When asked to join the Odyssey team I was told to write about my Dear World experience. I was first informed about this event from two lovely ladies in my sorority, Xi Omicron Iota, who were chosen as leaders for the project. I spent a lot of time wondering what story I had to tell, what was even worth telling. The morning of I settled on "and so I pray". Here is the story behind it:

I always grew up in a religious house where church was attended every Sunday, but it never felt real for me. I suffered through a lot growing up and the idea of a religious figure, a God, didn't seem real to me. Why would some all powerful, all loving God allow such tragedy at such a young age. When I was 12 I had hit the end of my rope, I wanted to give up because nothing seemed to be going right. That night while I sat on my bedroom floor I prayed for the first time. I asked if there was a God out there to show me a sign, to give me some reason why it was worth going through all of this. About a minute later I received a text message from my old friend who had previously moved away that she was coming back into town in a month. She asked if we could hang out and that was all the sign I needed.

Even now years later I still suffer from the things I did back then. There are still days when it's really hard, none of that has changed. My perspective has though. Through the good and the bad I've always known since that day that He is with me, that I'm not alone. And so I pray.