My journey began the day I was born. My mom was only 15 years old when she gave birth to me. Having been raised by a family of generational devout Catholics, she faced harsh criticism by both her family & the Catholic Church for having a child out of wedlock. Despite the criticism, she chose to follow traditional Catholic rituals & had me baptized followed by my first communion. For much of my young childhood, it was just me and my mom. We lived in New York with no family around. She had strayed from the Catholic religion, but felt it was still important for me to continue to be involved in the church so I could develop my own relationship with God. I was 12 when we moved back to RI. Not only did we leave New York behind, but also the Catholic Church & its practices; simply because those beliefs began to shift as I got older. My questions grew deeper. I was desperately seeking answers & advice more aligned with my own personal beliefs. I wanted to learn more about God, Jesus, and the bible.
I have always struggled with anxiety and depression; always an outcast & never fitting in. The struggles became more pronounced & intense over my teenage years. During one of my darkest battles with depression, I found myself contemplating with ending my life. So close to giving in, I suddenly heard the voice of my Heavenly Father speak to me. He told me that my life has a greater purpose. This made me question so many things, but I was holding on to my old beliefs yet seeking new answers. I felt emotional unrest knowing that I was still living in sin & not living the life God intended for me, so I prayed and prayed. Finally, he answered my prayer! That was the day my life changed!
Shortly after the pandemic struck & plagued the world with fear and uncertainty, my depression struck harder this time. Again, I turned to prayer. One night I woke up from a deep sleep, uncontrollably crying for what felt like hours. My sins were weighing heavy on my heart. I felt shame and guilt for continuing to turn my back on God when he was always there & never turned his back on me. He knew where I was heading, he knew of all my sins, and yet he still gave me another chance to change my life and to fully accept his only son, Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And I DID! It was this defining moment that finalized my willingness and dedication to my new relationship with Jesus for the rest of my life. This baptism is a life changing moment for me because it allows me to rid the pain and burden of my old self & my old sinful ways and to fully surrender myself to Jesus. I am excited to start a new beginning and deeper relationship with the Lord, wholeheartedly committed to serving him, sharing the gospel, and living a true Christian life with the support of new my brothers and sisters in Christ- My new family at Bridgepoint!