Finding Refuge in God: My Story of Overcoming Spiritual Complacency, with Katherine Ribeiro

Join me as Katherine Ribeiro shares her powerful story of overcoming spiritual complacency and finding refuge in God. In this episode, Katherine vulnerably shares her journey of struggling with a stagnant faith and how she broke free to discover a deeper, more authentic relationship with God. If you're feeling stuck in your spiritual walk or longing for a more meaningful connection with God, this episode is for you. Listen in as Katherine shares practical insights and encouragement to help you cultivate a vibrant faith and find refuge in God's presence.

Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:16

Welcome to Living Testimonies. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope that everyone that is listening is doing well and they're blessed. With me today, I have Katherine Ribeiro. She's a teacher at Westside Christian Academy. Can you introduce yourself to the people?

Katherine Ribeiro: 0:33

Yeah, hi, my name's Katherine, and as Israel said, I'm a teacher at Westside Christian Academy. I've been here for two years now, and fun fact, I'm actually a graduate from this school as well. It's a very special place to me. And I've been married for almost two years. Um and my husband and I um recently just bought a house in North Olmstead, and we just enjoy reading together, cooking, making coffee, taking walks, just kind of doing life together. And we're that's what we do.

Israel Caminero: 1:07

That's awesome. And I met her at the school and asked her to be on the podcast, and she agreed to share her testimony, and that's what we're we're here for today to hear her testimony, and hopefully it'll touch someone out there that needs to hear it. But before we start, I'd like to say a quick prayer. Father God, thank you for this day. Thank you for this opportunity, thank you for this outlet that you've given me to just have people give their testimonies and uh other people that are out there that are lost that might hear it, that might come to you, Lord, because they heard something that relates to them that they might be going through themselves, Lord. Thank you for just today because tomorrow's not promised, Lord. Thank you for Mrs. Rivero being here and sharing her testimony that you fill her with what you need her to say or want her to say. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Katherine Ribeiro: 2:02

Amen.

Israel Caminero: 2:02

Okay, Catherine. We're here for your testimony. Could you elaborate on your testimony, you know, like from your childhood, how how it all began and your story?

Katherine Ribeiro: 2:14

Yeah, absolutely. So, like many uh children that were raised in a Christian home, my testimony begins with the simple starting point of my parents taught me about the Bible. They lived it out. And I believe that I truly was saved at a young age. And I don't remember a specific date or time, um, but I remember, you know, being, I don't know, maybe four, five, six and and asking the Lord, you know, doing kind of the classic little kid, you know, Jesus, please come into my heart. And and then I remember doing it again because I didn't know if it worked, and um just kind of like a kid does. And I don't know, you know, which one of those times I actually, you know, it actually became real for me. But I I really do believe that I was saved at um, you know, one of those times when I was very young. And so most of my testimony is one of um sanctification rather than the whole process of coming to Christ.

Israel Caminero: 3:10

Okay.

Katherine Ribeiro: 3:11

And um, and what I used to almost be, uh, this sounds funny, but I used to almost be kind of insecure about that. Like, oh, I have such a boring testimony. Like, you know, I was raised in a Christian home, and you know, I I don't have these interesting testimonies that other people have. And I've really come to just realize um the power and the beauty of um how how God works in different people in different ways, and the beauty, uh how I guess how much growth happens in a person even after they're saved, and how much your testimony can mean even after you come to know Christ. Right. And so with that starting point, again, with that um that my testimony is one more of sanctification than of the process of coming to salvation. I would say, like many Christian kids who grew up in the church, my greatest temptations, uh, especially when I was younger, were always just naturally to self-righteousness and to pride, um, to thinking I was a good person, because I'd never done all these quote unquote really bad things that you know all these other kids do. And obviously, um, you know, that's in a sense is just as sinful, right? Is it all all of those internal things is just that they don't come out, they're not as obvious as um some other sins. And um so uh over the years, I've just seen the Lord work to weed those things out and to and to teach me day by day to live less for this world, less for myself, uh and and to truly live for eternity and to truly understand who I am before him, and that I am a sinner and I do need grace. And it's it's funny because um it's a whole nother thing to learn that as someone who hasn't done all of you know all of these quote unquote external really big sins. Right. Um, and so my testimony has been one of God teaching me that very patiently over the years. But with that preface, there are often, I guess there are maybe three or four events um I often look back on in my life as especially kind of leading up to um, I guess just where I am today, and it's an ongoing story. But um three or four events that have really shaped me and taught me, I guess in a a whole each one individually in a on a whole nother level they've taught me to what it really means to make God my refuge, what it really means that I need him, that it really what it really means um to live the Christian life, all of those things. So the first thing I would point to is when I was, I don't know, maybe 12, 13, probably seventh or eighth grade, I I went through a time of I always I never exactly know what to call it. I often I sometimes think of it as a time of depression, but it also wasn't uh I don't want to paint it as um uh like it wasn't a very serious it wasn't serious, it wasn't medically diagnosed or anything like that. It was more just kind of a time that I was, I I would, I think I would put it more as it was a time that I was really wrestling with God. And it was a time that I was really wrestling with other people's opinion of me. And I was really wrist wrestling with, you know, feeling like I'm not enough. And um looking back for me and no looking back just at my heart and where I was, it was very much rooted in in pride and just a desire for for other people to think well of me and um and things like that. And I was just thinking about myself, but looking back in God's kindness, he used that time um when I was being selfish, um, if I'm being honest with myself and being prideful, to, for the first time in my life, cause me to actually understand that I need him, that I'm not enough on my own, and that I need a savior. And I don't just need him to be my free ticket to heaven. Right. I need him to help me get through everyday life. I need him to change my heart and make me into who he wants me to be. Because I think I realize for the first time I can't fix myself, even as a believer. When you talk about the process of sanctification, I can't, and you know, there's all these sin, these sin habits that I have that I can't get rid of how no matter how hard I try, and I need the Holy Spirit, I need God.

