How Lita Found Her Church

In 2008, Lita Romero was desperate. She felt sick and went to many different doctors, but they could not find the cause of her illness. She didn’t know how to pray. Yet on her way to yet another doctor’s appointment, she cried out to God. Church seemed like something she should try, so Lita started going to church every Sunday. She soon added attendance during the week.

“I was going to church every day and trying to talk to people there about God. I even prayed that God would send someone to teach me how to correctly do all the rituals I saw happening in the church,” says Lita. But something didn’t seem right. “I asked God for help, I told Him I needed more. Then I began to look for another church.”

During this time of turmoil Lita felt a sudden and deep conviction to confess her sins while driving from her home in Algodones, New Mexico, to Albuquerque. Tears poured down her face as she stubbornly tried to stop the feeling. After initially asking God for help, she now, in her dismay, wanted Him to leave her alone. But upon arrival at her destination, Lita abruptly realized her turn of thought and, aghast at saying “no” to God, she prayed: “I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”

Lita began reading the Bible. She found it hard to understand but knew God was calling her to spend time with Him. Her physical problems had improved and she was in better health, but spiritually, there was a deficiency in her life, something was missing.

She kept looking for preachers on television. One of her favorites was Joel Olsteen. She enjoyed listening to him every day, but still felt she should search for something else. Then one day she found Hope Channel. The first program she watched was Daily Hope.

“I enjoyed watching the program because it sounded like they were teaching the truth and it made sense to me,” says Lita. She continued watching but wasn’t able to write down the Bible verses fast enough. Then in 2012, she says, “God blessed me with a new home. I got DirecTV and a DVR and began recording Hope Channel programs. This allowed me to record the shows, watch, and pause them so I could look up the Scriptures at my own pace.”

One day while Lita was cleaning her house, Let’s Pray was being broadcast. She wasn’t paying much attention to it, but all of a sudden had the impression that she should stop what she was doing and watch. Lita explains, “As I was watching, the host gave a phone number and said to call if we needed prayer or wanted a free book. I asked for the book they were giving away.” Lita also asked for the address of a church near her. The operator gave her the address of the Rio Rancho Seventh-day Adventist Church.

“On April 6, 2013, I drove up to the church and parked in their lot,” says Lita. “I immediately felt like this was my church.” She went in, sat down, and was soon greeted by church member Monica Dawson. Monica offered to study the Bible with Lita, who promptly and happily agreed. Their friendship grew and Lita shares that “Monica has been a great blessing in my life! She has been there, not only to study the Word of God with me, but also to help and pray with me through some difficult times.”

But Lita still had some difficult situations to navigate through. As she studied with Monica, an old friend, Sidney, unexpectedly came back into Lita’s life after 25 years. Sidney had some very strong convictions about her faith that now seemed to conflict with Lita’s new belief. Together they studied the Bible, but the more they studied, the more questions arose—and Lita became confused. So Lita began praying for God to continue leading her in the right way. If the good feeling she had when she started attending the Adventist church and making friends there was just a feeling and nothing more, she asked God to point her in another direction, to another church.

The turning point came when one day Sidney said to Lita, “You know there is a narrow road we have to follow.”

Lita agreed, and searched her heart for what could be her “narrow road.” Was there something about her new beliefs and lifestyle that she wouldn’t give up for anything? What was it that made life meaningful for her? It didn’t take much searching. Lita knew what it was. She told Sidney that the Sabbath was her narrow road, the one thing that she could not be without. Lita left Sidney’s house that day with a sense of purpose and clarity.

“I thanked God that now I finally knew for sure the right church for me,” explains Lita. On April 19, 2014, Lita gave her life to Christ in baptism. She says, “I praise God for Hope Channel, and for the ways He led me to the truth!”

Lita is excited about her growing relationship with Jesus and is enjoying the fellowship of her new church community. One of the ways Lita shares her faith with others is by telling them about Hope Channel. If you'd like a free stack of Hope Channel cards to use to share your faith, order them here: hopetv.org/cards (note: the cards are free, but shipping costs are not).