If you look
at all my featured Gentlewoman, you will notice they all have a before and
after story. We like to call it our
testimony. That is who we were and this is who we are now. Sharing these stories help us spread God’s
love and grace and truly show how merciful He is. He can change lives. He has done it for us and he can do it for
you.
Today, I’d
like to share Angela’s story with you.
Most recently Angela experienced another death in her family which could
have become a downward spiral of questioning God. Angela was able to persevere through the
comfort of God and the compassion of friends and family. When bad things happen, those that love you
are supposed to wrap their arms around you, however, some of us have experienced
the lack of help or support during times of need and it’s pretty lonely. It can make you second guess who your friends
are and you wonder if they even care.
When you are involved in a church and you have a community of believers
around you, they not only help you, but they carry the pain right along with
you. I’ve seen in in my life and the
lives of others.
Today you may
be experiencing the lack of friends, family or even God. I’d like to encourage you that by seeking God
he can open the doors of new friendships, repair fallen relationships and light
a path of everlasting love. If you want
to see how that happens, just check Angela’s story below.
For those people who
don’t know you, can you share a little bit about yourself?
My
name is Angela Borjas; I was born in Dallas and raised in
Oak Cliff. The only other place I have lived is in McKinney but found my
way back. I can’t picture myself living anywhere else, this is home! My husband
Manuel and I have been together for 15 years. We are complete opposites but the
good Lord made us work for each other. We have two daughters; our
oldest Avina is 13 and our youngest Macaria is 10. We are a “fight” family,
Manuel insist our girls learn to defend themselves. He and Macaria train
in jiu-jitsu, Avina and I have taken a few kickboxing classes. The company
I work for manufactures custom carpets and interior panels for private jets.
I’m in the Design/Sales Dept. and have been with the company for
9 years. I’d like to say I’m pretty compassionate when it comes to
others. People fascinate me, I often find myself trying
to relate to them. I am a foodie! I love going out to eat, trying
different foods, and learning about other cultures. In my spare time I go to
Zumba, catch up on Game of Thrones, and watch UFC.
You and I both call
Fellowship church our home. It is where our life changed. Can
you share your “before” story with my readers followed by your “after” story?
Manuel and I moved in together in 2000, we were young and living the fast life. We weren’t married or attending church regularly. In 2008, we started attending St. Cecilia Catholic Church. It was the church I went to as a child. After taking their marriage classes, we got married on May 30, 2009. It was then that our spiritual journey began.
Manuel
started studying the bible and wanted to attend a bible study. At the time, St.
Cecilia only had one in Spanish (which he doesn't speak much). After being
invited to Church of Christ at Mountain View; he started attending weekly. I
wasn’t ready to make the change so we went to church separately. It made
me sad that my family didn’t attend church as a whole. So
I began to pray for a church for family to attend
together. God began to answer by putting Ephesians 5:22-24 on my
mind;
"Wives, submit to
your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as
also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the
body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ,
so let the wives be to their own husbands in
everything."
I
knew I needed to listen to His instruction and allow my husband lead me. I
went to church with Manuel a few times but felt out of place. Before Easter in
2010, my sister in law invited us to Covenant Church in McKinney. For
almost 2 years, we drove from Oak Cliff to McKinney every Sunday for
church. 
In
January 2012, Manuel and I were bickering about being late to church. He got on
75 but turned around because we weren’t going to make it on time. He
exited on Ross and there was Fellowship Church. There was a
big sign saying “Start your new year off
right, service times at 10 am and 11:30 am”. It was 11:15 and I
told Manuel “Pull into that parking lot, we are not missing church”. God
answered my prayers that day! As soon as we entered, everyone made us
feel welcomed. The message hit home. It
was a message we needed to hear. We knew then we had found our church and we
have been at Fellowship ever since.
I started
attending Flavour Sisterhood and serving in the Worship Center right
away. My girls had fun in FC Kids each week and could
hardly wait for the next. Avina began to grow in her faith through FC
Kids and got baptized first. Then on September 26, 2012, during
a Flavour event, I got baptized! Manuel was baptized after
attending Men of the House on November 20, 2013. Soon after, Macaria got
baptized with FC kids on December 23, 2013. Through serving and doing His
work, I have made many new friends. These are amazing people I can count
on and share with; they’re family.
