To the woman who led me to Christ,

By God's grace, I met you and was able to follow Christ - someone I thought I knew, but seriously didn’t. I used to tell people that I was a Christian but, in all honesty, now I know that I was not. I was a broken, teenage girl from a terrible background that let her emotions control her life. I still have days when I’m at a breaking point and want to give up, but I pick up my cross and follow Jesus anyway. When I do, I get this sweet reminder on why I wanted to follow Jesus in the first place.

When I first met you I thought, "Wow, she is way too nice and she has a great personality." You didn’t push or force God on me, but you asked if I knew who he was and if I was a Christian. You allowed me to open myself up and let out emotions that had been boxed up for years.

I would describe myself as a locked up box. The lock on the box symbolizes that I locked up my emotions and didn’t let any one in. I wanted to stay alone, but I was also crying out for help. You helped me find what I was looking for in God. There are two colors on the box: blue, symbolizing that I trusted in Christ. Thanks to you (and his grace), it has brought stability into my life; and purple, symbolizing the power I have because of the word of God that you taught me and continue to teach me every day.

Like I said before, you helped me break open my box. When I open up, there are scriptures that I have either learned from you, conferences or just from my own reading. The first one that you taught me, other than the bridge diagram, was Matthew 7: 13-14. I have heard this scripture so many times since I have met you. It has made me wiser and given me the desire to pursue God even more because I know the way of destruction is not for me. I want a life in God. It's not easy, but it's well worth it.

I just want to thank you for showing me God and leading me to my Savior. God is a man who loves all of his children. We came into this world that he created. When we entered this world, we were cold, hard and unresponsive. I was clueless for 18 years, thinking that I only needed God to pass tests and get over people who hurt me. In reality, God is a man who sent his only son to die on the cross for all of our sins, so we now have eternal life through Jesus. This means that I no longer need to worry, stress, hate or give up.

I have a Father who will never let me worry about anything, stress over things I have to get done, hate people (because God calls us to love everyone) or give up on this new life that I have been given. I no longer have a heart of stone but a heart of flesh and that is rejoicing to know. I want to thank God for opening up your heart to helping other women find him. I'm forever known and forever loved by God and that is the best feeling that I can ever know.