Personal Narrative: Moving To Nanaimo

My family moved to Nanaimo from Edmonton when I was nine years old. Before we moved, my parents had raised us to be a church-going family. Through this time, the extent of my knowledge of Jesus was what I had learned in Sunday school. When we moved, my family stopped going to church. I was still very young, and lost almost all connection to faith. The last, loose cable that kept me suspended was a girl my age who we now lived next door to; Her family were very devout Christians, and occasionally took me to church with them. They also encouraged my own family to send me to a faith-based summer camp along with my new friend. At Camp Imadene, I met Jesus personally for the first time. I don 't believe, at that time, I fully understood the weight of what I was learning. I had never in my life felt as loved or accepted as I did at camp. My friend and I continued to go to camp every summer throughout elementary and high school. It didn 't matter what point I was at in my life, camp was a safe haven of love. Each year, I would come and hear a little more about my creator. As great as

I decided that it would be a good time in my life to start volunteering rather than being a camper. That week, by the grace of God, there was a small auxiliary staff of girls my age, and the most interesting nurse Camp Imadene has ever seen. I was having meet-ups and tea parties with a group who quickly became known as “my girls”. We talked about everything, and nurse Jessie often focused our conversations on God. She explained Him so well, and I saw her living in fearless abandonment- her faith was everything to her. I really began to understand His love for the first time. I had the sweetest moments of intimacy and acceptance with Jesus Christ that week. I remember crying into nurse Jessie one night as my heart gave in. I realized that my life needed to change, and I finally understood that only with God could I live fully and