Finding Mak: I Am A Christian

I was baptized by the Catholic church at the age of 3. Prior to that, my mom was taking me to the Presbyterian church. I grew up attending a Catholic elementary school, and later attended a Catholic (well Jesuit) university. I never felt pressured to go to church or be embarrassed that I was a Christian until I dated my ex-girlfriend, H.

H was atheist. And while dating an atheist didn't seem like a big deal at first, it soon changed. I began to feel uncomfortable being a Christian. Any time a conversation started about God or Jesus, I would just laugh and agreed with what H was saying against Him. Soon, I lost most my faith.

Then, a big event happened and H and I broke up. Our friendship was dwindling away and I felt alone. I had no friends living in Manhattan. The only friends I made at college the semester before, felt betrayed and forgotten because I only contacted them to vent or when I needed something. I didn't really talk to any of my friends from high school still. And the few friends I made at work and my new school didn't know about the situation. I had no one. I literally was alone.

Weeks passed and I was depressed, until one weekend H and S (the other roommate) went back to our hometown. I decided to get out of the apartment and attend the Catholic church a couple blocks away. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. When I left Mass, I felt refreshed. I knew I needed to keep going.

{Saint Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church}

I attended Sunday Mass regularly at St Elizabeth's Church in Washington Heights. When I moved back home, I continued to attend Mass throughout the summer at the local church, where I continue to go today. When I went back to school in Scranton in the fall, I began to attend Sunday Mass with my friends living on my floor. In the spring semester, I began to attend daily Mass with my friend Brittany. I felt myself growing so close to God.

When I found myself in some trouble, I began to pray constantly for God to let me stay at school. And when I wasn't able to attend the U of Scranton anymore, I felt betrayed. I just couldn't understand why this was happening to me. A couple weeks passed and I learned that God has a plan, and this is his plan for me.

I attend church every Sunday and listen to the Sound of Life radio station in my car. I also attended a Newsboys concert with a few friends about a month ago and it was one of the best days since everything happened.