Israel Caminero: 7:09

Now, when you when you say that it was for other people, like you touched base and said it was other people. What what do you mean? Your family, a boyfriend, like who were you trying to, you know?

Katherine Ribeiro: 7:22

Yeah, good question. To be honest, I don't think it was anyone specific. I didn't have a boyfriend, and and my parents, I'm an only child, so I didn't have any siblings, but my parents were always I had just amazing parents, and they were very wise in how they raised me, and they didn't, I don't think they put any unnecessary pressure on me. So it was it was none of that. Um I think it was more it was just it I don't think it was anyone specifically doing anything that made me feel that way. It was more just myself and thinking about the way my friends thought of me and that kind of thing, if that makes sense. So just kind of the normal social problems of you know, of a teenager.

Israel Caminero: 7:55

Exactly. Yeah. Everyone goes through that at that age.

Katherine Ribeiro: 8:00

Exactly. Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 8:01

Okay, so I don't I don't want to interrupt. You can keep going.

Katherine Ribeiro: 8:05

Yeah, so so yeah, all that to say, it was um just there was I don't know, Sage of maybe a couple months, a couple years of my life that I really started to see for the first time I need to seek the Lord. And I think that's I I think I can point to that as a time when I started reading my Bible more consistently and I started praying more consistently. And those two things, I mean, th those two things have learning how to be consistent about both of those things and not just be consistent and forming the habit, but in learning to love those things. So all I have to say, it was just a period um of my life where I really started to seek the Lord more earnestly and realized I need him. And I a huge turning point was I think it was around that time that I really started being serious about being in the word day by day and being in prayer. And not just one or the other, but both put together. And those habits, those two combined habits of being in the word and being in prayer, I guess maybe this sounds obvious, but those that those are the those two things combined are the single most important thing I've ever done f I for my life at all. Like be learning how to be consistent about those habits. It's really transformed my walk with the Lord. And that habit really prepared me to then to to walk through the things that the Lord had for me to walk through as my life went on.

Israel Caminero: 9:24

So you weren't doing both. You weren't reading the Bible and praying, you know, before Well, yeah, good question.

Katherine Ribeiro: 9:33

I I think I was a little bit. And my parents always set a wonderful example ever since I was little of every morning. I have such distinct memories of every morning waking up, and my mom was always in her chair reading the Bible, every single morning. It doesn't it didn't matter what was happening or how how you know what she had going on that day, she would always start her day that way. Okay. And same with my dad. He would always be, I just knew, you know, you don't interrupt him from these hours in the morning because he's in his steady praying. And so that influence of my parents, that day-by-day example, was powerful to me. And so I think at times growing up, I kind of would open my Bible and I knew I should. But during this time I really got and same with praying, I would pray at times, but I think during this time I really got more serious about it and like, okay, I need to form this habit every day.

Israel Caminero: 10:14

Okay.

Katherine Ribeiro: 10:14

And this isn't just like every once in a while I should be doing be doing this. It needs to be consistent. And again, not to say, you know, like you're sitting if you don't do it every day. Right. But but just that wow, that consistent communion with God needs to be there. Exactly. Yeah. So so I'll I'd say that um just kind of that that time period of realizing I'm not enough and seeking the Lord um is the first, the first event stage, whatever you want to call it, where I remember really um growing in my faith. And it was through kind of a a little mini trial, even though it wasn't anything external that was happening to me. Um it was a trial in my own heart, I guess you could say. So that was the first thing. My life was really good for a while, to the point where I distinctly remember um at the end of like, I don't know, my sophomore year of college or something, thinking, wow, my life has been so good. God has been so kind to me. I feel like something bad has to happen soon. Like this has been too easy.

Israel Caminero: 11:10

Oh no.

Katherine Ribeiro: 11:11

And sure enough, uh, no, it um, so the second big event was um when I was, I believe, a junior in in high school. My mom was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. This had been her second bat with cancer. When I was probably seven or eight, she had cancer her first time, but it was stage zero, so very treatable and she got um the same type? Uh yes, but it was unrelated.

Israel Caminero: 11:40

Okay.

