The Peace That Remains: A Powerful Story of Trusting God - Olivia Figuered

Join me for a heartfelt and inspiring conversation with Olivia Figuered as she shares her powerful story of faith, loss, and resilience. With vulnerability and honesty, Olivia opens up about her personal journey of trusting God amidst unimaginable grief, including the devastating loss of her sister to cancer.

As she navigates the complexities of faith, grief, and peace, Olivia discovers a profound sense of peace that surpasses her understanding. tune in as she explores the lessons she's learned along the way, and discover how her story can inspire and encourage you on your own journey.

This episode is a testament to the transformative power of faith and the peace that can be found in the midst of sorrow. Get ready to be inspired by Olivia's remarkable story of faith, trust, and resilience.

Link to connect with Olivia Figuered:

Peaceful Presence Podcast

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Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:04

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. I'm grateful for your support and for being part of this community. If you've been enjoying the podcast so far, I'd love it if you could take a minute to leave a review. Your feedback helps me reach more people and share these inspiring stories with others. Let's spread the word. Please share this podcast with your friends and family. And if you haven't already, be sure to like and subscribe for new episodes. To stay connected and up to date on all the latest news, updates, and exclusive content, head over to my Facebook page, Living Testimonies. While you're there, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. The link is on the page. Thanks again for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode. Welcome to Living Testimony, Stories of Faith and Redemption. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope everyone that's listening is blessed and doing well. With me today, I have my sister in Christ. Her name is Olivia Figuered, and she's here to share her testimony. Could you introduce yourself to everyone, Olivia?

Olivia Figuered: 1:28

Yes, and thanks, Israel, for allowing me to share this story on your platform and with your audience. Um, yes, as you mentioned, I my name is Olivia Figuered. I am uh a mom of four boys. They range from five years old to 18 years old at this present moment. So I'm I'm pretty much mothering at all different stages of life, which can be a can be somewhat of a challenge. Um I work, I'm I do some stuff in the the corporate world, and I also do my own practice with coaching and speaking as well. And I'm a podcast host, which has been my my newfound purpose and passion, and a wife, and um have a live out here in sunny San Diego, which I know is is different than your climate today. Um, but that is uh that's a little bit about myself.

Israel Caminero: 2:20

All right, well, thank you. And she's like I said, she's here to share her story, and I'm glad she's here. I read a little bit about it, and it's a very touching story. But before we get started, I like to pray over us over you specifically, and I like to say, Dear Heavenly Father, we welcome Olivia to the podcast today and ask that you would bless her with your presence, give her clarity of thought, courage to share her story, and wisdom to impart to our listeners. May her words be infused with your love, grace, and truth. We pray that you would use this conversation to inspire, encourage, and uplift all who tune in as we glorify you along the way. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Olivia Figuered: 3:08

Thank you for that.

Israel Caminero: 3:09

You're welcome. So, yeah, Olivia. Um the listeners are tuned in and they're ready to hear the story, and the platform is all yours. So if you could start from the beginning of your journey.

Olivia Figuered: 3:23

Yeah. So I think I'll start with just, you know, sharing that you know, God has always been a part of my life. And uh from a young girl, I used to um I always had a heart for Jesus. And I I developed more of a relationship, I would say, at the age of 17. I was going through some things at high school, friend groups were changing. I don't know, I just was kind of losing, losing the familiar at that time in my life. And my mom uh took me to a church. We didn't grow up in church. I think it's important to say that. Uh we would go maybe on Easter or special occasions, but it wasn't um a normal practice. But God was definitely a part of our home. My mom was a look was much of my spiritual teacher, um, more so when I when I turned the age of 17. But again, she brought me to a church at that age. I was going through things in my life at that time. And I just, my heart was was just open and I was like a sponge. I I soaked in everything I learned during that message, and then I just wanted to know more. And that's when I would reach out to my mom and she, you know, would teach me things. And I just had this hunger at that age. I remember I used to work at a bank at that time, and I was a teller, and I would bring my little pocket Bible to the bank, and I would sit there at my teller station in between customers and read the Bible, and the other tellers working working at the uh at the same time would look at me and think, like, what are you doing? And I just I really couldn't get enough of it.

Israel Caminero: 4:55

So You were counting verses.

