I was raised in the Catholic Church. I attended every Sunday, sitting in the pew with my mom and siblings. I listened to the priest talk about Jesus and listened to the sermons. 

I reached adolescence, and I started to question the church, the priest, and Jesus. I pushed Jesus and the church away. For a long time I was lost, lonely, anxious, and ashamed. I was sexually immoral, and I thought there was no way God would accept me back after all the sins I committed. So I continued to lead a sinful life. 

Then, I had a friend meet me for lunch. While at lunch, we talked about the low point I was in at the time. She looked at me and told me that God loves me, and that even at this point in my life, God was with me. 

A few weeks after lunch, I asked Alex where she attended church. We texted, and I was hesitant because I wanted to go to church; I just felt like I wasn’t sure where to begin. Alex invited me to church. She said I could come anytime and there was no pressure, but the invitation was always open. I decided to attend to see why I was being led back to church and back to God. 

The first week my anxiety was almost overwhelming. I couldn’t sit still, but everyone was so welcoming. The second service was more calming. Then pastor Jamaal got up to preach. He spoke about how God loves you even when you’ve done wrong. He spoke about God knowing your sins and your anxiety. I started to cry because I felt like God put me there, in that church for that service, to let me know that even though I left the church and pulled away from God, he still loved me. 

Alex prayed with me that day and has prayed with me a lot since then. She has helped guide me and helped me understand my relationship with Christ. She has helped me with the Bible verses when I needed and prayed with me whenever I needed it. She has comforted me as I sit in church and listened to the service, when the words just touch my heart. I now know, understand, and believe in Jesus. 

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