Personal Narrative : My Journey With God

On Monday, I went to the local Crossroads Baptist Church, located at 850 Edwards Ferry Rd NE, Leesburg, VA. This was my first time experience as I am Hindu and my parents never exposed me to any churches. Dr. Kenneth K. Baldwin was the pastor at the time I went. Luckily, I got the chance to speak with him after the service. After our brief conclusion, I realized that he had a great vision for his church and is leading it to success through his passion. I sensed his passion for preaching and religious beliefs as they were evident during the service. Despite this being my first visit to a church, I learned a lot of valuable things about churches and Christianity.

After arriving in Tennessee, my parents were very adamant about getting plugged into a church. I was raised in church but up until then, I went because I was told to. Usually I had to count ceiling lights or people in pews to keep from falling asleep during sermons. We attended countless services, but it wasn’t until one special Sunday that we found Sand Ridge Baptist Church. Unbeknownst to me, it would change my life.

After meeting Pastor Bobby Guerra I found to be very comfortable with the people and atmosphere. I kept going to service on a consistent base along with working and trying to get my life back on track that was one of the biggest struggles I’ve experienced only because I should have gotten it a long time ago and now trying to get it all back. I had got so comfortable with the church when they had invited me to their park outreaches for the community I was hesitant to go because I didn’t know if I was done with the past and the wreckage had haunted me.

Moving to the United states was a very hard transition for my family not only economically but also on our believes. It was hard to find a church where we felt comfortable and for a while we didn’t go to church at all. Moreover, after a few years we settled down and my mom had become very interested in Christianity. There was a beautiful Christian church with wonderful people where we used to go for a

I’ve gone to the same church in Hartford almost every Sunday since I was born. The old building holds countless number of memories for my family and me. It has set the stage for a number of Christmas plays and Sunday School concerts. It’s where my little brother and I were baptized, and just recently it was where my goddaughter, Aurora, was baptized. After 20 years of marriage, it was where my parents renewed their vows, and a year later, it was where we held the funeral for my dad after he lost his battle with cancer. When it’s not a place of worship on Sunday mornings, it’s a daycare, where I work and care for a group of rowdy three-year-olds. In my 19 years of membership, the church has seen three different Pastors and

Growing up as a teenage girl in the world with the state it's in, it's often hard to not want to please everyone. That's something I struggle with, especially as a Christian. I want everyone to like me. I feel a pressure to please everyone, show my love for Christ, and a burden to never slip up..always be perfect. Once entering high school, the need for everyone to want to be my friend and like me grew. I would do anything to please these "friends." Often more times than not, these things that pleased them ceased to please God. Looking at those people I had in my life, I got to thinking what were they doing for me. Yes- that may sound like a selfish question, but really what were these people I was trying so hard to please doing for me? The answer was

I am part of a youth group called Space for Grace. The name means opening yourself to see the light of Christ through others. Space for Grace is impactful for certain grade levels such as middle and high schoolers. I was lucky enough to move up from sunday school to big group (Youth group) since I reach the age limit. I finally realize , well almost. My first day of Youth Group, was hard for me as I had to adjust to my new youth leader and environment. I felt uncomfortable and different from the group because I am a quiet. I felt like I should not come back to youth group after the first day because I thought it was not for me. The next Sunday was Youth Group, despite my reluctance to go again, my parents mostly my mom forced me to go back.

“Are you convinced that allowing God to drive is best? If so, I challenge you to let God

I find religion redundant and superfluous. Inevitably, my parent's Mexican and catholic values have contaminated me. While attending church every Sunday is not on my to-do list, I do believe in miracles. I do not pursue a religion, but miracles are real. I know this because I am one. My predators are not bullies or drugs. Instead, my predator is hardship itself. I’ve shaken the hand of death and prejudice, but I yet haven't shaken the hand of my college professor.

Throughout the beginning of my entire adolescent life, I was forced, by my parents, to wake up and attend church every Sunday. I never really understood why I had to wake up every single Sunday and forfeit the day to Christ. When I transitioned from grade school to high school, I wasn’t forced to go to church anymore, and my relationship with god got weakened. At that time, I didn’t really know what to believe. All that changed about six months ago, when I was about halfway through my senior year. I had a few friends who really liked to challenge Christianity from a scientific standpoint, and at that time god gave me his first mission. On my way home from visiting with my friends, I wept the entire ride home, begging for god to help me in the situation.In that car I felt god’s presence, and instantly knew that he wanted me to try and convert my two friends.

We get ourseleves to chought up worrying what the world think, that we easiest forget who created us. If we put ours focus on the media too much, we will be come what the world want us to be and self-conscious about what others think, if we are keeping ourselves worrying about what others think then we are really not going to know who we really are as a person. Not saying it easy, when it still hard for me. Because I still struggle with it going to the beach anytime and people asking millions of questions on what happen to my crest, why do you so many scars? The questions would never stop, so it came to the point that I will just swim with an t-shirt on. I try to find way to deal what I have and also been this journey with Jesus to find who

Once, while I was hiking Mount Marcy with my dad, in the Adirondack High Peaks Region in the High Peaks Wilderness Area of New York, we encountered a large beaver that was intent on chewing the tree directly on the side of the trail and thus partially prohibiting us from continuing on our journey.

After years of being under religious manipulation and control, I a rerouted myself into a path of new adventures and learned to have an authentic relationship with God. My life changed, I found a new identity. I obtained the courage to break through the binding religious chains and experienced a new life. My experience stirred a new vision to voice messages that shine light to those blind spots- things or people that become a blockage for living our life with purpose. In my case, the constant condemnations, the judgement, the control of my emotions and thoughts I allowed others to have over my life, robbed me from living to my full potential. I no longer had a unique identity, I had become a religious puppet at a very young age. Fortunately,

The first time I learned about religion was in third grade. One day I came home, and started to tell my parents about how everyone at school goes to church on Sunday. Even though I had no idea what church was, I still wanted to go because I didn’t like being left out. My parents tried to explain to me what it was. I didn’t really understand it, so I decided to let it go.

An event that made me present to stop and notice was last week. My family and I were going to do our usual Sunday routine and go to church. However, before church my mom and I got in a fight about me not getting a car for my 16th birthday. I was so mad and filled with rage that I would not come down for church. I was eventually forced to get in the car when my new phone was threatened to be taken away. When we got to church a man approached us asking for food . This is a common thing that happens in my parish because my church is located in a part of town that has poverty. However,it had never happened directly to my family and I. My mom had me run inside the church to get him a food gift card. As I handed the man the gift card I realized that