You recently lost
your cousin due to a drive by shooting just a week ago. I know
that this has been a difficult time for you; however, I believe and I know
through my own experience as a Christ follower that when hardships occur, yes
they still hurt, however God wraps us in comfort, pours out his peace and walks
with us as we endure the pain. Being a Christ follower we can persevere
through hardships because we do not lean on our own understanding, but instead
stand firm in faith that God’s word will always prevail, even when we can’t see
it or understand it. It’s as if we have this superhuman power to
conquer even when we are at our weakest. Have you felt the ease of
his yoke during this unfortunate situation?
Unfortunately,
my family is no stranger to death, we’ve experienced several tragedies. The
hardest to deal with have been the passing of younger family members. In 2004,
our 25 yr old nephew Mark, his aunt and two friends were murdered during a
home invasion in McKinney. It changed our family and community forever!
Mark was Manuel's best friend, loosing him made brought on depression. I
was pregnant with Macaria and Avina was 3. The next two years were
the hardest ugliest years of our relationship. Because we weren't close to
God, I felt alone and it led to our separation. (God put us back together
after a year apart).
My
cousin Angelita died in a car accident in 2010; she was 23. I had just had a
surgery and was really sick at the time. It hit me really hard, she was
Macaria's babysitter and I was used to seeing her everyday. It was difficult
explaining to my girls that she was gone. I hadn't lost someone so close to me
until then.
This
past October my 16 yr old nephew Jesse passed away.
He was a sick kid; battling liver failure, two blood disorders
and cystic fibrosis. My parents and I cared for him from the age of 8 to
14. When he passed, it felt like the battle had been lost. It hurt
badly, because we saw him fight a good fight. God used my
church family’s support to teach me that we didn’t loose, we won the
battle. We did everything we possibly could for Jesse’s health. He lived longer
than expected and was no longer in pain suffering. Jesse lived a positive
life always encouraging others. He was a believer and was not afraid to
speak about his faith to other teens.
Over
a week ago, my cousin Joshua lost his life to a drive by
shooting. He was an innocent bystander at a graduation party when it
happened. The morning I found out he had been shot I went straight to the
hospital, but he died before I arrived. While I was in the waiting room, I saw
a familiar face, it was Priscilla Gonzalez. I met her at Flavour and heard her
talk about losing her son Fabian in a car accident 2 years ago. She came to the
hospital looking for Joshua’s family. I didn’t know how Priscilla knew
Josh. It turns out Joshua and Fabian were best friends in junior high.
Joshua had been a pallbearer at Fabian’s funeral. This coincidence was all
God’s work! I didn’t have the words to comfort my uncle (Joshua’s dad) but
Priscilla did. She knows the pain of losing a child and was able to
sympathize with my uncle. Having her there gave us some strength that
day.
The
following day, I was at work sitting at my desk feeling drained and
unfocused when a bouquet of flowers arrived. I wondered who
they were from, because most people don’t know where I work. When I opened the
card and read it, they turned out to be from you and Chris. The
scripture you sent me Romans 8:28 was the peace I needed in that moment.
Tears of joy started to flow! It was another confirmation, from the
Lord that He put the right “they” around me. Jesse Valdez
(friend from Fellowship) gave a beautiful message at Josh's viewing.
It was about turning tragedy into triumph. Joshua's victory was showing
others love. He was a happy person; he loved with all his heart.
His memory will remind us to smile, have fun, and laugh more. 
Many
other friends have offered their kind words and prayers; it is what has
gotten me through. I know that God is speaking to me through
them; everything works according to His plan. Death has taught me
that God has an eternal purpose that cannot be prevented. Although death
is saddening, I now understand Earth is not our permanent
home. John 14:13 says
"Let not your heart
be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare
a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
His
word assures us that this separation is not permanent for believers in
Christ. Death is a going-home experience! One day we will be reunited
of believing loved ones in heaven, never to be separated again. Through each of
these losses, I have learned to be true to myself and share my feelings. To get
to know the people I care about and to make time for them.
