I’m a third year at UCD and grew up in a Christian home. From a young age, I learned that obeying authorities made my life easier so I never committed any “big” sins and I got to thinking that I was a pretty good guy because of it. I prayed to receive Christ at a young age but it wasn’t real and I lowered my defenses to allow my pride in being a “good Christian” kid to swell. In God’s mercy, he allowed me to break out of my shell of hypocrisy that had grown so thick over the years that even I could not see through it and do something stupid. After that I realized I wasn’t such a good kid after all and that I had a lot of internal, hidden sins that I had not dealt with. I couldn’t fix these problems myself, but God granted me the humility to trust him to deal with my sin and give me the grace to overcome. I don’t know when exactly I was saved, but it was before college.

Joining Grace Alive my freshman year was a huge blessing because I could see people who were truly interested in seeking God, and though I was still cautious to jump in, there were people there to befriend me and encourage me to run after God. In the last couple years of college I have been blessed to see God working in my life and in Grace Alive. I now have dear brothers in the Lord who I barely spoke to in high school because we were going down our own wrong paths, but now we are united in the Lord. I can’t exaggerate the blessing that the constant oversight of Mr. Perry and the other leaders in the church bringing me back when I stray and pointing me in the right direction has been. Being in Grace Alive has helped me grow in Christ and has nurtured an excitement to see what God has in store both for Grace Alive and for me. Praise God for his mercy and grace!