I grew up in Christian home going to a Methodist church in the small town where I went to school. I went to Sunday school, vacation bible school, attended youth group for a time, and went on three mission trips that were a week long. Despite all of this, I never really read my bible and had not made my faith or God the center of my life. I really didn’t even make it part of my life. Even when I was on mission trips, I really didn’t lean into God and mostly just went to go somewhere new and hang out with my friends.
After graduating high school, I went off to college at the University of Iowa and continued to run from the Lord, despite some positive influences in my life (especially my sister and her husband who had already been saved). I had a friend group that didn’t make the best choices and while I often chose not to take part in certain things, frequently took care of them as they made poor decisions, I also didn’t try to stop them. I was a bit jealous that they “knew who they were” and that they had the confidence to just own what they were choosing to do. I was pretty lost and lonely, but I didn’t know what the missing piece was or why I was feeling like that.
Going into my junior year of college, I could really feel that something was missing. Looking back now, I can see that the Lord was working on my heart. Which was likely the result of several people praying for me (again insert my big sister and her husband, and my parents). I tried to seek out a church in the Iowa City area, but found that I didn’t really care for them and they seemed a bit too liberal for me. I was seeking a bible based church that would challenge me and what I believed. Somewhere that would encourage me to grow, and call out what I was doing wrong. My sister and I are very close, and I began talking about these churches I was visiting and my struggle to find one I felt comfortable in. So, naturally she invited me to attend her church in Cedar Rapids. So, every Sunday I would drive all the way up to Cedar Rapids to enjoy donut day with my sister and her family and we would all drive to church together.
It was at this church, Calvary Community, that I realized that I was a lukewarm Christian at best. I learned that I should be reading the bible on my own every single day. I learned that I should be studying the bible, building a community of Christian friends, finding a mentor, and so much more. It was in that church and community that I learned to be a true Christian, who has a relationship with God, and strives to be more like Jesus every day. Since then, I have gained so many new friends who are believers. They challenge me every day to grow and learn. They push me to be in the word, to question what I hear and compare it to the word of God, and most of all, to grow in my relationship with the Lord. I am 100% confident that they will be there for me any time I might possibly need them. They are so faithful, and have already helped me prepare for this trip and offered more than I ever dreamed of. I am so thankful to God for the community He has given me. I have them to thank for the opportunity to go to Central America to grow the community of God (and especially God because He is the one who placed them in my life in the first place). I am learning to enjoy the journey I have been on thus far in my life, I am learning to be content where I’m at, and am looking forward to a lifetime of growth in my faith with the Lord.