Olivia Figuered: 4:58

I was. I was just like I said, a sponge. And I went to God for everything in in my life, big or small, but big to me back then was, you know, help me with this relationship I'm having, you know, trouble with, or or I was in sales most of my life, and I would go to God and say, God, bring the right people to me. And it would just, it never seemed to fail me. Um, maybe it took a little longer sometimes, but I just I had this childlike trust in him. And I just went to him for everything. Well, fast forward, you know, I I eventually got married. Like I mentioned before, I've had four kids, and it's been over a span of almost two decades. And anybody listening who has children knows that that is a blessing, yes, but it also compounds, you know, life because there's a lot of obligations and and distractions. I I don't want to, I'm not saying my children are a distraction, but you know, it's like they've got this sporting event or we've got homework or we've got other things that pull at our attention.

Israel Caminero: 5:59

Right.

Olivia Figuered: 6:00

And when you have it times four, it can be a lot. And so fast forward, and my life got, you know, busy and I didn't soak in God the way that I used to. Still a part of my life, but just not in the same way. I think I want to back up a little bit. I was in the mortgage business, I and I still am, and I was doing that for you know many years. And COVID was the busiest, the absolute busiest time of my life in that industry. Everybody else was home, but interest rates were so low, and everybody was home, so they're like, oh, let's, you know, work on house projects, let's refinance. I had had my fourth child in October of 2019, and then COVID hit right on the heels of that. So I had three other kids that were home doing Zoom school, and I had a newborn baby.

Israel Caminero: 6:53

Wow.

Olivia Figuered: 6:53

And I was working like around the clock. I mean, I had to work till three o'clock in the morning oftentimes just to get through my workload because that was the quiet. And in our industry, you know, you ride the wave because it doesn't typically last very long. So I was just gonna ride that wave. Well, um, the wave didn't end for for almost it felt like a couple of years. And I was exhausted when it did finally start to slow down. It was just so much. And I wound up, you know, moving my kids to different schools, all of that stuff. But once that ended, I got the news that my sister, who my sister is my very, my very best friend, uh, she lived across the street from me. She had four children of her own. They they're older than mine. They were, you know, currently they're in their 20s. She was kind of a mother figure to me growing up, and then also became my best friend. And living across the street, I visited her every day, every single day, you know, especially during COVID. You know, we spent time together because we lived across the street. So that was a very, a very unifying time for our family. Well, I got the news that she, you know, she wasn't feeling right in the summer of 2021. She kept kind of complaining that her stomach felt funny, but it was just difficult to get into the doctors. And at that time, as you know, still there was all these different protocols. And and when she finally did, because it had gotten so bad and it got so bad so fast, I mean, she was at the point where she couldn't stand for more than 30 seconds, or it was difficult to walk from one room to the next. And she was having trouble breathing. And when it got to the point where she was, you know, having trouble breathing, you know, uh, they had gone into the doctors, and she messages me one day, and I remember I was at my computer and was told she had stage four cancer, nothing they could do, innumerable and inoperable tumors throughout her liver. And it was cold, it was colorectal cancer. She had, you know, six years prior, had a little you know, polyp that they, you know, knew was cancerous. They took it out and they said, You're good. Come in and have a colonoscopy every year, which she did. She even had had one in 2021, that same year she was diagnosed that was clear. So she didn't think what she had was was related to the cancer because she had that clear colonoscopy. Well, come to find out it had, you know, it was on the outside of her colon, it had spread too. So that's why they didn't see it. Then it went to her liver, a little bit to her lungs. Um, but her liver was the pain she had been feeling in her stomach. And um, you know, she would describe it as a baby, and anyone who's had a baby knows that at the end, you know, it's so heavy that it can take your breath away and make it difficult to be comfortable. And that's where she was at. So I remember getting this news, and I instantly was was like shaking because I I I couldn't lose her. She um she's the rock of our family, she was the anchor of our family. She's so she was so much like me, but had this other more outgoing and fun side to her than than I did, but but that made her my person. And then she also was the person that would make me kind of come out of my shell from time to time. And I I needed that. And so I just, like I said, I was shaking. This this couldn't be. This just couldn't be. We live on the same street. I remember saying, I'm not gonna live here anymore. I can't drive down our street and pass her house and have her not be here. What's gonna happen to our family? What's gonna happen to her kids, my parents? I didn't I didn't mention that, but they live right around the corner from us. So we are a very close, tight-knit family and we do everything together. So it was just it was news that rattled me and all of us, obviously. And I went to bed at night for those first few nights, because through the during the day, I was still busy doing my job. And I guess you kind of just have to tune it out to some degree to get through your day. But at night, when it was quiet, I would wake up and I would just be sobbing, and I just didn't know what to do. And it took me back to that place when I was 17, and I just said, I never mind, I know what to do. I got up one day and I said, No more. I'm not crying anymore about this. I am going to God. I mean, I've even though I said my life got busy, it never took me away from always wanting to, you know, hear stories or listen to stories about God. I was always intrigued. That's where my heart is. So I knew enough to know that miracles can happen and that the doctors don't have the final authority God does. And I know that healing is possible. And, you know, I just, anyhow, I got I woke up like clockwork every morning, no alarm. I just, and something got me up every morning. I went out to this special spot on my couch. And at the time my baby was, you know, close to two years old. So I would have to be very quiet, didn't want to wake anybody up. But every morning I am into scripture, whether it was my Bible or just researching scriptures on healing or reading other books or listening to other stories that were inspirational. Um, you know, and my mom, my sister and I would be on this group text and every day sending her or all three of us like healing scriptures. And we all chimed in, we all had our, you know, this is the uplifting video for the day, or here's your, here's, you know, another story of hope. So we were just feeding ourselves continuously messages of hope. And one of the first things that my sister did is she said, you know, I want to have a prayer rally. And she called together, I think through Facebook, I don't know how she got so many people, but she just said, anybody who wants to come, I need prayer right now, meet at my house. I don't even think she announced what was happening. So people just showed up, and I mean, a massive amount of people showed up at her house, not even knowing what we were gonna be praying for. And we had this beautiful gathering in her front yard, and she announced, you know, what was happening and that she knows that this is inoperable and incurable, but she's not gonna stand for that. You know, that person who gave her that diagnosis is not gonna be her doctor. But meanwhile, while she tries to find another doctor that, you know, can try to help work with her, she's asking for prayer. And through uh, you know, all of the outreach, we had somebody tell us about some, you know, unconventional treatment.

