It was Friday evening. I hopped into the car and drove down to the retreat center, and immediately began listening to talks. I remember that before I arrived, I really did not have any expectations. I was just anticipating this to be a normal retreat that re-ignited my faith; but other than that, I was not expecting this retreat to do much. So the night continued, and God began to show me the parts of my heart that were hurting and needed healing. All of my wounds and fears that I have buried began to appear. My soul was aching to be healed, a healing that can only come from Christ. That night I gave it all up to God and He accepted it. He showed me the enormous love He has for me. After laying everything down at God’s feet and trusting Him with my life, I was able to open up and accept the wounds that I had buried. He brought so much peace and joy into my life, a peace that I could only gain through Him. The atmosphere of Awakening only helped. Coming to college and being by yourself for the first time is really hard, and often it is challenging to see the love that God has surrounded you with. While I was at Awakening, I was able to see the amount of love God has for me, for the first time. The amount of love these people had was more astonishing, and it only made me realize how much more God’s love for me was: TO THE MAX. -Anthony Gordillo, UAB, class of 2024
2 Comments
Margarete Smith
2/11/2021 08:17:43 am
Such an amazing story! So proud of you, Anthony, and your continued faith journey! You have left your mark at JPII and we continue to see the fruits of your endeavors at spreading the faith. God bless! <><
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February 2021
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