“The words ‘lonely’ and ‘sad’ summed up my life. Coming from a single-parent family, from an early age I felt a void within myself that I tried to fill by
getting into a series of relationships when I got older. They would start off well, but for one reason or another, always ended in breakups. With each relationship that broke down, it was as if a part of me was dying as well, and my sadness only worsened with each failure.
“Sometimes I’d find myself in my bedroom just sitting there, thinking about how unhappy and bad my life was. Such was my despair and deep sadness that I just wanted to end everything. As much as I tried to be happy, nothing seemed to work, but I kept on trying.
“Another relationship followed and this time, he seemed different from all the other guys. We were together for almost a year, we even met each other’s family! But out of the blue, he told me that he didn’t want me anymore. I couldn’t understand the reason why, so I kept asking him why and he just kept saying, ‘It’s over!
“There I was, struggling to come to terms with the breakup when, to my shock, a few days later, I saw him on social media with another woman. My whole 
world collapsed! I remember being in my bedroom and feeling like the walls were caving in. I felt so suffocated that I ran out of my house still in my nightgown, totally dishevelled—hair all over the place and without even brushing my teeth! I didn’t know where I was going.
“I kept on walking aimlessly until I found myself on the floor of a supermarket crying my heart out.
“In the midst of my despair, I heard somebody saying, ‘Excuse me miss, you need help!’ A lady grabbed my arms, helped me up and brought me to a Universal Church close to the supermarket. (I’ll always be grateful to her because, I didn’t know it then, but that was the day my life finally took a turn for the better).
“I then spoke to an Assistant (spiritual advisor at the church) and she shared her past experience, which was very encouraging. It gave me hope because she was able to turn things around for the better. One minute I was hopeless, literally on the floor, and had small hope that maybe things could change for me. Up until that moment, I never considered that God could change my situation or that faith could somehow help me but after hearing her words, I wondered, ‘If God can bless her life, can He also bless mine?
“She invited me to attend the services – especially on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – where I would be able to know who God was and how He could help me to overcome my problems through faith. I took on her advice and initially started attending the Wednesday and Sunday services, then after a while also began attending the Friday services. As I kept going, it was as if a new world was being revealed to me. I realised that what I was looking for in relationships could never fill the void I felt inside. I had to be whole first and that space, only God could fill.
“The change wasn’t as smooth as it sounds. I had rooted issues that I needed to overcome. I realised that the same effort that I poured into
“having or keeping a man was what I needed to give to God. As I did this, I was finally putting myself as priority and giving myself a true chance to be transformed. In time, I was able to let go of the negativity that I had inside; the grudges, disappointments, hatred I had against men for what they’d put me through… I said, ‘I’m not going to keep this anymore’ and once I did this, God was able to heal my heart.
“All that void and negativity was gone and replaced with true joy. Now that I had found my inner healing, I was ready to look for a new and positive relationship. I met my husband, Paulo, at the church, and now that God is a part of the equation, I finally have a blessed relationship. The Love Therapy
meetings, on Thursdays, are very important to us as we are equipped with valuable tools to overcome any problem that may come our way and strengthen our relationship day after day.
“Before, I never thought I could get married and have a complete family, but God really transformed my life and today I have a husband – we have had a blessed marriage for four years – and a little boy.
“I can say that ‘happily ever after’ is NOT an illusion and now, if I had to describe my life in two words, they would be ‘blessed’ and ‘fulfilled.”
Charlene Bridget