Israel Caminero: 13:30

Right.

Olivia Figuered: 13:30

And we started her on that right away before she was trying to find a doctor, and um, and you know, she started doing some juicing and stuff too, just you know, things that everybody was giving us advice on. Because when you get diagnosed and you are in this tailspin of of trying to play beat the clock, you know, figure out what I can do so fast, and hopefully this is the right decision because there's just not sometimes time on your side to figure out the next plan. You're absolutely and one of the messages that my sister, my mom, and I continuously were getting in the beginning was you know, having no fear. Um I had uh I, you know, we we all were that was our message, and there was one particular day that um I was changing my son's diaper on the living room floor. And a couple weeks prior to that, he had been playing with a card game. And in this card game, there's over 200 cards. Um, and all of the cards have a word on it. It's it's kind of like this game taboo where you try to get the people playing to say a certain word, and they can't use these other words to describe that word that they're trying to get someone to say. But anyhow, the name of this game was called Band. And there's all of these cards, and my son had been playing with the cards a couple weeks prior. I thought I picked them all up, but then as I was changing his diaper, I saw something under the couch and and I pulled it out, and it was a card that had been left over that I obviously didn't see when I was picking it all up. And to preface that, maybe one or two days before changing his diaper, I said, God, I need to know that this sign of having, you know, no fear is from you. I had asked for confirmation on that. Well, lo and behold, when I pulled that card out, the word that was on it was fear, and it had a big circle around the word with a with a slash through it, meaning to me, no fear. I mean, think about it. Out of over 200 cards that were in that deck, for that one card to just be waiting for me to find that day when I asked for the confirmation. I mean, as soon as I got that, I was I was shaking. I started crying. And I called my sister and my mom. They didn't share my enthusiasm, but that was they didn't understand like this was my message from God to say, don't have fear.

Israel Caminero: 15:58

Maybe it was for you and not for them.

