In the quiet coastal town of Cutelinho on Santiago Island, where fishing boats rest along the shoreline and neighbors gather beneath the warm sun beside pastel-painted homes, a group of teenagers came together for a discipleship class at the local church.
They were diving into our +Amigos Book of Hope, not just to read about Jesus, but to understand what it means to truly know Him.
That day, the lesson was about protection and how Jesus, as our friend, loves and protects us. The leader, Diego, asked the teens to share moments when they had felt God’s protection in their own lives.
One by one, the teens answered.
“I feel God’s protection when there’s food at home.”
“When He keeps me safe from conflict.”
But in the middle of the group, one girl sat in silence.
Diego noticed and asked for her thoughts.
She hesitated. Then, finally, she spoke words that revealed the weight she had been carrying:
“I don’t think God loves me. I don’t feel protected by Him.”
Her reason?
Every time her mother didn’t make enough money at the market, Joana and her sister paid the price. Her mother, a fish and vegetable vendor, would come home angry, defeated, and frustrated. And Joana carried the bruises of that frustration.
What do you say to a child who has never known love without pain?
Diego didn’t just try to explain God’s love; instead, he showed her God’s love by praying with her.
They prayed that God would bless Joana’s mother, that He would provide for her business, and that even on the hardest days, He would bring peace to her heart. And most of all, they prayed that Joana would come to know, deep in her soul, that she was loved.
And then something changed.
Two weeks later, Joana came back to class, but this time, she was smiling.
She told Diego, “Many good things happened! I have been praying, and every day when my mom leaves for work, I pray for her.”
She said that her mother had now started coming home calm. The beatings had stopped.
And then, she said something even more powerful.
Joana said, “I have now understood that God truly loves me and that Jesus wants to be my friend!”
Joana’s story reminds us that discipleship is not just about sharing knowledge. It is about being present in someone’s life, helping them walk through pain, questions, and discovery with the truth of God’s Word.
When the Church is equipped to guide young people, they do not just hear that God loves them. They begin to believe it. They begin to experience it. And that experience can change everything.
Share Joana’s story and inspire others to see how discipleship can turn questions into faith and pain into peace.
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OneHope Team
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