My family and I immigrated to Canada when I was five years old.

We had no concept of what church meant or what Christianity was all about for the first few years. Thankfully, one of my mom’s co-workers invited us to her church, and that laid the foundation of faith that helped me begin a lifelong pursuit of what having a relationship with Jesus meant.

Don’t get me wrong. I made plenty of mistakes along the way.

Going to church became a family outing serving solely as a social event and didn’t amount to anything more profound. Because of this kind of perspective with Christianity, my life looked no different from any other teenager’s.

My identity was not rooted in Christ, which caused me to find validation elsewhere. At a desperate attempt to find acceptance, I experienced many drunken nights and caused me to make lots of mistakes.

My insecurities and co-dependent behaviour trickled into my young adulthood as I continued to seek acceptance and validation in bars and clubs.

Thankfully, one of my best friends growing up had hit a point in his life where he was searching for ‘more.’ Blair wanted answers to some of life’s questions, and he had heard about a church called ‘The Project.’ Knowing I had grown up in the church, he asked me to tag along.

At The Project, God began to place people in my life that called me to be a better man. God utilized these relationships and mentors to help me find peace in my past mistakes and own up to the things I had done. These relationships helped me realize my worth was found in Christ. I ended up giving my life to Jesus after a few years of attending The Project.

Since this moment, the road has not been easy or pain-free, but with every valley and every hilltop I come across, I am grateful for the work Jesus has and will continue to do in my life.

– Andy