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“To make a long story short, I was living a fun post graduate life, partying, boating, working out, etc in 2018 when months of severe back pain led me to find out I had Testicular cancer. It was stage 3C Germ Cell Carcinoma. Had a melon sized cluster of tumors pressing between my kidneys that was causing the back pain, with other egg sized tumors throughout my abdomen, liver, and in my lungs. I had a heck of a community and support behind me, as well as a good attitude about it. With all the goodness of God, so clearly around me, I chose to ignore Him and take it head on in my own mind. I was in a state of me against the world, despite realizing the fact I was literally carried through the whole process by everyone else's love and prayers. After half a year of chemotherapy and a large abdominal surgery, I was in remission. They said no lifting for 6 months.... I waited about three weeks before I was back in Golds, pushing my limits to try and get back to normal.

Time passed, I was in and out of shape. No connection or relationship with the lord, or close to the one I had before college in high school that was short lived. Fast forward to last year. A special person was brought into my life. Showed me her love for God, and what His love did for her. It was perfect and it was everything I was missing in my life. She didn't force me to him, didn't even aim me towards him. It was through her that His love spoke directly to me and I decided to give him my all and seek an active relationship with God. My life has since been more complete than ever and I've never been in better shape. Even before sickness. It's never too late to find God. And I realize how blind I was to everything he was doing to reach out to me. I thank him every day for this woman in my life that showed me what true love looks like.... And it's a relationship with God first. Love God, love yourself, then love others the way he meant for us to.”

“I grew up in a Christian household, but as we got older, my whole family, including myself started to stray away from God. During my first few years of college, I did a lot of partying, drinking, and was living my life however I wanted. During my junior year of college, the pressure of school and being a collegiate athlete really started to overwhelm me. I became very depressed and didn’t enjoy any of the things I used to love. My whole life revolves around volleyball. It was my favorite thing to do, but I even got to the point where I wanted to quit. I had worked my whole life to be where I was and I didn’t want to do it anymore. Later in the semester I met one of my best friends. She brought me back to church with her and introduced me to a new family. I started going to counseling and started going to church twice a week. I surrendered my self to Jesus, got re-baptized, and started living my life to glorify God. If it wasn’t for my friend helping me find my way back to God, I probably wouldn’t be here. I thank God every day for the community of people he’s given me. Even at your lowest, God is there 💙”

“As a kid I was a ‘Christian’, well, let’s just say I was going to church when my mom forced me to. As I got older, through all of the bullying, and an extremely toxic relationship, I found myself distant from God, which caused me to go down a path of self destruction. I won’t get into detail but I will say I was with the wrong crowd, doing the wrong things. June 7th 2017 I decided it was time to get my life together. This is when I started working out. This also is when I started listening to motivational speeches, and started writing quotes and speeches in my free time. I was obsessed to say the least. Time passes and I’m about 6 months from graduating high school and my parents want me to go to college, so we settle on a tech school to be an aircraft mechanic. I hated the school with a passion, for the first 3 months, until we got a new teacher. He was the one who told me about Jesus in a way I’ve never heard before, and I got saved later that night. Since then I have noticed doors that don’t make me happy closing, and doors that I’ve only dreamed about opening. I can’t stress the importance of following God’s plan for your life enough! This is what changed my life.”

“Hey everyone, my name is Courtney Clark. When I was 10 years old, I lost my dad from stage 4 brain cancer. My dad was a big church goer and was always taking us to church on Sundays. He was an amazing dad and I miss him everyday. Because of my dad, I’ve pretty much believed in God my entire life but it wasn’t until my last year of college that I really pursued my relationship with Him.

When I first got to college, I went through a very dark time. I was in an extremely toxic relationship and it broke me from the inside out.
I was also battling with multiple eating disorders. Having all of that combined made me SO angry at God. Most of my prayers at the time were me yelling and crying in anger at God. I felt empty and purposeless. I started becoming a party animal… Partying 4 nights a week. The goal those nights were to black out. I even ended up in the hospital because I was so drunk, I fell out of a car face first onto concrete. But at the same time I was partying, I was also starting to get involved more with weight lifting.

God knew what He was doing when He introduced me to weightlifting. I fell MADLY in love with it. At the time, I thought it was the weightlifting that was making me whole again. But it was God, giving me the tools and the strength to feel whole again. Once I started really getting into weightlifting, I started to show up to church every Sunday by myself. From there, that’s when things kept progressing in my relationship with Him. Senior year of college I fully dedicated my life to God and fitness and that’s what I’ve been pursing ever since.”

“So first I’m Daniel Wesley age 22 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana I’ve been catholic my whole life but never really experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit until I was 17⁣⁣
Prior to my first experience I was a senior in high school. Playing sports and living the normal life when everything changed. I was driving on November 27th 2016 when I saw a woman get pushed out of her car and the car leave. I got out to help her and discovered she has been shot. While I was helping her the guy who shot her came back hit my with his car and shot me again. Shattering my right arm breaking my left femur. ⁣⁣
Being that I was 17 at the time most people were skeptical about my relationship with the Lord. They felt that I should blame him for what happened but I never did. I blamed myself. My doctors were telling me how I wouldn’t be able to walk by graduation or compete in any sports due to my injuries. Through a lot of prayers and hard work and overall blessings from God not only did I walk at graduation, I competed during track the same year. I’m now in the navy as a mechanic and I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without all the struggles I have been through.”⁣⁣

“My dad has always been “strong” to me. It’s easy to tell by looking at him. But in his battle with cancer he has showed me what “strong” really is! That is the strength of faith. No matter what hits, he gives it straight to the Lord and never flinches. In the toughest of times or moments of weakness he knows the Lord is the strongest there is. To me it has been one of the most inspirational and valuable lessons that I will forever carry with me.”⁣
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“In my life, I have found myself in the valley like David facing Golioth! I have experienced like many of you the anxeity, fear, depression, and worry, while facing battles! But there was a time I faced my biggest giant.. I had no where to run, I felt so alone. I was so depressed and full of anxiety. I was getting no sleep, losing lots of weight. I was 120lbs, my mind was full of constant thoughts! I could hear the words not good enough, worthless, failure. It got to the point where I was in the corner of my dining room crying while filming my goodbye video... In that moment I felt a peace fall upon me and I felt the lord give me strength and in my deepest darkest moment I turned to him and the first verse I read as soon as I opened my Bible app, front page verse of the day was. "having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.1 Peter 5:7 So when you feel like giving up ask yourself "Where do you derive your strength from?" Give it to the one that goes with you in battle to give you victory against your giants! TODAY God is my rock, I have been in the gym and healthy at 160lbs! Keep up the fight! YOU GOT THIS!”⁣

“So I was just lazy and did not give it my all to strengthen myself and better myself with the Lord. A few months back I spoke with him and looked at my life. I saw that I could be doing way better not only for myself, but for everyone around me and the Lord himself! So I started eating better, taking lifting/my sport more serious, bettering myself for my loved ones and my relationship with the Lord. These past few months I have felt so good, and I thank the Lord for working through me to feel like this.”