Learning True Biblical Teachings
Mary Guevarra: What happens is my body goes into a mode, in which everything relaxes and I swallow my tongue and my jaw locks. It was rough. I went through things that most kids shouldn’t. I was bullied quite a bit. My father taught me, “No matter what happens in your life, so long as God is with you, you can get through anything.”
I grew up Catholic, and at the time, I thought that’s what you were supposed to be. And a lot of the questions that I had were never answered. I was just told to pray because I was losing my faith.
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My name is Mary Guevarra. I am 51. And I was born and raised in San Diego, California.
“It was Rough Being A Teenager”
I am number five of six [children]. And sometimes you get lost in the shuffle. It was a good life at times, and sometimes it was, like, you were left out. I was actually in middle school, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. And I had my first seizure. I had a grand mal seizure. As a teenager, it was rough. I went through things that most kids shouldn’t. I was bullied quite a bit.
My father taught me, “No matter what happens in your life, so long as God is with you, you can get through anything.”
I grew up Catholic, and at the time, I thought that’s what you were supposed to be. And a lot of the questions that I had were never answered. I was just told to pray because I was losing my faith.
“I Began My Search For God”
A lot of the practices like Easter, Christmas… there’s another one, it’s called, I think, All Souls’ Day. I really never understood those. I just–I did them to do them. I was very uncomfortable with them. I even questioned my mom about them.
I think high school is when I decided that it was time for me to walk away from the Catholic Church. That changed me because that’s when I began my search for God. I wanted a relationship that was deeper than what I had, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t find it there.
I was at a point where I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. So my daughter suggested that I go back to school and get the degree that I always wanted to pursue. So I did that. But when I started I didn’t know what to take. I had a friend tell me to try music. I was like, “Okay, I’ll try music.” I was so scared. After two weeks, I wanted to withdraw. But I had some professors that convinced me to stay and it was probably the greatest gift that I had them convince me to stay because that’s actually where I met the person that would eventually introduce me to the Church Of Christ.
“I Took That Leap Of Faith”
I ended up having this really good professor. It wasn’t until I started taking voice lessons with him and Brother Ernest Quarles invited me to come to his church. And I was like, “Oh, okay.” I was a little nervous and I’m thinking, “You know, he’s never steered me wrong. I’m gonna take that leap of faith. I’ll try it.” As I walked up to the chapel I went in and someone said, “Hi sister.” And I was like, “Did she just call me, ‘sister?’ I don’t understand that.
So I ended up going to, like maybe, multiple worship services. And after each one we would communicate back and forth via text. He would ask me what I thought and I would tell him. And I would ask him questions… about like… “Wow, why are they so passionate? I don’t understand. I want to feel what they feel. That’s what I want.”
It’s an interesting feeling when you walk into a church and you’re easily welcomed, like you’re a member, like you’ve been there all your life. That, to me, is the most welcoming and warming feeling. And it just makes you want to stay.
“It Was As If God Was Talking To Me Through Him”
Meeting Brother Jewel was probably the best moment of my life because he made me see things that I could never see before. I would have a lot of questions. And I’d go into a Bible study ready to ask a question. And somehow, whatever Bible study it was, it was almost as if God was talking through him and giving him my answers without even having to ask the question, which kept telling me in my head, “This is the greatest choice I’ve ever made. I’m learning something here. I want to be here. I’m so happy I made this choice.”
I think the one pivotal part was… I was invited to a special study, which was about the holidays. And as they taught that lesson, I was in shock. Everything that I had been taught about Easter and Christmas, everything that the Catholic Church had told what was okay and acceptable was not only unacceptable, it wasn’t even biblical… which I have felt for a long time. And I remember sitting in the chapel… crying, just crying… because I couldn’t believe my mother would teach me something that’s so against the teaching that our Lord God would give us within His own scriptures.
What does a rabbit have to do with God? What does eggs have to do with God? Can you tell me that? Or even Christmas? What does a tree have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? What does Santa have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? I felt like these churches were partaking in something that man decided to make and interpreting the Bible and going against its own teachings. And that to me was wrong.
I would say my “a-ha” moment was the Trinity. The Catholic Church and most Christian churches are very big on that, especially the Catholic Church. But it doesn’t really make sense. So when I say through my Bible study about the Trinity… and I realized that it didn’t make sense that God could be Christ because Christ was man and God [is] not human. Jesus was human. God [is] spirit. He can’t be seen. And that’s what made no sense to me. I’m like, “There can’t be a Trinity.” It made no sense at all that they would even teach this. And that’s what I decided… they’re wrong. And what they’re teaching is wrong.
And my faith has grown ever since.
A Deep Connection With God
So my favorite answered prayer would be… I finally got that deep connection that I so prayed for, for many years just to have that deep connection with God. And when Brother Ernest… invited me to come to the Church Of Christ it was finally answered. I had finally received what I’ve always dreamed of.
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Mary Guevarra
Joined the Church Of Christ in 2020
What makes me happy is, every day I can spend another day in the service of our Lord God. I actually am excited and I wait for each worship service so that I can see what lesson is being taught. Even in my offices that I hold within the Church, I’m excited to go perform, because it means so much to me. Everything I can do for Him, to help Him and to live in His world… It’s my pleasure to do His work.
God is… everything. He is the reason I am here. He is the reason I wake up every morning. He is the reason… that I’ve been given this election within this Church. And I’m thankful for Him each and every day of my life.
