Have you ever gone through a tough time and wondered if God truly exists?  I lost my Papa last year in the February of 2014, and words cannot describe the pain and sadness my family and I went through.  I cried myself asleep for a week.  It was heart breaking to see my nana, mom, aunts, and uncles cry and get emotional.  I wondered why God had to do this to my family, and why does he take away the ones we love.

  During the tough week, my friends would text and face time me to make sure I was okay and try to cheer me up.  My family and I would gather at my Nana’s house to eat, mourn, and try to have a good time.  But when I was alone, I felt lost.  I had the feelings that something was missing like there was a “hole” in my heart.  Nothing was the same until I attended the Steubenville East Conference in the summer of 2014.

The Steubenville East Retreat is a journey teens take to help build or strengthen their relationship with God.  This experience was filled with music, laughter, and fun, but at times it was serious and sad.  Steubenville changed my perspective of life.  The music spoke to me and told me I am not alone.  The guest speakers made me laugh and helped me understand God and my faith better.  Besides me, I had my parish group there to support me with our fancy T-shirts and crazy cheers.  Adoration was the most important part of the retreat.  Adoration is when a priest carries the Eucharistic form of Jesus around the congregation.  In this moment, I felt the presence of Jesus and my Papa.  Adoration taught me that my Papa is just a prayer away. 

Even though my Papa was taken away by God, God gives me the chance to see my Papa again. I learned from Steubenville that faith will guide you through the toughest times in life. Like St. Augustine said “The heart doesn't rest, until it rests in God.”   God filled that missing piece in my heart so I could feel complete again.