Okay so this is the story about how I came to accept and decide to follow God! I grew up in a christian home with parents and family that all were believers who tried to make sure that I grew up to be the same. I went to church every sunday and I was involved in the youth group and participated in basically any church activity that came about. I hated all of this for a long time, I knew God was important but I was like what’s the big deal? I dreaded going to church and often hopped that if I looked like I was sleeping my mom wouldn’t wake me up . . . but she did every time. As I continued to grow up I went through the motions of everything and viewed church as more of a social outlet than a community that my faith could grow in. Then the summer after 8th grade before I started high school I decided to go on a mission trip to Honduras that my grandparents were in charge of. Over that trip I had a lot of fun but I also was thinking okay God so when are you going to do something “cool” in my life or show me something. I was so focused on that question to God that I was missing what he was doing around me, but I eventually realized what he was doing. And what he was doing was showing me how personal and intentional he can be with us, how real he actually is. A big part of that was meeting this man named Waylan (probably spelling that wrong) but we called him Thor. He gave me his first bible and for a while I thought I didn’t understand why he was giving it to me, but I will reveal later why I believe God told him to. Anyway so all of that happened and I was on fire for God as much as I understood I could be, but then I came home and I was not big on talking about deep stuff like this so I kept it to myself. Eventually this lead to me drifting away from God because no one has to try to fall away from God, it takes effort to stay close to him and I wasn’t trying. So with me falling away from God I was left vulnerable where a very unhealthy guy ended up coming into my life. I eventually remember looking in a mirror and being like “Who am I???” and in those times I always knew God was there but for some reason I did not know what to do to go to him or anything. I said I thought I knew why Thor gave me his bible and that is because of his story and how God never left him, it gave me hope that the same thing that God did with him, he would do to me which would be rescuing me. Eventually I woke up one day and all of it ended and I know it is by the grace of God that he picked me up in my darkest spot. Since then I have been figuring out more about this amazing God that has allowed all parts of me to be healed through him. The journey of recovering and getting to know God as my savior rather than just someone up in heaven has eventually led me to going on yet another mission trip to the Dominican Republic where I was able to see that spiritual warfare is huge and is for sure happening in the world today. He gave me different eyes to see things like that on the trip to the DR and in my everyday life since then. and So even though I grew up kinda hating the church I was able to learn about the God and the gospel in an new and personal light and understanding it.My religious denomination is non-denominational. I believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all of creation making a place where we could live with him (the garden of Eden). I believe that an angel believed he could be like God and so he was sent out of heaven and now tries to get us to follow him. I believe that Eve and Adam fell into temptation of Satan and that they were cast out the garden because of this sin and that there are consequences for all of us now because of it. I believe we are all born into sin and the only reason we are able to have a relationship with God is because he loved us so emensly that he sent his one and only son down to live a perfect life and die and defeat Satan, because this is what we would have to do to have a relationship with him, but we would fail, so he did it for us so he can continue to know us. I believe that nothing other than accepting God is the way to get to heaven and no matter what we do his love does not change for us. I believe he desires for us to want to know him and have a relationship with him and that when we accept him we are called to live life to honor and glorify him and go out and make disciples. I believe he has created me in his image and that his plans for me are the best and that if I trust him he can do crazy and unimaginable things through me to bring glory to himself. I believe he is the most important thing in the world. So that’s what I believe and how I got to the point of believing what I do! I know that long, so sorry! Hope you can see God’s awesomeness through this story he has allowed me to have because I know I sure do!
