All my life I have been exposed to the Word of God. I grew up in a Christian home with parents that loved to pour into me everyday. In 4th grade I went to a summer camp called Hickory Cove Bible Camp. One night, the speaker talked about something that I don’t remember, but I do know I wanted to accept Jesus as my savior. And that’s what I did. I remember going home filled with excitement. All 5th grade year I was zealous for the Lord and craved to learn more about him.
Then middle school hit.
Friends, I thought were true friends, turned out not to be. Riding the bus was a nightmare. Bullies became very real. During this time I stopped seeking God and His wisdom and somewhat fell away from Him. What got me through was having good friends outside of school I could rely on. I know these friendships will last a lifetime.
Starting in 9th grade, I attended Hickory Christian Academy. It is there I developed true friendships that I had not had at school before. I reconnected with God and my relationship with him has only grown.
After middle school, I realized the experience taught valuable lessons about staying true to myself, and my values . The lessons came with suffering, but I definitely would not change my experience for the world because I learned and experienced many things that God has used to grow me into the person I am today, “ready to face any challenge foolish enough to face me” (Dwight Schrute from The Office)
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God blesses me continually and has done marvelous things in my life, I know it is just the beginning of my journey with Him. I eagerly await to see how he works during the race, not just for my sake, but but for those I will meet.
Jeremiah 29:11
