A Transformed Life in Venezuela

From Heartbreak to Helping Others

With her marriage over, Leiza had been adapting to her new life and wanted to keep herself busy by turning her attention to others. She thought this would help her get over the break-up of her marriage more quickly. She joined a local church, and soon discovered she had a real hunger for the Word of God, and wanted to learn more about Jesus’ message of hope.

The pastor of the church she belonged to invited her to attend a Project Philip Bible study. She loved the lessons so much, and found the material so easy to share with others, she decided to train to become a Philip (a Project Philip Bible study leader) herself. She says, “it did not take me long to become a Philip at all.” Leiza began to share God’s Word with children and teenagers living in some of the poorer areas on the outskirts of Barquisimeto. “The rural village had no basic services like electricity or garbage collection, and no chance of prosperity for the residents. I could not believe I did not know that such an impoverished area was right outside my town. I saw many children on the street, so I asked some people about it. They told me most of the parents leave their kids alone to look for jobs in other cities.” Leiza says God told her in that very moment to serve these children.

“I started a Project Philip Bible study for children, and it has been wonderful,” she says. “The youngsters are smiling more, they communicate better, and they love the illustrated Bible because they never had anything like it before.” Leiza hopes to transform the future of children through the Word of God.