Silenced by fear and hardship, Ana encountered Christ through the desperation of a dying child and found a faith that reshaped her family.

Ana’s Testimony (35 years old)

Tell me about your life before you knew Christ.

Ana: I lived without direction. I wanted to fill my emptiness by doing things I shouldn’t. When I was in sixth grade I stopped studying. My dad told me if I wanted to study, he couldn’t help me because I was the oldest of the family and he didn’t have enough money to pay for my studies as well as my siblings. So I started working hard because what I wanted was to study, to graduate.

But the little I earned wasn’t enough to pay for school so I decided to stop studying and just work.

When I was 14 my cousin came to my house and invited me to youth group at her church. I asked my dad for permission and he said yes. So I went and I accepted Christ. The great mistake I made was leaving after receiving Christ. My dad is strict, and he said I couldn’t go to church anymore.

He forced me to go with them to the Catholic church. I didn’t feel good going there. I felt like a crazy person talking to idols that don’t hear, don’t speak. I always read the Bible alone and even questioned my dad about trusting idols. But they never let me go to church and I wasn’t brave enough to defy them.

When I married and had Eric, my first son, he became gravely sick when he was only four months old. I remembered that I had once believed in God and decided to seek Him because I was desperate to save my son I couldn’t think of another way. I wasn’t doing it for myself anymore, but for him. For me, there’s nothing worse than having a sick child.

Shortly after, he got even worse, and I told God, after seeking so many doctors and midwives, I said, “God, if you leave my son with me, I will seek you and serve you.”

And in that moment, I saw God’s hand. I can tell you, at that moment my son was dying but God sent someone to help me even when I didn’t have any money. And my son was saved. So then I began going to church and I remembered why I had accepted the Lord all those years ago.

It was a very beautiful process, even though my own enemy was my husband! He didn’t want me to go to church and hated it when I tried to share Christ with him. At night, I read my Bible aloud, and he would yell at me to be quiet and sleep. I prayed, and he didn’t like it. I had to learn to be silent and let him see the change in me.

And one day, suddenly, he made his decision to follow Christ as well. I felt complete, nothing was missing. Since then, we’ve been very blessed.

Difficulties exist, but we have God’s protection; we are not alone. Things are resolved by talking.

What is the desire of your heart for how God could use you to extend His kingdom?

For my children. I want my children to have the same passion or even more for God. I love the Lord, and in first place is my family. I want them to seek God; there’s nothing more precious than that.