Paolo's Testimony

I lived life my way, but nothing was too extraordinary. I worked and went to movies or to other places “just to have a good time,” as people say. But something was wrong, something was missing. I was not quite sure what it was. Some way, I always had a relationship with God, but the truth of the matter was that I did not have God in my life.

My prayers were not enough, even though I knew that He was always there when I needed Him. And I seemed to leave God waiting outside when I had finished “needing” Him. I did not invite Him to come into my life. Instead, I kept living my life, running and running without ever arriving anywhere….walking in circles. There was no difference between Monday and Saturday, no life in me…I was like a cloud passing in the sky or a cuckoo clock on the wall.

Right before Thanksgiving 2003 I lost my job and then my place to live. All doors shut. For the very first time in my life I was in the streets, homeless. I remember having a chat with God as I never had had before.

I went to an employment agency. They had no jobs but, thankfully, I met a man there who told me about New York City Rescue Mission. It was there that I found shelter and a roof over my head. Over the last year my English has improved and I have come to understand and use computers in the Mission’s Learning & Career Development Center.

But most of all I received God in my life. I have learned to live “one day at a time”.

I am not perfect. I still struggle, but today I know that I can count on God as never before. My life is in His hands. I have nothing to fear. I have finished my program and am ready to go back to the place where I was born, Brazil. Being so far away for so long, going back home will be both a thrill and a challenge for me. I look forward to seeing family and friends and finding work. I plan to continue my studies, hopefully at a Christian college. And I plan to volunteer in the local hospital in my spare time.

I will always be grateful to New York City Rescue Mission and to those who made it possible for me to receive the help I needed here. I will never forget. God bless you all.