COVER STORY

WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 3 Silva arrives to Ouachita after trials, prayer

BY SYDNI WHITFIELD

Staff Writer

Ligia da Silva was born in the beautiful state of Manaus, Brazil. Her dad is a pastor, and her mom is a lawyer. At the age of 9, Silva’s family was called to move to Portugal to be trained as missionaries. Growing up, Silva spent a lot of time traveling, but she had never experienced anything like moving to another country.

“It was huge at the time for me,” Silva said. “We were far from everyone and everything we knew.”

When she was 12 years old, her family made the decision to move back to Manaus. Looking back, she realizes the impact moving to Portugal had on her life.

“Those three years were very important for me,” Silva said. “When we moved there, I was a child. When we returned, I was no longer a child. I had incredible experiences with God and the bond I grew with my mom and dad was so much stronger than what it had been before.”

When they first arrived to serve the church in Portugal, there were only eight members. When they left to return home, there were around 30.

“It was not easy,” Silva said. “People were very closed off to God and the church at the start; however, we really saw God work there.”

At the age of 15, now having been home in Manaus for a few years, Silva and her parents learned that a friend was planning to finish high school early to fast track medical school. They loved the idea, and because Silva dreamed of going to law school, she decided to do the same.

In 2021, Silva left high school to attend a private school and study law. She completed two semesters of law school and is currently taking a break to be at Ouachita.

Silva first heard about Ouachita through alumnus Ronald Greenwich and his wife Alana Greenwich, who are currently missionaries in Manaus, Brazil. The Greenwiches introduced Silva to the Ouachita world and first encouraged Silva’s parents to look into sending her to Ouachita.

Unfortunately, Silva’s family faced three obstacles in sending Silva to Ouachita: financial difficulties, a language barrier and the lack of a visa.

“It felt impossible for us, but in February of 2022, we started the process of applying,” Silva said.

With these challenges standing in the way, it was difficult for Silva to even imagine being at Ouachita, but in April 2022, Silva’s family received their first sign of hope: a substantial scholarship from Ouachita.

“In that moment, we really started thinking we could do this,” Silva said.

Silva then started studying for the IELTS, the International English Language Testing System. Studying for the test took an entire month.

“I was studying so much that it was hard to hang out with my friends, but it was for a good reason, and it was worth it,” Silva said.

Having worked out the finances and succeeded in passing the IELTS, Silva still needed to obtain a visa. At the end of April, she started the process to get a visa and at the end of May, to Silva’s family’s astonishment, she received it.

“I could never have done all of that alone: to have overcome all of those challenges and faced all of those anxieties, I needed God by my side,” Silva said.

The obstacles Silva had to overcome to make this dream a reality taught her more than ever to have faith in God’s plan.

“Through this, I learned you won’t miss what God has for you,” Silva said. “Everything we do is for the glory of God, and I hope my story inspires someone. Trust in him and the process and just try to enjoy it.”

Silva’s plan at the present is to stay at Ouachita for this semester through the international program.

“When we first visited the campus, we were in love with the place, and if God shows me this is where I am supposed to be, then we will find a way for me to stay,” Silva said.

Silva is thrilled to be spending the next few months at Ouachita and seeing what more God has in store for her. She has friends back at home who have witnessed her story unfold.

“They struggled with the same challenges that I did, except the financial challenge can be even greater,” Silva said. “But I know that when God has a plan for you, nothing can get in the way. This has been a dream come true because I have always dreamed of studying abroad.”

Silva urges others to pay attention to where God is directing them and realize that challenges seen as insurmountable are trivial in his eyes.

Silva is a freshman history major from Manaus, Brazil. She plans to study at Ouachita for a semester before returning home to finish law school at the age of 17. (photo by Levi Dade)