Faith for Departure – A personal testimony

Let’s talk about dreams? I DREAM OF TRAVELING THE WORLD. Wow, what a treat to be able to talk about this and share this with you! Yes, my biggest dream today is to travel, discover new places, other cultures, delicious-smelling (and tasting) dishes, stunning architecture, and breathtaking landscapes. Not that I don’t dream of having my own home, a beautiful wedding reception, or graduating, but that’s the good thing about dreams: we can have several and change the order of priorities throughout our life.

That said, the start of my dream has a set date: December 20th.

Now, can I tell you about the size of my faith? I bought a ticket to Portugal for this year (Oh, what happiness! Celebrate with me, please). When I bought the ticket in March, almost all the borders were closed. There was no established date to vaccinate my age group, new waves were wreaking havoc, and I didn’t have the full fare. Crazy, right?

I confess that sadness and discouragement got to me sometimes. How could I travel with the entire world in tremendous chaos? But you know God’s plans are perfect. You know the size of our God and trust Him to always guide us in the best way when we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, right? I know you know how it feels. You may be worried about the future, but when you put everything in His hands, you can be at peace because you know He will take care of everything.

Do you know who helped me have this trust in God? My dad. When I would say: “Dad, the borders won’t open by December!” He’d say, “It’s going to work out. There’s still a lot of time. Have faith.” When I would say, “Dad, did you see that things got worse in Europe? This trip isn’t going to happen!“ He’d say, “Calm down, things are already getting better. Wait and you’ll see”.

If my father, who wasn’t even part of my trip, had such great faith, why couldn’t I? I put my dejection aside and went on to live my year (okay, my half a year, because I spent a few months worrying about it.)

August arrived, and with it, my turn to get vaccinated. I was excited at the prospect of being able to travel! So imagine my disappointment when I had to take Coronavac—a vaccine that wasn’t accepted by European countries. Another obstacle between me and my dream.

But everything changed in September. Portugal opened its borders and no longer required proof of vaccination.

I can’t say that my faith made things change and work out, but I can say that my faith gave me hope and peace to wait for God to act and fulfill His will. I’ve learned that that’s faith—believing in things we can’t see. It’s believing that God loves us so much that He’s able to make dreams come true. And that when our dream doesn’t come true the way we imagined, it’s because in His plans, everything will be even better.

I can’t wait to show you how my trip to Portugal was, because, God willing, it will happen. Can I count on you to follow along? Wait on the Lord because He will take care of you.

Now I want to ask you: what I had, was it faith or was I crazy?

6 thoughts on “Faith for Departure – A personal testimony”

  1. Telma Pessanha

    Obrigada Gaby, por partilhar a sua experiência de fé. Deus sabe sempre o que é o melhor para a nossa vida! Nem mesmo a fé vem de nós mesmos, é o Senhor que coloca em nós. Que o Senhor continue a abençoar a sua vida! ?☺️

  2. Elaine Tinoco de Souza

    Feliz demais por você Gaby!!! Tô acompanhando tudinho aqui de longe.

  3. Barbara Ogoshi

    Gaby, seu sonho já deu certo! Parabéns por acreditar!! Inspiração para muitos!

Leave a Reply to Ellen Machado Feijó Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search
Girl writes in journal
The Girl Writes is a space created by women for women. Everything in a faith-based perspective. No adaptations necessary. Learn more.

Related Posts

Real Life Love stories

You + Him – The Greatest Love Story

Over the past year, we have shared our love stories here at The Girl Writes. Each story is beautiful and perfect in its own way. Well, today I want to share the year’s last love story. And this one involves you.

Read More »

Rewriting my Resolutions

Ah… resolutions! Also known as”objectives” or better yet “goals” for the new year. They’re the famous lists we make at the end of December, where

Read More »
en_US