From her confident smile, you wouldn’t guess this beautiful 15-year-old is actually quite shy, but that’s what Maria says. Still, she hopes people will be able to see God through her quiet spirit, and that she can be an example to others.
Maria is from Trenton, Texas (she says in her sweet little Texan drawl), and came to tonight’s Harvest Crusade with her family. She remembers accepting Jesus at an early age; her parents were divorced and she didn’t have a strong and loving father figure in her life. She looked to God to provide that with the help of her mother, “I remember my mother telling me that even though I couldn’t see God physically, I was able to speak to him through prayer, and that He loved me and would be close to me, which were the qualities I desired in a father.” Years later, God brought her stepfather in to her life and she remembers being so happy that now she also had an earthly father!
Maria has learned to trust in her heavenly Father through her struggles over the years because she remembers His faithfulness in her life when she was younger. So she fully trusts that He will continue to be faithful, especially in answering her prayers for some godly Christian friends. Through her quiet strength, she wants to live a life that does not compromise, and is asking God to surround her with people that will do the same. Please pray for Maria, that God would bring those friends her way!
Asked what advice she would give for girls her age that are lost in this dark world, Maria answered, “I would say to trust in Jesus no matter what you’re going through, because His love for you is unconditional and it will be so worth it!”