Stephanie Rubio
It feels like family and a part of my heart that was missing has been fulfilled. |
During my Spring semester of freshman year is when I started to go to the Newman Center. My roommates and I would go to mass on Sundays and leave right after. We didn’t stick around or go to any of the events that would happen during the week. A part of me still had those walls and didn’t want to let people in or let anyone get to know me. Before the Newman Center, I thought I was at my best with the Lord and there was no other way of strengthening my relationship with him. I knew I already had a good relationship with God and have always been part of the church, but what I saw in everyone here was completely different. I decided to go to the retreat by myself, although I had a bunch of anxiety and was filled with fear. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I decided to go. This is where I got to know everyone and realized no one is perfect, we all have our struggles and weaknesses. We’re all so similar in different ways and the number of people I got to know has been a blessing. I then started to go to Newman more often and getting to know everyone, it helped me bring down those walls that I had. It saddens me to know how much I missed out on, events and people I could’ve met if I’d gone to Newman sooner and said yes to God.
I found myself learning more about God’s love and realizing how much Newman became my second home. It feels like family and a part of my heart that was missing has been fulfilled. For a while I let fear and anxiety stop me from diving in and saying yes to God. I was intimidated by the knowledge everyone had, and how little I knew about my faith. Thankfully I no longer feel this way and realized we all start somewhere and it’s ok not to know every single detail. This is the time to grow and ask questions. I still struggle and have my challenges. I am not perfect at all nor is my relationship with God, but I now know where to run to and all the available resources. This is an experience I would love to share with everyone back at home and hope to inspire others just like everyone at the Newman Center did to me. Do not take Newman for granted because you never know all the people and lessons that you are missing out on. I encourage everyone to stay and challenge themselves! |