I did not believe in God, but He heard me.

Your sponsorship goes beyond the children...it has a ripple effect that is drawing more people to God!

My name is Mary Andreina. I am 39 years old.

My story is full of pain and struggle, but also beauty and hope.

I am from Venezuela, and as you might know, the situation in my country is becoming more precarious. These challenges led me take desperate measures:

Last year, I sold my car and all of my things and left Venezuela. I needed enough money to travel and survive for a little while without a job.

I arrived in Ecuador last June because a friend let me know of an opportunity to be an administrator of a restaurant.

Before continuing with my story I must say that in Venezuela I was manager of a large company. I worked very hard to get there. I have a master’s degree in Human Resources. I achieved a lot of wealth and material items because of my success. I must confess that sometimes I believed I was better than others. I believed in hard work.

I did not believe in God.

When I arrived in Ecuador, I had to start from nothing. I did not have a work visa, my degrees were not valid for my career here, and I had to get around with public transportation. I started working in the restaurant business for just a few months, but since the business did not prosper, I lost my job. I also learned that my mother (still back in Venezuela) became very sick...and then I got an awful phone call from my brother that my mother had passed away.

This all happened at the end of 2018. December is usually my favorite time of the year; I love Christmas! ...but this past December I felt very lonely. I had no work, the restaurant could not pay me, I could not go to my mom’s funeral, I had to leave the place I was renting, and I had nowhere to go.

I had no one to turn to… so I did something I was not familiar with: I spoke to God. I gave myself to Him and asked for guidance since I did not know what to do or where to start again.

God heard me. Two days after I spoke with Him, I received a call from a friend who saw that a secretary position was open at a Christian school (Rey Sabio Salomón - the school Lifeline helps run) in Quito. Because I was desperate to find a job, I applied.

At the time, I did not think about it very much because I needed the money; however, in the interview, the school’s leadership team was wondering why someone like me - who was overqualified for a secretary position - would want to work in this role. And maybe they were not so wrong, because before I would not have applied.

Also in the interview, I expressed that I did not believe in God. They shared that I could still work at the school as long as I followed their principles and guidelines. I agreed, and I got the job!

I started working at the school, and immediately I could see God through the staff. People who I had only known for a few days were lending me money so I could get papers in order to find a place to live. I could not believe that they hired a foreigner and trusted me… Everyone trusted me.

I see so many students at the school with more serious problems than mine...and they run around with a smile; happy to be at school. They teach me that every day, I should be grateful.

Through the staff and the students, I started learning more about God. I started believing in God. I saw that God had always been with me through my trials and obstacles. God exists! And we must let Him enter and live in each one of our hearts and we must reflect Him and His love in our actions.

Mary continues to work at the school and is a blessing to the staff, students, and the visiting mission trip teams. She keeps in touch with her family back in Venezuela. We are grateful that God has captured Mary’s heart and now His love shines through her! God is moving and drawing more and more people to Him! Thank you for your continued support of Lifeline!

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