Hi friends! Thank you for stopping by my page—it means the world to me! I am so excited to begin this journey with you. The heart of this space is to empower you in your walk with Christ, guiding you to grow in faith, embrace His heart for you, and experience the fullness of His love. As I prayed about this blog and where to start, I felt the Lord nudging me to share my testimony of surrendering my life to Him. So here we go! I hope my story encourages you to seek Him more deeply and reminds you just how wildly and unconditionally He loves you.
I grew up in a Christian household and was taught about Jesus from the moment I came into the world (shoutout to my mom for laying that foundation early). My mom is a warrior for Christ and made sure my siblings and I knew about His love and the importance of having a relationship with Him. As a kid and teenager, I believed in God, went to church, prayed occasionally, joined Bible studies here and there, and read my Bible sporadically. I went through the motions for years, calling myself a Christian, but truthfully, I didn’t know the Lord. I think many of us can relate to “growing up in church” or being raised in a Christian home. But there comes a point where we all must make a choice to follow Him and have a relationship with Him for ourselves. We cannot ride the coattails of somebody else's relationship with Jesus because the Gospel is about your personal relationship with Him. Spoiler alert: Jesus is really into one-on-one time.
In high school, my best friend Brea was my only true Christian friend, and let me tell you, she was the real deal. Brea prayed for me, other students, and even our teachers. She wasn’t shy about her faith; everyone at school knew she loved Jesus. She was like my personal Holy Spirit cheerleader, constantly encouraging me to pursue the Lord. During our senior year, she invited me (for the millionth time) to her church’s youth summer camp—a week-long Christian beach retreat in Panama City Beach, Florida. This wasn’t your typical camp with bug bites and lukewarm hot dogs. Nope, this camp was all about encountering Jesus while enjoying some sunshine and sand.
Growing up, I was painfully shy and battled intense social anxiety. The idea of being surrounded by hundreds of strangers made me want to crawl into a hole and stay there. Every time Brea invited me to camp, I found an excuse not to go. But that year, I reluctantly said I’d ask my parents, thinking, “They’ll never let me go because of the cost.” Joke’s on me—they surprised me by paying for the trip as a high school graduation gift. (God was probably chuckling up in Heaven like, “Gotcha!” 😂) Leading up to camp, my anxiety hit an all-time high. I even considered backing out, but I knew my parents wouldn’t let me. So, on the night we left, I said a quick little prayer to Jesus: “Please, Lord, let this week go by fast.” Spoiler alert: The week flew by—but not for the reasons I expected.
That week, I was blown away by how intentionally Jesus showed up. From my teammates to our leaders, everything about the experience felt divinely orchestrated. I truly experienced what it meant to have a Godly community. Growing up, most of my friends were not believers, so for the first time in my entire life, I saw what a Kingdom community is supposed to look like through my team, and it was life-changing.
On the final night, one of the student pastors shared the Gospel—the message I’d heard countless times before. But this time, it hit differently. You know that moment when you’ve heard something so many times, but one day, it just clicks? That was me. His words pierced my heart, and for the first time, I truly grasped the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the depth of His love for me. I realized I’d been treating Jesus like a 24/7 emergency hotline rather than the Savior of my soul. The weight of the Gospel became real to me: Jesus didn’t just die for the world; He died for me. He wants a personal relationship with each of us, where we don’t just know about Him but actually know Him. That night, I went to the altar and surrendered my heart completely to Jesus. I encountered His presence in a way I never had before, and it changed everything.
In case you haven’t heard the Gospel—or maybe it hasn’t clicked for you yet—here’s the incredible truth: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a sinless life and willingly endured unimaginable suffering for us. He was beaten, battered, and mocked, taking on the punishment that we deserved. Then, He died on the cross for our sins, and through His resurrection, we’re not just forgiven but invited into a relationship with Him—one where we can experience His love, grace, and presence every single day. It’s not just about going to Heaven when we die; it’s about knowing Him right here, right now, and walking in the fullness of what His sacrifice made possible.
When I came home, the first thing I did was ask my mom to help me buy a new Bible because the one I had was older than I was. I’ll never forget the look on her face—she was practically glowing. I came back on such a high, ready to run full-speed toward Jesus. However, as the weeks went on and that emotional high faded, I learned something important: Following Jesus isn’t about feelings. It’s about commitment. It’s about choosing to seek Him daily, even when you don’t “feel” like it. I began to see the sweet ways He answered my prayers, even the small ones. Over time, I discovered how personal, kind, intentional, and gentle Jesus truly is.
Side note: As a college student, I had the incredible opportunity to return to this camp as a college leader for the students. It was such a blessing to witness so many young hearts encountering God and experiencing the same life-changing revelations that had transformed me—talk about a full-circle moment!
Fast-forward to today: I’m 27 years old, and I’m more in love with Jesus than I’ve ever been. He’s the kindest man I’ve ever known, and His love has completely transformed my life. As I have grown in my relationship with the Lord over the years, He has placed a passion within me to help others to know Him—not just know about Him, but to truly encounter His heart. I want people to experience the kind of love that heals wounds, breaks chains, and sets people free. Jesus doesn’t just tolerate us; He pursues us. He’s not looking for perfect people—He’s looking for willing hearts. My prayer is that through this blog, you’ll be encouraged to run toward Him with everything you have, to seek Him deeper, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is for you.
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