When I was growing up I’d constantly be back and forward between living with my mum back to my dad and so on. Eventually me and my siblings were sent to live with my dad permanently. My brother soon moved out and my dad became physically and verbally abusive towards me. Growing up was difficult. The person who was supposed to protect me and love me the most was causing me so much pain. The world I saw around me changed. From having the innocence and dreams of childhood to seeing everyday thinking I didn’t want to live anymore. Showing up to school to lie about why I had bruises around my face. My dad often got lost in his anger and drinking, he taught me emotion was weakness and that I should step over anyone to get what I wanted. One day I went to school and they saw the bruises on my face and contacted child protection.
When I moved back with my mum I thought things would get better. The truth was it was the most difficult part yet. I didn’t know who I was or how to act. I grew up on south park and no parenting. Drinking was a part of my life before i even got to high school. My mum seemed to feel she couldn't tell me off because of the experiences i had with my Dad's anger.
Going into year 11 my life was a mess. I was depressed and I didn’t want any of life anymore. Then I met a girl at school who went to PYRO, Cornerstone's youth program. I told her about my life and how i felt. While she didn’t have answers, she did invite me to her youth program.
When I visited PYRO It felt like home. I wasn’t perfect and no one expected me to be. I found this place where I could be myself and I truly felt loved by the people who were there. As I attended more often I started to become ashamed of the limited clothes and money I had because of my situation. Without me saying anything the then-youth pastor took me to the outlet shops and spent hundreds of dollars on clothes and shoes for me. They invited me to join their basketball team and soon I had a network for more than just church but my life. Every area of my life started improving... besides my home life. The church then provided me the option to join the house program where I would live with people from our church. I had improved my school attendance from under 20% to over 85%, completed school and went to bible college for my diploma. The year after that I started volunteering full time and became the youth pastor at the start of 2018.
I thought nothing would come of my life and I was okay with that. The church wasn’t just a place where I met and understood who Jesus is and what he means to me, I certainly experienced that. It became a place where it took me from brokenness to wholeness. It took me from empty and helped me see how life could be full. It gave me friends, a home, clothes, food, pushed me towards education. I met Jesus and my family and it didn’t just change me but how I see the world. The change that I have experienced in me I want to see happen in the world. My church changed my life, it is so evident they’re motivation is Jesus and I love the heart of this place.
They didn’t just tell me how Jesus could change my life…They showed me.