Since I was a little girl, I carried big dreams in my hands — dreams of healing, of helping, of giving my life away for something meaningful. I worked hard, prayed hard, and imagined a future shaped by all the plans I thought were mine.

But somewhere along the way, the path I built with my own strength began to shift. Doors I fought for closed, and I found myself asking God, “What now?”

It was there — in the quiet, in the disappointment, in the questions — that I learned the sweetness of Proverbs 16:9:

“We make our plans, but the Lord establishes our steps.”

What I thought was loss became the doorway to a better story.

A story that wasn’t built on my achievements, but on His faithfulness.

Jesus met me in a place I never expected — gentle, patient, steady.

He held me through confusion, restored what had been broken in me, and breathed hope into places I thought were gone forever.

He reminded me that His love doesn’t just lift you out of darkness — it rewrites your whole life.

Ephesians 3:20 became real to me:

He truly does more than we ask or imagine.

Not always by giving us what we once prayed for,

but by giving us Himself.

As I grew closer to His heart, something inside me began to change.

My dreams shifted from success to surrender,

from achievement to obedience,

from being known to making Him known.

And the verse that became my compass was simple and soft:

“Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14

I want my life to look like that —

gentle love, bold faith, quiet hope.

A life where people see Jesus before they see me.

That’s why I’m saying yes to missions.

Because Jesus saved me, restored me, and called me into something I never expected —

to share His hope,

to pray with the broken,

to love without fear,

and to show others the same grace that found me.

Through Circuit Riders, I get to live out Matthew 28:19

— to go, to carry the Gospel, to make disciples,

to speak life where there is emptiness,

to be a vessel of His kindness.

If you feel led to support through prayer, giving, or even just sharing,

thank you — you’re helping send me where He is asking me to go.

My heart is simple:

If my life says anything, let it be proof of His love. ❤️

— María