What I've learned...

When I came to this country, there were a lot of stereotypes about people from the US that, unfortunately, were real (By the way, to people in Latin-america "Americans" are people from north, central and south America) But something I wasn't expecting was the way a lot of people believed in God. After being a catholic for 17-18 years, I had became an atheist (despite the fact that some people think that it is impossible to be a total atheist) and then, out of nowhere, in 2007, through the love and prayers of believers, I found God (probably it is better to say, he found me, again). Here, I learned that God is not a lousy club that meets 30 minutes on Sundays (in my country the shorter the service the better) or a prayer that you pray once in a while when you need something or an expression that people say because everyone says it (because I hear "thank God" so many times from people that are declared atheists). Also, I learned that the Bible is not decoration that you put somewhere in your house so people can see that you have one, and that an inexpensive one says the same things than the very expensive ones. I learned, that there are like 30 thousand versions of the Bible that I didn't know about because I grew up with only one version (people have told me like 20.000.000.000 that I should not exaggerate all the time) but the ideas are the same in most of them. I learned that there are many religions, and other groups that try to convince you that you are wrong but nothing they say makes sense when you know that Jesus is the Only Truth. Here in the US I have learned that the "church" is not the building or a group of strangers but a group of friends that pray with and for you and they know they can ask for prayers any time. I have learned that judging other is too easy but we really try not to do it (despite the fact that people feel judged). I have learned that a lot of those who have felt discriminated and judged by Christians, are now discriminating Christians because the "land of the brave" and the "country of freedom" has become more and more like the people of Israel, and has turned away from the Savior because power, greed, and the effort to be politically correct, have corrupted "the system" (but in the Bible it says that this was going to happen so...) I have felt the love of God everyday through my amazing wife, the most beautiful present from the Lord, and from my son Lucas; also, through people, that are humans just like me, that make mistakes but surrender to the Holy God and are willing to walk with you and not over you. I have learned that God's timing is perfect and that with Him every situation in life can be fruitful, even the ones that cause pain. I have learned that bad things happen because of the sin that started with one man, but that one man, Jesus Christ, donated His blood to the Red Cross to save my life and the lives of those who believe in Him. I pray that all those who read this (at least one) will know God the way I do now, because before I was lost, blind, deaf to the truth, the only truth, Jesus Christ but now I know that He is the reason why we exist.