A Faithful Witness: My Testimony

I was raised in a Christian household and grew up going to church. Being homeschooled most of my life, I loved church because I got to be with friends and hang out for a couple hours with people. Once middle school came, I went to a public school. I was the awkward new girl but still managed to make great friends that I still connect with to this day.

Going into high school is when I started losing sight of a faith I thought I had. I started focusing more on the drama in my friend group, fun extracurricular activities like theater, my job, and eventually my boyfriend. I still identified as a Christian and went to church and even Christian clubs, but I never connected with any leaders. During this time church and clubs became more of a social entertainment for me. 

Intervaristy Urbana 18 Conference 

When I had to choose a college, I decided I wanted to pursue a degree in fashion which was a big interest of mine. I chose to go to Stevenson University due to my own passions and desires without even praying or talking to God about it. My first semester at Stevenson, I started changing who I was to fit in. I was fine with this and thought it was okay to be a bit fake. That winter, I had signed up to go to a conference in St. Louis, MO with my church from back home and that's where my life changed.

It was at this mission conference called Urbana 18, that I met God in my messed up identity and life passions. The conference's theme was "Faithful Witness" and I decided I wanted to commit to being one.
I invited God back into my life and went into 2019 anxious to grow closer to Him. I committed to serving my church and dedicating my time to small group. I started to make new friends and be honest with those I had gotten close with. 

My first tattoo inspired by Urbana

I started praying more about my life and found that God was calling me to change my major to Marketing. I then accepted a job at a christian summer camp as a counselor. Summer camp gave me the space, time, and resources I needed to grow closer to God. Camp became my happy place because I was in fellowship with other believers while being able to teach and talk to kids about Jesus.

Me and campers at summer camp 2019 

Going back into college in the fall, I got baptized and publicly committed my life and goals to God. I became a Sunday School teacher for 2nd and 3rd graders every Sunday. I also help lead middle school girls at a youth group night and get to be real with the girls about my journey with God.

My Baptism 

In spring of 2020, my church asked me to help them in starting a Young Life college club at Stevenson and I happily helped. We got to promote and find those interested in Young Life and held leadership training sessions. Corona then came and put a halt to church in person and clubs on campus, however I'm taking this time to grow more in my faith and spend time with God everyday.

I give God all the glory for what he's done for me and through me. I am sincerely a more joyful, hopeful, and loving person because of God's love for me, even in hard times. I cannot wait to see what else God has in store for me!