God can do amazing things in my life

Well i have been brought up in a catholic family and attended church on a weekly basis but never really understood my religion until i started to attend youth events such as impact and going on pilgrimages to Lourdes and WYD 08. These events changed everything for me and made me realise what my faith meant to me and how God can do amazing things in my life. However, more recently i was part of a ministry team at a camp in california working for the salvation army. This was again a life changing experience for me, i experienced the differences and similarities of two different denominations of christianity. I was also able to preach about my religion and allow others to start to understand different concepts such as transubstantiation and the importance of mother mary in our lives. A brilliant moment was when i realised the importance of the scriptures and how praying to god through the bible can help you get through some very stressful and difficult times in your life, these which i experienced helping under-privileged children from the inner city of San Francisco. All these things have allowed my faith to grow a great deal and allowed me to develop a personal relationship with God instead of just turning up to church once a week. Bring on WYD 11

God in the driving seat of my life

My parent's brought me up with a really strong belief in God and of His love for His people. Their example led me to my own understanding and deepening of my faith. So the foundations of my faith were built on rock, and when the winds of my parents splitting up blew and the rain came, my faith stood strong. Yes, there were definitely rough patches and my beliefs about sex and marriage in particular were thoroughly shaken and there were times when I couldn't feel God: I just felt lost and hopeless, but I kept believing that He was carrying me through, and that He did. Matthew 11:28 was a verse that kept appearing at these times when I was ready to fall apart, and was a much needed lifeline: 'I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls'. So though I have endured struggles and hardships, these have in fact only brought me closer to God. Though I feel close to God, I often need to remind myself of this fact, and the fact that I should be placing God in the driving seat of my life, rather than letting myself get swept along with not much thought. So that's where I'm at the moment, trying to place all my trust in God...