My Testimony

The last 5 years of my life have been some of the hardest years of my life. My parents divorced, I lost my house, I lost all my friends when I moved away, I lost friends to death and even lost myself along the way. God brought a guy into my life for 3 out of 5 of those years who supported me through every hardship and I was very lucky to have him as my support system at the time. Even though he is no longer a part of my life, I still appreciate him for helping me through those rough days that I felt I could no longer bare the pain, my shoulder to cry on and the light to the day. I strongly believe God brought this guy into my life solely to help guide me back to finding who I am. So for that, thank you. I still had several hardships after his departure in my life, except after that, I came across a great group of friends who are always there for me to this day. Two friends took me to church one Wednesday night in 2014 and I found something I had been searching for for a very long time, myself. I started seeing a glimpse of who I love and aspire to be, a better me. I attended church regularly and started learning more about Christ. May 3, 2015, 3 great friends and I were baptized. In August 2015, me and 2 of those friends left for our first year away from home and first year at a university. We were roommates and immediately searched for a church to attend our first weekend there and we hit a home run on our first try. We immediately became super involved in our church and we all serve on the leadership team. We also went on our first mission trip in March 2016! We had our ups and down while living together just like anyone else, but there was always support for one another when one of us were down. I appreciate you both and I also appreciate my other roommate that I only met a year ago whom is so supportive!

My point for this post is to share my testimony and how I got to where I am today. I am where I am today because of my amazing support system that I have been so graciously blessed with. You see, some people come in go out of your life, but leave a lasting impact whether it be good or bad at the time. The bad leave a mark on your life that helps you grow whether you see it at that exact moment or later in life. Cherish those in your support system and thank them for all they do. I have a ton of brothers and sisters through Christ and I love each one of them. I even have none Christian friends and love them just the same. I strongly believe that those that are brought into my life are here for a reason whether they are here to stay or are just stopping by. Thank you to all my amazing friends and family for all that you have done for me. Also, thank you to all of those who are no longer a part of my life and I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Smile more, laugh more, love more. Be the best you that you can be. "If you're going through hell, keep going." -- Winston Churchill

When times are tough

The hardest part for a lot of people to do is to 'Let go and Let God'. Let life take its course because we cannot control everything that goes on in our lives. We never know what is going to happen because that plan is not up to us, so you must live your life to the fullest every single day. Life is short for so many and even shorter for others. Tell your family you love them every day. If you are leaving your house to go out, say 'I love you' instead of that snarky comment you want to say when you're mad at your parents and just want to leave the house already. You just do not know if you are going to make it back home safe and sound or that your loved ones will be waiting for you when you get back. Do not ever go to bed mad at your loved ones because again, you do not know if you or your loved one will wake up the next day. You do not want your potential last words to someone to be hateful or rude. Cherish every moment you get, even if you're stuck inside helping your mom do dishes because one day, you will wish she was still here with you. 

When times are tough, you must pick yourself up, dust off whatever got you down and keep on trucking through your life journey. Do not lose yourself in the midst of all the chaos. It is easy to do and it takes a while to come back from. Love yourself completely and unconditionally. My favorite quote is by Les Brown and he says, "If you fall, land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up." I heard Les Brown's speech back in 2013 and apply it to my life daily. I share this quote with all my friends when they are struggling because it just holds so much honesty and motivation in one short sentence. If you are looking at that light at the end of the tunnel, that should be your motivation to keep on going. Just keep swimming as Dory always says. I was at my leadership retreat in January when my Pastor said to us, "Your lows now are still higher than your highs in your past." Whether that be 3 months ago or years ago, you are still doing better now then you were a little while ago and that is because we learn from our mistakes and we continue to make new ones. We are on a constant roller coaster that keeps on moving upwards even when we fall for a bit; the roller coaster will go back up again. Your story is not over yet, keep on going.