I was born and raised Catholic and attended Catholic school my entire life, but for most of it, I never truly understood what it meant to have a relationship with God. By the time I went off to college at Central Michigan University, I had convinced myself I was leaving my faith behind. I even remember walking past the Catholic church on campus during a tour and thinking, “I will never step foot in that building.”

That changed during my sophomore year after experiencing significant heartbreak that forced me to make a choice: continue pursuing the college lifestyle or begin pursuing God seriously. By God’s grace, I chose Him. I started going back to Mass, praying regularly, and returned to confession for the first time in eight years. Eventually, I even became a custodian at the same church I once swore I’d never enter.

Around that same time, FOCUS missionaries arrived on campus. Their love for Christ was unlike anything I had seen before. Through Bible study and discipleship, I began building a real relationship with Jesus, though I still struggled to fully surrender my life to Him. During my senior year, I attended a FOCUS interview weekend in Chicago convinced I would not become a missionary. Instead, God completely changed my heart. I left ready to say yes, and a month later I officially became a FOCUS missionary, excited to help lead others to Christ.