The Next Step: Meet Cheila Fernandes

By now hopefully you’ve read our recent update Church Planting: The Next Step. Now we’re sharing the testimonies of the interns that will be serving with us over the next few months. So far we’ve heard from Rebecca and Matheus. Today, we’ll meet Cheila Fernandes:

Hello my name is Cheila, I’m 25 and I’m from Portugal. I was born in a Christian environment but in a dysfunctional family, my mother was a single mom with five kids.

I always saw my mother like the person who disciplines their kids but not the person that I should respect because she didn’t give me a father, so I started to live a life without rules. Once, I felt that life wasn’t for me so I started to think about suicide. At that point one of my uncles shared with gospel with me, and that day I decided to recognize Jesus as my Saviour, and to let him be the father I needed!

My life didn’t change a lot, in school was really hard to keep the testimony of Christ but thank God one day in 2008, I went to a Word of Life Summer Camp and there after hearing so many things about God’s plans to his sons I decided to consecrate my life to the service of God! God started to work in my whole family, and now all of us are serving Him. On that day I knew that God was calling me to serve him.

For the next 6 years I was working and praying to go to Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina. God changed my plans a bit however, and sent me to Mexico in 2014. For two years I was involved in an evangelistic ministry called “Impact Zone“. We preached the gospel in various states of Mexico by music, theater, participation in schools and helping local churches also.

Now I’m in my 3rd year of studies, and God was constantly showing me the need to make disciples. So I started to pray that God would use me in a ministry that would be a challenge to me. This ministry of church planting is a challenge to my life as a servant of Christ. I just want to practice 2 Tim. 2:2-5. I know that God’s church is something important to him and I know that he’s calling me to be part of it-serving now from this year to forever! Acts 20:24

If you want to help Cheila and the rest of our team, you can give directly to our community centre. Just go here to give in US$, or here to give in CA$. Be sure to specify Project #063576.