Discovering Hope

As a young girl, Elicia Borelli’s first encounter with God came in an unconventional way: through a Jehovah’s Witness. Every so often her JW neighbor invited Elicia to her house to read the Bible. Though Elicia didn’t share her neighbor’s faith, she learned to respect God. But reverence for her Creator wasn’t enough. Her parents were separated, her father was an alcoholic, and her brother was suffering from tuberculosis. With nothing to hope in – and nothing to hope for – Elicia's life was void of joy.

God reentered Elicia’s life many years after that encounter with her neighbor. Elicia was a student of Computer Science when her friend told her about an ACTION group from Canada that was in her home of Lima, Peru to give English lessons. Elicia was hesitant about going. She was stressed out and didn’t want to spend extra time studying, but her friend encouraged her to meet new people and learn a useful language. Elicia connected well with the group and began attending church activities. When they left Peru God brought another group of young people her way – a TREK team.

Elicia continued to build relationships with this new group and missionaries Otto and Lidia Funk. She found herself attracted to the people and the church. They had a love and a hope that she hadn’t experienced before. It was something that she wanted so desperately to experience for herself. The church became her family, and God became her refuge. As Elicia experiences life in Christ, God is giving her a greater understanding of His character. The love of Jesus is for everyone, and there is no one who is without hope. God desires that all would know Him, and that includes her family. Through Jesus, Elicia has discovered hope. 

“I pray that my faith will grow everyday. I keep asking God to mold my character, to stretch out His hand and take hold of me, and to never let go.”

Watch Elicia's story of transformation!