The first weekend in 1988, my family and I were visiting my grandparents' church in Buena Vista, Colorado. This was the first time in my life that I really felt a need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My parents told me that I could not participate in a certain part of the service (communion) without Jesus in my heart. I felt left out, and I really wanted to know more about having Jesus in my heart. As we drove home after church, I thought about what I had missed and wondered why it was important to have Jesus in my heart. My parents told me that Jesus died on the cross as payment for my all of my sins and that communion was a special celebration of His sacrifice for those who trusted in Him. They said that all I needed to do to invite Jesus into my heart was to pray to Him, accepting Him into my life and having faith in Him and His payment for all of the bad things in my life.

On Monday afternoon, January 4, 1988, my mom found me in my room praying. I told her that I had asked Jesus to come into my heart. She then prayed with me and noticed that I had drawn a cross on my hand and foot, which I told her, was for Jesus.

Since that moment, I have had the assurance that I will one day meet my Savior face to face in heaven after my physical death on earth. Christ has done so much in and through my life, and I give Him the glory, for He is the only One who is worthy of it. I had the joy of leading my youngest sister to the Lord, and He has helped me through a bike and then a car accident in March of 1994. After those accidents, I have learned to trust the Lord even more and to not worry about what tomorrow may bring. Every day when I read God's Word, His Spirit gives me an understanding and my faith in Christ becomes stronger.

After hearing about the tragedy at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, I have rededicated my life to the Lord. I pray that I may trust Him more and know Him better. His Spirit gives me the desire to read more of His Word every day and to spend more time in prayer, just talking to my Heavenly Father. I pray that if I would ever be faced with a decision to die in the Lord's service or renounce my faith, that I would stand firm for Him.

God gave me the opportunity to take a mission trip to Guatemala with Youth for Christ in May 2003, and through that trip, He created a deeper hunger in my life for more of Him and more of His Word. Through this trip and more recent mission trips to Cameroon, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, and Nigeria God has placed in my heart a desire to love and serve Him by using my engineering skills as a staff engineer and project leader with Engineering Ministries International.

Every day is another opportunity to thank and praise the Lord for the strength, encouragement, and hope that He gives me. All praise and glory be unto HIM for what HE has done, is doing, and continues to do in my life and in the lives of His people!

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
-Jude 1:24-25