Katherine Ribeiro: 11:41

So, um, but very treatable and she got it, she had surgery and um but now um and it was kind of interesting, and this is maybe getting ahead of myself, but the time that my mom really wrestled with the Lord and with the Lord's sovereignty was that first time that she had cancer when it wasn't actually as serious. And it's kind of neat in God's sovereignty, he had brought her to that place of just quietness before him through that, through wrestling in that situation that then prepared her to handle this situation in which it was stage four and much more serious. Right. So I guess that's a side note, but it's just beautiful how the Lord prepares you for what he has for you.

Israel Caminero: 12:23

He sure does. And yeah, definitely does. I I can attest to that.

Katherine Ribeiro: 12:28

Yeah. And it's yeah, and it's incredible. So all that to say, my mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and this is again, I guess, a bit of a side note, but it was it was difficult because she had had a mammogram the year before and they cleared her. And she went back the next year for her annual man mammogram, and um her doctor said there's no way they should have cleared you last year. This was a three minute three-inch mass at this time. So that was a bit that was that was kind of hard to wrestle with this idea of okay, if this doctor hadn't made this mistake, right, you know, maybe my mom would still be here today. And in God's kindness, um, you know, he he allowed us to truly trust him in that and to s, you know, and to say, okay, no, but it was even in God's sovereignty that that doctor didn't see that mammogram. And and um God was in control of the situation, even though it was hard, but that was kind of a difficult detail. So at any rate, she was diagnosed and um she fought it bravely for about a year and a half, and she went through, you know, chemo, radiation, you know the drill, uh, mastectomy, the whole the whole gauntlet. And my mom was an incredible person, like during all those treatments and the pain, the discomfort, you know, you know what it is to get you know to watch someone go through chemo and how difficult that is. Through all of that, um, you know, my dad and I both look back and honestly say, we don't even ever remember her complaining. Like she just had this attitude of joy and peace. And um, in God's kindness, like I don't even look back at those two years and think about, oh, they were so difficult. These were really terrible years. Those were some of the sweetest years we had as we had as a family. And our uh our home was still this place of peace and joy, and and it was hard, it was difficult, it was sober, but it was also um, it was just really beautiful the peace that my mom had. And because she had that peace from God, I think uh and my dad had that peace. Um, I was really able to have that peace. And my parents really kind of led in that and passed that gift down to me. That's good. Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 14:38

That's definitely good.

Katherine Ribeiro: 14:39

Yeah, so I I look back on that and see the Lord's grace in that a lot.

Israel Caminero: 14:43

So, but the Lord does that, you know. The Lord, like you said, prepares you for things. He does. Um a lot of people out there don't know my story. I haven't shared my testimony yet, because I don't feel like it's about me at this point in time. I started this for other people, not for myself. I always put myself last, as the Lord says, He that his last shall be first, right? So I relate to a lot of what you're saying as far as you know, the the joy that people have when they're going through these hardships when they have the Lord by their side. People that don't have the Lord by their side, I can't even imagine what goes through their head and what goes in in in that house. My friend recently passed, as I shared with you, and he wasn't saved. And I was just thinking, like, I wonder what's going through the family's head right now. Because it's it's hard when you don't have Christ, you don't have him by your side. So you're like lost. Yeah. But for us, you know, Christ is there and we know where people are going and we know we're gonna see him again.

Katherine Ribeiro: 15:51

Yeah, and and in a lot of ways, you can't even really describe the peace and the joy you have until um until you actually go through it, you know, and and and it's hard to really understand unless you go through it, uh other than just saying, you know, trust the Lord, because he really does give you what you need. Right. And even you know, and there's a one of my favorite hymns says, He gives more grace when the burden grows greater. Um to add it to added affliction, he adds his mercy. And it's true, it really is a reality that he gives you what you need when you need it. And yeah, so that was very much my family's testimony. And my senior year of high school, my mom went into the hospital for um well, actually, let me backtrack a little bit.

Israel Caminero: 16:35

Okay, go ahead.

Katherine Ribeiro: 16:36

So as we were saying, you know, we were just talking about how the Lord prepares you, he gives you what you need. And actually, I think it was really beautiful how the Lord did that, even with um my mom's, I guess, the progression of her cancer. Like I remember when she was first diagnosed thinking, okay, this is bad, like stage four is bad. Right. But there's still this whole list of things they can try. It could be bad, but maybe it will be okay. And so I'm not gonna worry about it yet because I don't wanna get all emotional for something that might never happen.

Israel Caminero: 17:04

Right.

Katherine Ribeiro: 17:05

So I remember just kind of being like, okay, you know, it may it might be okay. And then and again, you know how it is, and then it's you know, you go through these treatments, and then the next appointment is kind of like, well, okay, this didn't work, but you know, there's still all these other things we can try.

Israel Caminero: 17:19

Right.

