Freshman year of college is nearly over, and looking back the biggest thing I'm thankful for is my church community. Going into college is a scary thing; you're in a new town with new people, and you're never exactly sure how you will find a new group of friends.

After a month or so into my first semester I finally decided it was time to find a church to attend. I asked around but didn't hear anything that sounded appealing, until Zootown Church came along. I heard that most college students who attend church go to Zootown Church, so I decided to give it a try.

Sometimes I like to think about where I would be if I didn't find a church, and honestly I don't know the answer. Church is something that tends to have a bad reputation among college-aged students, and I understand why. College is a time of freedom, adventure, and figuring out who you are. But what a lot of people don't realize is that this can all be found in God.

God freed us from our sins and he takes us on crazy adventures with our lives by showing us who we are meant to be. I used to always think that I would become a news reporter and that I would one day make it onto Good Morning America, but that was before I had a relationship with God. I was living what I wanted to do, not fulfilling the life God had set for me. His path is always better, and once we're on the path he set out for us, we discover that's where we enjoy being.

I've never been happier than how I feel since discovering the man named Jesus. Leaving behind our high school friends and trying to find new ones isn't the easiest transition. The church community is better than any group of friends I could have ever asked for. In middle school and high school that's how I made most of my friends. Of course, churches vary in people and beliefs, but if you search hard enough it will be there.

I now have a group of people that I can go to any time of day or night. A group that will always be here to lift me up and remind me of how much God loves me. There's a difference between friends that will lift you up and friends who influence you to party or sleep around.

Sometimes its hard to find a church in your college town that's like the one you attend at home, but it's worth looking for one. What I've noticed, at least at my university, is that there are a lot of on-campus ministries that will help you connect with a church. If your college has a Young Life, I would recommend looking into attending. They aren't there to shove religion in your face, but to help answer your questions and show you what a life with God looks like.

It's amazing how college is without all the partying and the mess that comes along with that. I don't know about you guys, but waking up in the morning excited for the day and spending the evenings with amazing friends is a great way to be living. When I started this year I had no idea I would be spending my nights in a coffee shop studying the bible. I had no idea that I would be volunteering with a church, but guess what the cool thing is? God knew that this is where I would be.

Also, if you do party, I'm not here to judge or shame you. I'm just here to show my side and choice of living!