Pastor Carmen Gil’s mission of love
The La Semana was talking recently with the pastor, who said that wisdom does not come alone and that many times, it is the pains of life that connect us most with true human nature.
Carmen was born in Bolivia, where she experienced pain, political violence and heartbreak. Her mother died when she was very young, thus establishing her main yearning in life: forming a family.
45 years ago she migrated to Tulsa, where she met her husband and formed that much desired nucleus. She had two children, but the marriage failed, leaving her without comfort.
“One of my children got sick, we had to move out of the country and I couldn't leave the United States because of my immigrant status,” Carmen recalled. “My husband had work contracts that he couldn't leave, and the dream was broken.”
That was the greatest pain she had to suffer, not having been able to build that core so sacred to Latinos. However, in that failure she found her vocation. The divorce allowed her to approach God and let go of her fear.
“After meeting the Lord I began to really see,” Carmen said. “I realized that if my children did not have a father on earth, they did have a heavenly father.”
The transformation was like a miracle.
“One of those nights that I fell asleep thinking if God could really restore us and show us our mission, I realized that yes, that He is a supernatural being, who repairs what is broken,” the pastor explained. “In my pain God told me: ‘Carmen, the best gift I have given you is life, you can use it as you want.’”
At that moment, she realized that free will was the solution, because healing was the option, although it was hard to see.
Years later and already an established pastor, Carmen had the misfortune of suffering the death of her daughter because of cancer. Again, pain knocked on the door, but God was there to heal the deepest wounds.
“With him I realized that I did not lose my daughter, that one day I will find her again,” Carmen said, recognizing that God is not to blame for the death of her daughter, it is the imperfection of the world that surrounds us that causes those misfortunes.
Carmen continued her pastoral calling where she knew how to mitigate pain in helping others.
“It is impossible to understand with the human mind the design of God. To feel happy is a gift from God -- we are negative beings by nature and we do not know how to recognize what is good, and if we saw what we have instead of what is missing, we could recognize God's blessing,” she explained. “God is not a person, He is only love and that great love helps us discover ourselves.”
For Carmen, the revolution of God is not simply the word, it is also giving to those who have less.
“Faith without action is dead, it doesn't work,” she said bluntly.
That is why at Victory offerings are delivered after the services of Thursday and Sunday, so that no one goes hungry or is needy.
“Thus we give the gospel in practice and in word,” said the pastor.
Carmen’s life is an example of redemption, permanent construction and healing. Her life invites us to look up during both the best of times and in the depths of grief, and to believe that we can always improve.
To all those people who are coming to the United States, or who are not yet on the right track, Carmen says: “Hopefully you will find here what I found. Before I had an empty heart, but I found God here, and only He makes everything we are worthwhile.” (La Semana)