When I was little, my mother took me to the Catholic church very sporadically, only when she could attend or when she had the need to go for a wedding commitment or funeral of someone she knew.
What I liked most about the Catholic Church were the weddings, those dresses that the brides wear and the whole protocol of decorating the church with flowers and the act of wearing the veil impressed me a lot. I asked why she had that cloth over her face because you couldn't see her face well? My mom always explained to me what all that meant, but she didn't really pay attention to it as something she should religiously adhere to and participate in as a devotee in church.
When I was about 12 years old my brother converted to Jehovah's Witnesses and that of course influenced us and his sisters to attend the Kingdom Hall.
In a short time I told the Elder of the Congregation that I wanted to be baptized and he told me that I was not yet ready to do it, that I had to have a stipulated number of hours of preaching and have studied the Bible on the days they had to do it.
The truth is that things happened that led me to distance myself from the Congregation and my desire to belong to the Church of Jehovah's Witnesses was declining. My sister was expelled from that congregation for doing something inappropriate with her boyfriend. I did not like this since everyone in the Congregation turned their backs on her every time she arrived and fled from her presence as if she had an illness. contagious.
In Luke, Chapter 15, verse 4, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep; He says: What man of you having 100 sheep, if he loses one of them; Doesn't he leave the 99 in the desert and go after the one he lost until he finds her? (Queen valera).
Note that this does not apply to the members of this church, so these are things that disappoint one as parishioners.
In 2017 I met a church in Colombia that captivated me. It was a type of Evangelical Christian Church (there are many types) where their doctrine was healthy and they were not one of those who speak in tongues and lie on the floor as if they were having an epileptic attack.
I always said: I will never be baptized as Evangelica. But it turns out that this church captivated me and I ended up getting baptized and very pleased with it. It was a small church, in the parking lot of the Pastor's house and his wife was a very kind and loving lady. They were always there to chat with their members, offering them a cup of chocolate and sweet bread.
When I came to Venezuela, 3 years ago, I longed to get a church like the one I was leaving in Colombia and God listened to me. I found a church that was starting and its Pastors are beautiful people.
You can talk to them about your problems whenever you ask them, they come to your house to pray if necessary, they give you the opportunity to grow by allowing you to be the speaker on the Sunday agenda.
I am a servant of my church and that makes me feel like a useful member, who serves his brothers and God mainly. I am also part of the evangelization group that goes out every Saturday to preach the Gospel. If I want to be a member of another group in the church I will not be limited by any of the members or the Pastors, on the contrary, they always tell us that whatever we want to serve we should do it because we are doing it for God.
So, what I expected to get in a church, I can say that I have found it. The push to emerge in my faith, learning every day to understand the Bible and what they tell us every Sunday in the sermons and being able to grow as a Christian and as a person in faith. I feel very comfortable in my church and very grateful to have found it.
Traduccion al Español:
Cuando era pequeña mi mama me llebaba a la iglesia catolica muy esporadicamente, solo cuando ella podia asistir o cuando tenia la necesidad de acudir por algun compromiso de boda o de algun cepelio de alguien conocido.
Lo que mas me gustaba de la iglesia catolica eran las bodas, esos trajes que llevan las novias y todo el protocolo de decorar la iglesia con flores y el acto del velo me impresionaba mucho. Yo preguntaba por que llebaba esa tela puesta sobre el rostro que no se le podia ver bien su cara ? Mi mama siempre me explicaba lo que todo eso significaba, pero en realidad no le prestaba atencion como algo a lo que se deberia cumplir religiosamente a asistir y participar como devota en la iglesia.
Cuando tenia como unos 12 años de edad mi hermano se convirtio a los Testigos de Jehova y eso por supuesto influyo en nosotras sus hermanas y asistiamos al Salon del Reino.
En poco tiempo le manifeste al Anciano de la Congregacion que queria bautizarme y me dijo que todavia no estaba preparada para hacerlo, que debia tener una cantidad estipulada de horas de predicacion y haber estudiado la Biblia los dias que ellos tenian para hacerlo.
Lo cierto es que sucedieron cosas que me llevaron a alejarme de la Congregacion y mi deseo de pertenecer a la Igesia de los Testigos de Jehova fue decayendo. A mi hermana la expulsaron de esa congregacion por hacer algo indevido con su novio, esto no me gusto ya que todos en la Congregacion le daban la espalda cada vez que ella llegaba y huian de su presencia como si tuviera una enfermadad contagiosa.
En Lucas, Capitulo 15, versiculo 4, Jesus cuenta la parabola de la oveja descarriada; dice: Que hombre de ustedes teniendo 100 ovejas, si pierde una de ellas; no deja las 99 en el desierto y va tras la que perdio hasta encontrarla ? (Reina-Valera).
Note que esto no se aplica en los miembros de esta iglesia, asi que son cosas que van decepcionando a uno como feligres.
En el 2017 conoci una iglesia en Colombia que me dejo cautivada. Era un tipo de Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica (exsisten muchos tipos) donde su doctrina era sana y no eran de esos que hablan en lenguas y se tiran al piso como si tuvieran un ataque de epilepsia.
Cuando me vine a Venezuela, hace 3 años, anhelaba conseguir una iglesia como la que estaba dejando en Colombia y Dios me escucho. Consegui una iglesia que estaba comenzando y sus Pastores son unas bellas personas.
Puedes hablar con ellos sobre tus problemas en el momento que se los pidas, van a tu casa a orar si es de necesidad, te dan la oportunidad de crecer permitiendote ser el orador de orden del dia Domingo.
Soy servidora de mi iglesia y eso me hace sentir un miembro util, que le sirve a sus hermanos y a Dios principalmente, tambien soy parte del grupo de avangelizacion que sale todos los Sabados a predicar el Evangelio. Si quiero ser miembro de otro grupo mas en la iglesia no sere limitada por ninguno de los miembros o por los Pastores, al contrario, siempre nos dicen que en lo que queramos servir lo hagamos porque lo estamos haciendo para Dios.
Asi es que, lo que esperaba conseguir en una iglesia puedo decir que lo he encontrado. El empuje a surgir en mi fe, aprender cada dia a entender la Biblia y lo que nos dicen cada Domingo en los sermones y el poder crecer como cristiano y como persona en la fe. Me siento muy comoda en mi iglesia y muy agradecida de haberla encontrado.