My name is Eddy Ochoa. I am 26 years old and have a beautiful daughter, my princess.
I had a happy childhood surrounded by incredible people where I could be with my own family, but at the same time there was a lot of pain. For the loss of my mother and the abandonment of my father, God compensated me with great people. I finished high school and I had a scholarship to university for good academic performance, but at the same I was trying to find a way to make money. I decided to go to the mine to work with my cousin. I spent two months there then left because of some problems that my cousin had. I wasn’t told everything that was happening, and he was making his problems mine, so I decided to quit.
After this I decided to look at my social networks and I found a message from Karen where I saw that she wanted to talk with me. I spoke with her and received a job offer in Lima where I never in my life wanted to work, much less live. I shared this with my brother because he’s like my father, (he doesn´t know this), but for me he means that much, although he’s not very old, but he is a great example to me. After listening to me he said, “go to Lima. I know the people who called you.” That night I sat on my bed and I started to think about my studies, and I cried without knowing what to do. I thought my own plans would be frustrated, but I trusted in my brother and I decided to travel even with those confused thoughts. Up until that moment I had only been thinking about my personal life plans, thinking I knew what I was going to do, without understanding what might come in the future as a result of my decisions. I remembered the loss of my mother, the abandonment of my father, and some events that happened in my life. I thought, in all my decisions, I’d frustrate my own plans, but I wanted a different future.
I got to Lima and Karen picked me up. I found Irma and Karen, people who I knew. It was my first time traveling far and, in that moment, Lima was the worst place to be because it’s a desert, the sky is always cloudy, and I felt I was only obeying the advice of my brother. When I started to work some things weren’t new for me because I had lived in a children’s home, (although it didn’t seem like a children’s home because of the great expanse of land it was on and the people who shared life there.) But it was new because I saw four walls that enclosed Esperanza de Ana. As time passed, I got to know the kind of work I was doing and many things, like the kind of organization EA is, caught my attention.
As time passed, I missed the natural air, the blue sky, the school, my siblings. Four years had passed, and I started to look for meaning, a destiny for my future or my life thinking that I could achieve my own plans with my own strength.
My first fall was the loss of a restaurant that I had thought of as something that would be my future but economically it became unstable. Then I wanted to try life as the world offers, and I decided to leave Esperanza de Ana. Once again, I set up a restaurant and at the same time problems started with my sister. As months passed, I began to feel empty and lonely. I called Irma and told her a little of what I was going through and how I felt. I remember that day I cried and felt something that came out of me. I felt rested and loved. I thought and wondered, why, and I felt God telling me: son they are not your plans, they are my plans. From that day I started to pray and tell God ‘ok, they are your plans, but I don’t believe that your plans are for more bad things to continue to happen to me; like the things that happened with my parents. Why more? Why are you letting this happen to me?
Every day that passed the problems with my sister got worse, so I decided to return to Lima without knowing where I was going to live or work. I didn’t tell anyone of my departure except my sister. A week later, in Lima, concern for my daughter crept in; where I would leave her during the day, because I needed to start to go to work. I was ashamed to seek help at Esperanza de Ana and one of the strongest alternatives was to return my daughter to her mother. I spent 1, 2, 3 intense days in making a decision until I finally decided, grabbed my cell phone, and called her mother to tell her a little bit and the reason why Dasha would go to live with her for a while until I was stabilized again in Lima. I also called Dasha´s aunt to help to take care of her, so we set all the details for the trip and Dasha´s mom told me that the next day she would buy the flights to take Dasha. That night I can tell you that I felt my life was without meaning. I cried, prayed a lot and once again I wondered why this was happening to me. I decided to overcome these feelings; no more of this. That same night I called Dasha´s mother and told her Dasha would never leave my side and that I was sorry for telling her that she could take her.
The next day I decided to call Irma and told her I was in Lima. She invited me over and asked me some questions, but I felt ashamed to answer, so she gave me a date when I could speak to Jim when he arrived back in town. Meanwhile she said I was welcome to bring Dasha to Esperanza de Ana. I started to look for a job but all of them were in Lima which meant that Dasha would stay at EA all day and I started to think that I would repeat my story again.
I remember one Friday I sat down by the window of the hotel I was in, looking at the street while Dasha slept, and questioned myself. This time it was not ‘why me,’ but what I am doing wrong? I asked myself why I felt ashamed, why fear entered in, and why I think that everything I do has to be by my own strength. And if that was true, why am I going through this situation right now?
I remembered my story, as I am remembering now while I´m writing this. I did not have parents; God blessed me with incredible people who gave me a lot of love. I have not been able to study, but God gave me education in other ways. He gave me everything. He never made me lack the love of a family, His word, education, food, health, clothing, anything! That night I answered myself, and I know that God made me answer my own questions; first, the shame I was feeling was because of sin, and second, I could not find my destiny, or direction for my life and God told me, once again, it's not you, it's me. That night I said, ‘God, from this moment I open my eyes and I give my life to you. If my daughter stays by my side, where I work, where I will live, etc., may it all be your plan. If your plan is for me to continue serving in your work, there I will be, but this time it will be with your guide in each step, first listening to you.’
I waited awhile, I met with Jim and of everything we talked about what stuck out to me and I’ve kept in my heart was where he reminded me of the story of the prodigal son. That was precisely what God was speaking to me. It doesn’t matter how you return or what you have done; He was waiting for me with open arms.
I came back to work that day still feeling guilty about how I left Esperanza de Ana. I had left just as a big project was starting. I prayed and tried to listen, to ask for guidance because I felt that everything at Esperanza de Ana was not the same. When I found out that Debbie was leaving, I felt more guilty. I said, ‘God help me at this moment and remove this guilt.’
Time went by, the pandemic came. I took it as normally as I could, but the first month I felt very bad because there was a lot of talk about asymptomatic people. I love everyone at Esperanza de Ana, they are my family, and my fear was that I would infect them and that because of me something would happen to them. During that thought process, God told me again, son, it's not you. A few days later, it was something supernatural, I felt only joy. I no longer felt my fears and guilt. I said to God, ‘thank you. Today you’ve confirmed that it is not me. Use me.’ And I understood that he wants to expand his kingdom.
In one of the meetings we had with Jim I remember him asking, ‘What glasses are you looking with(wordly or supernatural)?’
Now every step, every breath is thanks to God. Now his plan is for me to be here at Esperanza de Ana. I only want to listen to God. He knows for how long. I don’t worry as I did before what will happen to me in the future, where I’ll be, etc. I am an instrument.
Today I’m not afraid to talk to someone about God. All glory be to Him.
To anyone who can hear or read my story, I can only say thank you for your prayers because I´m sure that that was what sustained me. Now you and the whole world are in my prayers. I will finish by saying, if anyone has doubt about the existence of God, I can tell you brothers, He is real. He lives. Only have a willing heart.
Eddy is so full of joy and is just bursting to share his story with everyone. His prayer in sharing this testimony with you is that you will be encouraged. Whether you are waiting for breakthrough in your own life, or that of someone you love, he hopes that his story will be a reminder of God’s faithfulness and His perfect timing. No seeds are sown in vain, and God hears every prayer. Just as for Eddy, it may take years, and not come the way we imagined, but when God moves, He brings us joy that makes all the previous pain pale in comparison.
Thank you for supporting us in the work we do at EA. We want to encourage you with Eddy’s story as you encourage us through your prayers and support. Eddy also wants you all know that he is praying for you. Be encouraged today knowing that God is working out His good plans.
-Julie Lundberg
