Leslie Venegas Guerrero

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man may lay down his life for his friends.”

(John 15:13)

“Nadie tiene mayor amor que este, que uno da su vida por sus amigos.”

(Juan 15: 13)

My Story

I was born and raised in Colima, Mexico. My grandmother and my mother raised me Catholic; she taught me that Jesus would always love me and be my companion. I knew that Jesus was there for me, so I always prayed to Him for blessings for me and my family, but I never stopped questioning my identity as a daughter of Christ. However, it was not until my Sophomore year of college that I truly encountered the living Jesus. I felt like Jesus was calling me to look at Him, follow Him, and serve Him. I resisted the call until my heart could no longer handle it, and I walked to the Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the first time. With the company of the missionaries on campus, I created more than a community; I had a family in Christ, complete with virtuous friendships that supported me in growing my relationship with God more profoundly and intimately.

Through the love of the missionaries on my campus, I got to know the love of the Father. They also helped me realize that I was not alone in the journey; they were able to give their lives to God, which helped all of us grow in an intimate relationship with Jesus. I wanted to become a FOCUS missionary so, like Simon Peter, I can leave my nets and follow Jesus. I hope to accompany more students, especially Latinos, in hearing the Gospel and discovering that Jesus loves them uniquely and specially. I also want to offer everything to help and expand the love of Christ.

I have encountered the living Christ, and I’m deeply in love with Him; this love has transformed my life over the past two years. I look forward to embarking on the incredible journey that awaits me over the next two years of my mission.

_______________________________

Nací y crecí en Colima, México. Mi abuelita y mi mamá me criaron en la fe católica y me enseñaron que Jesús siempre me amaría y sería mi compañía. Sabía que Jesús estaba ahí para mí, así que siempre oraba para pedirle bendiciones para mí y mi familiar, pero nunca me detuve a preguntarme cual es mi identida como hija amada del Padre. Sin embargo, no fue hasta mi segundo año de universidad que realmente me encontre con Jesús vivo en la eucaristía. Sentí que Jesús me llamaba a mirarlo, seguirlo y servirlo. Resistí el llamado hasta que mi corazón no pudo más, y caminé por primera vez al Newman Center en la Universidad de Illinois en Chicago. Con la compañía de los misioneros en el campus, cree más que una comunidad; cree una familia en Cristo, llena de amistades virtuosas que me apoyaron para conocer al mejor amigo que alguien haya podido conocer, Cristo. Me orientaron a creecer en una relatición más intima con Jesús. A través del amor de los misioneros en Newman Center, conocí el amor de Dios. También me ayudaron a darme cuenta de que no estaba sola en la busca de conocer a nuestro Señor. 

Quiero ser misionera de FOCUS para asi como Simon Pedro dejar mis redes y caminar al lado de Jesus. Me gustaría acompañar a más estudiantes, especialmente latinos, a escuchar el Evangelio y descubrir que Jesús nos ama a todos y quiere que estemos con Él, que seamos su compañía, y que le ofrezcamos todo para ayudar y expandir su amor. He encontrado a Cristo vivo y estoy profundamente enamorada de Él; este amor ha cambiado mi vida durante los últimos dos años. Estoy deseando ver el increíble camino que me espera en los próximos dos años de mi misión.

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