Olivia Figuered: 16:01

Correct, correct. It was like I thought they would be as excited as I was, and it was like a cool story to them, but um, it really touched me personally. Uh, I just knew that God was giving me that sign not to have fear around this. And um, from that point on, I really, I really gave it to God, not to say I didn't have moments where she might get some bad news that it got I got rattled again. But I just refused to give into that. And my sister got bad got better really fast. So as bad as she was in the beginning, it switched. And she her tumor started shrinking. What we were doing was working. I was convinced that she was going to be this miraculous testimony. You know, we had pictures of her tumors from the start. We had pictures of what was happening and they were shrinking. And I just I really had no doubt that she was gonna, you know, come through it. Yes, there were moments that it doubt would creep in. We might, you know, hit a roadblock or something might have gotten a little worse. But I just I pushed that aside every single time and found something to carry me, to carry me through that. So a couple years go by, or close to a couple years, and it would was August of um 2023. There was a spot that never fully went away in her in her liver, and that spot was sitting on three major veins, and it started to grow. It was blocking like a bile duct. So they had to do this procedure. It was considered an outpatient procedure to try to give her some relief. She wound up going sepsis in the hospital. It just it kind of snowballed from there, you know, without getting into all of that. It just went downhill. And um, she was in and out of the hospital for uh, you know, maybe eight weeks, something like that. It just things weren't getting better, things were getting worse. They tried to keep going up, going inside of her and trying to do more procedures, you know, to correct something that was done before. And she wasn't getting better, she was getting weaker, and it was really hard to watch. And then finally they, you know, I was with her. I was at, I was with uh, you know, by her side every single day. I I mentioned her parents are close, but it's it was difficult for them to walk. And so I would just I would try to be that person that was, you know, there with her through all of this. And one day the the doctor, you know, had said there's just nothing we can do anymore, and that she, you know, has to go home and and be on hospice. And it, and so I was okay with that. Even when they told us that that she has to go home on hospice, I I've heard enough stories of hope where people have been sent home on hospice and have been okay. I actually felt so relieved because when you've been in the hospital as much as we had, you want to get out of there. And I just felt like we we we're gonna go back to our own stuff, we're gonna figure this out at home and we're gonna take care of her. And you know, we did. We came home. And she to me seemed like she was doing better. We were trying some stuff, and she did, you know, I'll go back to the this particular day. I mean, she wasn't home too, too long, but on October 10th of 2023, she had a really good day. And I was so excited that day. I thought, you know, what we are doing is working. Oh my gosh, we're gonna go back to these doctors and we are gonna tell them, you know, don't tell us that there's no hope when, you know, look at what she's what she's done. And so she had had a really good day. And that night I drove home. I, even though I said she lives across the street, I had my car at her house. And before I pulled into my garage, I sat in the driveway looking up at the stars and just bawling. And I was, they were tears of joy. And I was thanking God, I was thanking him for the miracle that I was witnessing in my. Sister, and I knew that you know, because of how good of a day that we had, that we were turning a corner and we were gonna have this incredible testimony to share, and it was all going to be, you know, for his glory. And I just I was so excited. I was so excited. So then the next morning, you know, I woke up with that same excitement, ready to go to her house. And this was October 11th. And when I got to her house, oh, it was such a different day. Um, I had never seen her in pain like I did that day. She wasn't talking very much, it was not good. And I couldn't believe it. Um I was like, what happened? What happened from yesterday till today? And obviously, I I know that people before they pass, you know, sometimes have that good day. Um, I didn't know that that was it. I didn't know that the night before I left that that was the last time I would say goodnight to her. I didn't know. And, you know, as that day went on, it was just awful. It was awful to witness her being being in so much pain. She couldn't talk very much, but I will say at one point during the day, she said, my mom heard her, I didn't hear it, but my mom said she said, I don't know what to do. And I often wonder, did she get a choice? Did she was she being presented a choice at that time? I'll never I'll never know that. I sort of suspect that that might have been the case because that was a girl that would have always chosen to live, but maybe she saw something better. I don't know. As the night went on, it actually it I don't like to say this, but I have to. She has one daughter and three sons, and they were all home. Uh and home, but I mean, like one of her children lives, they two of her kids live in different locations. And so they happened to be home. Her daughter, though, was going to go somewhere, and she couldn't find her car keys. So that was God telling her not to not to leave and to stay. Her other son, who does live in our area, was actually on his way to work, but he was running late. And had he not been running late that day, he wouldn't have gotten the phone call saying, come home, something's happening with mom because she was changing and she was changing right in front of my eyes. It was just myself and her daughter. So my niece and a and a friend of ours that were watching her, and I could see in her eyes that something was changing, and it pains me. Um, I it pains me, but I bet I looked, I locked eyes with her. Her name is Monica, and I said, Monica, I could tell something was changing. I'm like, do you want me to call 911? Do you want to go back to the hospital? Because mind you, she was on hospice. So typically when you're on hospice, you can't call 911.

Israel Caminero: 23:02

Right.

Olivia Figuered: 23:02

And she didn't want to go to the hospital. She was so sick of the hospital, but I didn't know what to do. Something was was changing. So I asked her that. I hate it that those were my last words. That was the last time that I locked eyes with her because she saw me and I saw her and we had that connection. And my last words are, do you want to go back to the hospital? Do you want me to call 911? Man, do I wish I could have just looked her in those eyes and said, I love you. And you were like the best big sister. But I have, for anybody listening, I have done that since this time. I've gone back to that moment. I've given her that message, and and I know she knows it.

Israel Caminero: 23:37

Yes.

