This year I was struggling to find friends at school and was looking for a faith community too. In high school, I was big into my parish's youth group and missed that sense of community. I tried a couple of campus ministry groups and didn't care for them so I began losing hope.

I posted on a Missouri State Facebook page asking girls what the best campus ministry is and one girl invited me to go with her to The Vine.

The Vine has changed my life. I was immediately welcomed by other students in The Vine and felt comfortable right away. I felt accepted. After that first night, I decided to go to the girl who invited me's small group the following week.

I was nervous to meet new girls and wanted so badly for it to be a good fit.

It was the perfect fit.

My small group is composed of the most amazing women and men who love Jesus and want to get to know him more. The girls took me in and made me feel like I belonged. They have helped me grow in my faith and set my heart on fire for God again.

We are all so supportive of one another and I love that in our group chats we feel free to ask for prayers in certain areas of our lives. I've never really had a large group of friends who pray for each other before.

I am so happy to be a part of my small group. With the semester coming to a close and our last small group I am very sad, but know that we will stay friends.

So if you guys are reading this, thank you for all you have done for me. In the short amount of time I've known you, you have become so important to me. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. Thank you for making Bible study fun and not a drag.

Thank you for helping me dig deeper into God's word. Thank you for being there for me. I will miss you this summer and hope that you have a great one! I am praying for you all. God bless.

Love,

Sophie