However, spending a semester abroad in England and meeting Luciana really changed all that. She is originally from Peru, but now lives in Newcastle to study. Even though we went to two different universities in the same city, We only saw each other every other Monday. We formed a connection. Luciana told me that she grew up in a Christian family but decided to follow Jesus when she was 12. It wasn’t until Luciana turned 13 that she started to live from him and for him, following what he says and being passionate about getting to know him each day more. 

We talked a lot about our faith and our cultures and how it affects us in very different ways. Personally, I believe that if you don't hurt anyone and don't try to impose your beliefs on anyone, you can believe in whatever you want, however you want. Of course, these ways of thinking can clash, but one should always be open to everyone. I don't think my culture, I come from the Ore Mountains, has greatly influenced me in this regard. Of course, Christmas is the most important time of the year for us, and in my family, we go to the Christmas Eve service, but otherwise we're very flexible about going to church. Luciana told me that her culture impacts her faith as of the way that she gets to see God’s kindness and love in the mundane, in everyday life. She is from Peru and people there are so welcoming and thoughtful, there is a community or family sense that connects people. For instance, the church Luciana went to have as a venue a big house, which made interactions feel like a true family. Which is what we are as Christians – the Church of Christ, she said. Also, she’d say it’s worth noting that she has found the same family sense in the church I go to in England. So, this may suggest that there is a special bond among Christians that, talking based on the Bible and her personal experience, only comes from the Holy Spirit of God. Luciana also said that her family’s culture has impacted her journey with Jesus, as her closest family members are as committed to God as she is. They encourage each other to keep going in life. We don’t live the Christian life alone: we celebrate each other's achievements and support each other when we struggle. Luciana says that these family relationships have only improved and become stronger as each of them has grown closer to Jesus and submitted to his will rather than their own. Luciana can testify that the changes in their characters are not the result of their own efforts, but of what God has done in and through them.