Before Jesus Changed My Life
Before Jesus changed my life, I remember that I didn’t have a purpose in life. I was just living in the world and doing what everyone else did. I was always trying to be good for the world, trying to fit in a lot of things, being good and doing a lot of things, and making my parents proud of me, but anytime I failed in something, I would get so frustrated about it. I was raised in Brazil in a predominantly Catholic setting, and I felt like, in many ways, I was just going through the motions; it seemed like there had to be something more.
How Jesus Changed My Life
Jesus changed my life when he brought me to the US. At my first college, some Christian groups would get together and read the Bible, play games, and eat dinner. I thought that was so nice, and I started participating in that. Still, I wasn’t fully committed to understanding God’s Word, but I knew something inside of me was changing. At the end of my time at the first community college, God opened up doors for me to connect with someone I knew from Brazil about Cedar Rapids. I did not know it then, but He was making a path for me to connect with mature believers in Cedar Rapids who were from my home country and spoke Portuguese! When I transferred from that school to Mount Mercy University here in Cedar Rapids, the first place I stopped to meet a friend was Veritas, and it was there that I really understood that God wants me close to him. After that, I started attending the services, attending Salt, and Jesus just started bringing many friends into my life. God used a lot of people to help me understand His Word, and I’m so grateful for that! I am now studying God’s Word in Portuguese with other Christian women at Veritas. I praise God for connecting me with Carlinha, Donna, Carla and Gigi! I know I am not just going through the motions; I see God at work. I believe that the gospel is the good news about our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who came into the world to die for us so we could be forgiven and took away our sin, was resurrected so we could live forever, and sent his Holy Spirit so we can follow him as our King (Ephesians 2:1-10)!
My Life After Jesus Saved Me
After Jesus saved me, I can now see purpose in my life. I can see that He’s there for me, he has a plan for my life, to show His glory. He shows me in many different ways that I don’t need to prove anything for anyone in this world, that everything I do is for Him. I don’t feel afraid to fail, as I would feel before, because I know no matter what happens, He is in control. With Him, I know He is at work in many aspects of my life, He is showing the way, and He has the best plans for it!