My Story

I came to know of who Jesus was at a young age, but my entire life has been a process of knowing Him more. Until I was in middle school, I went to a very traditional Baptist church. In this church, I gained knowledge of what Jesus did, but I never made an effort to know Him personally. In middle school, I was invited to a different church with tons of people my age. At this church I was able to see, through my peers and adults who poured into me, what having a relationship with Jesus could be like. I saw their open worship and heard them talk about their faith, and I wanted that. I began to ask questions and read my Bible on my own, and began falling in love with who Jesus really was. In high school, I went on my first mission trip to Columbus, Ohio. On this trip I was able to step out of my comfortability and serve the Lord and talk about Him. Before this trip, I had never even prayed out loud before. On this trip I learned how to share the Gospel, and I learned how the Lord gives us words when we don’t have words to say. I felt closer to the Lord after sharing about who He is and what He has done, and I discovered that missions is one of the ways that I truly get to partner with the Lord in His will for the world. After Columbus, I went to Baltimore, Costa Rica, and Panama. Every trip I went on helped me to grow in my confidence in the Lord and to see how He is working all over the world. Then, I came to HPU. When I got to college, I was at one of the lowest points in my life. I was struggling relationally and emotionally, but the Lord continued to be my rock. Because of the faithful discipleship of a girl who poured into me, I was able to learn how to live for the Lord in my everyday life instead of just on mission. I was able to take steps to change things in my life that kept me from honoring the Lord, and I learned how to pour into others the way that I was poured into. Discipling girls at HPU has become one of my greatest joys, because I get to share what the Lord has done in my life with them, and I also get to walk alongside them in their walk with Jesus. My walk with Jesus is a daily decision that I am not always perfect at making, but the Lord has graciously shown me what He has done for me, and I desire to live my life in service of Him because of His sacrifice for me.