"I grew up going to church, surrounded by God and the Bible. When I was really young, I had a terrifying dream that I was with others in a lake of fire. I looked up and saw Jesus looking at all of us, I think he was crying but I don't remember. He then turned around and walked through a door made of light and we were left alone in unimaginable pain forever. I woke up screaming and hyperventilating. My mom ran into my room, and I told her over and over that I didn't want to go there. She explained to me how I needed to repent and ask God to save me. I prayed there with her. 

In my teenage years, I started to really think about life and faith and became aware of other beliefs and theories. I started asking big questions about God, His word, and some of the beliefs I grew up with. I was often not satisfied with the answers I found and that, combined with my lifestyle at the time, brought me to a point where I couldn’t take the spiritual battle going on in me. I told God to leave me alone and that I didn’t believe in Him anymore. 

At first, that was a relief. But, over time, things started to get worse. My lifestyle just wasn't going to last: I had little to no purpose, I was making worse and worse decisions as time went by, going further and further down the rabbit hole of sin. When I was at my lowest point, I prayed half-heartedly a couple of times, not thinking anything would come from it: “Hey God you're probably not there or listening but I need some help. If I go any further than I have already I don't think I'll ever be able to come back up. I need help.” I didn’t know it, but God had already started working.

I got to experience my cousin’s baptism and the family celebration around that. I could feel God's love in that yard that day, but I felt out of place and awkward like my spirit was cowering within me. But after a while, I got involved and had a really good time.

I had just gotten a new job where I eventually met and got to know an amazing woman that I fell in love with. Sitting with her one evening, I asked her how she could be so confident in God. She told me of her experiences and faith, and I started crying. I told her about the loneliness I had been feeling and how I had felt at the baptism in the presence of God. I was exhausted, and I guess I gave up running. After a long conversation, we prayed: I asked for forgiveness, for God to take me back, envelope me with His presence, and turn me into the man He wants me to be.

It’s been around 7 months since then, and a lot has changed. It has been an amazing but also terrifying and exhausting journey, filled with emotion.  I've been doubtful and argumentative about the goodness and authenticity of God’s character. I still have lots of questions, but I find with every day that passes I feel more at peace. It’s amazing to have my relationship with God growing immensely in such short amounts of time. I’m really excited about how He’s going to work in my life moving forward. 

One Monday morning, as I was showering before work, I suddenly had an image pop into my head of me getting baptized with my mom standing beside me. The image surprised me a bit, as I had never seriously thought about baptism before. The shower felt like a warm hug, and I got goosebumps. I teared up a bit and asked God, “Hey, are you trying to tell me something?” After a few months of praying about it, here I am."

"I grew up in a christen home and was taught from a very early age to love and accept Jesus into my heart, and as a result, I let him into my heart before I was old enough to even remember it.

Jesus was this church celebrity: someone who everyone was always talking about on Sundays. But after that? I virtually forgot about Him until the next week. For years it went like this until I don’t remember exactly but I began to pray to him every night, asking if he would give me strength to trust in him and just to show me that this was all real.

After that I began to notice the little things in life like small prayers being answered and I began to look to him more. But after a while I started to doubt. What if we’re wrong. What if he doesn't exist. But through that time, I continued to pray, not caring if he heard me or was there at all and in response, I think he continued to teach me that the little things in life can be the most important or he would answer some of my questions or doubts through my parents or through church services, but I still thought that I wasn’t good enough for God.

Then last summer I went to bible camp and the theme was God’s grace. Throughout the week we discussed the amazing lengths that God has gone to in order to be with us. That experience got me thinking I think that God has continued to subtly lead me towards this point in my life where I can believe and praise him without a doubt."

"I grew up in a Christian home. One of my earliest memories is saying “the faith prayer” next to a bouncy castle. But the first time I really felt God was when I was around seven years old during an event in the sanctuary of my church.  During the service, the pastor said, “Come up and meet God,” or something like that, I don’t remember exactly. I went up to the front and lay down with the others. We were prayed over and, while my eyes were closed, I saw colours spread across my whole vision: a kaleidoscope of living colours. And then I saw a silhouette start to take the form of a man with his hand outstretched to me.

As I grew older and started to grow busier, my connection with God dwindled. When my papa passed away, I started talking to God more, but with the chaos of middle school, bullying, and trying to have a social life, that connection once again fell short of what it could have been.

When I got to high school I started going to youth. I was introduced to SOAR Heartland: a ministry trip that took place during spring break in downtown Winnipeg. I made friends but not really a connection with God my first year due to the chaos of COVID. But in grade 11, I went on SOAR again, and this time I made a new connection with God as He showed me a new perspective, not only in my faith but in my personal life as well.

In the last year, God has shown me that He’s been there even when I wasn’t actively searching for Him. He showed me how to love myself and others with compassion and grace. The next chapter in my life (graduation, University, moving out) can be pretty terrifying. But I’m just as excited to see what this new chapter will bring in my relationship with God."