I sat down with Mary Ann, a young adult at Champion Forest, to talk about her powerful journey from hitting rock bottom to experiencing a life-changing encounter with God. Her testimony is one of raw honesty, resilience, and the power of God’s unrelenting love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Abigail:<\/strong>\u00a0Mary Ann, thank you for sharing your story with us. Let’s start at the beginning. You were baptized at a young age. Can you tell us about that experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0Sure. I was baptized when I was eight years old. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what I was doing\u2014it was more of a step I thought I was “supposed” to take. As I got older, the world became too alluring, and I fell into destructive habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> What kind of challenges did you face during that time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0There were a lot. My parents were divorced, and someone I looked up to, who was a “Christian,” was very “hot and cold.” They did not act like a Christian, and their actions toward me and others were hard for me to reconcile with what I read in the Bible. I also got caught up in things like smoking, taking pills, cussing, and vulgar language. I was also in a relationship that wasn’t adding anything to my life. I kept chasing anything and everything that would numb my big feelings. Addiction runs in my family, so the cravings I experienced for these things were very intense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> Was there a point when you started feeling God calling you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, absolutely. God would always tap me on the shoulder and remind me that what I was doing wasn’t right. Even though I had faith, I would say I wasn’t walking with the Spirit. Then, in 2020, I hit rock bottom\u2014the lowest point of my life. Toward the end of 2022, I felt God giving me signs, plain as day, that he wanted something different for me and my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> What changed after that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0A lot changed. I had been coming to The Grove and talking with Kal Kilgo, the Champion Forest College Pastor, which helped me find a community and family at Champion Forest. I started coming back to Champion Forest during this time, which was tough at first because I felt like I was still struggling with so much, but I learned that I couldn’t quit my bad habits on my own. I’d try to stop for a few months, but it was impossible without God. Once I surrendered it all to Him, I did a total 180, and I can only attribute that to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> How has your faith grown since?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0I’ve really experienced life change. I’ve made it a whole year without turning back to many of my old habits, and have realized that God is so much better than anything the world has to offer. I’ve also learned the power of confession\u2014when I mess up or fall, I know I can run to Christ and to my friends here at Champion Forest for accountability and help. God has blessed me with friends and resources through the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> What advice would you give to someone who might be in a similar place to where you were just a few years ago?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0First, don’t go to church for the people\u2014go for God. If you go for the people, you’ll be disappointed because we’re all sinners and nobody fits the perfect mold of Jesus. But if you go to church for God, to worship Him and lift Him up, it’s going to be a completely different experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, prayer works. It should be the foundation of your walk with Christ. When you say “Amen,” it doesn’t stop there. Pray without ceasing and be vulnerable with God throughout your day. And don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with others. God calls us to sharpen each other, and community is so important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail:<\/strong> What would you say has been the biggest takeaway from your journey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Ann:<\/strong>\u00a0That it’s incredible what God can do when you make Him your first choice. For a long time, God was my last resort, but now He’s my first choice\u2014and that has made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For a long time, God was Mary Ann’s last resort, but now He\u2019s her first choice\u2014and that has made all the difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Growing up, Ana Alonso attended a Catholic Church, but for whatever reason, she never really felt connected. She thought she couldn't have a relationship with Jesus. This all changed when her aunt invited her to a new church. Ana was struck by the beauty of this new church. The way they worshipped God and talked about Scripture opened her eyes and heart. It made her want to start going to church more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But soon after this, she found herself in an unhealthy relationship. This relationship eventually led her astray, and she stopped going to church. She focused so much on this relationship that she quickly lost herself. She wrestled with depression and anxiety during this season, and to make matters worse, her mom was also going through her own mental health battle. It was a difficult period in Ana\u2019s life. She felt like everything was spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One day, she had a terrible argument with her mom, and in a moment of intense emotion, she found herself yelling at her mom. She had become someone she didn't recognize. \u201cI don\u2019t yell at my family like this,\u201d she thought to herself. She was devastated and heartbroken that she had let things get to this point. In a state of despair, she left and headed to a nearby park, alone. At the park, she just cried. \u201cThere\u2019s no hope left for me,\u201d she thought. She felt like the only way out was to end her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amidst her desperation, she turned to God and whispered for help. She apologized for distancing herself from him and asked for strength to endure. Moments later, two older ladies walked towards her. As they approached, Ana couldn't stop crying, until one of them reached out her hand and placed it on Ana\u2019s shoulder. The woman spoke softly, saying, \"I'm so sorry.\" Ana knew God had answered her prayer. It was the spark of hope she needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, Ana\u2019s relationship with Jesus and her faith has grown tremendously. Of course, it has been a journey, but Ana has seen God\u2019s faithfulness time and time again. She set a goal to begin reading the Bible daily, and now she can't wait to read it every day. Even in times of frustration or bitterness, she will pray or go to her Bible, asking God for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But her journey didn't end there. She eventually found her way to The Grove, a young adult gathering at Champion Forest. She started attending regularly. Now, she serves at the Grove as part of the weekly hospitality team. She continues to meet new people each week who share her hunger for the Lord. When asked about her time at the Grove, Ana said, \u201cWe worship Jesus together and discuss Scripture, and I've even had the chance to pray over others. Being part of this community has been a huge blessing for me, and I believe it was completely the Holy Spirit guiding me to this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ana\u2019s testimony is a good reminder that no matter how lost you may feel, God is always with you. He will guide you and give you the strength you need to get through even the toughest of times. It's okay to ask for help, to pray, and to turn to God in moments of desperation. It's also important to surround yourself with a community that shares your faith, where you can grow together in Christ.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-growth","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n