Persistently Pursuing God’s Guidance

This is a guest post from one of our supporters. After she reached out asking how she could help, and we learned more of her and her husband’s story, we asked if she’d write a post and she graciously accepted! We love their testimony and commitment to God’s direction for their lives. If you have a story or article you’d like to contribute, let us know by sending an email to hello@shoppelavida.com – we’d love to hear from you! And now, we turn it over to our guest!

When my husband, “J”, was about 13, his father was arrested for being involved in illegal activities. One night, the FBI raided their home and arrested him. Interestingly enough, no one cared to ask if J had anyone to look after him; the agents just left him there. His father had left some money with acquaintances, which allowed him to focus on school, which is where a friend invited him to play soccer with his church.

He went there thinking that all he wanted was to play with some friends. Little did he know, he would find so much more.

He heard the gospel week after week for a couple of years when he was confronted with sin, repented, and trusted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. His pastor, knowing he had no family in this country (J is originally from Mexico, and so am I), decided to adopt J. Now J had an eternal family in Christ as well as an earthly family.

Right after high school, J tried to join the Army but was denied because of a medical condition. However, deep down, he knew God called him for ministry and it wasn’t possible for him to keep running away from it, so in August 2016, J went to Bible college to study pastoral ministry.

As for me, God saved me in my last year of college. I was invited to a youth group and heard the gospel for the first time. God showed me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior, so I immediately repented of my sins. Not long after, I started to teach children and fell in love with this ministry but also realized I needed much more knowledge of the Bible, which also led me to a Bible college. The same Bible college as J, in fact, which is where we met in 2017.

We were married in 2019 and were excited about making plans and for our future together. We wanted nothing more than to start a family and serve God, but that is when God provided us our first major trial. Two months after our wedding, I suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital.

My husband had to deal with one of the worst experiences a spouse can face. Doctors told him there was an 80% chance I would not wake up from surgery, or if I did, the side effects would be life-changing.

Miraculously and by God’s incredible grace, I woke up that very same day after 6 hours of procedures. No sight, motor, or memory loss! The outcome could not have been better. We just needed to stay in the ICU for almost a month.

Of course, my health was a priority but we couldn’t help to think that maybe God didn’t want us to dive into ministry, since we didn’t know how long my recovery after the hospital would take.

Once again, the Lord blessed us by providing a speedy recovery. In 3 weeks I was able to get back into “normal life”, proving that this trial was just that – one that strengthened us a couple in our trust with each other and with God.

We then moved from Tennessee, so J could go to a church planting training in Oklahoma. Our idea was to go to stay there and serve the Hispanic community, because we are both native Spanish speakers. As we had learned previously, with each plan or expectation, God potentially had another one. It was during church planting training when a church from Utah called J asking for an interview.

Their pastor felt a burden for his country and had decided to go back, so they were looking for a new pastor to come and take leadership. We met the church and instantly felt God moving us to serve there, so we abandoned any previous ideas and followed God’s direction and moved to Utah. This may not seem terribly drastic, until you realize that our denomination (evangelical protestant) is in the extreme minority.

Utah is considered an unreached state since only 7% of adults consider themselves Evangelical Protestants. This is was quite the contrast to Tennessee and Texas, where we had lived before and were part of the “Bible belt.”

When we arrived in Utah, our excitement faced reality as we started to know more about the predominant Latter Day Saints church. On the surface, the positive impact they have on society is tangible. Their high moral standards make this a lovely place to live. But for those unfamiliar, LDS is a religion of “works”, which, among other factors, deviates it from Biblical teachings. There are significant challenges to ministering in this area.

Many people will listen to us share the Gospel, and most of them might even visit our church. But, as the Word of God starts pointing out their sinful way of living and the only way to find salvation is to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ, the Only beloved Son of God, as their Lord and Savior, they show that they would rather go back and not hear from us again. Sometimes it feels like we’re going against all odds; that our love for the lost is a waste of time; that ministry here is pointless.

But as we look at our beloved church, the way we’re growing together, and their desire to get out there to proclaim the gospel, we can only think of our Lord’s promise when He said “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b ESV).

“And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age”

Matthew 28:20b (ESV)

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What we do for His glory is not overlooked, even when we fail. What matters is that we follow His direction.

As we continue to follow God’s will for our lives, we humbly ask you to pray. Pray that the light of the Gospel shines in this deep darkness. Pray so that we can keep on being faithful to our calling, and as we raise our daughter who God blessed us with in December of 2021. Pray for encouragement, as this task feels lonely at times. Pray so that other men and their families answer His calling.

“And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2 ESV)

With love in Christ,

C.

Names have been removed at the request of the author.