How Can I Pray for You? | A Student Testimony

“Did you know that Jesus loves you?” Ava Orsi asked the person in line in front of her.

Ava loved Jesus. Jesus had done so much for her. Over the past year He gave her hope about her future. He filled her heart so full of love that she couldn’t help but pour it out onto the others around her. Because God gave her peace in her circumstances, she wanted others to know and experience this too.

The biggest blessing next to Jesus were her friends. God surrounded Ava with a devoted and unwavering community. Ava remembered, not too long ago, when she didn’t have any. Her life felt empty. It began when her family dynamics changed, and when her friends walked away from her. It seemed like everyone she loved was gone. She felt lonely and lost.

“My parents are amazing,” Ava described her family. “My family dynamics struggled though. One of my brothers left for the army and I lost that support. My sister moved out on bad terms. We just moved to Omaha, and I didn’t know anyone. It was just me and my little brother left in our house, and it was very quiet. It was awkward in the home.”

About a year ago, Ava’s junior year started during this downward spiral. She held her breath for the crash. Instead, something entirely different happened.

“I looked at my faith and realized I was different at school than home,” Ava confessed. “It came to me that I can’t be a different person to each person. I can’t keep doing this to play along with others. I needed to be me for me. At the prompting of my parents, there was a big turnaround. My parents wanted my brother to go and wanted me to go with me. At first, I was against it. I hadn’t gone to a youth group in a long time. My parents wanted us to settle at Citylight, so we went to Students on a Wednesday night.”

Before walking in, she felt stressed. So many kids were walking in, and she knew none of them. With a big exhale, Ava walked in with her brother and immediately sat down.

“The first thing I noticed were all the people welcoming everyone,” Ave described. “There were so many people talking to each other. I didn’t know anyone. The first two weeks my brother and I hung out together. But then I got comfortable. People knew your name, especially the leaders like Christian and Kate. It’s easy to go and do something if you know someone there knows you.”

The third week at Students was a rally night. A rally night is a night of worship. Ava saw and experienced music, creativity and community. A light turned on in her heart. She felt a change and didn’t know what it was. A week and a half later, she couldn’t contain it. It was too big.

“I texted the Student Ministry leaders Christian and Brian told them I think I am being called and to baptism,” Ava said excitedly. “It was faith. It was the presence of God. There was no other way to explain it. It was bigger and greater than me and my circumstances. I had gone so long without being fully in my faith. Before all of this I would have said I was Christian, but I was so luke-warm. But, out of nowhere, I was switching everything in my lifestyle. People knew me as this person a few months ago and now I was not that person anymore. There’s no way for me to keep living my old life and my new life at the same time. I needed to get rid of it.”

Ava wanted no part of herself that wanted the old. The next three months an unwavering faith took over her and her life. She knew for certain, no matter what, God would be there for her, and she would come out this difficult season of life.

“No matter how much struggle there was and will come,” Ava admitted, “I was still so happy about what was going on and for the future because of Jesus. Jesus died for us. He died for our sins. He wants a relationship with us so that we can get to Heaven. For me, He died and gave me a personal relationship with Him. I was so stressed out. All of a sudden, those things are gone. There are stressful events and people, but having Christ to lean back on, it is an unexplainable gift knowing that God is always there for me.”

Ava publicly proclaimed Jesus Christ with baptism a few months later. How would she describe her baptism? Overwhelming.

“I had a faith so strong in that moment there was nothing higher up,” Ava exclaimed. “I had joy, and I was so happy. I was excited to be there. I had an overwhelming sense of faith and one that would never leave me.”

Less than a year since her baptism, her life has done a 180. Ava is courageous with connecting people. She shares her story and gives others an inside perspective to the switch that went on.

“The first thing I do with people my age is invite them to Students,” Ava shared. “Being a part of a community is so important. I explain to them the struggles with stress and friends I had gone through in my life to now how I am an outwardly spoken person. I am very proud of that. I can tell them that it's okay to not be fully okay before giving your life to Christ. What makes you better and right, is a relationship with God. I describe that everyone has a god-shaped hole in their heart. You don’t have to be perfect. God can fulfill you.”

“Being outward with my faith is the biggest thing. My hope is that everyone I know knows about my faith. I want to be open about it. The biggest lie today is not to share your faith because of the fear. It’s a huge step to be outward. You just have to be ready to sacrifice, even if it that means some people around you.”

Ava graduated high school this past May and committed to the military. She goes to boot camp in July in Texas with the Air Force. She looks forward to being a part of another supportive community.

“Knowing I have a community coming in the Air Force and one to come back to is amazing,” Ava concluded. “To be so close to a community that will always be there for me including my family and church and friends is wonderful, and I get to build a new one. After boot camp, I’ve always wanted to do dental care so I will go to dental hygiene school. The military is paying me to do work and go to college.”

For Ava, this year has been a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness and goodness. She rests in the promise that she is never forsaken, trusting that her future is safe in His hands. Jesus is her 'why'—it’s why she can’t help but tell her story. She’s always looking for a chance to ask someone, 'Jesus loves you. Do you want me to pray for you?'"