I always tell people I
wish I would have had a program like “The Mix” which is Fellowship’s youth
ministry. I think if I would have had been involved in something like the
Mix, my life would had started thriving at an earlier age. How has
attending FC and The Mix been essential in helping raise your daughters?
The
Mix is an amazing program! My girls love attending and inviting
friends. The messages are given in away that teens can comprehend. It
makes me happy when they come home and can tell me what the message was
about. I love how involved they are and how focused they are on Godly
things. Avina helps serve in FC kids and in youth choir. Macaria will be a
6th grader next year, so she just started attending The Mix. She has
already invited some friends and is ready to help serve in FC kids. It's a
blessing knowing my girls always want to be at church.
Having a support system
with my sisters in Christ has been so influential to my life. I don’t
know what I would do without them. What does it mean for you to have a
variety of women who share the same passion for Christ as you do?
When
Manuel and I started our walk, we prayed for God to remove from our lives the
people, places and things that kept us from getting close to Him. We were
surprised and sad when we lost some friends that we thought were close. But the
more we sought Him the more positive influences he added. I am completely
grateful for the women that are in my life now. Seeing their passion for
our Father is inspirational. These ladies hold me accountable, encourage
me, support me, and pray for me. These are real friends! I feel God’s love
through them.
What is your favorite
verse? What does this verse mean to you?
“The
Lord strengthens me and protects me, I trust in Him with all my heart. I
am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in
gratitude” Psalm 28:7
What are your dreams?
My
dream is to travel the world with Manuel and spread God’s word and love. I want
to see the beauty God has created in nature. I want to fall in love
with God and Manuel over and over again in foreign places. I also
hope to be able to give back to the students in my community. Like so many
others teachers and mentors did for me growing up.
Who inspires you and
why?
My
grandparents are my heroes. They worked picking produce in the
fields of many cities. Eventually they became business owners which
planted our family in Dallas. I’m proud they paved the way so that I and
future generations of my family could have a better life. Their stories
tell me if I put my mind to something and work hard enough for it, I can
accomplish it!
My parents are also a big influence. They gave my siblings and I a better upbringing than they had. Anything we had to do for school or wanted to do outside of it, they supported.
What do you think women
in our generation need to hear?
You
are beautiful! Society wants us to believe we have to look a certain way to be
beautiful. Instead of judging one another, we should be celebrating each
other.
Growing
up I had a high metabolism and was extremely thin. I was bullied all
through school for being too skinny. I wasn't happy with my appearance and I
and didn't think I was pretty. Although I tried not to show it, I had low self-esteem.
Finally, I grew tired of the remarks and was able to ignore them. I told
myself anyone trying to discourage me was doing so because they weren't
happy with themselves. My maiden name is Delgado (which means thin in
Spanish); everyone in my family is thin. I began to accept my appearance
because that is what my family is! I was an adult the first time I looked
in the mirror and thought I was decent looking. Little by little I grew the
confidence I know have.
As
women we need to be comfortable in our own skin. We don't have
to look like someone else to be beautiful because we already are! He
created you uniquely to stand apart. We should embrace our individual
beauty, inside and out. We should be leaders not followers! We should
not seek worldly things. Instead we should lead others to God and
follow Christ!
What are you most proud
of?
Giving
my life to God! Before I gave my life to Him, I made many bad
decisions and put myself in dangerous situations. Even though I was far
away from the Lord, he pulled me through for His greater plan. If he
could bring me through my worst, I know He can bring me through
anything. With Him I have nothing to fear! He brought Manuel and I
through separation, depression, addiction, anxiety and so much
more. With Him we have a life better than we could have ever
prayed for. He made us better parents and gave us a better marriage. We are not
were we want to be yet, but we are not were we used to be.
I'm
proud of the path my family is on. I'm overjoyed with the man of God that
Manuel has become. Again, I have fallen head over heels for him. It makes
my heart skip a beat when I see him talk to our girls about the bible. I love
how they can hold conversations about the God. It's incredible!
I
am also thrilled with the power of "the invite". Fellowship Church is
big on inviting. After God started changing our hearts, my family started
inviting others to church. We now get a front row seat to see the life change
in others. It's all for God's glory! I can testify that with Him, anything is
possible!
So
all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the
Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are
changed into his glorious image. – 2 Corinthians 3:18
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