Universal Magazine November 2018 Universal Magazine November 2018 | Page 5

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UNIVERSAL CHURCH
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of
God is the place where good news happens!
The real-life stories that you’ll read about in
this maga are only a few examples of what
takes place when people who walk through
our doors take on the advice and support
that we offer. No matter how difficult your
situation may be, we believe that it can turn
around and you could be the next success
story featured in a magazine like this. You
are more than welcome to attend one of
our branches to see if you too could benefit
from the help we provide. See page 14 for
your local Universal address and timetable.
Winning in a foreign land
Leaving your country to start afresh certainly isn’t easy. Nevertheless, it’s a decision
many have to make in the hope of a better and stable life for themselves and their
families. Erandi da Silva has experienced this struggle and shares his story.
‘I
have always had a life of
misery where nothing
would go right for me. I
was constantly in debt and asking
people for money. I worked
hard, but it was never
enough. Despite my
financial limitations,
I came to the UK
in the hope of
bettering my life.
One of the first
things I did
was to enrol
in an English
course to learn
the language,
before I started
applying for jobs,
but I couldn’t get
one because my level
of English wasn’t
very good. I didn’t let
this discourage me but I also had
to do something. I approached a
pizzeria and offered to work for
free; I just wanted to learn and get
experience so that I could then get
a job. There, I got my first job, and
I stayed for two-and-a-half years.
The money that I would earn there
wasn’t enough to pay my bills, so
I decided to take a risk. I started
to deliver parcels and documents,
but that didn’t go very well either.
I was already attending the
Universal, where I was taught
not to accept my situation nor
conform to the circumstances. The
Independence Project meetings on
Mondays really boosted my faith
to believe in something better.
When the Challenge of Faith came
around, I was all in. The confidence
I got from it pushed me to take
the initiative and I opened my
own courier company. Although
it wasn’t easy in the beginning
– I had no financial conditions to
start a business and it took quite
some time for it to grow – I didn’t
give up and today my company is
prospering. Consequently, I was
able to improve my living situation
here, so much so that I no longer
live in a rented room and I was able
to buy a BMW.
As I saw the results of my faith
in action, I also decided to use it
for other areas of my life, like my
love life. I wanted to be happily
married and have a beautiful
family, and today this is my
reality. My wife completes me
and we have a beautiful daughter.
We don’t lack anything.’
Erandi Olimpio de Melo da Silva