I am a believer, a follower of God and all He has to offer. I believe that we were all saved on that one fateful day in history and are all connected in many ways. We all have a special calling in our lives that can help bring joy to others and at the end, there's a safe place waiting to accept each of us into its gates. We were instantly placed on this earth with a mission of discovering ourselves, our faith, and how we can uplift and join hands with others. This task is definite, but sometimes different paths need to be taken to get closer to completion.

Going to a Catholic school for my entire life rooted religion in me since I was little, which is very much appreciated, but it always felt like I was experiencing only a small portion of what Catholicism and Christianity really was. Almost like there was a whole other side waiting to be discovered. Just recently I was visiting my roommate in her hometown, and the day I was leaving just happened to be a Sunday, which meant that her family would be off to church that morning. They go to a Baptist church, which I had never experienced, but I kept a pact to always have an open mind so I decided to tag along with them. How much of an impact it would have on me was unexpected walking in, but I'm grateful for it.

There were plenty of noticeable differences walking into the Baptist church versus a Catholic church right off the bat. For example, no one dipped their hand in holy water to kneel and make the sign on their forehead, kneelers in the pews were non-existent, and everyone inside was standing and conversing in small talk before the service started. This came as such a surprise to me after being used to such formal Masses with a set structure to follow as soon as you walked in, but seeing all of this upon entering was amazing and beautiful to me. I've always heard that being a part of the church meant being part of a loving and accepting community as well, but while I love being Catholic, I never really got that feeling of community until I witnessed it firsthand at a Baptist church.

After a few moments of observing a new atmosphere, the service began and made me tear up almost instantly and I'm not being dramatic. There was beautiful, peppy singing that you wouldn't find in a missalette that seemed to bring every person in there to a new level of joy. The youth group in the front had their hands up during the songs like we were at a concert as lyrics were showing on a projection and nearly everyone sang along with the same level of joy as the actual singer. Just by looking around the room, I could tell that absolutely no one in there was forced there against their will. Everyone in that room genuinely wanted to be there and the atmosphere was enough of a reason why.

Moving on from the atmosphere, the Scriptures were read and discussed in a different way as well. The Scriptures were very shortened down to the main plot and point of it when one of the singers presented it to us, almost as if they knew the whole thing by heart. When the preacher did the sermon, it didn't seem to be the same drawl that would be repeated again the next year with a couple of changed words. It was original and related to daily life: prioritizing your tasks and to-do list. A clear point was made that you may have so many things that "have" to be done, but in reality, the most important things to do are taking time to be with your family and devote yourself to a loving relationship with God. For the first time in my religious life, I listened to the entire sermon without distraction and I loved every second of it.

The service ended with yet another noticeable and fantastic detail that I know most people wouldn't pay any mind to. Instead of having a full procession out, the preacher stayed back and waited by the doorway, ready to shake every guests' hand as they left the small but mighty church. This little personal detail was enough to seal the deal for me. In fact, it sealed it so much that I happily bawled my eyes out as soon as we made it to the hallway because the whole experience was just that great. I'm not saying I'm changing my denomination right away, but I will definitely make every effort to continue going to Baptist churches.

I feel like I found my place religiously and will feel like I'm actually part of a community finally. Sure, there wasn't as much praying, but the faith was still very much alive. There weren't any rules to think of throughout the service, which allowed me to simply sit, listen, and be a full believer while actually tearing up and hoping I didn't "ugly cry" in the middle of it all. So, if you're unsure, I would highly recommend trying a Baptist church or any other denomination. Find your calling and the place you're meant to be at. I have my beautiful roommate and her family to thank for taking me there and dealing with my happy breakdown when it was over.