Berenice

I am Berenice, and I was born in the city of Samaná, Dominican Republic. I currently live with my grandmother. After I was born my parents separated, and my mother moved to another city with my other sister. I never experienced a stable family. It was very sad for me to know that my sister was growing up with my mother and had her attention while I did not; I was always jealous of that. I also resented my father for not being present in my childhood. Not having had a stable life created a lot of insecurity in me, which has been one of my biggest challenges in life to overcome.

I always heard about Jesus throughout my childhood because my grandmother was a Christian. Despite that, I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus. Everything changed when I went to a Young Life camp and for the first time I felt that God heard my prayer, and I could feel His embrace and the consolation I needed. From that moment on, I decided to accept God as my father and my best friend. Today I am part of the worship team at my church and a Young Life leader in my city; prayer and Bible reading are a key part of my daily walk with God.

As part of the Developing Global Leaders program, I am pursuing a degree in organizational psychology. I hope to work with organizations and help create a healthy community and culture for people regardless of their financial reality and see them with the eyes of Jesus. Through my service with Young Life, I preach to the youth about the wonders He did in me.