Sustained by Grace

This book is our story. It is a story about how God can take the worst of circumstances and rebuild our lives. The reality of God is that He loves us infinitely and unconditionally. This manifests itself in grace which is free, unmerited, unlimited mercy no matter how bad we are, how horribly we fail or how difficult life gets. And when God’s grace to us is accompanied by His will and power, something of beauty resurrects from the ashes of our lives, and eventually He turns our mourning into gladness.

The unthinkable happened to our family and yet when the evidence is considered, we know God was with us and we have seen Him restore our lives. It is not easy to tell our story; it is not pleasant to go back and remember the pain that was. And yet, we do it in the hope that through the evidence of God at work in our lives as revealed in this story, you will find hope that even when the worst happens (far worse than ever can be imagined), God is with you. If you will rely on Him, grab hold of His Truth, cling to His promises and persevere, He will restore you too.

We have written this book so that you might have an opportunity to get to know Him through our story. God restored our marriage and our lives when there seemed to be no hope. No matter what you are going through, God is there for you. If He can get us through our tragedy, He can get you through yours as well. Get to know Him enough, learn His promises so you can lean on Him and trust Him - especially when life doesn’t seem to make sense, and there is no visible sign He is there. In the end you will look back and see Him. If you seek Him, He promises to be found by you and not to fail you.

This book tells the story of both our lives separately and together simultaneously because our experiences are separate and yet our lives are inextricably intertwined.

Darren and Nicole Rodrigues

June 2010