NYC makes you strong in many ways. It teaches you to walk fast and walk everywhere, run to the
subway or to get the taxi first, not to notice the homeless as they are so many,
park your car fast as people don’t have the time to wait, not to let others run
you over or over you, tough it up while getting any public process done, hold a
long night of party, and so much more.
But NYC, like any other city and place in the world, has a beautiful
side… a soft side that builds your heart.
NYC taught me about love, patience and faith. I only lived
there for about 20 months, and my community and friends made me fall in love
with the city. From the corner bakery servers to Don Pedro & Beto in the
parking garage and my Panamanian dancing group in Brooklyn… everyone offered me
a kind heart, a candid hello, a warm welcome and farewell. The best was the
Ascension Church, and everything I got to learn in the Charismatic Movement.
Using the talents and gifts God has given me for the benefit
of His Church is how I started learning about love. The greatest example was the strong desire I felt to leave
all my belongings within the Church community. I still have a long journey
towards love, but NYC gave me the opportunity to discover how I can go about
this. I am confident that God will also guide me in the next few months on
loving!
Working with the young adults group at Church gave me the
initial steps towards practicing patience. It requires time to let God work in
the hearts and minds of a team. Even if I knew how to get the outcome, I needed
to teach the team how to get things done so that they could get inspired and
learn about their own potential. It is now so fulfilling to see how the group
has defined its vision and a strong plan to conquer the hearts of the youth in
NYC.
Faith continues to be a work in progress. It was in a Healing Retreat where I had
the vision of returning home. And the process to make the decision final took
patience but much more faith.
Leaving the known and the comfort of my life in the USA to come to the
unknown but familiar home in Panama was a challenge that taught me about
putting my trust on that vision that I had and knowing with confidence that God
put that in my heart for a very good reason: because He will give me
abundantly! However, I didn’t know what that abundance would be… and I confess
I am still on that journey.
NYC is a wonderful city, a city where you could find any
experience you can imagine. And I am so happy that I got to practice love,
patience and faith in that beautiful, exhilarating city.
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