I don’t remember the exact time or moment that I was saved, but throughout my life, different experiences have grown me in my knowledge of and love for God.
I grew up in a Christian household, and my parents brought me to church ever since I was a child. When I was 8, my family moved from North Carolina to California. Because I didn’t really fit in at school as the new girl, I made most of my friends at church. I enjoyed going to church because it was a time that I could hang out with my friends and feel at home.
As I grew up, I continued to attend church, but I don’t think I fully understood the Gospel. I was familiar with many of the Bible stories and knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I didn’t understand the implications of this truth. I accepted the Bible as fact, but I didn’t live a fully transformed life, nor did I develop a deep and personal relationship with God.
When I started high school, I started serving on the worship team at my church because there was a need for a drummer. Little did I know, this would be the start of God opening my heart to Him, deepening my relationship with Him, and revealing my need for a Savior. The worship leader had just started going to college, but he came back every week to serve at my church. He shared everything that he had been learning at college, and this was the one of the first times I witnessed what it was like to live a life transformed by the Gospel. The love that the worship leader had for God and for the church really encouraged me, and I realized that I was hungry for the truth.
However, I had always struggled with reading comprehension, so reading the Bible on my own was a daunting task and I put it off. I knew that I needed help reading the Bible, so I took a Bible literature class in my senior year of high school, eager to learn more. The teacher was a solid Christian who clearly taught the Bible and brought everything back to the Gospel. Sometime during this class, I started to get a better grasp of the Gospel, how much God loves me, and how sinful I am. As a result, when I went to college, I knew that I wanted to join a Christian fellowship and continue to grow in my knowledge of my God and my love for Him.
God sovereignly led me to Grace on Campus at UCLA and Grace Community Church where I heard the Gospel preached week after week, which solidified my foundation in the fundamentals of Christianity. It was also there that I saw many examples of people who loved God and lived to please Him. Through various trials, God continued to reveal my sin to me and how much I really needed a Savior. God showed me that even though I believed in the Gospel, I hadn’t been taking up my cross and following Him in every part of my life (Matthew 16:24). Instead, I was still living for myself and trying to find fulfillment in things of this world. By God’s grace and sovereignty, God disciplined me, continued to grow me in my love for Him, and helped me develop a higher view of Him especially through discipleship. I’m really glad that God has given me the chance to serve in Japan this summer, and I’m excited to see how God will use and grow me!
I grew up in a Christian household, and my parents brought me to church ever since I was a child. When I was 8, my family moved from North Carolina to California. Because I didn’t really fit in at school as the new girl, I made most of my friends at church. I enjoyed going to church because it was a time that I could hang out with my friends and feel at home.
As I grew up, I continued to attend church, but I don’t think I fully understood the Gospel. I was familiar with many of the Bible stories and knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I didn’t understand the implications of this truth. I accepted the Bible as fact, but I didn’t live a fully transformed life, nor did I develop a deep and personal relationship with God.
When I started high school, I started serving on the worship team at my church because there was a need for a drummer. Little did I know, this would be the start of God opening my heart to Him, deepening my relationship with Him, and revealing my need for a Savior. The worship leader had just started going to college, but he came back every week to serve at my church. He shared everything that he had been learning at college, and this was the one of the first times I witnessed what it was like to live a life transformed by the Gospel. The love that the worship leader had for God and for the church really encouraged me, and I realized that I was hungry for the truth.
However, I had always struggled with reading comprehension, so reading the Bible on my own was a daunting task and I put it off. I knew that I needed help reading the Bible, so I took a Bible literature class in my senior year of high school, eager to learn more. The teacher was a solid Christian who clearly taught the Bible and brought everything back to the Gospel. Sometime during this class, I started to get a better grasp of the Gospel, how much God loves me, and how sinful I am. As a result, when I went to college, I knew that I wanted to join a Christian fellowship and continue to grow in my knowledge of my God and my love for Him.
God sovereignly led me to Grace on Campus at UCLA and Grace Community Church where I heard the Gospel preached week after week, which solidified my foundation in the fundamentals of Christianity. It was also there that I saw many examples of people who loved God and lived to please Him. Through various trials, God continued to reveal my sin to me and how much I really needed a Savior. God showed me that even though I believed in the Gospel, I hadn’t been taking up my cross and following Him in every part of my life (Matthew 16:24). Instead, I was still living for myself and trying to find fulfillment in things of this world. By God’s grace and sovereignty, God disciplined me, continued to grow me in my love for Him, and helped me develop a higher view of Him especially through discipleship. I’m really glad that God has given me the chance to serve in Japan this summer, and I’m excited to see how God will use and grow me!