Changed Lives Stories - April 2024

I was lacking in many areas of my life. I didn’t have any good relationships; I was in debt and looking for love in all the wrong places. I was passing through very bad times. I didn’t have a job, a family, money… I didn’t have anything. I was so worried…. I don’t have any money or what am I going to eat? I mean, I was always thinking about the future. I felt like I was under water – drowning.

When I come here, I see a family: a very united family. I see a happy family. I see Karen. She is so sweet and has such a beautiful spirit. I see Raoul with such knowledge, it makes me say, wow. Wow. Tremendous. Karen was always saying, “thank you”. She just always was. No matter what – she would say thank you. He was a real teacher. He brought up things, especially about the Bible, that it was like, “Wow! What is this?” Nobody else I’ve heard ever talked about this – and he’s reading it right out of the Book!

You have impacted me quite a lot. Simply by what you say – I hear is, my mind captures it, opens, and removes everything else that blinds me.  And I know what I need to do.

The Bible was no longer just the Bible, it was no longer just letters. No, it was a tremendous connection! Unbelievable. Incredible – it was beautiful.

I wanted that same love and kindness…more! I wanted to know who God really was and how I can have a relationship with God in my life. I came back to learn what this relationship was they were talking about. I came back to find out what is this love they are talking about. It was really amazing. Amazing the love that you could feel. Moreso, because you come here to this place practically in pieces. I think it was the right and perfect time to come here. I have experienced seeing the people that come here making a radical change in their lives from what they were before. Because, as I mentioned before; I was not grateful. Now I am grateful to God for the good and the bad. I have changed my way of speaking. I have changed my way of acting.

I’ve been learning how to communicate better. I’ve been learning how to have a better marriage. Not only learning to have conversation but learning how to hold hands and to hug.

I actually have a relationship with my sister now. I am very proud of her. She got her master’s degree. And she didn’t just take that and run. She took what God gave her and she gave back. I don’t want what God has done in my life to be for nothing. I know he didn’t save me for nothing. So, it needs to be something amazing to share with other people what God has done. Because we can do something ordinary, but God is going to do something extraordinary!

I am learning many things that impact my whole life. Like right now, I am speaking English and I didn’t before. They were always telling me, “You can do it! You can do it!” Even when I was saying I cannot… But it’s really different when you grow up with a family… that really, really loves you.

I am not very good at crying. I am very tough and strong. But the music and the singing broke me.  I began to cry and cry, so much so that I could not stop. I feel embraced and I feel sheltered. I feel like I don’t lose that connection. I feel at home, like this is a family. There is so much love. I feel at home and I love everyone here – it is a very beautiful family. It is an incredibly beautiful thing that has happened in my life – being here in this place.

The people that come here are such beautiful people. It has given me so much peace. We are like the family that I have never had. I really appreciate what Raoul and Karen did for me.