In my brokenness, I clung to one thing: Jesus Christ
There was a point in my life when I had to decide between comfort and conviction, between family and faith.
While I was in boarding school, my family joined a church centered around ancestral spirits and traditional rituals, practices that I never truly connected with.
At the same time, I was introduced to a Christian church. From the moment I stepped into their worship service, I felt the Lord in a way I had never experienced before. The word was preached with power, and my relationship with Jesus Christ began to grow.
When my mother discovered I was attending a different church, she told me, “Either you join us in our beliefs, or you pack your things and leave.”
That moment tore my heart in two. I loved my mother, but I also knew that I could not abandon the truth I had found in Christ.
After prayer and much pain, I made the most difficult choice I have ever made: I walked away from the only home I knew and chose Jesus, believing that God would make a way for me.
Clinging to Christ
I turned to relatives, hoping that someone would take me in — at least for a short while. But, instead of refuge, I found rejection. I was truly on my own.
Life on the street was more painful than I ever imagined. The sky became my roof, and the pavement became my bed. I dug through garbage bins to eat, trying to survive.
There was a point where I felt like nothing. My body was filthy, and my spirit was exhausted. In that brokenness, I clung to one thing: Jesus Christ.
My will was to live for Him, even when I had no strength left. That’s when everything began to change.
Christ found me
One day, two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder England and Elder Chindoza, crossed my path. I was dirty and worn down, but they looked past that and saw a child of God. They sat with me, listened to me, and began to teach me the restored gospel.
The missionaries shared truths I had never heard before but that instantly felt familiar to my spirit. I saw that Christ had not abandoned me; in fact, He had sent missionaries to find me.
Soon after, I chose to be baptized as a member of the Church. That day, when I was washed clean in spirit, something inside me changed forever. I knew I was a son of God, and that identity changed how I walked, prayed, and hoped.
Finding a true home in Christ
Today, I am a
Now I’m preparing to serve a full-time mission to help others know that no matter how far gone you feel, Christ can still reach you.
To every person who feels like giving up: don’t. You are not alone. Your suffering is refining you. Jesus Christ walks with you through every dark night and every moment you feel unseen. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He never will.
Contributor: Abby Ashton
Looking for more of Christ’s light in your life? Consider meeting with the