“My name is Ines and I’m from Portugal.

Over the last year I have been studying here in UK, and it is when I became a Christian. When I think about it, it is still hard to believe how everything turned out!

I had a flatmate, she wanted to continue to go to church after moving to the UK. She knew that Friends International were visiting different churches and she went with them and then invited me to go too. I went and then kept going, everyone was super friendly. Then someone at the church, a student worker, contacted me and we went for a coffee every week or every two weeks. Talking with her helped me, as when I was going to church, I could understand it better and that only made me more curious about it all.

I wanted to learn more about the Bible, about God and about Jesus, but then the lockdown came. Yet, for me this was a time when I really grew in my faith. I started a course with Friends International to learn more about the Bible and that was so helpful.

Everything was online so I sent a link of my church service to my mom back in Portugal and, amazingly, she watched it. Then she watched it again the next Sunday, and again, and again! She seemed excited and decided to visit a church in our country, near our home. It was really good, the pastor’s wife also contacted her, and she went again the next Sunday. She is excited about it. It is so great, and this would not be possible had I not come to the UK, and if I had not met the people that I’ve met here.

My church and Friends International all made me grow in my faith and allowed me to share it with my mom. I just hope that I will have more opportunities to do that with more people.”