I have loved the Lord for over 6 years now. He has been my refuge, my joy, my peace, and my Holy Father through it all. Although it took me 19 years to recognize His immense love for me, God held me in His palm over all those years. Looking back on my life before Jesus, I can now see His hand of protection and providence so clearly. My upbringing in a strict, Catholic household in Massachusetts left little knowledge about having a relationship with God. Being able to repeat the gospel and truly believing it in your heart are two different things. I came to college expecting to finally get a break from religion. I was hundreds of miles away from family (and from what I thought Christianity was), and that felt like freedom. Boy did God have such a better plan! Kind of by accident, a friend and I stumbled into the first gathering of a campus ministry our freshman year. I saw people my age with hands raised high, worshipping God in a way I had never seen or experienced. My heart joined the rest of those students that night, crying out for God for the first time. From that night on, I could no longer brush off God and His majesty. I have given my life to Christ, and love Him with my whole heart. He has blessed me with a home church in Fellowship Greenville. I was searching for my own definition of freedom and Jesus flipped the script. He offered true freedom and eternal life with Him. Life with Jesus mends relationships, it stills our hearts, it provides such perspective, and fosters true community with fellow believers. As I look out at my family and friends before me, I can easily say I have never been richer. I experience the love of Christ through them every single day. What a joy it is to recognize Jesus as my Lord and Savior and publicly profess that I am FREE!