I was home-schooled up until middle school, but I had many friends in church and in our neighborhood. When I went to public school in seventh grade, I noticed that many of my friends there seemed different. They were tired, hopeless and desperate.
When I was fifteen, I went on my first mission trip to Ukraine. My dad asked me to explain to the students in our English class how Jesus Christ had changed my life. I was scared and nervous because they were all college students, and I felt that I didn’t have an impressive testimony. But, I did find myself with an overwhelming desire to tell them all about the hope, freedom, and forgiveness that I had and wanted all of them to have as well. This verse expressed my hope….
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13. I wanted them to have that hope and peace throughout their lives. That was the first time I recognized how truly awesome and beautiful the relationship I had with Christ was. God wants you to have that same relationship with Him. We all have pasts, baggage, and sin, but God says that it is "by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8. A gift by definition is free and simply received. It is the same with God’s gift for you. "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9.
I would love to talk with you more if you have any questions. My email is :
Your friend,
Grace
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