Katherine Ribeiro: 17:19

And then it, you know, it keeps going and it's obviously very up and down. And then, you know, it just kind of gets to this place where like, okay, there's these, there's two or three things more we can try. And then it's like, okay, if this doesn't work, then we're in trouble. That sounds really difficult, and it is, but it's also really, I mean, at least for me, it was really neat how the Lord kind of just took me one step at a time with that. And it wasn't just like all of a sudden, this news, you know, you know, your mom's dying. It it was just kind of a one step at a time coming to grips with just the next step. Um, and so all that to say, that kind of hap that process happened over the year and a half, you know, and the whole, okay, there's not as much we can do. This is bad, it's still spreading. And eventually, the end of my senior year of high school, um, it was in March. Um, my mom was experiencing a lot of discomfort. And so she was supposed to go into the hospital just for one night to um relieve some of that discomfort. And um, it was one of those things where the next day they just wanted to keep her for one more night for something else they found. And then the next day they just wanted to keep her for one more night for something else, and you know how it goes. And she never um she never came home.

Israel Caminero: 18:33

And um she never came home from while they were checking her for those things?

Katherine Ribeiro: 18:38

No, like um, they just kind of kept keeping her another night and another night until she just um, you know, until it was over. And um she ended up being in the hospital a week and a half. And that week and a half that she was in the hospital were that was probably the hardest week and a half of my life, as you might imagine. But even more so than after she passed away, actually. That that what week and a half is when I think I really wrestled with it. I I really came to grips with what was happening. I will say, you know, we were talking about how the Lord prepares you. One of the coolest things was the day my mom went into the hospital was the day I was on the the day I um was let out on spring break from school. The next week, so I had a week of spring break, and the next week I was actually supposed to go on our school senior trip to Europe. And so I'd booked that trip. I'd already taken off work, I didn't have school, like all these things. And um I ended up having to cancel the trip, of course. Um I don't know, still looking back, I just think that like there's no other time in my schedule, especially at that time. I was so busy, and there was no other time in my schedule that I just had two weeks back to back completely free. I'd already taken off work, I didn't have any school. I don't know. That's a side note, but I just think it's beautiful how the Lord provides in those little ways and just shows you like look even in this trial I'm taking you through I'm I care about you and I'm I'm causing all these things to work together for you. It it's just right it's beautiful.

Israel Caminero: 20:12

It is beautiful. Definitely that's I'm sorry to hear about your mother first off but like I said earlier you're gonna see her again. Yeah. You know I'll see her and I never met her but you'll meet her. I'll meet her yeah um and you know cancer's so hard it's it's it's just hard to deal with cancer because it's been around so long and they can't find a cure for it. Yeah. And your loved ones you know like you said they struggle they suffer and you have to watch all this. But when you have God on your side it kind of makes it better than if you didn't. Yeah and I totally believe you that the Lord prepares you for all those trials. All those trials before they happen he orchestrates it like you said you had two weeks off you you know you were able to be there. Now going back to what you were saying that you struggled that week were you like wrestling with your faith about God because of what she was going through or what do you mean you were struggling in that week?

Katherine Ribeiro: 21:29

Good question. So in God's kindness and I genuinely attribute this just to God's grace and his kindness to me um I I can honestly say I do not remember a time during this whole process that I questioned God's goodness. And again that's not because I think I'm a like I would never you know I would never do that or you know because um some of the strongest believers I know have wrestled really deeply with that. Some the Lord kind of I think just protected my mind from that at that time. Something I always used to say at the time is there's a world of difference between an angry sad and a submitted sad. Right? This the kind of sad where you're fighting God and you're angry at God. And again I mean in the Lord I can't explain how this works, but in the Lord's providence sometimes he takes his children through those times and it's difficult. But when you're sad, genuinely and genuinely grieving and heartbroken, but submitted to God's will and truly um and truly trusting his hand and saying you know what Lord, I don't know why you're doing this, but I know you're good and I'm going to, as the psalm says, be still and know that you're God and I'm not.

Israel Caminero: 22:41

Amen.

Katherine Ribeiro: 22:42

And um and that's not always easy. I it there's just such a world of different because I've and I've been in at a smaller level just with other things I've been in angry sad before where I'm sad and I'm I'm like you know fighting God about it. And it's so those times of my life even though they've not been as serious trials have almost been harder for me than this time when it was a really serious trial but I've I've was submitted to to God's will. And so all that to say my um my wrestling wasn't as much with with my faith or if God was good. I mean I again I attribute a lot of that to my parents' example as well as God's grace um because my parents were at peace about it and my mom was at peace about it. Again this is a side note but like I my mom's testimony throughout this whole time was so incredible. Like her oncologist came into her room I think it was the last time she saw him and he was basically you know when she was in the hospital and he basically was like hey this isn't looking good and that was the day he said your daughter shouldn't go to Europe and that was hard for me because that's when I knew oh wait this is happening. Yeah getting serious yeah and so that whole conversation happened and my mom looked her oncologist in the eye and said Dr. Barr I'm not afraid to die and she shared the gospel with him. And and like just this incredible testimony of and my mom had been through times in the past like I referenced earlier where she had wrestled with God but in his kindness he had prepared her for this moment and she was truly submitted truly at peace it was just incredible. And we had all these people in her room all the time singing hymns and she would always just encourage people when they came in and anyways my wrestling was less um with my faith and and I think more um I don't even know how to put it into words to be totally honest. But I guess it was it was more just the submitted side I was describing like I'm not angry at God. I understand that he's in control over this and I see how he's providing for us even in this but this is hard. Yeah this stinks yeah and um and I think that's when I started really coming to grips with like what it meant that okay my mom's not going to be at my graduation. My mom's not going to be at my wedding like those really really difficult you know my mom's not going to meet my grandkids like her grandkids and so I think I just that week I started realizing those things. And then another really hard thing was just and you know this just watch you know just watching. Yeah watching them decline right yeah now your father is he still around he is he's the best he's he's doing really well and um he's actually remarried and um I love his wife very much we have a wonderful relationship. I'm really thankful for her. And yeah he's he's faithfully he's a pastor and he's still being faithful at our church. So he's the Lord has really been kind to him and and he's he's been able to where does he pastor at? It's called Grace Church of Northmstead.

