Jen has experienced many ups and downs, but the biggest challenge was a few years ago. Looking back, Jen realizes that God prepared her to walk through that challenge and used it to grow her and her family’s faith.

Luke’s life was pretty normal before he came to Christ. His parents took him to church regularly, and he identified as a Christian. He always prayed, knew classic Bible stories, and celebrated the holidays. But something was missing. He didn’t know what it was until the day he accepted Christ on July 21, 2024.

Before Christ, Ryan constantly battled between right and wrong.  He grew up going to church with his family but was along for the ride. In college, faith took a backseat to academics and athletics.  That is where he found his community.

Ezela always went to church as a child because it was the right thing to do, but she didn’t have a relationship with Jesus.  She knew she was sinning.  She consumed, partied, and didn’t respect herself.  All of her decisions culminated when she got engaged in her 20s to someone who became her abuser.  She ultimately lost all of her self-worth.  It was after she left that relationship that she met her husband, Peter.

Peter was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and went through all of the sacraments.  When he grew older, he realized something was missing.  He drifted away from church and felt the void in his life.  His marriage and family relationships were in a dark place.  He couldn’t get away from the feelings of doubt, resentment, and anger.

Mak had always believed in God, prayed to him, and understood who Jesus was. But she’d always had faith questions that she never put the effort into getting answered.

Chris believed in God from a young age, but he never felt that he had developed a relationship with God. He’d focused on building good morals and making good decisions in life, but he had also been turning to sinful things to try and find happiness. Some of these decisions and actions led him to spiral into a dark place. He struggled to talk to anyone about his sinful actions because he was ashamed of his behaviors, and it was just easier not to talk about them.

At a young age, Cheryl was burdened with a secret she swore she’d take to the grave. God walked with her in small steps from this terrible experience to her life now, where she is able to talk about this hurt.

Our church family cares about making Jesus known by strengthening families ending poverty and seeking justice. One of the reasons we love partnering with Compassion International is the way they invest in children and families through the local church!