my story

So for the Young Life banquet, we (leaders) were asked to share our story to be printed on some bookmarks to give out as a party favor. Ha. As I was thinking about it, I wanted to share here as well.


I went through high school thinking that God was a far off being who needed me to be perfect. I tried my best at being a good person yet relentlessly failed. I knew God didn't want any part in that. I ended high school with several broken relationships with guys, my father, and myself. As college began, I once again had found another guy to put all my value in. This guy, who also searched for life in all the wrong things, invited me to Young Life at ASU. I hadn't heard much about YL but was excited that this must be a "good" guy, so I went. It turned out that he was just another guy who had no idea what to do with my heart and I was left alone. Again. Something, however, kept pulling me back to Young Life. One night we were directed to confess all our junk to God. I sat there thinking through all my brokenness and telling God about my darkest places. He was still there? He still wanted me? This made no sense. All I knew was that leading life alone lead to nothing but hurt. He had to have some idea how to do it, so even though I had no idea what it meant, I asked Him to lead my life. I didn't know then that this would lead to healing I thought was never possible and the transformation of my heart that I thought was endlessly broken. Three years later, I am still very much a work in progress, but I have gotten the chance to share the hurt and struggles of life along with God's grace and healing with high school students who are much in need of grace. What better example of the broken than a high school campus. God has a heart to reach, touch, and heal the broken. He is at work in doing just that on the Arcadia High School campus.