Israel Caminero: 25:40

Oh okay right there on Dover Center.

Katherine Ribeiro: 25:42

Dover Center. Right by the weird water tower the red and white live five minutes from there.

Israel Caminero: 25:47

Oh nice yeah yeah I know exactly what you're talking about nice yeah I didn't know that yeah do you attend there also? I do.

Katherine Ribeiro: 25:53

Okay yeah so come visit no just gonna no it no it's great I love it. So God was really kind to us during that time and it was difficult. All that to say that's that's whole event um is the second thing the Lord used to really draw me close to him and and it's kind of neat like it it oh a big impact that that event I think the biggest impact perhaps that that event had on my walk with the Lord was teaching me an eternal perspective. Like it's one thing to say eternity is more important than this world it's a whole nother thing to realize that. Exactly to see that and to be like oh wait a second like I just remember you know watching my mom on her deathbed and saying or I just thinking wow it doesn't matter how many people liked her or I don't know like how how rich she was or what she accomplished or how many degrees she had.

Israel Caminero: 26:47

Right.

Katherine Ribeiro: 26:48

What matters is if she knew Jesus and how much she poured into people. Right one of my favorite quotes I I say this to my students all the time I think it was Howard Hendricks or someone that said you better spend your life building God's word into people because those are the only two things that will outlast you that's good. And yeah and I remember just watching my mom and thinking she loved God and she loved people and that's what everyone will remember her for. And then applying that to my own life and being like what am I doing with my life with my time day by day like how am I prioritizing my time? What am I what am I doing that will have any eternal value that will matter at all if I die tomorrow. And it completely changes your perspective on life and how you think of others, how you serve others. And I of course I don't do that perfectly but it really did change my outlook on what's important in life.

Israel Caminero: 27:42

Well you you wouldn't be needing God if you if you did it perfectly right exactly so but so the third thing that you said was uh you said there was three, right?

Katherine Ribeiro: 27:54

Yeah so well I always say so it's almost like three and a half. So after this is kind of a so my mom passed away my senior year of high school that fall I um went out to the Masters University in California of all places, LA to attend college. And that wasn't like a trial or anything obviously um or any kind of like big life-changing event going out there to college and really learning to make my faith my own and trying starting to make my own decisions about you know what I think and the habits I'm gonna form and the friends I'm gonna make that really really shaped my walk with the Lord and kind of was another real really big it just had a really big impact on me. And that's where I always point to that is um I ended up being a biblical studies major and I always point to those Bible classes as where I really learned to love the Bible and not just to read it because I knew I should, but to love it and to realize oh wait the Bible isn't just like I don't know it's not just a good book and it tells us the truth or something like that. The Bible is beautiful and it's so cool and it's brilliant and God is the author of authors right He's the author of the mind of I don't know Mark Twain and um Charles Dickens and John Milton and I don't know whoever all the great authors of history he's the mind that created those minds. Exactly you would expect him to to be the best author and write the best book. And it was in college that I finally realized like oh he is the best author and and when you really take the time to study the Bible and to not just like you know read it for your checkbox chapter or a day or whatever, but to meditate on it and to to memorize it even and to make connections between the different the Old Testament and the new testament and like I don't know I just I just realized how rewarding that is and so I I always point to that time as having a really big impact on my my walk with the Lord. And then the fourth thing that really shaped my walk with the Lord is it was actually my freshman year of college halfway through that my dad started dating the woman that he is now married to it was it was a pretty quick obviously like there wasn't a lot of time between when my mom passed away and and when my dad started dating Michelle. Even the beginning of that relationship that they had I recognized and I still recognize it was a good thing. And even at the beginning of the relationship like the Lord's hand was so clearly in it. And it was something where my dad wasn't even looking for it. Like a mutual friend introduced them and it just kind of like became clear in a lot of ways that this was the Lord's will. And so even from the beginning I saw that and I wasn't angry about it and I I was like I understand that this is a good thing rationally but it was really really hard for me. Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 30:42

I was actually gonna ask you that earlier when you said your father remarried if if it bothered you and I'm glad you're touching base on that without me asking see so yeah yeah and so and I and again that was something I really had to like come to grips with in my mind like okay this isn't wrong.

