Maria's Story
Personal Testimony
Finding Grace in Purpose
My walk serves as a beautiful reflection of the Lord's healing grace. For years, I felt spiritually weary and lost in the shadows, until a gentle, life-changing encounter with God's heart restored my spirit and gave me a new path.
"I surrendered my heavy burdens to Him, and in that holy moment, the Lord met me with a love that transformed my deepest struggles into a divine purpose."
— Maria Segovia
We all come to God in our own time.
Some find Him early in life and build their lives around His purpose. Others find Him through tragedy, illness, loss, or a moment when we realize we can no longer carry everything on our own.
For many of us, the journey takes time. We fall. We make mistakes. We try to control our circumstances. We allow pain, disappointment, and unforgiveness to harden our hearts. We try to do life in our own strength until we realize we were never meant to walk alone. That was my journey.
And like a loving Father, God patiently waited for me. For twenty-two years of my adult life, I was a single mother facing the challenges, fears, and responsibilities that came with raising my daughters alone. I carried guilt and shame for not giving them the family life I had dreamed of. I battled financial struggles, failed relationships, pride, unforgiveness, and the weight of trying to hold everything together.
When life became overwhelming, I buried myself in my career. Success became a place where I could escape the pain and struggles I didn’t know how to heal from.
But God saw the parts of my heart that needed healing. My turning point came when my youngest daughter was diagnosed with a congenital disorder. As a young single mother, I found myself making difficult medical decisions and facing a situation I could not fix or control. That was the moment I surrendered.
I prayed for a miracle. I cried out to God and realized how much I needed Him. By His grace, my daughter’s condition was corrected, but God didn’t just heal a situation, He began healing me.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”. Revelation 3:20
That was the beginning of my true relationship with God. I discovered He wasn’t distant. He was a loving Father who had been walking with me all along. He comforted me through my pain, strengthened me through my struggles, and began restoring the broken places in my heart.
My walk with God wasn’t always easy. I faced suffering, fear, and challenges, but He remained faithful through every season.
I didn’t have a plan for my career, a plan to buy a home, a plan to travel the world, or a plan to rebuild my life but God did.
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
God opened doors I could never have opened myself. He transformed my mind, grew my faith, and taught me to see my story through His eyes.
What I once saw as failures, God turned into wisdom.
What I once saw as pain, God turned into compassion.
What I once saw as brokenness, God turned into purpose.
After more than twenty years as a single mother, God blessed me with my husband Andrew. Together, we now serve God’s calling to help others discover healing, freedom, and a deeper relationship with Jesus.
Through prayer, mentoring, and walking alongside others, my heart is to help people experience the love of the Shepherd who never gave up on me.
We created The Shepherd and Me because Jesus always goes after the one, the one who feels lost, tired, discouraged, or far away.
I know because I was that one.
And He came after me.
The Journey is Far From Over