-
@ AnnSofiNovelist
2025-05-05 02:45:49
That's cool, even if you can't get out of them, but reducing their influence sounds great!
My grandparents were all Christians, and so were my parents. I always knew God myself. My home church went into Russia when the Soviet union fell and ended up starting 5 churches in 5 cities and got them all self sufficient within 5 years. I think one joined a denomination but the others are still active and I've even been to some as a teen on a YWAM mission trip.
I grew up hearing the stories of how God showed up and healed people at those original trips. They said they were concerts but played worship and did a mini message and prayer and people got saved and healed. My dad did the sound for a few trips and my mom joined at least one when I was about 1.5 years old.
So, I always knew God was real and things were possible.
I was the only kid my age at the church since before becoming a teenager.
I went to a new years conference in Finland at 15 and got baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Then the following summer a YWAM team from Orlando visited and my brother had a dream about going to Russia with a group of teens the day before, but couldn't join that year. The next year we both joined but it was to Latvia. Then I continued going on missions trips with YWAM Orlando and Finland until I graduated. I got 4 trips in with them. Then I did a DTS with YWAM in northern Norway.
Then I went to California and attended BSSM for 2 years, home for 2 and traveled on a team with a guy who was only 30 himself but had been a pastor and went into full time itinerant ministry. I did that for about a year until he got caught in Syria.
Then I went back and finished the 3rd year of BSSM and at the end of that I heard he got freed.
Then I lived in the South of Sweden for about 9 months before going home cause I couldn't get a job down there. Or, I did work as a substitute teacher for a few months but it was not for me, but was also the only thing I could get.
Then God opened the door for me to do an unemployment internship at my home church for about 3 months, whixh was fun.
Then I got a job as a receptionist at a secret business hotel, which was totally up my alley. It was only 5-6 months so I traveled the other time, visiting CA, dated someone who turned out to have a lot of issues he didn't seem interested in getting free from.
Finally that ended after me praying a lot the last year and getting back to my own passion for Jesus, also having made new Swedish Christian friends so I had a good network around me.
Then God highlighted a course called The Dating Discovery which I attended in the fall. It was 10 weeks with video chats on Fridays. On the 11th week I hady first date with my now husband, and God was totally wingman for that, for both of us really, and whenever I had any questions, God would have my husband answer them before I could ask him myself. Or God would show up and give me what I needed directly. Hence why I was ready to marry him after only 68 days! 😎
I also went to a bunch of youth conferences as a teen/young adult where I'd make friends and hang out with Jesus 🤗 they were some of my highlights while not really having friends at home.
That's a bit of my story. 😅 Was there anything specific you were wondering about? 🙂