Katherine Ribeiro: 30:57

I support this I agree with this and I see that it's God's will and I see that God is giving all these green lights and I I think it's the right decision. But this is just difficult for me. And with that was just so many changes you know within a year after my mom passed away, you know, my dad getting remarried but also I had been an only child my whole my whole life and Michelle had two kids. And so it was like wait now I'm gonna have two siblings and and this sounds funny. It sounds like a small thing but they also moved which was the best decision by far. It was definitely a wise decision. But it was really difficult for me because my in a lot of ways my my house was my it was just so representative of my mom to me. Okay. I always called it it was like her great work of art. She poured everything into it and she was just so uh she had such a high regard for beauty and she just had this this way of making every corner of her world beautiful and so our house was just such an it was so connected to her for me and so that was really hard to for me to think about moving. Right. And it was kind of just like so all that to say that time it was all like good things and natural things. Like it was good that my dad found someone else. It was good that I have two siblings and now I love them. I'm really thankful for them and it was good that that we moved that was the wisest decision but they were all just difficult.

Israel Caminero: 32:19

When your dad first met Michelle you said her name was right you said that you know it was difficult. Did you ever feel like how should I say this? You know like did did you ever like disrespect her or you know anything like that because you felt like she was taking over your mom? Yeah good question honestly I think I can honestly say no. Not like disrespect her but like were you mean you know like sometimes lash out at her just things like that you know yeah that and uh that's a fair question.

Katherine Ribeiro: 32:53

I don't know maybe she would be a better person to ask um but I so highly commend Michelle for how she handled the situation on her side. And of course it was just a a difficult situation all around right it's never easy to blend families and things like that. But Michelle um handled it with such grace and she was really wise about it. She was wise about finding a balance between being there for me and caring about me and um I don't know just wanting to get to know me and and be a friend to me without trying to be my mom. Okay. And she was very and and her kids had lost a father, right? So she understood that.

Israel Caminero: 33:29

So she kind of went through the same thing you know not yeah. Her the siblings went through the same thing.

Katherine Ribeiro: 33:34

Yes exactly. So yeah so Michelle's husband had passed away from cancer. I guess I didn't mention that. But yes so she understood and she was really wise about it. So I I think I was able to see that and to respect that. And that doesn't mean it wasn't hard it was and there were times I had to really you know just wrestle and and of course it's just hard to see there there was a a couple months before my dad and Michelle moved where Michelle was living in you know my the home that my mom had been my mom's home you know and that was a really hard time actually and again she wasn't doing anything wrong. She handled it very wisely but it was just difficult for me to watch that. So that was probably the hardest stage and just seeing all the way she did things differently than my mom. Again not bad just different and so yeah there were times that it was hard but I I think too again I just my mom was just such an incredible person. I keep saying that she's one of the biggest things she is she was and she wasn't she is yeah and she and she really is and one of the biggest things she taught me was just empathy she loved she I remember when I she always used to read out loud to me and one of the things she read out loud to me was to kill a mockingbird okay which is still one of my favorite books and one of my favorite quotes in that book says you don't really understand a person until you get inside their shoes and walk around in them. And it's this idea of empathy right and thinking of other people but not just thinking of other people like in passing but actually taking the time to see someone and to get inside their shoes and to to take time out of your life to think about life from their perspective and to think about their side of things. That was one of my that was something my mom brought up all the time that quote from to kill a mockingbird is you need to get inside other people's shoes.

Israel Caminero: 35:18

That's good.

Katherine Ribeiro: 35:18

And um and she would always say you never know what someone is going through on the inside. So be gracious with everyone and she didn't just say that she lived it out and I think that example from my mom and those lessons from my mom actually really served me well when my dad married Michelle because I was able I I think by God's grace and by that example I I did not do this perfectly and I don't want to make it sound like that. But overall at the end of the day I think I was I was able to and this is just being fair too right I think I was able to see okay this is hard for me it's also really hard for Michelle like she knows what it's like to lose someone her husband passed away her kids or just her daughter it was at the time her daughter just uprooted herself from Florida. Michelle just uprooted herself from Florida they're in an entirely new community so they're from Florida. So they're an entirely new community where they don't know a lot of people poor Michelle is in this situation where she has to move into another woman's home and find a balance between you know making it her own without you know trying to disrespect so I I think I was able to see this is also really hard for her and there just needs to be so much grace. And again it wasn't perfect and none of us did that perfectly but God's grace was very evident and and he really did walk our whole family through that and I'm so thankful I thank the Lord all the time for the new family he's given me and and for Michelle and her daughter Julia and um it's it's really been cool to see how the Lord has blessed that.

Israel Caminero: 36:57

He orchestrates everything right yeah when you least expect it. Yeah you know and I I love that quote that you shared that your mom always says as far as walking in people's shoes. You know I I say that a lot because there's times through my well there's times through my son's trial where people would actually not annoy me but I would get mad. Yeah. Because they would say things to me like Well I can't complain because of what you're going through. I can't do this I can't do that because you're going through a lot more and that would bother me so much you know because it's like like you said everyone has problems. Everyone has problems and there's an inside joke that I share with someone all the time because I shared it once and it kind of stuck so now we use it all the time because I said listen I'm like I don't care if it's a pimple on your face I'm like it's still a problem my problem's not bigger than yours whether you want to believe it or not because it's still a problem but it used to frustrate me when people would say that to me like you know it it it it would almost offend me. Yeah because I'm like no I'm like if you have a problem yeah say it speak it you know don't hold it you know that I I can help you just as much as you can help me whether I'm going through something or not. Yeah. So I love that.