Olivia Figuered: 23:37

But I was still strong and I was still, I was still, I don't want to say numb, but I was in the mode of let's do what we need to do. You know, I had to be that person. But she looked at me. She didn't say anything verbally, but she looked at me and she gave me a frown face. And that pains me because I'm like, was this a frown face? Like I know what's happening, or is it a frown face? Like I don't want to go back to the hospital. Kind of a sucky last image to have of somebody, but of that last connection. But I still am grateful that we had a last connection because some people don't get that. Anyway, family all came around. We were all gathered around her. We did call 911. They were very nice. They knew what was happening. They wound up taking her out to the ambulance and she passed away in the ambulance. And the beautiful thing about that was, you know, she did not want to go back to the hospital. And once the ambulance drives away, they have to take it to the destination. So she got her wish to stay home, even though it wasn't in her home. You know, it was outside. Her whole family was there. Um, you know, her kids, me, my parents, her significant other. Um, we had some friends that may it had made it there at that time. And then we all got to spend some time with her, and we all gathered around her and prayed with her. And but I was so confused. I mean, I have read so many and listened to so many near-death experience stories. I was still calling her back, you know, I was doing what I could do because I still, I still felt like this person who had hope. And I was so confused. I remember the next morning when I woke up, I was just like, what just happened? I this was not gonna be our story, and I I don't get it. I was so so faithful, so believing in God's word, and it would have been very easy for me to be mad at God, but I wasn't, and I I can't explain that. I can't explain why instead of being angry, I actually had this deeper. I need you to show me, I need you to teach me, I need you to teach me more, I need to understand this. I had this deeper desire to draw closer to him.

Israel Caminero: 26:02

Amen.

Olivia Figuered: 26:03

And and and I I've, you know, since then I've I go on walks every day. That's kind of my my quiet time, my God time. And I had this image. I used to run track and field in high school, and I would have this image of running track and doing a relay race. And then these relay races, you know, somebody passes the baton on to you, and then you run and do your part of the race. And I it dawned on me one day. I'm like, she passed the baton on to me. Because what I found was that when I got the news when she was first diagnosed, that person who was full of fear, full of tears and confusion in the beginning was not the same person that I was when she passed away. And although I was sad and I was confused, I had a piece about it. And we had an amazing two years that grew us as a family, that rooted us in our faith. We made memories during those two years. We took family trips, and she oftentimes said, I mean, she did so well with all of her treatment. She goes, I wouldn't even know that I had cancer. I feel better than I've ever felt if somebody didn't tell me. So she was doing that well until the day she wasn't.

Israel Caminero: 27:17

That's impressive.

Olivia Figuered: 27:18

And so it was, it was. Yeah, she just so the strength that she showed to me and to everybody around her, because she had a lot of people following her and her journey. The strength that she showed during that has been inspiring to me and I know to many. And I said she's not only did I learn so much in my faith, again, you know, it rooting me in my faith, but it also taught me a lot about our medical system, about cancer insurance, like just a lot of things that that aren't right. You know, I've since gone on and and helped or try to help other people that are going through the same thing based upon what I know, and that's another part of having that baton. But I do know that, you know, in the Bible where it is said that, you know, Jesus gives us a peace that surpasses understanding. I have that. And I had that because of what I went through in those two years. So yeah, I had this, I had this peace that surpasses understanding, and I knew what that meant. And I didn't like it. It didn't make it any easier in terms of the mourning, the sadness, but it did, it just gave me a peace. And I feel like my job now is to be there for other people, to say whatever their story is and trial that they're going through, that you know, we all go through things. Everybody has a story. Just because God's in your life doesn't mean that you have a picture perfect life and that you're not gonna have challenges. Not like that. But he does promise to get us through these trials and tribulations, and I can testify that he did that for me. I used to, I often I joke about this, but it's the the truth. You know, at the end of the day, I would like to sit and watch TV, and I oftentimes would fall asleep watching Dateline. And you know, dateline these days are, you know, did the husband murder the wife, or is it the wife that murdered the husband? And I don't know what it was about that show, but it I just would go to sleep to it. And then many times I'd never finish it because I fell asleep. So I'd watch it the next night and start from the beginning again. And and that was what I did. Well, during those two years, I couldn't, I couldn't take in anything. I didn't want to take in anything that had any bit of negativity. And everything that I fed to myself was was positive, was, was healing, was testimonies, was uplifting news, was scripture. You know, my sister and I made it a practice every Sunday. We were at our church and we had this little special spot that we sat to sat at together and we soaked in these messages. And then in fact, I used to visualize that we're gonna stand on this church, you know, that that podium one day at this church and we're gonna share your story. You know, the me after she passed, like I didn't want to watch these types of shows anymore. Like I I'm not even interested in it. And it doesn't mean like that you wouldn't catch me, you know, maybe seeing something that doesn't fall in line with where, you know, with where I met, but it it's definitely changed me. It definitely has made me aware of what you take in consistently, shapes who you are.

