Dear Pastor Castro,
Below is my testimony from the Youth Power Group. I appreciate all that God has done through the YPG, so that's why I decided to write this below. If you like, you can use it someday and cut and edit a few things at your convenience, so it can be readable. At least, it will be posted on my facebook. Thank you. This pic - I appear with my graduation cap and gown - is from when I was 20 y.o. - 3 years ago - I barely got my Associates in Arts degree. Everything was going really smooth, until I got sick and tired of life just because IT IS BORING. EVERYTHING started to bore me. Nothing amused me because everything looks mechanical and it starts with one day I am born, then I grow up, then I'm supposed to have friends, give myself to friends and family, marry one day, have children, raise them, grandkids and all THAT effort to die. Well, it ALL changed when I had an encounter with God. It wasn't easy. Believe me. I went to church every Sunday for three years and my life was the same: dull, lifeless, sad, depressive, EVEN jokes, friends or going outs didn't help. It was until I made the decision to give ALL OF MYSELF to God: dreams, goals, fears, doubts, EVERYTHING! I started to trust God THIS time, so I knew that the YPG would help me. Today, I can't wait for my major graduation in Dec., of 2010 for an English with a focus in Literature and a minor in Media Analysis. PLUS some background in Journalism classes, and ESL classes (English as a Second Language). All these will count for 7 1/2 years in college. I'm already dizzy by saying all these things... well... the thing is that I'm impressed of myself because I thought I would never get ANY TIME TO STUDY, just the way of how I was before... uh oh. Lazy, party girl, drunkard, excessive fun - which was temporal - to the point that I would not care about important stuff and my obligations, and other things that I prefer to not state now for the sake of my fingers pressing the keyboard - as of this writing -, but you get the idea. What can I say today? Thank you, God and YPG for helping me out! I never thought I could EVER reach THIS far today in the U.S.... by being a college student and BE happy ... I'm aware that I still have to learn a LOT to become a succesful woman. By succesful, I don't mean to have money, houses, car, but the INTERIOR. One needs to start with the interior self - spiritual -, so the goodness can be shown throughout the exterior. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). I'm not lying, it says on the Bible. Why do you want external things if you're interior is not good? If you want to take a closer look at this, just look at those rich people's actions and the kind of rewards they receive. Did they do good deeds and received So what I'm doing right now is to get closer to God... closer to Him in prayer, fastings, faith, in my behavior, in my attitudes, etc. God and His church is my Father, Mother, Family, Best Friend. He is my everything.
Marcia del Refugio Quijada Ruiz
YPG Phoenix, Arizona
March 26 at 3:28am
12 comments:
Wow! Inspiring Testimony! I actually shared some of the same thoughts as Marcia especially the ones about life becoming a bore. Sometimes we just need to realize there is a Purpose for our life. We weren't just created to live and then die. God has a plan for all of us, of course, that is if we want to take part of it. All we have to do is give him ALL our life. He will take care of the rest. It's so true when she says that we have to be successful interiorly and then then it will be shown outwardly. God Bless.
what caught my attention was how she said she gave everything to God, her fears, dreams, and DOUBTS
This is a really nice testimony. I'm happy for Marcia, she turned her life over to God and only then she saw results. Can't wait to hear even greater things from her!
Very inspiring testimony! Your absolutely right, what good is it to have fame, money, reputation, etc. if the most important thing we're lacking?
It brings great joy to me to see that youths benefiting from the YPG. I have such high esteems for the YPG worldwide! Its a privilege to be working with youths, because they are the future. Youths have so much potential... the sad part is that they aren't even aware of it. I also benefited a lot from the YPG, and am glad that countless other youths are so too. =)
I understand exactly where you come from Marcia. Truly, life can be very boring and purposeless when one does not know God. That is when many resort to distractions and reckless fun, usually accompanied by friends that couldn't care less about them.
Thanks for sharing your story and showing that giving your life to God doesn't mean that we become secluded from the world or that we do not experience life. By the contrary, you proved that with God we can go beyond what we thought we could ever do ;0)
cool.It's always great to see someone's transformation through God. All it took was some effort to give her self to God, and it all worked out. Happy for her :)
thats really good to hear. from a person that attend the YPG!
like the testimony :)
The college life can indeed be a distraction if we're not firm with God. That is what happened to me.
Nice to see how things turned around for Marcia.
It was also through a youth group that I converted to God.
I believe that the best decision that a person can take is put their problems in the hands of God and thrust in Him, because He never fell.
The testimony is to show one more time, how our God is big... All we have to do is give our lives 100 percent to him and trust and he will bless...
Wow interesting and inpiring testimony1
I'm so happy for her...I also change a lot trough the ypg I'm glad it excists!!
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