Katherine Ribeiro: 38:21

And there's always someone who's going through something more and less than you. Right. And and it's important to have that perspective and yeah and it really is all you know the Lord knows specifically that I don't know this he's intentional about the specific trials he places in specific people's lives. And one might look bigger than the other exact and one might be more visible.

Israel Caminero: 38:40

Like someone might be going through a trial that no one can see that's just as hard and yeah it's important to get it other you know like I said it used to really upset me because come on I I look at it like it's still a problem whether you think it's smaller than mine, bigger or whatever I still want to hear it because there's maybe some way I can help you. Yeah you know even through prayer. Yeah you know like people wouldn't want to confess like I'm going through something like let me pray for you. It's the least I can do.

Katherine Ribeiro: 39:11

Oh but you're going through a lot what has that got to do with anything you know well and sometimes when you're going through a lot it's actually a blessing to get outside of yourself and have an opportunity to think of others. Right.

Israel Caminero: 39:22

Yeah yeah so I love that I might start using that walk a mile in their shoes. Yeah I say walk a mile in their shoes that's good um but yeah that's great and you're they're still married obviously you said how long has it been that they're married now?

Katherine Ribeiro: 39:36

Ooh good question I think it's been about four years.

Israel Caminero: 39:39

Okay putting you on the spot yeah might be more might be less we we don't know but they're wonderful. How are you doing today?

Katherine Ribeiro: 39:48

You know um you're married I met your husband yes Steven he's the best yeah good question so God is so good I am truly overwhelmed Overwhelmed by how kind he's been to me and how much he's blessed me, especially since this trial with my mom. Like just the little ways he's um provided for me, like even just practically. Um, if I just listed them, it's overwhelming, just uh, you know, in terms of the things my husband and I've needed houses, cars, um, and how he's he's made his will so clear. And even in providing Steven, my husband, and actually it's it's really neat in a lot of ways. I always say Steven reminds me of my mom in so many ways. Okay. Like just his personality and even just like little habits. Like my mom, this is this is really funny. This might be, I don't know, too much detail, but like my mom, she was a huge crier. She always had a tissue in her pocket, like in every like every vest, every jacket, everything. And it was always like we would find them in the wash, and it was always like mom, like you, you you left a tissue in your pocket. And my husband does the exact same thing, like everything he has. Like, I always find tissues in all his jackets because he's a crier too. And so, which sounds so funny, but uh that's just a little thing, but just even down to those little detailed habits, there's so many similarities. And I don't know, I just think that's God's kindness to me. And my mom would have loved Stephen, like she always growing up, would tell me, like, Katie, I'm praying that the Lord would provide a good man for you one day. Yeah, she she would always say that, and I it's she would love Stephen, and I'm excited for them to meet one day. But so God has been so kind to me. But even like you know how I said I had to cancel that that trip to Europe because of my mom's sickness? Well, my uncle offered, um, my uncle, who is my one of my mom's best friends, he offered to uh with my aunt and my cousin, he offered to take me to Europe two months after that for a senior trip. Wow. And we went to Italy together, and it was amazing. So just like those little ways I feel like God's given back to me and been so just kind of like how with Job, like how the Lord took those things away for a time, but then he gave back to him abundantly.

Israel Caminero: 42:05

Right.

Katherine Ribeiro: 42:06

And I I very much feel that that's been my testimony. So I'm I'm we're doing really well by God's grace.

Israel Caminero: 42:11

That's good. I love that book too, Job.

Katherine Ribeiro: 42:14

Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 42:16

Catherine. I thank you for being on this podcast today. I really appreciate it. And I thank you for just giving me the opportunity to just hear your story and everyone else that's gonna be listening to. It's a great story, and I'm glad you're doing well with Steven. Right? Yes, that's his name, Steven. Yes, sir. I only met him once and it was weird circumstances, but you know. Um, but he seemed like a stand-up guy. I w I talked to him really quick and yeah, he's cool. Uh he's Hispanic, right?

Katherine Ribeiro: 42:50

Yeah, he's Puerto Rican and Brazilian.

Israel Caminero: 42:52

Okay. Okay, well, good combination there.

Katherine Ribeiro: 42:56

Yeah, yeah, I think so too.

Israel Caminero: 42:58

Shout out to Stephen. I just want to say thank you for sharing your story, and thank you for sharing your mom's story. It's it's an incredible journey as far as what she went through, and no one wants to go through that, obviously, but But the Lord gives you what you need. Exactly. And like you said, you had peace, all of you guys had peace and joy through it. I don't know about joy, but maybe peace. I usually ask a question at towards the end of my podcast. Well, two questions, but I'll start with one. And you know, one of those questions is I know you read the Bible all the way through and you know the Bible, but I just want to ask you, what is your favorite Bible verse that you go to? There might be many, yeah, you know, but like your favorite verse in the Bible that you is your go-to, what would that be?

