 Tell us your name and where are you from Araceli in Tri-Cities Araceli How did you end up coming to hunger generation and when you came what were your thoughts? So I was invited by my beautiful sister Yesenia, and when I came in I was really nervous scared But everybody was really nice warm-hearted and gave lots of hugs Can you tell us what was that event that was happening in your life that drew you closer to God? Um Okay, so I Went through a break up. I was in a relationship for ten years And I went through a really big breakup. I Got into a really bad depression Anxiety I Ended up just not being able to sleep every day I cried I Ended up in the hospital just from not eating just Waking up literally shutting myself from others going to my mom's and crying I Just it wasn't me like I literally I couldn't do anything But cry and just sit in and in the couch and think about how my life was Just apart falling apart and I was no one How long you were you crying periods for? The depression started right after my breakup and it lasted about two and a half months to almost three months And how has that affected your life? It affected my life huge I mean like I said, I wasn't able to eat I had a daughter who I could barely put a smile on my face and pretend like Everything was okay, and I didn't want to show my emotions my pain So I tried to hide it Friends I stopped talking to everyone. I shot everyone out of my life The only person I had was family who would have to literally call me every single day and tell me Everything's okay. How are you? I mean from right when I woke up Making sure that I was literally still alive and good and telling me hey today's a new day You can put a smile on your face. You could do this Um and then what happened you came to the conference. What happened at the conference here? so I when I first came to church, I was still in a relationship and My sister invited me I think she was getting baptized and so I came and I Seen her get baptized and I was happy for her and I thought okay good for her. You know, this is not my thing I'm happy for her. I hope everything goes well After my breakup, like I said, I went I mean depressed Anxiety not eating just totally changed anger My sister invited me over and said hey, we're having a huge conference come over. It's at church And I thought to myself no Stay home. I feel like crying today And my sister said no you're coming I mean she demanded me she's like I'm gonna go pick you up and she did I think she followed me here and she brought me and she sat me down and for the first time in my whole entire life during worship, I I've always been a person in private I don't like to cry in front of people if I do I shut it up and I suck it up and try to change the subject I was listening to worship and the song was playing and I could just remember the lyrics and the girl singing and I felt like Everything was okay. I've literally fell to my knees and I remember holding my sister I was holding I was on my knees and I was hugging her and I was crying and she kept telling me everything's okay Everything's fine. But for the first time ever I didn't care who was watching. I didn't care how loud I was crying and I was crying loud. I mean my tears are just running and Something literally told me everything's gonna be fine. You're gonna come out of this stronger and better than ever and As I'm holding my sister crying. I feel like oh my gosh I like snap out of it and I look around and I think oh how many people see me and I run I get out of the church and I drive to my mom's house and then after that I drive home and I mean million things are going through my head. I'm literally feeling Worthless like something's telling me you're worthless. You're ugly. He left you because you're ugly. You're dumb You know, you need to end this you're you can't do this anymore And I remember looking into my cabinet and I just thought in my head just take a whole bunch of pills Nobody will ever know the world's happier without you and you'll end your suffering and Then as that second I open up the cabinet I look something again the peace comes all over my body and tells me no you are strong You're going to do this and you're gonna be okay And I shut it and that's when my sister calls me and she's of course angry. She's like where are you at? Why did you leave? Pastor Vlad is here and he's he's ready to give his speech and I'm like Well, I'm gonna go to I'm gonna take a nap just making up excuses Just basically not to come back and she said no. He's looking for you. He wants you back And I said oh man, I'm gonna look bad So I hurry up and run back to my car and I drive back to church And I sit through the whole conference. I literally come I think it was a three-day three day I come every single day and Literally after that I Felt a piece I felt amazing Like I knew I could do it. I didn't need anyone or anything all I needed was God and Still I I mean half was good and the other half was kind of bad. I couldn't go home. I Couldn't be home for an hour. I couldn't I mean I Have this house four bedrooms and I couldn't even I would literally go from room to room to live room to bathroom And I couldn't even be home because I felt so alone I felt like this box of memories was attacking me so I literally would go home shower change go to friends more mainly my mom's and sisters and The only time I was home was basically to sleep and that's it and I woke up and left So it was just basically changing shower and leave and I wouldn't even eat at home Can you tell us what happened after the conference? How did you find solution? after the conference I Started noticing that I didn't want to be home like if something was literally biting me being home like I felt so uncomfortable I Called pastor Vlad and I asked him to come if I could talk to him at my home And he can come check it out basically like what's going on like why can't I be home? and that's when pastor Vlad and Lilia and Martin Came over and I remember just pulling up and seeing them outside and I said oh man They need three guys to come help me and I was so embarrassed I didn't I went in there and they just started talking to me and They kind of looked around the house and in the house. I have a saint And he was given to me by family From my in-laws when they went to Mexico and the saint I was told to put it in the door So basically when everyone comes in it kind of I think blesses everyone as they come in and if anybody who's bad You can't come in my house Which I don't I don't know how that works But and also I had two statues who I had no clue I knew their names and they were saints and like I know Catholic people usually really they prayed to them, but I never Knew what the purpose was of them, but I had them there because it was a gift So what was the sticker of the saint did at your house? So the same what was the purpose for your mother-in-law to give it to you? She gave it to me just kind of like a souvenir. It was a gift from Mexico I think she said oh, I'll bring it back to protect you and your family and the house and So yeah, I nailed it on top of my door and I and every day is I would look at it I mean I read it and I would look at it every day and I kind of started I Was never Catholic and I never Believed in the saints and stuff, but I noticed myself as I would walk out every day I would look at it and say okay. Take care of me today, or I would just kind of like say a little quick Prayer as I left and look at it and then leave to work or wherever I went What happened after they prayed for your house and you toss those saints away? So after they prayed for me I Threw away the saints and the sticker I really didn't feel bad because I didn't really like them to begin with I didn't think they were cute So I threw them away didn't miss them I started slowly I mean not right away slowly kind of feeling at home again and I felt like I could be there more than an hour. I started cooking I started having friends over my house kind of you know spending more time home to be decorating Just kind of making it feel homeier and then how your life begin to change afterwards my life basically it's Amazing how it took I mean I think God and my sister for bringing me here for that conference that it literally touched me My life I'm now engaged with the same person who we had a big breakup with and planning my wedding and not only God did he bring him back. He brought it back better and He's filled my life with Just nothing but better like I don't there's no way that I could explain How empty I felt how I idolized to my boyfriend. I idolized things more than God in the past And I feel like God showed me that there's only one God and he's the person I need to idolize and After going through what I went and after coming to the conference putting God first Proved to me that he is the best and no matter what not like boyfriends not like anything they could leave He will never leave me and he proved to me that he'll always be here with me And what is your advice that you want to tell us tonight? So my advice is Don't idolize your boyfriend. Don't idolize an item Don't make anything anyone you're everything because once they're gone you literally feel like dying without them But idolizing God the person that will be there the God who's with you no matter what?