Amanda MolinaEnglish LiteraturePolitical ScienceSoutheastern UniversityAbout Silence creeps steadily across the face of my young friends as I begin to tell them of my new found love for Jesus. What is the gift of tongues? How is this supposed to help your family situation? Are you going to be all religious now? These are the many questions that stirred my heart as a baby Christian. Unlike others, the day I was saved seemed to coerce simultaneously in the same moments that my entire family gave their hearts to the lord. My journey does not begin their though. Growing up a Catholic I always had the knowledge that a God did in fact exist and that he had the power to change people’s lives. I never understood anything beyond that point. Many things happened within my family that should have prompted us to immediately fall into God’s arms, but we still stayed distant. Example of this would be my uncle who had 5 babies around the same age. He used to be heavily into drugs and I would try to help him out because they seemed neglected to me. I was only ten years old at the time. I’d watch my uncle smoke drugs and do narcotics around the tiny infant. Eventually over a period of a couple of years child services became involved and took my cousins away. They screamed, “Mommy”, at me when it was time for them to be taken away. Till this day I haven’t been able to see my cousins. Now the purpose of that story was to demonstrate that I didn’t nearly grow up in what one would consider a normal family. Other controversies hardened my heart to the things of God and left gaping holes in my soul. Sexual abuse and molestation were also plagues that seemed to slowly build walls in my heart as a young child. Finally, when I was thirteen, my parents were considering a divorce. My mother did the best thing she could. She turned to the Bible for answers. A hot day in July of 2003 seemed to be the day my entire world changed. 3 woman pastors came to bless our house. They began to speak and use gifts of the Holy Spirit that amazed my brothers and sisters. They spoke words of God into our hearts and asked very gently if we would accept Christ as our lord and savior. Oh what a wonderful day that was. I was high in Christ’s spirit when I uttered Jesus Christ’s name. All six members of my family gave their lives to God. A week later we were all baptized on the same day, again. My walk with Christ after 5 years has been an amazing one. My favorite thing in the world to do is praise him. Immediately my family grew desperately on fire for what he had in our lives. We were whole heartedly trying to make up for the years we knew we missed. In my old high school, the Osceola School for the Arts, I was able to form a Christian based club called Elevate your world that would invite pastors from all over to preach during lunch time. Children who were deeply involved with witchcraft and Satanism were brought back to the kingdom. Devotionals sprang up all over the school. People were so excited that I just cared enough to say I was praying for them that I was elected student body president two years in a row. Eventually, God led me to a Christian school my senior year and then to Southeastern, where I am now. My heart is still turned towards Christ and my walk grows ever stronger each day. Career InterestsPolitician, business owner, author, congress-womanInternship InterestsSecretary to politician, intern with city commisioners, lawyer, English Professor