Katherine Ribeiro: 43:54

Oh, that's always such a hard question for me. Um it changes all the time. But um what I find myself going back to frequently is um Psalm 27, verse 4, which says, One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. And the reason that's stood out to me so much the past couple years of my life is because of the the first two words of it. One thing. And I'm the type of person that I always have a to-do list, an agenda. I always have all these things going on in my mind that I want to accomplish. And even tying it back to what I was saying earlier about an eternal mindset, an eternal perspective, that verse always pulls me back to okay, you might have all these little things you want to accomplish, but at the end of the day, you only have one thing to do today. Okay. God's will, right? Not just God's will, but j to worship him, to understand him more today, to to know him more today, to behold his beauty more today, and then to live that out. And that concept has had a really big impact on my life, just being pulled back to that priority of at the end of the day, from an eternal perspective, there's only one thing that we right, you know, like Matthew says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto So I think that currently is my favorite verse.

Israel Caminero: 45:26

Are you sure? Because I know you're I don't know, no, don't make me question. No, no, totally kidding. That's a good one. No, I don't that's a good one. Thank you for sharing that. My second question for you is my section that I call Back to the Past. And I just want to ask, what would the Catherine of today tell the Catherine of before? You know, like the young age Catherine, what would you tell her that you knew now that you didn't know then?

Katherine Ribeiro: 45:57

Yeah, it's a fantastic question.

Israel Caminero: 45:58

Wisdom. Well Or whatever you want. It doesn't have to be wisdom. Like what would you say to her? Yeah. If you can go back to the past and talk to her.

Katherine Ribeiro: 46:11

Um I think that the first thing that comes to my mind is I think I would say take one day at a time. Which I kind of knew that at the time, but so much of my life has been understanding more and more and more and more what that actually means and realizing that more and more and live learning how to live that out more and more and more. It kind of I always pull it back to like you know how the children of Israel in the wilderness, God always gave them mana for each day. Yeah. And if they took too much, if they took enough for two days, they'd get in trouble.

Israel Caminero: 46:42

Right.

Katherine Ribeiro: 46:43

Because God was like, No, you need to trust that I'm going to provide tomorrow as well. Yeah. Because I I'm faithful. You have every reason to trust me, and I'll give you mana tomorrow. You don't need to overwork today to try to get, you know, to try to control this. I have it. I'm gonna provide for you tomorrow. Don't worry. Um, I just think that's such a beautiful picture of the Christian life, right? That it's God really does. It's not just a like so many people say, it's a reality. He really does give you the grace and the strength you need for what he has set before you to do each day. Not necessarily what you want to do each day, but what he he has for you today, if you're submitted to his will. He always provides. And so just to rest in that more and to not worry about tomorrow or the day after, or the day after, or the day after. Right. But to just um worry about today and not only today, but this second, this moment, and to just take what God gives you right now and accept his grace to handle it, whether it's good or bad, and to trust him with the future and to trust that he'll give you what you need for whatever he has ahead. It's like Psalm 23, right? Right. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And learning how to just follow the one step behind him and not run out ahead of him. So I think that's the biggest thing I would say.

Israel Caminero: 47:59

That's so good. For every dark night there's a brighter day, right? Yeah. You know, that's exactly what the Lord does and what you were just kind of talking about. Well, I would just want to thank you again, Catherine, for being here and sharing your story for all the listeners that are out there, all my followers that are hopefully listening. And before we leave today, do you think you can close us out in prayer?

Katherine Ribeiro: 48:26

Yeah, absolutely. And thank you again for having me. It's an honor. You're welcome. Let's pray. Father, we um bow before you, we humble ourselves before you. Lord, we acknowledge that you are God and we are not, and you are good and faithful, and you're powerful, you're sovereign. You see everything that happens, and um and uh Lord, you're not only powerful and sovereign, but you care about us. And you're compassionate and kind and merciful. Um Lord, thank you that you are a God that we can trust. You're a God we can commit our souls to, um, you're a God we can um commit our time to everything that we have, um, and that you're trustworthy and you're worthy of it. Um so Lord, we um commit ourselves to you right now and and we just ask that um you would continue to do your work in us. Lord, um take our lives and make them into what you want them to be for your glory. We know that your plan is better than ours. And I I pray for um us sitting here today, but uh even all the listeners who will listen to this podcast, Lord, that you would um please do your work in us, Lord. Continue to make us um to mold us into um the people you want us to be for the good works you've prepared beforehand for us, as Ephesians says. Um, Lord, thank you for your kindness. Teach us to love you and trust you more day by day and to truly live for eternity in Jesus' name. Amen.

Israel Caminero: 49:58

Amen, amen. Thank you for that. Thank you. That was a beautiful prayer. Again, I can't thank you enough for being here today and sharing your story. And I just want to tell all the listeners that if you want to find me to leave a testimony or a story, you can contact me at living testimonies at hopmail.com. And you can actually listen to this in all the podcast outlets, which is Apple, Spotify, Google, any of them. And hopefully you'll subscribe to that, follow it, and leave a review if you want. Again, I've said it four times now. Thank you, Catherine, for being here, and I'd like to just tell all my listeners out there to have a blessed day and continue to follow the Lord.