Israel Caminero: 30:33

That's right.

Olivia Figuered: 30:33

So I'm just I feel like I a very different person. And I did get to get up on that stage at the church, but it was during her eulogy. I did get to share her story. It wasn't the story that I wanted to share, but I'm gonna I'm gonna do what I did in those relay races is I'm gonna take that baton and I'm gonna run with it. And I'm gonna let people know that going to God with your with your problems, with your challenges, with your praises, with all of it, that that is what gets you through life and its toughest days and its best days. You know, I explained it at her eulogy, and I really do believe this. I think there's so much, Israel, that we don't know. And I think we will be coming into knowing more in the in the near future. I mean, I don't have any evidence around that other than what speaks to my spirit, but I likened I likened her passing to a coin and that she's on one side and that I'm on the other. But we are all still part of that same coin. And I do think that that those that have gone before us are still here, it's just in a different way. And I still talk to her, I still, you know, I might look crazy to some people, you know, but I and I still can feel her. I can still feel, you know, if I have if I have a little conversation or if I say I miss you, I actually feel a response sometimes come back. Doesn't mean I feel it every single time, but I do get that. And I trust in that. And I have to trust in the things that we don't see and that we don't understand. And I know that that's faith, but I think our eyes as a as a whole are gonna start to become more and more open to what's out there because you know, our our our world has it a little backwards. And from the time we're born, I think we're we're taught to learn with our heads, and and that's great because obviously our brains serve a purpose, but the more we start doing that, we kind of get away from our spirit, and I think we're meant to live with that spirit first and kind of brain to follow. And I think people are big are walking more into that, and I and I hope to be a part of that too. And that's all really from her story, and it pains me that I learned some things going through her expense. That's where we're at, and like I said, I'm gonna take that baton and I'm gonna run with it, and I'm gonna I'm gonna honor her and honor what I learned from her journey in the best way that I can.

Israel Caminero: 33:19

Amen. Amen. Well, what do you believe is the most important thing God taught you through this experience?

Olivia Figuered: 33:26

Well, instantly what came up is to not have fear, not give in to fear.

Israel Caminero: 33:31

Right.

Olivia Figuered: 33:32

I mean, there's probably so much if I spent more time thinking about it, but when you asked me that question, that's what came up. You know, uh my niece told me once, like, why do we worry about the things that we can't control or that that haven't even happened yet? And that, you know, our our society nowadays, like mental health is huge, and a lot of that is wrapped around anxiety and fear, absolutely. Which really comes from yeah, it comes from like all of these what-if scenarios. And why are we living in the what-ifs? And that's not of God. And I guess you know, we have to, I do believe God is in all through all and above all. That's one of my favorite scriptures. So, you know, he's in the least of us, he's in the best of us, and it's all part of him. But if we imagine it like a like a scale or a scale, like we just have to not give in to fear as much as we give in to hope. So you've got to change the that message in our heads. And if you're giving in to fear and you feel that scale is weighted down towards fear, then what are some ways that we can weight it more towards hope and truth and light and life? And I think part of that comes from, you know, in psychology, they try to have you change your thoughts. That's a lot, sometimes that's a lot of effort, you know, to sit there and spend time analyzing your thoughts and what's a new thought that I can replace that with.

Israel Caminero: 35:02

Right.

Olivia Figuered: 35:02

But I also believe, and I was taught this recently that, and I know it from personal experience, it's what are you taking in consistently? What are you watching? Who are you hanging around? What are you listening to? You know, what are you what is what is your surroundings like? Because if you're if you're taking in positive things and hopeful things and uplifting things, then that's what's going to eventually come out of you. That's what you're gonna start thinking about. So that's an easy way, I think, for people to start shifting out of fear. So when people are wrestling with anxiety and fear, I guess I would start to say, What do you what do you pay attention to? Do you go right to the bad news of the day? Do you, you know, are you looking for all that stuff? Because that's what's gonna come out of you. That's right. So, yeah, but when you ask me that question, I guess my biggest lesson is not giving in to fear.

Israel Caminero: 35:53

That's good. You know, fear is from the enemy, and like you said, it caught it's the stem of anxiety, stress, everything. And the fact that you had that peace with you when you said that you first got the news and you started reading scripture and all that, that was from God preparing you for the journey you were about to be in.

