Forgive
Prepare
“His Thoughts, His Plans”
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
-Jeremiah 29:11-
I left the 2010 ABBA conference ready to do the will
of God, but when I turned 15, I strayed from God and
started to live mundanely in the world. All I wanted was
to hang out with my friends boyfriend, and when we
broke up, I was devastated. During college, I became
upset with my parents because they would not allow
me to do what I wanted. I wanted to run far away from
home. I started to hate my parents and cursed my life
because of all the anger hidden in my heart.
My life had no meaning; I felt alone, my heart was full of
pain and suffering. I grew tired of not having peace in my
heart and constantly fighting off the sorrow. I fell on my
knees and begged God for clarity. With tears streaming
down my face, I declared He was the reason why I was
in this world and asked for God’s forgiveness to restore
peace. I have made many mistakes, but He was always
besides me and never abandoned me. I began to pray
every day and I returned to the path of God. I realized
that there was nothing better than God.
In 2016, I went to the ABBA conference and the main
message was, “Love your parents and forgive them in
spite of everything.” It touched my heart and I came to
forgive them because no one was perfect, but my parents
did their best. When we prayed, God told me that I was
chosen and He loved me. I found my purpose at that
conference. My relationship with my family was restored
and God’s plan was revealed. I stopped my studies college
and registered for seminary where I am being prepared to
lead others closer to God. My life is completely changed
and I give God all the glory for what He did.
Erika Yessenia Cabello Bazán (Lima, Peru)
My first memorable ABBA Peru Conference was in 2010
in the Lima army base, Fuerte Hoyos Rubio, where many
young adults and youths gathered from all across Peru. I
was 13 and living in Cusco at the time. At my age, I saw
this conference as a short vacation. We played games and
joked with people we just met throughout the day. But
something happened; the atmosphere began changing.
God was working in our lives through the praise and
the sermons. Gradually, we stopped with the jokes and
games, and we knelt down in prayer to seek time with
God.
“Lord, use me as you want to, where you want, and when
you want. I want to serve you.” I prayed.
The conference came an end and I went home. Soon, I
returned to my old way of living. I thought that God had
not heard me amongst the thousands of other prayers.
But God did hear me. I thought that God had forgotten
about me, but in reality, I had forgotten about my prayer.
It was “when” God wanted to use me. He had been
preparing me for what was to come but now was not the
time. I fell on my knees and repented for my impatience.
The answers of where, when, how were all God’s to
answer. I prayed for God to give me patience and faith.
That was seven years ago. Since then, God has taken me
to Juliaca and put me in a ministry I never imagined I
would be a part of. I am now leading the youth group at
my church in Juliaca in Puno, in Southern Peru. I have
been invited to speak at many youth retreats and I know
this is only the beginning of what God has prepared for
me.
Josue Enrique Mendoza Solis (Juliaca, Peru)