Well, this is going to be a long post, so please be patient with me. I am going to try to do an overview of my spiritual and life Journey from the beginning to being accepted to the World Race. I will try to include pictures from my life to keep it interesting. Growing up I was the type to deny a lot of what happened in my childhood, so I still have a lot of stuff I either don’t remember or still am trying to figure out. So bare with me here if part of the story seems unclear, God’s still working with me. Some of this may be the first time anyone else is hearing this. God is working on me to be more vulnerable and honest. My story looks more like a Peter, struggling with doubts fears and unbelief while walking with Jesus, than Paul’s who did a complete 180 in life once God met him in Damascus. So without Further ado here we go.
Well, it all started with me being born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Growing up in Colorado I had a smaller family, but almost all of my moms family lived in Colorado Springs, so we all hung out together nearly every day. I have one sister and four cousins (one much older that I rarely saw). Growing up my dad has a rare genetic disorder called Lynch Syndrome that has made him have numerous types of cancer and he has been fighting cancer my whole life. I often prayed for him when I was younger and seeing him unhealed has left me even to this day with a lot of questions.
When I was seven my grandma on my Dads side, who I had not met yet, was diagnosed and dying from cancer. Due to that, my parents decided to move us to Vallejo, California so that my sister and I could get to know them. I grew up going to church, and my family was always Christ-centered. After my grandma died my first difficulty or challenge to the question of God came into my life. A significant family event happened. This situation was difficult for me to understand or even acknowledge so for the longest time I also denied the fact that this happened. Through all this I never denied God, but I wouldn’t say I was trusting in him. We quickly moved to Napa California to get away from the situation. This year and a half has a lot of memories but no a lot of spiritual growth so we will skip it
My best friend Evan (left) and I (right) in middle school in California
The middle of my 7th-grade year, my grandma back in Colorado Springs became ill. We decided to move back to Colorado. My mom transferred to the first store she could find which was Alamosa, Colorado. This would be my new home from 7th grade until I was in College. When I first moved to Alamosa, I attended a tiny School called Sangre De Cristo Middle/High School. My graduating class starting there was 14 kids!. Going from a middle school that ran over 500 kids to a school that had barely over 100 middle school and high school students was a huge culture shock to me. I stayed in this school for the rest of my middle school years. This school was extremely hard for me. I once had a close friend circle and now I was going to a very cliquish school where everyone knew everyone else since kindergarten. Emotionally and mentally this school became quickly depressing and I headed for a downhill spiral.
Thankfully I joined a youth group through the church my family decided to attend. In my eighth grade year depressed with no close friends and feeling alone, I attended Acquire the Fire and El Porvenir Christian camp in Las Vegas, NM. This trip gave me so much hope and freedom, and there I accepted Jesus for my own. This is where I started to develop a personal relationship with Christ. This began a long process of breaking a religious belief that I grew up with believing that I had to earn the love of God. This is where I started learning about who God truly is.
The end of my eighth grade year we moved closer to town in the Alamosa School District. I started my 9th-grade year going to Alamosa High School and boy was it a joyous change! The high school was about 500 kids so much larger than the previous school. I started to flourish socially and emotionally. I joined the speech and debate club and a math-science club that I would be a part of through my junior year. Many friends were made through my speech and debate club. My sophomore year of high school I meet one of my closest friends (Brandon) in a math class. We became friends after he tried to copy off my homework and then invited me to go to homecoming with him and a group of guys. We meet at his youth pastors house which was God arranged because I met my new youth pastor and lifetime pastor, mentor, and friend. My sophomore and junior year went by well, and I was growing a lot. Then my senior year hit.
