Four years ago I was at a crucial turning point. When I started at Michigan State in the fall of 2010 I hit rock bottom. No one knew; no one could tell. I came to school completely heartbroken. I found myself crying to sleep because I thought rest would ease the pain even if it was temporary relief. I coped with these issues by watching movies, hoping that being wrapped in someone else’s story would make me forget my own. I also treated myself to shopping and eating out. I spent all my efforts into making myself happy but never fully succeeded. Even before I came to East Lansing I had gotten out of a very heavy relationship that did not end happily. I invested so much into this relationship that when it was over I felt like I had nothing. At this point I realized I had to go to my last resort – counseling. MSU offered free counseling to students so I immediately signed up. Yet, after a few months nothing changed. I became more aware of my feelings and that I needed help but it was not coming from counseling.

Even though I came to Lansing with a depressed heart, I still hoped that things would change. When I first arrived at my apartment I remember the first prayer I said. I asked that God would get me involved in Bible studies and that I would make real friends in school. I was going to a church back home but Bible study was missing from my life and I wanted to know more about what the Bible actually taught. I knew that the typical college life was about having “fun” and partying, but I had been through that in high school and never really enjoyed it. I did not want to continue that life in college, which is why I prayed for real friends. I made this prayer in August 2010 and it was answered in November 2010. One day after coming home from the grocery store I saw a girl walking door to door while I was bringing in groceries. When she got closer to me she stopped me and asked if I was willing to take a religious survey. After the survey she asked if I was interested in studying the Bible and I glad answered “yes”. A couple weeks later I was studying the Bible with two ladies and I was amazed at everything I was learning. And as I learned the truth about God’s character, I fell in love with Jesus again and felt free instead of in bondage. It brought to mind a verse: “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free“ (John 8:32).

God’s Word is what changed my life. Several months later I was baptized (May 7th, 2011). This was actually a rebaptism: I was baptized when I was 16, but did not know what it meant to give my life to Jesus. I wanted to consciously make that decision for the first time. It was the best decision I ever made, but it was not the end. Afterwards I immediately went into working for the Lord; sharing Bible truth with my family and friends. The next best thing in my life after coming to Christ was helping others find Him :). Before Jesus I suffered from a broken heart. But the Bible says that God is near to the broken-hearted and the crushed in Spirit because He desires to mend that heart and to give us a new spirit, His Spirit. Now, rather than focusing on making myself happy I live to make others happy for Jesus’ sake. I have been a Christian for almost four years, and even though there are challenges, each year keeps getting better. Better because each year I find myself closer to God and we are told by the Psalmist that “you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”. I have experienced this firsthand: the closer I get to God the more joy and pleasure I experience. I have tasted and seen, and can honestly say the Lord is good. You can too!