Testimony Tuesday- Olivia's Story

I am 18 years old. For 18 years and 8 months I attended my parents’ church. We went every Sunday and often had family bible studies. Being close to the Lord was (and still is) very important to my mother and she did well instilling this love in me.

When I was about 14 I started to neglect my relationship with God. I made it a chore to read scriptures and pray and over the years quit altogether. Of course I was still going to church and all, but honestly I was just doing what I was supposed to do, going through motions. There were times I attempted to rebuild my relationship but over and over I failed. This had somewhat of an effect on my high school years. But, I know that God was still watching over me and directing my paths, because after a terrible freshman year, I changed schools and made friends. There are three friends in particular that stand out because they have been a great support in my life and all play a big role in how I have come lay the foundations to build my testimony.

Testimony Tuesday- Megan's Story

Here is a little background on my history: All of my life, I grew up in a fairly secular home. I had attended a few protestant churches here and there, but I was never affiliated with one in particular. As I entered into high school, my parents were both remarried to religious people. Through my dad and stepmother, I was learning Jewish tradition. My mother converted to Catholicism after marrying my stepfather, so I had a couple major religions in my life to learn from. Although there were true aspects in both religions, I did not feel like I could commit to one or the other. Neither of them seemed complete to me.

Random Saturday Thoughts

When I was in elementary school my parents always used to have me walk to and from school. Of course it was always uphill and in 3 feet of snow. One fall morning in my first grade year it was particularly windy and cold. I was not excited to have to walk to school in that wind! I knew that walking out in the cold was necessary to make it to my destination, but it would be cold and hard and the wind was blowing hard enough that it could almost knock me over. I went to my dad and asked humbly for a ride to school since I was already late and it was so windy. He told me no, understanding that I needed to learn the valuable lesson of waking up for school on time, and bundling up for the cold weather. I cried and whined but couldn't convince him to take me to school. I started walking, wiping tears from my face, as the wind stung my exposed cheeks and nose.