and that God is love. This year I just want to get to know God more, so that I can be a better daughter, a better wife, a better student, a better person. Every year is an opportunity to be better than last year.
If you could say anything to women in the world, what would that something be?
Luke 10:27
He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Pray that God help you to fall in love with Him. Once you get to experience His love, your life will never be the same. Read the Bible and pray, that is the only way you will get to know God. Communication is vital for any relationship to survive and improve. If you know who is your God, you will know who you are. You will take wise decisions, you will be secure and confident, and nothing will stop you. There is nothing impossible for God. A life with Him has no limits! then, you will dream as big as you never did. You will enjoy your life no matter the situations. He will be your all. He will never leave of fail, so you will always be complete and happy in Him. And, when you are fill with His love you will be able to love the people around you making this world so much better.
