About Rachel & Hayley

Ray

I’m Rachel, I’m 16. I was invited to contribute to this blog by Ben, Your probably wondering how I know Ben. Meeting Ben and his wife (Marissa) was probably one of the most life changing events I have ever had. My whole life I grew up in a non-christian home and wasn’t introduced to God until I moved to Central Florida, where I lived across the street from them. We met and from there Ben and his wife  introduced me to a hidden faith I have lived my whole life without. I was very skeptical and reluctant to change, but I quickly realized that the life I was living was empty and meaningless. During this time my parents were on the road to a divorce. My little brother and I struggled with this tremendously, I finally turned to Jesus and allowed him to come into my life. I begin going to church where God spoke to me and let me know it is ok to be vulnerable, and everything is in his plan. Things quickly began to look up my faith grew stronger while my social life dwindled. I was placed in a situation where watching my brother reigned first piority over everything else. I had no place else to go, besides to Ben’s house. The Smith Family shared their home with us and welcomed us with open arms. I then knew I had been blessed with God’s grace. After spending endless hours with Ben and Marissa, I now feel comfortable  giving my perspective on various topics and providing a teens views on daily life, school, and issues I have faced. I am hoping this information can touch somebody who is struggling and provide them with hope.

Hayley

My name is Hayley and I’m 14. I was invited to contribute to this blog by Ben and Rachel, and I’m really excited about it! I know Ben and Ray through Calvary Chapel of the Lakes, and Ray and I became really great friends this summer when her youth group came up to my church in Beaufort, SC to do a mission trip.

I’ve always lived in a Christian home, and my parents have always read the Bible to me and taken me to church. I knew a lot about God and the Bible (or at least I thought I did), but I realize now that I could “talk the talk” but wasn’t trying or didn’t know how to “walk the walk.” A friend recently told me that he’s realized that there’s a big difference between knowing that God should be a big part of your life, and actually wanting him to be. I don’t think I really had a desire for Jesus in my life, but he had always been there, so I just figured I’d go along with it. To be perfectly honest, when I was about 10 or 11, something came up where I saw a Christian being brave for Christ, like speaking in front of large crowds or standing up to opposition (I don’t remember exactly what it was), but I remember making a half-conscious decision that I would never do all that. I was perfectly convinced that I was supposed to just be a “closet-Christian.” Sure, I would pray and stuff, but I wasn’t going to do such scary things for Jesus, and at the time, that was ok with me. At that point, there was a young woman in my life, a family friend, who was really talking to me about Jesus. She was such a great example of what I thought an awesome Christian should be, and she got me excited about God. That relationship was good because it made me want the relationship she had with God, but it got to the point where she became my relationship with Jesus. I couldn’t pray or study the Bible without talking to her about it. Then when she went through a hard time and wasn’t there for me as much, I was crushed. It bothered me more than anything in the world that my friend was gone, but I guess it was a harder blow since she was, in a way, my ‘connection’ to God. I felt kind of lost and wasn’t sure what to do, but now I’ve realized that God kind of drew her back from my life for a while to make me realize that he wanted it to just be me and him; no one else. He lit a fire in me that made me want to know him more than anything, and that desire made me more willing to do things for him and trust him in scary situations.

Not too long after that, my family moved to Beaufort, SC, where my dad got a job at St. Helena’s Episcopal church as the youth director. We’ve lived here for about a year and a half, and coming here has helped me grow so much in my faith. I was scared to death at first, but God has blessed me with an incredible church family and amazing but challenging opportunities to serve him (which I’m accepting with a little more enthusiasm!). He is continuing to help me and reveal his love to me in ways that I’ve never experienced before, and is teaching me how to be closer to him. I’m so excited about this opportunity to share what he’s doing in my life, and I hope that somehow he will use it to encourage others too.