"This past year was a rough year for me. Probably the worst year of my life. My family had a lot of health struggles and I was mentally unstable. I felt like I was alone and somewhat still feel that way. During Christmas time I almost made the decision to take my life. I realized that there was more to life so I kept going. But I still had the burden and pain. I was excited for the fact that I could finally go to H.S. camp this year and was looking forward to it. Sunday night before camp I accidentally ruined one of my closest friendships. Monday morning I got to camp with a burden. A burden I felt terrible about. I spent a good chunk of Monday semi-depressed. Then Tuesday morning came. I was still feeling down and when it came to worship...I don't know what happened Something just came and lifted the burden and I felt whole again. That night was purity night. I remember going back relaxed and feeling better. Wednesday, I had an amazing experience. Wednesday night as we were walking back in silence I remember falling down to my knees and breaking down. I remember asking God..Lord give me the strength to carry on and forgive me God. Later that night. I heard what I needed to hear... God is life. Faith night is the main reason I come back to camp. This year was by far the best year and it changed my life. We went back to our dorm and I remember calling my parents and telling them that I love them. It was the first time in months that I said it and I meant it. Leaving camp was hard for me. I knew as soon as I left God was going to challenge me. Now even if I'm alone....there's two things that keep me going, God... and ... Give me faith to trust what you say that your good and your love is great. I'm broken inside, I give you my life. All I am I surrender. Every night I go to sleep with that song. And every morning I wake up to it. God has worked miracles and he truly has saved me and my life and I will never forget what he did for me at camp this year."
-A teenage guy
"As a typical teenage girl I felt that most of my struggles were no different from the next person. Throughout all the things that I’ve dealt with I find that one problem has been a recurring theme in my life this past year. I haven’t been feeing loved. When I first started Spotlight, I was amazed by the love and friendliness that flowed throughout the cast. I was even more amazed when I went to my first year of camp that summer. I had a mountaintop experience. I felt so loved by everyone and I was feeling closer to God than ever. Nothing could bring me down. And that’s when it all went in the wrong direction. A few days after camp, my best friend and I had a falling out and our friendship ended. It was probably one of the hardest things of my life. I was so confused and angry with my friend and God. I kept wondering why God was doing this. I was being so good. I was reading the bible, praying and so forth. Why is he punishing me for my good deeds? After that things got worse. I soon felt incredibly distant from all my other friends. I was rarely invited to group gatherings. As if that wasn’t hard enough, my parents fought every day. The word “divorce” was thrown around like it had lost its meaning. My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer and tension between my parents and I grew as I approached college and other adult things like that. Through all this I was still alone. Because of this, I turned to alcohol. To this day I consider it one of the worst choices I’ve ever made and I’m not just saying that. Yes, I was happy for a night but it only masked the pain. I tried running away several times but turned around because I felt guilty. One time, I considered suicide. I texted the one friend I really trusted and she really helped me. But then my parents saw the texts. The brushed off the texts like no big deal. They claimed I was “just emotional” and that it was “in the heat of the moment”. It wasn’t. Now let’s fast forward to this year at camp. Life was better. Some friendships were renewed and I was happy but I still didn’t feel closure. I was still unsure of why my friendship ended, why I was left alone, etc. On purity night I felt that God was really trying to tell me something. I just wasn’t sure what. I sat alone the whole night meditating on my thoughts and praying. I really wanted to connect with Him. Then Faith night came. Frankly, I was dreading it. I was horrified because I knew camp was coming to a close and after camp, reality happens. After Jimmy’s message, I was still feeling a little lost and confused. I wasn’t sure if God was trying to tell me something and if he was why he wasn’t being clear. During worship, I heard some of the most powerful lyrics I will ever experience. “Give me faith to trust what You say.” I started sobbing and laughing at the same time. I could hardly breathe I was so overcome by His spirit. That’s when I realized that I am NEVER alone. God was always with me from the beginning. He’s with me through the tears and laughter. And above all he knows what he’s doing! He doesn’t want to make us miserable. And at that moment I saw every struggle in my life and I saw the reason behind them. My friendship with my best friend wasn’t healthy. It only caused misery for the both of us. And because of all the fighting between my parents, my dad came to faith and is working so much harder on being a better father and husband. The fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter whether you have a thousand friends or maybe one. God is your best friend in the world and he will make your path straight. I need to trust Him in everything. That is why I’m writing this testimony. 2 weeks in fear and 4 revisions later I am sharing this testimony with everyone who has gone through trials where they felt alone. I have made it my goal to be a friend to everyone so they always have at least one person. I am sharing this because this is me letting go. I am letting go of the fear, anguish and sorrow. I am letting go of the past and looking forward to my bright future walking right beside our Lord!"
