Barbara

Hello, I'm Josie, a 30-year-old woman from São Gabriel do Oeste, a city nestled in the heart of Brazil. I first encountered The Chosen in 2021, a few months after my father, my rock, succumbed to cancer. His loss left me adrift, searching for something to anchor me. That's when The Chosen came into my life. I was immediately captivated by the series, which portrayed Jesus in a way I'd never seen before - as a human, relatable and real. It was through this depiction that I began to grasp why He had called me. Fast forward to the start of this year, I found myself revisiting the three seasons of The Chosen. This was after a period of self-isolation from church and surviving two suicide attempts. Watching the series again, I found a renewed perspective on life, God, and Jesus. I won't pretend that everything is perfect now. I still grapple with depression, but I'm learning to cope, to keep moving forward. The Chosen has been a beacon of hope in my life, a testament to the power of faith. I'm grateful for the work they do. May God bless them.

At 68 years old, I've always considered myself a good person, but I never really followed my Catholic faith. When I got engaged to a Jewish man, he insisted that I convert if we were to get married. Tearfully, I agreed and raised our four children in the Jewish faith, feeling like I had betrayed God and turned my back on Jesus. Eventually, the marriage ended and I returned to my faith, but I hadn't been to confession in years. I tried to be better, but my relationship with Jesus felt distant. The movies I had seen about him portrayed him as constantly reverent, which didn't feel realistic. One day, while I was home sick, I decided to watch some TV. The Chosen caught my eye, so I started binge-watching the episodes. The moment I saw Peter drop to his knees, crying out to Jesus, "Depart from me. You don't know what I've done," it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was as if my entire life flashed before my eyes, and I saw every hurt I had caused others through my thoughts, words, and actions. It was a wake-up call like no other. I couldn't get enough of the episodes and I've watched them countless times, always finding a new message each time. I couldn't stop talking about the series either. I started sharing DVD sets of seasons 1, 2, and 3 with places I thought could benefit from them, like our local prison, the veteran's home, a home for victims of domestic abuse, the Methodist outreach center, and even our local library. One of the best moments was when two young men from the Latter Day Saints came to my door to share their beliefs, but I ended up talking about The Chosen instead. They left with the DVDs, and they seemed really excited about it! Now, I'm on my church's Parish Council, and we've started showing an episode of The Chosen once a week, followed by a discussion. I've also made it a habit to set aside time in the morning and at bedtime to talk to God and thank Him for everything He has done for me. I was truly a lost sheep, but I am so grateful for The Chosen. Jonathan Roumie's portrayal of Jesus opened my heart and soul, allowing me to move forward in my faith with hope and love.