My Story

I grew up in Burlington, Ontario, with my wonderful Scottish parents and lovely younger sister, Heather. I was always really excited about going to Mass (especially around the time of my First Communion) from a young age. But when I started university, I quickly stopped praying and going to church. I still believed in God, but I kept Him at a distance as I enjoyed university life. But at this point, I knew something was missing in my life.

I was very blessed when I started graduate school to have a friend who wanted to start going to Mass. We made a resolution to go together. At the cathedral in Kingston is where I first encountered CCO missionaries. I reluctantly signed up to take the Discovery faith study, yet this is where everything changed for me. Through this faith study, I realized in my heart for the first time that God loves me, and that He is not far way from me. Due to a powerful experience in Confession, I encountered God’s love most profoundly through His mercy. Especially during the Jubilee Year (2016), I was reminded by Pope Francis that “the name of God is Mercy.” When I encountered the unfathomable depths of His mercy and forgiveness, I believed in my heart that He loves me. This is when I decided that I wanted to live for Him, because how could I reject His great love? Now I know that God is what I was missing from my life before, and He is what my heart was searching for. I can relate to St. Augustine, who said that “our heart is restless until it finds rest in You.” Now I get to spend my days sharing about God’s wonderful and amazing love for us through my role as a missionary with CCO!

In my first year on staff with CCO, I served on the expansion team to Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Since 2017 I have been back at Queen’s University as a campus missionary. My faith has grown stronger by seeing so many young people decide to live out the fullness of the faith in university. It truly is a revolutionary act to stand up for what you believe, especially in today’s culture. Seeing the courage and conviction of young people who desire to know Jesus gives me so much hope and joy!

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for the students on university campuses across Canada, that they would come to know the Lord personally and desire to share Him with others!

Help Emma Make Jesus Known

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