When I was little my family went to church every Sunday and were very involved. In second grade, my family just abruptly stopped going to church. I don’t remember the exact reason why. All I do remember is when I was younger I didn’t have the strongest relationship with Christ. In 4th grade, I became hanging out with a group of girls, I thought they were great people. I started to lose all my other friends. Here came 5th grade, I had no one except for these girls. I started getting bullied a lot. I got laughed at for anything from my love for animals to my looks. I remember one time, I was sitting at lunch talking to a new kid and he was like “You look like a pig”. I just remember sitting there thinking “What?! Why would you say such a thing to me?” I still had these “friends” but they started bullying me as well. I remember being so alone. This went on until 8th grade when I walked away from those “friends” and found true friends who believed in Christ and showed me the way of Christ. I was still being bullied in middle school. I remember in middle school I would be minding my own business and people would walk by and laugh at me. I felt like I had no one. Next came high school, I was so ready for high school and that new beginning! I got involved in the school right away. I wasn’t getting bullied that much anymore. I mean there was some periods that I would be bullied by old bullies but it was SO much better than middle school. During all this time I was dealing with a very deep depression, a girl who was once very bubbly and smiley turned into a blank face, quiet girl. My sophomore year, I went from just managing football and track to managing boys basketball. During freshman and sophomore, I still had these God filled friends of mine. They kept instilling more and more of God unto my life. So much so I wanted to join a church. On the way back home from a basketball game one Saturday, the coach who is now my pastor as well asked me about my faith journey. I told him I used to go to church but no longer do. I also didn’t have a ride to church. He asked me if I had been baptized and at that time I hadn’t. He asked me if I was interested in going to church. I was so giddy someone finally asked me! After that he linked me up with a girl who lived down the street from me. That next Sunday I went to church and from then on I knew I belonged there! 3 months later I was baptized! Hallelujah! I feel like such a better and brighter person! God is great!
