Stories doc

My name is Debra and this is my story... My name is Debra Gore and this is my story. I don’t recall the exact moment I felt the desire to follow Jesus. There was no specific event that triggered it. My life was full of misdirection and stress. I always felt like something was missing. After coming to FaithChurch for a period of time, I felt focused in the desire to learn more and more about Jesus. My life feels complete and the chaos that I felt before is no longer there. I felt like I had a purpose. My desire to control everything no longer consumes me. As I continue to learn more and more about Jesus and trust in my faith, my love for life continues to grow. I live each day for the purpose. Jesus has put me on this earth. I want to continue to help others and grow my faith daily.

My name is Ashley and this is my story... My name is Ashley Rostkowski and this is my story. Growing up, I always believed in the idea of God. When I was younger, I went through a traumatic situation with my biological father, in which I wholeheartedly became angry at God. I knew I could feel his love in my heart but was so angry because I thought he was supposed to keep us from going through bad things. I struggled with anxiety and depression for years, and at times thought I’d be better off away from this world. I couldn’t hear or feel the love of Jesus everyone preached about until I realized I wasn’t trying to feel it. I tried to build a foundation with God for years, but always came up short because my heart wasn’t truly accepting him. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I met a family who changed my life. They openly shared their faith and helped me develop a personal love for Jesus, for which I will always be grateful. At a Father’s Day service, I could only focus on the fact that I didn’t have a dad and tended to wallow in that. But one sentence, “Ashley, you do have a Father.” Immersed my heart in a way I can’t explain. It was at that point I knew I had accepted Jesus. Since then, I have made Jesus my priority and have begun my new story, fearfully learning and growing. Today, I am taking my next step of getting baptized. I plan to use this testimony as a reminder that Jesus has a plan for me. I wish I could tell my younger self that Jesus was always there, even when I couldn’t feel it. But I can now appreciate his grace, mercy, love, and sacrifice.

My name is Ashley and this is my story... My name is Ashley Rostkowski and this is my story. Growing up, I always believed in the idea of God. When I was younger, I went through a traumatic situation with my biological father, in which I wholeheartedly became angry at God. I knew I could feel his love in my heart but was so angry because I thought he was supposed to keep us from going through bad things. I struggled with anxiety and depression for years, and at times thought I’d be better off away from this world. I couldn’t hear or feel the love of Jesus everyone preached about until I realized I wasn’t trying to feel it. I tried to build a foundation with God for years, but always came up short because my heart wasn’t truly accepting him. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I met a family who changed my life. They openly shared their faith and helped me develop a personal love for Jesus, for which I will always be grateful. At a Father’s Day service, I could only focus on the fact that I didn’t have a dad and tended to wallow in that. But one sentence, “Ashley, you do have a Father.” Immersed my heart in a way I can’t explain. It was at that point I knew I had accepted Jesus. Since then, I have made Jesus my priority and have begun my new story, fearfully learning and growing. Today, I am taking my next step of getting baptized. I plan to use this testimony as a reminder that Jesus has a plan for me. I wish I could tell my younger self that Jesus was always there, even when I couldn’t feel it. But I can now appreciate his grace, mercy, love, and sacrifice.

My name is Raelynn and this is my story... My name is Raelynn Febrez and this is my story. I have been through so much in my life, For a long time, I carried pain that felt too heavy to bear. I struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm , starving my self There were days when I cried constantly and felt completely hopeless. I didn't see a way out, and I often wondered if my life would ever get better. I was also in an abusive relationship, and during that time, I had my daughter. Between the abuse, the depression, and the battles in my mind, I felt broken and lost. Every day felt like a struggle just to keep going I reached a point where I cried out to God. I poured out all my pain, fear, and hurt. I continued to pray and plead, not knowing what would happen, but hoping that somehow He could hear me. Then something began to change. I started to feel a peace that I had never known before. I felt God's presence in my life. For the first time in a long time, I felt hope. I felt purpose. I felt loved. What impacted me the most was realizing that God accepted me exactly as I was. He saw all my scars, my mistakes, my brokenness, and my struggles, yet He still loved me. I didn't have to be perfect for Him to reach me. Instead, He began transforming me little by little into a better person. Peaceful, loving and learning how to forgive people as far as forgiving myself. I hope my relationship with Jesus be great , long lasting filled with his grace

