Hey there!
So, I figured for my first post, I would share a little bit about me, my story, and how God has moved in my life!
Short Version:
I was always a Christian, but I went through some hard times and became very distant from God. Recently on a missions trip and during a youth retreat, I was reunited (saved, born again, what ever you want to call it) and my relationship with Jesus is better than ever. My life is going in a new direction now, and IT'S PRETTY DANG AWESOME.
Obnoxiously Long Version:
I was brought up in an AWESOME family with my mom, my dad, and my younger sister.When I was little, I was VERY in touch with God. I was very curious, would ask questions that even some adults had to think about before answering! My mom even told me when I was little, I told her I saw an angel! I have always been into the arts, including fine art, music, and writing. God has blessed me with some talent I guess! I also have been very intrigued by space since a young age. When I was little, I used to watch NOVA, and in kindergarten, read literally every book on space in the library! I wanted to be an astronaut for years, until the space shuttle Challenger exploded. Since then, I have pretty much wanted to be an artist, but my fascination with the outside universe has never faded.
Growing up, I really never played with electronic forms of entertainment. Instead, I explored the outside world, stretching my imagination to its greatest lengths with my best friends. I spent a lot of time of my Grandma and Poppy's dairy farm, playing with all my cousins. I had a GREAT childhood!
When I got into elementary school, like the 3rd and 4th grade, things started to get a little bit harder,as a result of what we now know is ADD and anxiety. I was tested in 3rd grade, but the doctor told my mom I didn't have ADD I was just "highly distractable." My mom, having ADHD, knew this was wrong, but he told her that if he couldn't handle that, then she needed therapy (that didn't go over well hahaha!). Up until April of 7th grade, my life got pretty rough with the struggle of ADD. I was very depressed, stressed, anxious, and school was a nightmare. I felt like I was running on a treadmill in a marathon: I was trying with everything I had to get to the finish line, but I just wasn't going anywhere, and the crowd was booing at me. I would take 6 hours a night to finish homework, just to forget it at home the next morning. Teachers were disappointed, angry, and some would bully me in class. The stress caused my to gain a lot of weight on top of that, and I wasn't very popular either. On top of everything, my best friend, who is pretty much a sister to me, moved to Louisiana to live with her dad. There was so much pressure, I couldn't handle it. However, despite how alone I felt at times, God was always by my side. The hardest time in my life was one of my closest times with God. Without Him to rely on, I might not be here today. Finally, in April of 7th grade, I was diagnosed with ADD and anxiety. We also later found out that I have sensory issues, a processing disorder (both of which can be part of ADD), and OCD. The doctor also told me that I had a superior IQ of 125, which was incredible, because I had felt so stupid in school, since I couldn't keep up. That was one of the best days of my life, and from then on it got so much better. I got medication, and there are no words to describe what a blessing that has been in my life. I am SO much more confident now, I am happier, and my grades shot up! It has been so awesome!
In the past year, however, I started to slip again. In my freshman year of high school, I began to be exposed to much more worldly things, and I let my relationship with God go so I could be apart of it. Told God, "Just let me do what I want to!" and turned away from him. Also, in the first 5 months of the school year, 3 family members died, my best friend attempted suicide, and a senior at my school died. Without realizing it, I had shut down my emotions, and with that shut out God. I told him to just let me do what I wanted to! It was my life, not His, so I thought I was in charge. Church became singing, not worshiping, and sitting there hearing sermons, not altogether listening to them. God had a plan, though, to get me back on track. The opportunity sprang up to go on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic with my church's youth group, and a group from a partner church. It was something my mom and I had wanted to do for a long time, so we hopped in on it. This was the best decision I have ever made.
In late July, we went to a poverty stricken village called Neyba, in the Dominican Republic for seven days, which turned out to be the best week of my life. To be honest, for the first couple days, I felt out of place- I was surrounded by people who had an incredible connection with God, while I felt so distant from Him. But as the week grew on, my connection grew to be greater than ever before. Before the trip, if someone asked me if I was saved, I would have said yes. Really though, it was under a tree in the Dominican Republic, near a church we were helping to construct, that was really saved- I was born again through Jesus.
During the missions trip, all the kids were talking about this youth retreat called Project Timothy (PT) that they were going to TWO DAYS after they got back from the trip (really long break, right? haha!). I was one of the only ones who was not going, but it sounded really awesome, and I REALLY wanted to go! So I asked my youth leader in US customs if I could go, and he said yes; two days later, I was on my way to PT!
Project Timothy was the perfect reinforcement and tool for growth for my new connection with Jesus. My connection with God grew unfathomable stronger at PT, and learned so much about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I am called to spread the word of God and the love of Jesus to the world, and I believe God wants me to do that through becoming a missionary!
If you read that whole thing, God bless you, because I wouldn't have been able to. So that is my testimony, thanks for reading!
Love, and God Bless!