-A teenage girl
-A teenage guy
"As a typical teenage girl I felt that most of my struggles were no different from the next person. Throughout all the things that I’ve dealt with I find that one problem has been a recurring theme in my life this past year. I haven’t been feeing loved. When I first started Spotlight, I was amazed by the love and friendliness that flowed throughout the cast. I was even more amazed when I went to my first year of camp that summer. I had a mountaintop experience. I felt so loved by everyone and I was feeling closer to God than ever. Nothing could bring me down. And that’s when it all went in the wrong direction. A few days after camp, my best friend and I had a falling out and our friendship ended. It was probably one of the hardest things of my life. I was so confused and angry with my friend and God. I kept wondering why God was doing this. I was being so good. I was reading the bible, praying and so forth. Why is he punishing me for my good deeds? After that things got worse. I soon felt incredibly distant from all my other friends. I was rarely invited to group gatherings. As if that wasn’t hard enough, my parents fought every day. The word “divorce” was thrown around like it had lost its meaning. My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer and tension between my parents and I grew as I approached college and other adult things like that. Through all this I was still alone. Because of this, I turned to alcohol. To this day I consider it one of the worst choices I’ve ever made and I’m not just saying that. Yes, I was happy for a night but it only masked the pain. I tried running away several times but turned around because I felt guilty. One time, I considered suicide. I texted the one friend I really trusted and she really helped me. But then my parents saw the texts. The brushed off the texts like no big deal. They claimed I was “just emotional” and that it was “in the heat of the moment”. It wasn’t. Now let’s fast forward to this year at camp. Life was better. Some friendships were renewed and I was happy but I still didn’t feel closure. I was still unsure of why my friendship ended, why I was left alone, etc. On purity night I felt that God was really trying to tell me something. I just wasn’t sure what. I sat alone the whole night meditating on my thoughts and praying. I really wanted to connect with Him. Then Faith night came. Frankly, I was dreading it. I was horrified because I knew camp was coming to a close and after camp, reality happens. After Jimmy’s message, I was still feeling a little lost and confused. I wasn’t sure if God was trying to tell me something and if he was why he wasn’t being clear. During worship, I heard some of the most powerful lyrics I will ever experience. “Give me faith to trust what You say.” I started sobbing and laughing at the same time. I could hardly breathe I was so overcome by His spirit. That’s when I realized that I am NEVER alone. God was always with me from the beginning. He’s with me through the tears and laughter. And above all he knows what he’s doing! He doesn’t want to make us miserable. And at that moment I saw every struggle in my life and I saw the reason behind them. My friendship with my best friend wasn’t healthy. It only caused misery for the both of us. And because of all the fighting between my parents, my dad came to faith and is working so much harder on being a better father and husband. The fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter whether you have a thousand friends or maybe one. God is your best friend in the world and he will make your path straight. I need to trust Him in everything. That is why I’m writing this testimony. 2 weeks in fear and 4 revisions later I am sharing this testimony with everyone who has gone through trials where they felt alone. I have made it my goal to be a friend to everyone so they always have at least one person. I am sharing this because this is me letting go. I am letting go of the fear, anguish and sorrow. I am letting go of the past and looking forward to my bright future walking right beside our Lord!"
-A teenage girl
