"The Bridge" Group and Friends: A Comforting God's Response

Before arriving in the USA, I was a little but worried about my spiritual life and relationship with God. I wanted to keep being involved with church, Christian work, Christian people... 

A day when I was working as an Interpreter in Brazil with Occupational Therapy students, one of the girls and my dear friend Calista invited me to participate of the non-denominational Christian club/group called "The Bridge". I really felt that that invitation was a God's response to my prayer. And it was! Besides going to St. Paul church I have the opportunity to meet amazing people every Tuesday night at the Chapel, where we pray, worship and study the Bible. In the middle of anguish, God provided me a spiritual refresh through Calista. She took me to a spiritual retreat called "Camp Shalom"! :) 

That weekend was an amazing time when we played games, had s'mores, sang songs, went hiking and studied that book "Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships". It was such an incredible American experience. I also met amazing people who became great friends!! I am always looking forward to moments that we will get together.

Besides having a lovely time with everybody, a friend told me something that is got stuck on my mind until now during one of our group discussion. After saying that sometimes people misunderstand my caring actions and that I'm afraid of people taking advantage of me because of that, he said: "God made you that way for a specific reason [...]". It may be a common sentence but that meant a lot to me. It was like God was restating that I am not perfect, but I should keep up being the individual that He created... Actually it is hard to explain what that meant to me exactly... But I got that and the message was fully received!

I so love talking about God that watching movies (like "God's not dead", I highly recommend it!), or even saying what God has done for us... It is a good way to draw me forward. Tina (my BFF! Love you, girl!) Katelyn, Kaitlynn, Josie, Kirk, Allison, Suzanne, Josiah (my dear brother), Calista and so many incredible people that I forgot their names (sorry! It is hard to memorize names in English! LOL) have taken good care of me and I am really thankful for that! Love you, "Bridge" crew! 

My other friends, Danielle, Jessalyn, Grace, Katie, Courtney, Kaila, Jenna, Maggie, Liz and other great people from North Hall are so welcoming and so supportive that I don't know how to thank you guys.

I also would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to my roommates who are always helping me with everything I need, thanks Jordan, Joe and JJ, my big brother. Thanks the Tome's for making my days so unique in the States, specially Jacque for giving me such a fun, FUNNY and great experience! You know exactly what I am talking about! Love you, amazing lady!

thanks Christine Urish (my mom and her boyfriend, Tom) for adopting me this time while I am here). 

Thanks OT friends for taking me for dinner to celebrate my birthday and for being so helpful and nice to me.

Thanking is never enough. It is a way of acknowledging people for their effort and support towards a cause or someone. I might be forgetting some people, but feel loved by me! :)

May God bless you all! 

And thank you, Lord, for being my everything!