Violet R. is one of our Confirmation students. She is a dancer taking both ballet and jazz classes. Violet is nearly fluent in Thai and traveled to Thailand last year to visit her aunt’s family. She is technically studying as an 8th-grader, but most of her classes are at a 10th-grade level! Violet loves kids, volunteering, and her six cats, four dogs, three goats, and 15 chickens!
Violet’s Seawright cousins brought her and her family closer at First Lutheran. While Violet has vague memories of being baptized in the lake, she has not always felt so connected to her faith life. There was a time when she thought of church as more of a chore. Violet has come to love church and says, “I love having faith; a lot of my life is about God, and I read my bible to be more into my faith, more devoted… to have more prayer.” She loves it when holy places feel homey and abides in that.
One holy place that helped Violet find that connection is Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. Violet says that she “felt the energy… the presence of God at camp.” That experience helped her get more deeply into her faith. She described it as a “whoa feeling” of the presence of God at camp and in the other people gathered who also believe in God. That they, too, are devoted changed her. She feels that energy at First Lutheran.
Violet said, “It’s nice seeing people have the same faith as you.” Then she continued, “I love the church people.” One scripture passage that speaks to Violet is John 6:16-21. She said, “When life gets hard, and you are sad, depressed, or mad, thinking of Jesus calming the storm helps.” Jesus calms the storms in our lives and allows us to be still in Christ’s peace.
Friends and Social Media often feel like places of doubt and judgment. This claim is out there that your faith isn’t genuine or valid. Violet is thankful for the shared experience of the faithful at First Lutheran and Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. Seeing others devoting their lives and time to God is what brings Violet in closer. Amen
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