Growing up, I went to church every Sunday. I remember going as a kid to Sunday school at a church not to far from my home from second grade until middle school. But after a while, we stopped going every week, and only went to church for Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas. Despite this, I maintained an itch to get into and understand the Bible.

When I was a sophomore, I met a girl who transferred from another school and occupied the locker next to mine. Turns out she was a Christian. One day, she approached me about going to the student-led Bible study on campus. The meetings were once a week during lunchtime. I joined it as I was really intrigued to grow in my faith. From there that started a journey into wanting to discover my spirituality.  When I joined, I saw that there were people my age interested in reading Bible verses and taking them apart relating them back as how they can incorporated into how they play a role in life.  I never thought that young people could take up an interest in bothering to crack open the Bible and study it. I came to the realization that Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and that he holds the burden that troubles all people. That moment I took that in was when I knew that God the Holy Father can play a role in my life.  At that time, I did not have a Bible that was in English. So, this girl, so that I could participate better, gave me a new ESV Bible. That Bible I used for many years, and I took it around everywhere I went. It was a small brown Bible, and people would make fun of how I could read the fine print from such a small book. Eventually, I got a bigger ESV Bible, engraved with my name on it.

After high school, I went to a university in western Michigan, Grand Valley State University. After moving into my dorm during the first week, a student from Cru. came into my room and said something along the lines of “Hey, I am from this Christian group called Cru. We are having a barbecue outside if you want to join.” Ironically enough, the guy who approached turned out to be the very one who would lead my dorm Bible study. I wanted to continue pursuing a closer relationship with God, so I decided to give it a shot. I was proud of my decision. I fell in love with Cru. What the organization stood for and the good people in it, true faith followers, made me feel comfortable. I would go to all of the weekly Bible studies at my dorm as well as the larger weekly meetings.

Unfortunately, things did not go as expected and I had to drop out of Grand Valley.  This devastated me.  I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing people whom I grow close ever again.  At this time my family also moved to Illinois.  This turned my life upside down.  Immediately when I got in Illinois I tried finding a Christian group nearby, Cru. included, but alas my search turned up nothing.  This is a point where I felt spiritually lost. I had no way of being with Christ following people like I had previously.  Then two years ago after many years of struggling I finally graduated from my community college and got accepted into Edgewood.  While there in my first semester I had an internship, which lead my all around the UW-Madison campus.  I saw chalked on the sidewalk BadgerCru but as I didn’t know where their meetings were and them being late at night, I never went even though I really wanted to.  Coming back from my second year at Edgewood I saw chalking for EagleCru.  I got real excited and when I saw their stand at a student organization fair at the beginning of the semester I immediately walked up to and shared how I know of Cru. and would like to get involved again.  From there on I would go to the weekly bible studies, the weekly meetings of BadgerCru, all their events, and in December I went to Cru. Winter Conference which was an experience that had a lasting impact on me.

So, throughout my spiritual journeys there have been up and downs, but never did I let go of wanting to grow my relationship with God.  I persevered and kept my faith in God and in the end that pulled through to me being able to be accepted and loved by fellow Christian brothers and sisters who further strengthen by link to God.