Out of the Desert

“In the Bible, the Israelites stayed for 40 years in the desert. This year is my 40th birthday. I think: ‘God, in the past, I lived in the desert for 40 years,” said Fabiola.

But this year, Fabiola has new hope for her future—hope that can only come from Christ.

Six years ago, Fabiola, her husband, and their daughter made the difficult decision to move a six-hour drive away from family and friends in Mexico City to live in Guadalajara, where Resonate Global Mission missionaries Ben and Amy Meyer serve.

Life wasn’t easy for Fabiola. Her husband struggled with alcoholism, and their marriage was failing. “We had a very bad relationship,” said Fabiola.

But then, a few years after moving, one of Fabiola’s friends invited her and her husband to attend a marriage enrichment course that Ben and Amy lead through New Life Church, a church that they helped plant.

“The course changed my life,” said Fabiola.

Raised Catholic, Fabiola had heard about Jesus and participated in faith traditions—but there was something different about gathering with Ben, Amy, and the couples in the marriage course. It was as if Fabiola heard the gospel for the first time. The group read Scripture, discussed what a biblical marriage looked like, and prayed together. Fabiola yearned for this new life described by Scripture, and one day, she decided to accept Christ.

Fabiola’s husband, however, wasn’t ready to accept Christ. As Fabiola started to make changes in her life, the two decided to separate. While Fabiola’s husband returned to Mexico City, Fabiola and her daughter remained in Guadalajara. It was hard, but Fabiola and her daughter were never alone.

“The church was a good support for me,” said Fabiola. “All people in the church, and Ben and Amy, supported me in a lot of different things. They helped me and supported me.”

Discipleship is an important part of Resonate’s ministry throughout the world, and discipleship is exactly what Fabiola and her daughter were part of at New Life Church. Fabiola and her daughter became more involved in the church community. They attended worship gatherings and also plugged into a small group that met during the week to study Scripture together called a “cell group.”

“They are spaces where people can let down their guard a bit and ask the questions they have in a caring context,” said Ben. “Not everyone who attends church also participates in a cell group, and not everyone who participates in a cell group attends church, but a person who makes a commitment to both kinds of opportunities starts to grow exponentially as he or she begins to orient his or her life around God's will for his or her life.”

And Fabiola grew exponentially. Ben and Amy said they’ve seen God work a lot in and through Fabiola. Both Fabiola and her daughter made profession of faith and were baptized at New Life Church!

“God changed my life,” said Fabiola. “All of my situations: with my family, with my work, with my daughter. My daughter and I live very differently compared to four years ago.”

And those changes are having resonating effects in Fabiola’s life.

Today, Fabiola has opened up her home to host a cell group of her own. It started with four or five people, but now up to fifteen people will show up each week to read Scripture and pray with one another.

And while Fabiola’s family and friends were wary of her new faith at first because she would no longer participate in many Catholic customs and traditions popular in Mexico, they have started to open up to conversations about Fabiola’s new understanding of the Bible.

“My family is happy for me because they see important change in my life,” said Fabiola.

Ben and Amy said that Fabiola and her daughter are passionate about sharing their faith. They invite many neighbors and friends to church, as well as their family members when they visit from Mexico City. One of Fabiola’s friends has even started to participate in New Life Church’s worship services and Bible studies online!

Fabiola is celebrating her 40th birthday soon, and it reminds her of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years. She has hope that God is bringing her out of a desert season and into new hope.

“I live in peace,” said Fabiola. “My life has changed.”