My Testimony, Put Simply

I was asked to write my testimony for a class... here is what I wrote (I had a word limit):

"When I was young my dad taught me to love a good story and it seemed the older that I grew the more I seemed to find God in the details of the stories I read. Growing up in an unconventional church with church family that I loved so deeply was a blessing that not many children my age got. Truly, I can say that I was raised by a city of artists and story tellers.

Their appreciation for the magic behind a good story was what helped me to find the correlation for the great storyteller Himself and eventually to connect Jesus in relationship with Him. As a young person my dad and I would have conversations about Jesus and he would answer all of my questions and make me laugh in the process. It was my father who has shown me God's fatherly love throughout my life.

My first encounter that I remember being personally moved by the Holy Spirit was not at my home church, but at a Baptist weekend event with a couple of my friends from school. I remember almost everyone in the audience was moved down to the front of the auditorium and we were all praying for one another on our knees as the presence of God came into the room. I look back and find that this was the moment that I really asked God into my heart as my own person.

A couple of years later I began to read Bible every day (which I carried on for the next 10 years) and 2 weeks later I started high school. The next two years would be two of the most difficult years I'd ever experience and I became desperate for God. When I began my Sophomore year of high school, I tearfully told God that if he would save me from my pain here that I would give my life to Him. My grades weren't up to par for what happened next, but I found my mom encouraging me to go into a full time early college plan that after several tests I found myself beginning my associates degree at the age of 16 and at the beginning of what was supposed to be my Junior year of High School.

I poured everything that I had into God and my school work and eventually became one of the class speakers when I graduated with my transfer associates. Later, I got my 4 year in computer science and now years after that I've found myself as a project manager without much clue as to why for my heart has always been for ministry. God has had my heart since that year he saved me and I know he has been building me to lead and to believe in myself.

I am incredibly grateful for how He is using Highlands and HC in my life even right now. In this process, he has taken me on missionary trips and I've had my faith grown through trials. I am not perfect, but so completely in love with the One who made me.

I know the future has something special and I am excited to see what God has in store for me in World Missions for if it wasn't for Him saving me on a daily basis I can't say I'd be here. I'm grateful for who He is and His love in my life. He died so I truly could have the best and closest relationship with Him and I am grateful everyday for that."