My name is Kaleb and this is my story... My name is Kaleb Filer and this is my story. Lost. Wandering through a void. A weight lifted and a clear mind. Peace. More open. Less depressed. Happy and joyful Closer in Faith and grow with the lord

My name is Kyla and this is my story... I knew Jesus as a child through the way my family chose to raise me and live their lives but we all faltered now and again. As a teenager I went through a lot of hard times and experiences that had me on the cusp of believing at all but deep down I always knew he was there. I had spent years wanting to feel Gods presence but it felt like there was this block no matter how much I prayed or how long I read the bible. Finally not long after I turned 19 a girl I was friends with who participated in witchcraft and after a bad experience came to me and my mother for help. A 3 hour phone call with them changed my heart, it was like something clicked for the first time in years. The lord is good. And he came into my life and turned me back on fire for him. Since that week I have done my best to turn my life around and make him as proud as I can hope to achieve, and let everyone feel the presence of Jesus in my words and actions. I know now and forever he is my everything and I will always love and preach Jesus name.

My name is Karon and this is my story... My name is Karon John and this is my story. I was going through so much as a child and growing up So I make myself to give my life to Christ because he has always been there for me and he has never once give up on me and I know he hasn’t bring me this far to give up on me I find myself feeling different and I have to thank my pastor brother for always encouraging me to give my life to god Well I hope to always follow him and that’s why I want to serve him

My name is Michaela and this is my story... My name is Michaela Keifer and this is my story. Before I put my trust in Jesus i felt as if I was waking up everyday on survival mode. Before I was just living for the moments during my undergrad years and becoming someone I just didn’t recognize anymore. I feared that if I didn’t start making a change, my life wouldn’t be standing here today. All throughout my life there have been little inklings of Jesus following me telling me to put my trust in him and I never really took notice to these signs. It was until my ex boyfriend’s family invited me to come to their church with them, I was instantly moved that day. From that day forward I began having more conversation with him and his family about Jesus and began going or watching church online. During this time I watched him get baptized. being able to see such a beautiful moment in his life knowing I could have that for myself too one day. His mom was also the first person to get me a bible which was very touching. I would definitely say that him and his family had a huge impact on my decision in putting my trust in Jesus. Since finding Jesus I don’t feel as if I’m living on this edge of a cliff everyday waiting to see where the wind will take me next. Following Jesus has allowed me to take my anxiety and worry and put it with god. I hope to grow my relationship with Jesus by having a more personal relationship with him. I hope to grow in my faith further by attending church regularly even on my busiest weeks. I hope to grow faithfully by being able to give back to my community.

My name is Arieliz and this is my story... Hi, my name is Arieliz, and I’m 20 years old.As a kid my family went to church every Sunday. We prayed together Then, somewhere along the way, it stopped. As a kid, I enjoyed the sleeping in on Sundays, but As the people around me drifted away from their faith, I did too.About a year ago, I moved with grandparents as they became ill. My grandfather was a man of God. Watching someone you love lose their strength is hard, But through every moment, one thing never changed—his faith. Even while he was suffering, I would hear him pray.One evening after work, I came home and my grandfather was put on medication to put him to sleep, struggling for every breath. It was just the two of us,In that moment, I didn't know what to do except pray. Through tears, I said, "Lord, if it is Your will, please take him home. I can't watch him suffer anymore."that evening, I walked into his room and found him unresponsive. In an instant, every childhood memory rushed back the laughter, stories, love he poured.My heart broke Yet somehow, in the deepest pain I had ever felt, I experienced the greatest peace I had ever known. God met me in my grief. He reminded me that death is not the end for those who belong to Him.I believe God used my grandfather's final chapter to begin a new one in mine. The hardest season of my life became the moment I stopped simply believing God existed and finally began to seek Him. If you are struggling just know that every thing that happens in your life may not always be gods will, but he’s the only one that knows what you need to get through it seek him and it will be done.

My name is Benjamin and this is my story... My name is Benjamin Jones and this is my story. Wasn't a very good person growing up as a child and was mean to others and was selfish I had developed a brain tumor and was diagnosed with brain cancer in late 2009. When I when in my hospital bed I was smiling instead of having sadness like my visitors, I knew somehow that I would be okay and that god chose to save me and protect me. For that turned my life around and gave me allegiance to the grace of god. Now because of how I "see" things now and what happened, my goal in life is to be as polite as I can, help as much I can and just be a good, wholesome person. With this Baptism and hopefully going to church more when I can