Olivia Figuered: 36:19

I have said, and this also makes me sad and happy at the same time. I've thinking back to then and and all the scriptures that we would be sending. I mean, I plastered scriptures all over my house and her house, and I look back at all that, and I and we were doing that to give her hope and to push her through, and and we did, I know we did, but now I look back and I go, God, you were doing a work in me too, and I didn't realize it.

Israel Caminero: 36:45

That's right. That's absolutely right, and not only in you, the people that were watching you and seeing this. You know, it's it's easy for someone to go and try to read the gospel to someone and get rejected. But this was a different way of you showing the gospel to people just by them witnessing what you were going through and seeing the peace you had.

Olivia Figuered: 37:11

Yeah, yeah, it's not the story I wanted.

Israel Caminero: 37:14

Right. I I totally get it.

Olivia Figuered: 37:17

Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 37:18

But I'm sure uh outsiders looking in at your family by you saying you had peace throughout the journey, that's another form of sharing the gospel. Just people, just people watching that.

Olivia Figuered: 37:34

Yeah, I'm seeing that now. I didn't know that then. Yeah, you're right, because everything always turned out great. I guess it's it's a testimony in of itself to watch somebody that's gone through something and they can still they can still have that peace and they can still go to God because it's like I said, it it's easy for some people to just turn their back on him.

Israel Caminero: 37:57

Exactly.

Olivia Figuered: 37:58

There's this famous footprints poem that I've always loved, you know, and it shows I don't remember exactly how it goes, but the picture is, you know, that there's at one point there's two sets of footprints, and then at one point there's only one. And it's the person asking, Why did you leave me, God, during that time? And you know, God said, No, that was when I carried you. And that's that's what it means to have a connection with Him, to go to Him. And when we talk about prayer, and it it really is just being open and honest and talking with God and your Creator about your day and what your challenges are, and and just having this dialogue that is real and raw and and open because that's when he comes in. You know, it says he stands at the at the at the doors of our hearts and knocks, and we just need to let him in. And to let him in, we just sort of have to be honest with what we're going through and ask him to help us. And I think at that point he carries us.

Israel Caminero: 39:04

Amen. Amen. You're absolutely right. He's working behind the scenes when we don't see it. And sometimes we sometimes a lot of people get hopeless, especially going through situations like that. And like you said, throw in the towel. But you did not. And I'm glad that you didn't, and you still have your faith and your hope regardless, because you know what? Your sister is watching you still. And I want to say, I want to go back to what you were saying about that frown she gave you. She wasn't frowning at you. Yeah. She was frowning about the hospital, I'm sure, but not at you.

Olivia Figuered: 39:47

You're probably right.

Israel Caminero: 39:49

So just imagine the reunion you guys are gonna have. That's right. But I want to thank you for sharing that story with everyone because uh everyone's Story is different. And cancer is just everywhere now. And someone probably needs to hear that story. And I I noticed that you shared quite a few scripture, and that's one of the questions that one of the two questions that I actually asked people towards the end of the podcast. My question is do you have a life verse or a verse that you always relied on that you could always look back on when you were having a bad day? And what that verse was or is, and what does it mean to you?

Olivia Figuered: 40:37

Well, I kind of have three. Um for a long time, it was ask and you shall receive. I mean, that's so simple. But as when I'm going back to when I was 17, you know, and I told you I would go to God for everything, but they were really trivial now in comparison to what I walked through. Um, but I think that was just such a simple verse and childlike that it carried me through. I really just, I just believe if I ask, I'll receive. Now it's not, you know, God let me win the lottery. They have to be things, you know, where he says, delight yourself in the Lord and He'll give you the desires of your heart. Well, he put those desires in our heart. So those true things that we want, I believe we're meant to receive them. So I've always loved that one. I have also always loved the scripture that if your earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, then how much more would your heavenly father give good gifts to his children that ask of him? And I I know not everybody has the same, the same experience as me, but I have an amazing earthly father. Gives the shirt off his back for anybody. And I don't know anybody like that man who would be there for somebody. He, I mean, he's just there for anybody who asks of him. I'm very fortunate in that, you know, he he may not have all the things that everybody else has, but he has that quality and it's the best quality that a daughter could ask for for a father. So I come from a place where I have a really good dad that's here on earth. So I've always had this gratitude for that, knowing how much greater my heavenly father is. But my sister's favorite verse um was Proverbs 3, 4 and 5, which has also become my new mantra is trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and then always acknowledge him, and he'll direct our path. And that's that is important to me now because when I do get in my head, I have to remind myself not to lean on my own understanding, and I'm gonna continue to trust in him. And this is the perfect situation. I don't understand. I don't understand what went wrong. I don't understand what we could have done differently. You know, there's all these woulda, shoulda, coulda's, especially in those last days when just things were snowballing. But I have to trust in him and not lean on my own understanding.

