A little bit about me …
I am 24. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, but moved to Indiana following high school. I graduated from Grace College in December 2010 with a double major in Information Technology and Business Administration. The past two years, I have lived in Colorado Springs, CO, and have had the privilege to work at Focus on the Family in their email marketing department.
My Spiritual Journey …
I grew up in a Christian home where we attended church every time the doors were open. I learned about God and could easily share the well-known Bible stories at an early age. At the age of seven, I began to ask a lot more questions about God and it was at this point when I truly realized I was a sinner and needed to be saved by God’s grace. I trusted in Christ alone for my salvation and looked to the Father to guide me in my daily walk. I was eager to serve others and lead in different capacities for His Kingdom.
My last year of middle school began a season of change in my life. I began to question God and doubt His love for me. I felt as though I were to blame for the many circumstances that surrounded me. I moved just prior to the start of high school … this meant a new school, new friends and new surroundings. This adjustment was difficult for me as it required me to leave my comfortable life. I struggled to meet new friends, find any self-worth and was angry with God. I quickly got bogged down with the materialistic and worldly perspectives in life and found myself hiding behind a mask to cover up what was on the inside. I was afraid of what people would think if they knew the real me. When I thought things couldn’t get worse, four classmates my junior year of high school lost their lives. I really struggled with this and couldn’t understand why God would take them at such a young age. High school was filled with a lot of negative emotions, and I had given up on myself, but as I look back I can clearly see why God wasn’t ready to give up on me.
I continued to put on the Christian act as I attended a Christian college. It was there that I realized God was just preparing me for a new journey … one filled with His grace, protection, unstoppable love and desire to never let me go. During my second semester in college, I began to see the light shining in on my darkened world. Hope began to intercede and I began seeking and crying out to God. I developed my own worldview, instead of going with all that I had been taught. God was pursuing me and I recognized my need to recommit my life to Him (Titus 3:4-5). God willingly accepted me back with open arms and gave me new life (Galatians 2:20).
God has continued to fill me with His abounding love and grace. The last several years have been challenging at times, but I have been amazed by the power and presence of God. He continues to mold and shape me in new ways through His Word and encouragement from fellow brothers and sisters. I have truly found joy in Christ, and even when things get tough, I know that I can look to my Heavenly Father for the strength to carry me through. I praise Him for continually showing me his unstoppable love and grace, daily.
The World Race is a huge step of faith for me. I desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and be used for Kingdom purposes. This journey will be stretching and challenging, but I am humbled that God would provide me with this incredible opportunity. I encourage you to walk along side me, as we grow deeper together in our relationship with our Creator through this experience.
