I learned at a very young age that God existed and that he was much bigger than I am. This was mainly because both of my parents believed in God. My dad is Catholic and my mom is Baptist, so before my parents divorced I went to Catholic school and church, and after they divorced, I went to Christian school and church. We were very religious.

My parents separated when I was ten years old, and it brought me great sadness. This was the first time in my life that I really began searching for meaning amidst everything. I started reading the Bible on my own and was baptized with one of my brothers when I was twelve years old. I had realized that the Bible was different and that it was living and active when you try to follow it. However, at the same time I was really having trouble loving my dad. I grew up very close to my mom and I took her side, blaming my dad for many of the issues in our family. My parents went through a four-year custody battle, and I felt forced to go visit him every other weekend. I once told him that I hated him and decided that I didn\'t want him to be a part of my life. My brothers would still see him, but I just kept my distance.

At this point, I decided that relationships are not worth investing in because of all the pain and potential sadness they can bring. I turned to trying to find my worth in my accomplishments. I believed that if I could be independent and on my own, then I would find happiness and meaning in my life.

I worked really hard to accomplish my goals of being successful. I got straight A\'s, played sports, got a job, worked out all the time, worried about my weight and dieted excessively. I was very self-absorbed at the time. I went to a Christian college because I thought there would be good people there with the same values, but I was disillusioned within a few days by hypocrisy on the campus. I left after one semester and moved home.

I started working two jobs and got into a car accident after falling asleep behind the wheel. The incident left me terrified of dying because I knew I was not right with God.

I kept working hard and saved up enough money to purchase my own condominium at the age of 19 while attending California State University, Fullerton. I was excited to have my own place at first, but I started feeling empty in my heart just a few months later.

That summer I was listening to a CD and the lyrics of one of the songs really hit my heart. The singer, who was building a mansion on sand, asked God to intervene.

I knew right then that I had been building my life on sand, not on the rock of God\'s Word. I knew that I needed to surrender my entire life to God and to get on course with His will. I started crying and praying for God to send true Christian friends in my life.

God heard my prayer! In the first week of school, a Christian named Tawny Messina sat right next to me in class and asked me to do a personal Bible study with her. I remember learning about being a disciple of Jesus Christ and crying because I knew that I had no clue how to help people become a true Christian. It was hard to accept the fact that I was not a disciple myself. I had not repented Biblically and I felt sad about all of the false teaching in the world. 

I was baptized within a couple of weeks -- on Sept. 17, 2000. This date is amazing because Tawny wrote a letter to God on Jan. 18, 2000, thanking Him in advance and on faith for allowing her to meet someone that had been looking for the truth for a long time and was seeking him with her whole heart. She wrote the letter before she met me, and I was baptized nine months after she wrote it!

I am in awe of God and how he works. He wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth, and he promises that if we seek him with all of our heart he will find us. God found me and saved me from living a life that was empty and purposeless. Today I have been a true disciple of Jesus Christ for seven years and I have seen God transform me and other people in my life. I have found my security in God\'s love -- not in my accomplishments or even in my present circumstances.

I actually love people and love building relationships now. I talk to my dad and visit him quite regularly. I am confident that God is going to continue to use my life to impact others and I am willing to go wherever he sends me.

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