Israel Caminero: 42:56

That's right.

Olivia Figuered: 42:57

And it's opened up my, you know, a new path. My my degree, I didn't share my degree before was in journalism. And I did work at a news station for uh for a while, but it wasn't I realized doing that, that's not what I wanted to do. It wasn't conducive to being a mom at that time, and it was negative. You know, I started my podcast after her passing and you know, try to share teachings and testimonies to help people get closer to God. And I love it. I I love it so I don't know that it all would have happened the way that it happened had she not passed, and that's sad to say too, but he's directing my path by not leaning onto my own understanding and acknowledging him and trusting in him.

Israel Caminero: 43:40

Amen. Amen. Thank you for that. And you mentioned the podcast, I'll have links to that in the description of this podcast if every anybody wants to go and listen to them. What's the name of it?

Olivia Figuered: 43:53

Well, peaceful presence podcast. Go figure, right? Peaceful presence.

Israel Caminero: 43:59

That's good.

Olivia Figuered: 44:01

Thank you. That's good. It gets a little tongue-tied every time I say it now, though. So um when it when it first came to me, I'm like, yeah, that is what it's about. But yeah, saying peaceful presence podcast over and over kind of kind of gets tongue-tied a little bit.

Israel Caminero: 44:15

Right. Yeah, that that's a good one. I'll have links to that on the description of this podcast. But now I've come to my back to the past section of the podcast. And my back to the past section is if the Olivia from today can go back and talk to the younger Olivia and share with her things that she knew of today that she didn't know of then, what would you say to her?

Olivia Figuered: 44:42

Oh. Okay, well what comes up to me is learn learn God and learn his character. I wish I would have done it earlier, but at the same time that I say that, I always know that there's a, you know, it's for such a time as this, and that I have I can't force the hunger on myself if it wasn't there at certain times. But I do really wish I would have gotten to know God's character and gotten stronger in his word and the stories. That I never would have departed from that. I wish I would have never strayed from that at times and that I would have kept developing that because there's so much I want to know again. I have this newfound hunger again, and I have children. So I'm I I try to instill that in them. But I do wish I would have I wish I had would have more knowledge and a stronger foundation, I guess that I could, you know, because I feel like I have a lot of learning still to do, but I guess we always do.

Israel Caminero: 45:48

So yeah. Every day is a learning, a learning day, regardless of what you know. Even when you read the Bible, you might read a scripture and you'll read it again in a week or two, and it'll mean something totally different to you.

Olivia Figuered: 46:02

So true.

Israel Caminero: 46:03

But I want to thank you for being here and sharing your story with everyone. It's I'm I'm sorry about your sister. My condolences.

Olivia Figuered: 46:13

Thank you.

Israel Caminero: 46:15

But before we close out, do you think you could pray over us?

Olivia Figuered: 46:18

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Uh Father God, I just I want to thank you for this time and I thank you for you know the message that you want to share with with others through me and through Israel and his platform. And I know that there is a hunger in each and every one of us and a calling that you've placed within each and every one of us. And I pray over anyone listening and that they begin to turn their eyes to you and pay attention to the things that light them up and that give them that little spark inside and let them know that those are the desires that you've placed in their heart. We know that you are a good God, and we know that your word says to give thanks in all circumstances. It doesn't mean that we are thankful for them, but we know to be thankful in them because you are walking in them with us. We thank you for all things, Lord. Amen.

Israel Caminero: 47:15

Amen. Amen. Thank you for that. And once again, thank you for being here and sharing your story. Like I said, I'll have links to her podcast on the description if anyone's anybody wants to go and listen to her encouraging podcast. Again, I want to say my condolences to you, Olivia.

Olivia Figuered: 47:36

Thank you.

Israel Caminero: 47:37

And I also want to say to keep the hope and the faith like you're doing, because that's the best thing anyone can do in situations like this.

Olivia Figuered: 47:47

I agree. And thank you. Thank you for allowing me to share.

Israel Caminero: 47:51

No problem. I also want to thank my listeners for the love they've been showing me and the support, as I always say, that this podcast is doing so well. But also the emails and the text that I get from everyone encouraging me. I just want to thank you. And if you ever want to share your testimony, I'm an email away. And the email is living.testimonies at outlook.com. Just send me an email and I'll get you on here to share yours. Cause everyone's dip everyone's story is different. And it's your story, but we're doing it to glorify God. So until next time, I just want to say thank you and God bless.