“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
I was blessed to be raised by Christian parents who always taught and showed me what it truly means to follow Jesus. Witnessing this, helped me come to the realization of God’s astounding love. The thought of being able to spend eternity with the God of the universe amazed me. So, I prayed and gave my heart to Jesus very early in life. However, during my middle school and high school years I never dug deep in my relationship with Jesus. There was a part of me that didn’t fully understand the concept of His grace and sacrificial love for me.
High school was when I truly began to struggle with my faith and lost sight of Him. I started to feed into my flesh and found myself only caring about fitting in with the world. I never looked to Jesus to find pure joy and peace, instead I tried finding everything I needed in my boyfriend at the time. Nonetheless, all I found was emptiness in my life and deep guilt of living the life of a lukewarm Christian. At the time, I was also dealing with a lot of insecurity. I felt like I had no self-worth because I wasn’t finding my identity in Jesus. Instead I was finding my identity in a toxic relationship, trying to fill the emptiness in my heart with fleshly desires.
On top of that, I was also physically ill with my stomach. I was dealing with chronic stomach pain daily with frequent trips to the hospital. Instead of looking to God, I blamed him for my situation. I was constantly listening to lies from the enemy and thought my life was always going to be weary. I simply had no faith in Jesus. There was a point in my life where I always stayed home wallowing in sadness. Every day was filled with anxious thoughts, which made myself more physically ill.
Enough was enough. I was tired of ignoring His spirit and wanted better for my life. So, I left my unhealthy relationship and prayed to God that He would save me from my condition. It was my senior year of high school that I started to truly pursue my relationship with Him. I finally decided to stop putting God off to the side, believing He had a greater plan for my life.
Right after graduating high school, God opened up the door for my family and I to leave Texas in 2020, during the pandemic, to move here in the High Desert. I was lost and confused as to why God wanted my family here. Trusting in His ways, the Holy Spirit led my family and I to Calvary Chapel Apple Valley. We instantly fell in love with the church and knew God had a purpose for my family and I being here.
Not long after, the Lord put on my heart to be baptized. Months later, I was baptized here at CCAV to profess my love for Christ and make it known to those around me. Since then, God really transformed my life for the better. I couldn’t be more blessed knowing that man doesn’t have ahold of my heart but God does. Placing my identity in Him and wanting His perfect will for my life was the best decision I ever made.
Shortly after, I started to get involved here at CCAV and started to attend Young Adults to grow more in Him and to fellowship with other believers. Being involved really encouraged me and helped me to grow in my relationship with Christ. God knew I needed this in my life. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without the friends I have made through Young Adults. Through this journey, God was so gracious to heal my broken heart and has been healing my stomach each day.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
While attending CCAV, I was working at Chick-fil-A but knew God had something greater for my life. I was praying daily for God’s direction and knew the next step was for me to serve at the church. Obeying Him, I started serving in children's ministry since I had a special love for God’s children. After serving in children’s ministry for a while, I knew this is exactly where the Lord wanted me. As I was still praying for direction, He specifically put ministry on my heart. Jesus continued to speak to me through his word, so I prayed for Him to open a door.
In December of 2020, God graciously opened the door and I was asked to come on staff as the children’s ministry receptionist.
Before, I used to live my life in fear and in doubt of Him. I thought I could love the things of this world and still follow His ways. Now I live to please and serve my perfect Savior who restored my life. It’s by His grace that I’m here, able to serve others in the work of the ministry, at Calvary Chapel Apple Valley.