There is life before God, and then there is life with God!  Without the love and hope of Christ, many will fall into the darkness of this world. Along with that comes a hopelessness filled with desperation and despair.

But with God, even though the challenges that we face may remain the same,  we have a hope that gives us peace in the storm. The despair turns to a joy that can only be realized in Him. With new eyes that keep our hearts focused on God, we see the world differently and therefore can live in expectation of God’s hand in our lives. 

Below, you will read of a young woman in a local church who shared her testimony with Andrei, an SGA Storyteller. There are so many stories of men and women walking through church doors and leaving with new hearts. Continue to pray that many hearts will be opened through SGA-supported ministries.

Maria is 26 and comes from a Christian family. She went through a divorce, and after the divorce, she went down a dark path and had a child out of wedlock. Those new relationships also fell apart rather quickly. Maria’s decision to turn to God was completely conscious, and in June she was baptized.

Here’s what she says about herself:

“I choose to be with God because I can no longer imagine how I would continue living without Him. I don’t want to look at the world the way I used to without Him. To feel what I used to without Him. To think what I used to think without Him. To choose what I chose without Him. Thanks to God, I have stopped the constant hatred of myself.

“God has led me to a completely different life. He has given me wonderful friends. Some problems in my life haven’t disappeared, but my perspective on them has changed. I still often face difficulties for various reasons, but now I have immense support. I find my support in Jesus.

“In the past, I would have sunk into a terrible state of hopelessness, self-flagellation, and irritation. In fact, I lived for a long time in a period that was completely colored in dark, twilight tones. But now, together with God, I see the entire palette of beauty. I wouldn’t say that life has become easier—no.  In some ways, it became more difficult. But the love of Jesus has given me the ability to see more hope and solutions in these challenges.”