Rebecca’s life in Paraguay is peaceful. Every morning, she wakes up to cook breakfast for her husband. She does chores around her home, then she visits her sick mother to take care of her.

But her life wasn’t always peaceful. Rebecca’s husband is a recovering alcoholic. Their life together was dark and depressing.

“I was very sad because my partner was an alcoholic, and living with him was very difficult due to his addiction,” she says. “People approached me to say it was noticeable that I was a sad person because I didn’t smile anymore and never left my house. It was a life that was leading me into constant crisis.”

Rebecca’s mother is a believer who always preached the Word of God to her daughter, but it fell on deaf ears. “I grew up in a house where Christ was known, but I didn’t go to church,” she remembers. “It was quite a complicated situation. My mom preached to me, but I was rebellious.”

Sadness and isolation haunted Rebecca. “I realized I was in a very bad state of suffering,” she says. “I thought if I died, I would have peace.”

Though it seemed that the efforts of Rebecca’s mother were lost, God used every prayer, every message to plant a seed of light in the young woman. “Things began to change the day I received a visit from the pastor of a church where I now attend,” she says. “God was already starting to bring me back to Him.”

The pastor gave her a copy of the New Testament and encouraged her to get involved in a small group Bible study at the church. Her hunger to know more about Christ pushed her to say yes to his invitation.

That ‘yes’ changed her life. After learning about Jesus, Rebecca and her husband both accepted salvation and were baptized.

“We are happy. We are different. We can all share together as a family,” Rebecca says joyfully. “My husband no longer drinks. We read the Word of God every day, and we want to know more about Christ.”

As she and her husband learn more about Jesus, they are eager to be the light of the Gospel to others who are living sad, dark lives like they once were.

“The Word of God teaches us how to live. It is good, and if it changed me and my husband, it could also change everyone in my neighborhood. I am completely sure that I must share about Christ with people who do not know Him.”

Rebecca and her family learned the true story of Jesus and His love in small group Bible studies. Her pastor was equipped with training and materials to go door-to-door to share the Gospel. But it’s only through the power of the Holy Spirit that Rebecca knows the Lord. The dedication of her mother to keep sharing and keep praying for her rebellious daughter was used by God to bring a glimmer of light in a seemingly hopeless darkness.