I grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in a Catholic family. We attended mass together every Sunday, whoever it was never by choice. As I moved away from home I stopped practicing my faith as God was not a priority in my life. I didn’t see a need for him, and started to push him out more as things in my life happened that caused me to believe that I was not worthy of love from others or from God. Not being able to turn to God with my problems left me feeling anxious, and fearful about the future, I can see now that I wasn’t as happy as I thought I was.
In September of 2017, during my third year in the college of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, I was approached by a CCO missionary to take a faith study, however I was very hesitant. To be honest, I wasn’t actively searching for God in my life, but now looking back I can see that He was searching for me… For the first time ever, I remember WANTING to go to mass, and it being MY choice! My first Sunday going back to mass, a student shared her testimony and in it she talked about being worthy of love. This spoke into my deepest fear, and it was the first time in my life I felt Jesus speaking to me personally, I felt like he saw me and knew me. He was telling me in that moment that I was worthy of love. My relationship with God began to develop and it was in this time that I decided to go to confession for the first time in over 8 years! That night I was overcome with so much freedom that I literally skipped out of the confessional! I was beginning to live a life that strived to know Christ, however I still felt unable to place Christ at the centre of my life.
In December of that year, at CCO’s Rise Up conference I had the great expectation that I would place Christ at the centre of my life the night of the veneration the relic of St Francis Xavier. That night we were given the CCO apostles prayer to read. As I read the card each part was standing out to me. The most significant line was “Lord, I give you my ‘yes’”. Tears started streaming down my face, because I knew in that moment I was giving my yes to the Lord! Making the decision to give my life to Him, I felt instantly transformed. Later that night I was prayed over by a Bishop and as I looked up at him, with tears in my eyes, he said to me “thank you for giving your yes tonight”. For me this confirmed that Jesus had seen the choice I had made. As I turned around my uncle Andre was sitting in the front row with his arms wide open, and it was like the Father was welcoming me home. Jesus gave me so much freedom and joy that night and He continues to do so today.
This January, I will be working as a missionary on the University of Winnipeg campus! I am excited to walk alongside young women as they encounter Christ and lead them to the full understanding that they are a beloved daughter of Christ. I see the importance of reaching university students with the Gospel and offering them a loving, faithful community as I was one of those students who didn’t know Jesus. CCO and the missionaries at the U of S changed my life and now I get to do the same for other young women! I am excited to journey alongside the women at the University of Winnipeg as they come to know Christ in a personal way!
ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS
Please keep the students that we will be ministering to in your prayers! Pray that their hearts will be open to Christ, and that they will experience joy and freedom in coming to know Him.
