"So to begin my little "story" I grew up in a strong catholic household. I went to Sunday school every week and had religious education classes up until my confirmation every year. I never thought about my faith in Christ , I was just raised with it. I did what was needed for each religious milestone and thought I was the perfect catholic. Then I started going to church with friends who were Christian, which I thought was the same thing and catholic but is actually really different sometimes. I liked how it wasn’t so traditional but I was still getting the whole Godly affect. Then as I started getting older I started actually thinking about if I actually believed in God. My group of friends were so against religion and they were pulling me in one direction while my head was telling me that I knew God had to be there. In seventh grade my grandma passed and I really took it hard. I was so obsessed with being perfect to make it easier on my parents. I was constantly stressed about school and social life and then my weight. I was counting calories, skipping meals, and I lost a lot of weight. I still didn't think I was thin enough to be considered perfect and I would throw up anything I ate. In eighth grade I was sent to a psychiatrics ward for thoughts of suicide and bulimia. I was so upset with God. I was wondering "If he's there for me why would he do this?" I started believing my friends that he wasn't there. It was cool to swear, it was cool to drink, it was cool to go through guys like they were unlimited, it was cool to say you weren't a virgin, it was cool to be accepted for rebelling against God. And it was great for the longest time. I went to CYT camp every summer since 3rd grade, but I stopped listening to the religious part. Once I got to overnight camp, it was impossible to ignore. Each year I started realizing I have to clean up my act. Every year it would fail, but I kept getting closer. This past summer (my 3rd year) during the faith talk, I just sat and prayed and prayed. I said "please God I am so, so sorry I left you, and I want to come back home". And I could swear to you, I felt someone put their hands on mine and say "It's okay. You're forgiven and you can come home". It sounds like the cheesiest thing but I claim it as my God moment. From someone who went 4 years believing there was no God and being so against the mainstream Christian, I am once again a strong believer. I have rededicated my life to Christ and I can already feel a difference. Down the road, it won't matter how many friends you had, who you were dating or having sex with, or how "perfect" you were. Your life has no purpose if you're not living for God. I might not be the right person to be saying that but it's what I believe and I am so excited to reunite with God and start living the way he intended me to."
