Passion Draft..Live life and life to the FULLEST

My faith has not always been my passion. I was always raised in a Christian-Catholic environment from going to private school from kindergarten till eighth grade. Growing up a Catholic, it has instilled in me that Jesus is a part of my everyday life, that he forgives, and loves beyond all measure. But going to church every morning (as was required by my school) really did not help me to form as strong a bond to my faith. It was like I resented them for "pushing" us to attend. I felt forced. And the more you are forced to do something, the more you feel trapped, pushed, and resentful.




There was a period where I did not attend Church for a very long time. After going to a public school for the first time I felt liberated to make decisions for me based on what I wanted. But in that period I think I learned the biggest lesson of myself and my faith. I learned that I took my faith for granted. I was lost freshman year. Trying to find myself in a whole new world to me was difficult without the help of the Lord. I doubted God and especially my religion. But through all that, when I took a step into the ten o'clock Samoan mass I was reinvented. The beautiful voices, the faithful church-goers, and the feeling that the Lord was with me filled my heart and soul to the brim.


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I thought it could not get better than what I finally felt in my church; belonging and acceptance with myself and the Lord. I listened to the homilies (the reflection that the priest gives) so that I could get the most out of God's word and try to relate it to my life. It helped sometimes but it was really hard to stay focused and to really grasp everything. Until someone introduced me to a whole different way of worship.




In my research I attended an Easter play and several youth services at Word of Life Christian Center (WLCC) and was just amazed at the beautiful things that they were doing there. It was so modern and relatable, it moved me to tears! I felt so filled with understanding and love and passion that I haven't seen before in my church. They praise and worship so passionately that even the songs make you tear up. They fill you with the word of the Lord and help you to grasp the concept by using real world examples. I felt something rise within me that I never wanted to fall. I felt a true connection that I have tried so hard to achieve back in my Catholic faith. I interviewed Mrs. Canencia and she explains, "The main thing that we are to instill in others including the youth (the new generation) is that JESUS LOVES YOU no matter what. This is the most important thing that everyone Must know. Then it opens up to all the different challenges one has in their personal life and are to be guided this day forward." I have seen that they live by this concept and that Jesus gave us life and life to the FULLEST and it is what and how we choose to live our faith as good followers of the Lord.




What I learned is that it should not matter what religion you were born into whether it be Catholic, Christian, Mormon, or any other denomination; you should make that decision eventually for you. I learned that I get more out of the Word of Life community. I felt bad about this at first, I felt that I was betraying my fellow Catholics. But who says that any certain religion is the "Right" religion. It's what you get out of it and how you choose to use the knowledge that the Lord graces you with. The two religions are very different but in general we all follow one Lord and one Word that is the bible. But what they have in similar is that they try to instill in their followers the morals, values, and love of Jesus Christ. In a world filled with violence, hatred, and sin the main goal of the followers of the Lord is to love God, love others, love ourselves, and live a good life and life to the fullest.