All Aboard

Solarium - My Faith Story

When I was first approached by Allen and Erica, I was uncertain of what was going to happen. I was willing to do the Soularium with them, giving my time was no problem. I was at a stage in life where I was truly experimenting on many different levels, but I don’t think my faith was one which I was looking at, and what was about to occur changed my life.

            When I started college, I was in a different area of my life completely. I was very sad, lonely, and down on myself and everything around me. I was miserable. When I left Ohio University to come here, I was angry with the world. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t handle being away like I had always wanted to be. It just didn’t make sense. So I started at the University of Cincinnati so that I could stay in school. UC was not a choice I had been willing to make. It was a university that I didn't want anything to do with. I detested the campus and there was something about it that made me not want to come.      

In the beginning of fall quarter, I didn’t believe in God. I thought there might be a higher being in charge of something, or everything but I didn't care about it much either. I just wanted to get to school, get through the next months and get back to OU. I was determined to get back to the beautiful campus I had fallen in love with. I didn't have any friends, but I never gave myself the chance to do that either while I was there.

I was expecting to be able to answer the Soularium questions rather quickly and be having Erica and Allen on their ways in a few minutes. That didn’t happen. We talked about God, Faith and our journeys for over two hours. I began realizing that maybe there really was something out there. Something that put us all here for some reason or another. I didn't know whether it was God or fate, destiny, or any other phenomenon possible.

We decided that we were going to meet up the same time the next week, and just talk and get to know each other.

After meeting up again that second week, they decided to show me to The House. Again, my life would change drastically (in a good way of course).  I walked in and felt a sense of belonging and acceptance. Like there was no one here going to judge or discriminate because I was not like other people. It was a feeling of home. The more I came around, the more I was cheering up. The more I was struggling with the decision to stay here or go back to OU. The people here have all changed my outlook on so many things.

Soon after, I decided to take part in a Bible study. It was only three of us that time, so I felt safer that there weren’t going to be a bunch of girls that I didn’t know at all looking at me and making a big deal. I was grateful for that. I decided that the next day I was going to try the Freshman Bible Study with Erica as well. I have been going ever since, and have learned a great deal about myself and God in the process.

Spring Break came around, and the experience I had, and the friendships I made while there completely amazed me. I was never expecting to get as much as I did out of it. I put everything I could in to it and got so much more out of it. I was completely amazed at the change from before and after Fort Myers. It was the next step for my faith journey.

My faith in God has been growing for several months now, and I no longer feel alone in times that I normally would. I feel good, no I feel great. I feel that God is with me now. I can feel that I am not alone anymore.

Lisa