My sophomore year Homecoming
Senior year was the hardest year in school. I could go into a lot but for the sake of time the basics are this, most of my friends had graduated from school, so my support in school was gone. The one girl I liked and was close friends with the last few years had a falling out with me, and other stuff. When I turned 18, my friends convinced me to move in with them at a local MMA club my friend Brandon’s dad started. When I moved in everything went downhill pretty quick. I became depressed and stopped attending school. I missed graduating not because of grades but because I missed the last two months of school. During me dropping out I was working many hours at the local Payless Shoe store. I had a car wreck during this period that caused me to be hospitalized and then I lost my job shortly after. One thing that went well but wasn’t seen as going well was meeting my friend Janae at church. The first time I saw Janae, it was like I heard an audible voice from God telling me that she would become a significant person in my life. Well quickly after trying to get close to her we had a falling out and didn’t communicate much over the next few years. But her story with me isn’t over yet even if I felt like it was. God pulled me out of this season of depression by giving me a job as a camp counselor at Eagle Lake Camps on location team. This summer changed my life for the better, for the first time in my life I had to learn and find out what I believe because I was not just a Christian but also I had children’s souls in the palms of my hands. I would work at this Camp for two summers.
My 2015 Camp Family
After coming back from camp the first time I Finished my GED and went on to do EMT school. After this, I went back to Camp. After my second summer of being a camp counselor, I decided to move to Colorado Springs and pursue either paramedic school or nursing school. I Worked for Memorial Hospital and with the Navigators again for the Glen Eyrie Castle and Conference center. My parents decided to move with my sister to Nampa, ID to be with her for school, and so my dad could be closer to better medical care. I decided to go with them to attend Nursing School. Moving to Nampa Idaho was the worst move I made. Right before we all moved one of my closest family members died my Grandma. We drove to Idaho immediately after the funeral. Once I moved in, I had to come back to Alamosa for Brandon’s Wedding. I missed the first week of introductions to school, so I lost the chance to join in on all the activities to get to know classmates. I also worked as a Direct Care staff working with disabled people and between all that I had no social life. I became quickly depressed, and it became the hardest thing I have dealt with so far. Everything was hitting me at once loneliness, loss of a loved one, and other emotions. I got to the point to where I went to see the on-campus counselors. With that and different situations that happened I decide it would be best to move back to Alamosa.
Brandon’s Wedding
Once back in Alamosa I came back to a lot of change and all my friends were at different points in their lives. I could not find work for the longest time and deepen into depression. Everything changed once I got a job working at the local hospital in Alamosa. I once again was working and being social. I didn’t change overnight, but this started the process. In February 2018 I started going back to my old church. In March I accidentally met up with Janae again without even knowing she was back in town. We decided to hang out and see what would happen. Without me knowing it she quickly became Mary to my Martha (See story starting at Luke 10:38). We had an amazing but up and down relationship. She came from a place of no belief in God and me a place of believing but making it about religion, not about a relationship. We both came out of a place from the deep hurt of the church. Through this, she became a believer, and I found my relationship with Jesus once again strengthened. After her becoming a believer just a few months later in August 2018 she left on a YWAM missions trip to Africa. Right after she left her Grandpa, my pastor retired. This left me again with a point where a lot of change happened, but instead of ruining me this time it brought me even closer to Jesus.
Reggae Concert @ Red Rocks 2018 Left to Right my best friend Joe, His girlfriend Dani, myself, and Janae
Now I am here following a calling God gave me a few weeks ago and has put on my heart. I have always wanted to be a missionary but its funny for once I was feeling nice and comfortable where I was. I just became a member of this church after seven years of on and off attendance. I love my church family. I have strong friendships and relationships here. I am working to help rebuild a youth group and starting to join our prison ministry team. Through me being very comfortable here God has put this trip on my heart and keeps bringing it up. I am so excited to see how God will use the next year of fundraising and growing with my church. I am even more excited now to get to take an eleven month around the World trip with Jesus.
This is my story sorry for it being so long… More information about my trip and fundraising will come in later posts but for now Goodbye, Adios, Ciao.
Prayer Requests
I am currently fundraising for my churches turkey Drive and need lots of prayers to help feed my local community
Prayer for wisdom and guidance as I start my fundraising journey for this trip
And Prayer for my Dad I still believe for a miracle of healing for him
