{"id":632608,"date":"2021-10-05T02:15:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/?p=632608"},"modified":"2024-06-04T18:40:29","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T07:40:29","slug":"a-story-of-restoration-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/","title":{"rendered":"A Story of Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Desculpe, este conte\u00fado s\u00f3 est\u00e1 dispon\u00edvel em Ingl\u00eas (Eua)<\/a>.<\/p>

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOne night I couldn\u2019t sleep. I am thinking: Okay this is it. I am going to die. In the darkness, I prayed in Spanish: \u201cFather if you help me to live again, I will dedicate the rest of my life to you. Please let me hug my wife and see my kids.\u201d In that instant, I felt peace and protection. God said to me: \u201cI am here, and I will help you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

JC, Milan, Italy<\/p>\n

TW: suicide<\/p>\n

I never thought much about death, but two years ago I thought about it a lot. It was June of 2019 when the first dark cloud rolled in. I lost my job and afterwards, struggled to find work \u2014 which meant I couldn\u2019t provide for my family. I got very anxious and sad. I isolated myself from friends at Church. I spent days lying on the couch either staring at the walls or watching movies. It wasn\u2019t like me. After accepting Jesus in Peru 17 years earlier, God had been good to me, but in this season, I questioned everything: God, my family, my faith. I didn\u2019t want to open my bible or pray. My children, would say to my wife, \u201cThis is not our daddy.\u201d<\/em> In tears she would tell them, \u201cWe need to pray so daddy comes back to us.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

People at Hillsong Milan were amazing. They checked in on us and took up offerings to help us pay our bills. Instead of being grateful, I thought about ending my life. Eventually, I went to a psychiatrist who prescribed anti-depressants. Then in February of 2020, Italy exploded with Covid-19 and everything closed. Without help or medication, my depression got worse. A few months later, I got pain in my stomach and fever. I didn\u2019t want to eat. I lost a lot of weight. At one point, I was in so much pain, my family called an ambulance. At the hospital, I cried out to God: \u201cPlease finish this. I can\u2019t take this.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

After many tests, doctors discovered I had intestinal tuberculosis. I spent two months in hospital and took 11 pills each day to manage the TB, diabetes and depression. One night I couldn\u2019t sleep. The staff wheeled a woman into the room. Only curtains separated us. I overheard the conversation. The doctors asked her why she had tried to take her life. She said: \u201cbecause I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/em> It was hard to hear. That\u2019s how I felt. Then the Lord spoke to me: \u201cIs this how you want your story to end?\u201d<\/em> I started crying and I said: \u201cNo Lord, I want to push through.\u201d<\/em> That night, I made peace with God. I wrote to my wife and asked for forgiveness. I wrote to my pastor and told him I was sorry for not being around. To my friends at church, I wrote: I am sorry for being so angry and not listening to all your good advice. Things will be better now.<\/p>\n

A few months after getting out of hospital, Covid continued to ravaged Italy. With the TB still in my system, I was at risk and had to go back. It was miserable. Most of the time, I just slept. After a colonoscopy and treatment, I was discharged and in October, a few months after my 40th<\/sup> birthday, my eldest son got Covid. At the time, we relied on my wife\u2019s income, so I told her to keep working and I would take care of our son \u2014 but keeping my distance from him was impossible. I also got Covid.<\/p>\n

One Saturday, I couldn\u2019t breathe, and my oxygen levels were dangerously low. An ambulance was called, and once again, I was rushed back to hospital. I was put in an intensive care ward along with other 10 other Covid patients \u2013 all very unwell. Because of the medication, I slept a lot and each time I woke another patient would be gone. One night I couldn\u2019t sleep. I am thinking: Okay this is it. I am going to die.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the darkness, I prayed in Spanish: \u201cFather if you help me to live again, I will dedicate the rest of my life to you. Please let me hug my wife and see my kids.\u201d<\/em> In that instant, I felt peace and protection. God said to me: \u201cI am here, and I will help you and I will show you a new way to know me as your Father.\u201d<\/em> When I woke the next morning, the fever had left. I felt stronger and hopeful. Three days later, I left the hospital and got to hug my wife and kids.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This miracle changed everything. Since then, my relationship with God is deeper than it has ever been. I am hungry for God\u2019s word. My prayer life changed. My family are thriving and happy. We started our Connect group again. Throughout all this, Hillsong Milan, Rome, Naples and Turin were there for us. When we have been weak, they have been strong \u2014 praying for us, reaching out to me when I was in my depressive state, delivering meals when we were in quarantine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t change those two years because in my brokenness, I have fallen in love with my Abba father and I have found my life again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia), the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA) on 1800 273 8255 or Samaritans on 116 123. All are 24\/7 hotlines.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Desculpe, este conte\u00fado s\u00f3 est\u00e1 dispon\u00edvel em Ingl\u00eas (Eua)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In that instant, I felt peace and protection. God said to me: \u201cI am here, and I will help you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49345,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,15414,15410],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pt_PT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"[:en]A Story of Restoration[:] - Collected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[:en]In that instant, I felt peace and protection. God said to me: \u201cI am here, and I will help you."[:]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Collected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-04T15:15:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-04T07:40:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/\",\"name\":\"Collected\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/\",\"name\":\"[:en]A Story of Restoration[:] - Collected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-04T15:15:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-04T07:40:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Story of Restoration\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"[:en]A Story of Restoration[:] - Collected","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/","og_locale":"pt_PT","og_type":"article","og_title":"[:en]A Story of Restoration[:] - Collected","og_description":"[:en]In that instant, I felt peace and protection. God said to me: \u201cI am here, and I will help you.\"[:]","og_url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/","og_site_name":"Collected","article_published_time":"2021-10-04T15:15:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-04T07:40:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/","name":"Collected","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"pt-PT"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pt-PT","@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/JC-with-kids-during-depression.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/","name":"[:en]A Story of Restoration[:] - Collected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/de\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2021-10-04T15:15:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-04T07:40:29+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"pt-PT","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/nl\/blog\/2021\/10\/a-story-of-restoration-8\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Story of Restoration"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632608"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632608"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632615,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632608\/revisions\/632615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hillsong.com\/collected\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}