Juan Carlos Flores | Nicaragua     My name is Juan Carlos Flores and I am from Nicaragua. Born in a catholic family, I grew up under catholic belief. At the age of 14, my parents stopped forcing me to go to catholic mass every Sunday, but I continued attending it from time to time. One day I decided not to go because I got bored of listening to the preacher talking about political issues, his personal point of view about the economical situation in the country, or things like that. I was there to listen to the words of God and to meet God, but it was worldly things that the priest talks about.I said to myself, "What is it? What am I doing here?" I did not believe that I was forgiven through confessing my sins to the priest. I could not accept that a killer or a robber would be forgiven through confessing their sins to him who is a human being. I went there to find God but he was not there. I wanted to talk to him but I could not. I got disappointed and left the church, never to come back. From that time on, I did not attend any other mass. I finished high school and then went to university. During those days, emptiness stayed in me. I watched and heard terrible things that were still happening in this world: poverty, children who beg for food on the street, guys who hit their mother or other members of their family because of drug, and people who dye of hunger. I wondered where God is. I even thought, "It may be true that God does not exist. For if God should exist, He could come with His amazing power and stop all the crazy things in this world." Even when I had this kind of thoughts, however, at night when I was on my bed, I was so afraid of the darkness that I cried and prayed, "Talk to me. I need you. Can't you see I need you? Give me a sign that you exist. Plea

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