Humans of H2O: JON

Humans of H2O: JON
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When I was 11 months old, I fell from a three-story window head first onto the concrete below. I was rushed to the nearest hospital where my parents and the doctors all thought I wouldn’t survive. I had a fractured skull, and my brain was swelling more as the seconds passed. In my critical condition, I was watched extremely closely. And then, something amazing happened: the swelling started to go down. As it continued to go down, my entire family breathed a sigh of relief at this small glimmer of hope. Soon after I went into a surgery where they would fix the gaping hole in my skull.

As the years progressed, I slowly recovered. The accident that should have killed me, left me only half-paralyzed on the right side of my body. I attended therapy for several years to learn how to walk and function properly. My injury still exists today, but does not hinder me at all. I live a normal life: I go to movies with friends, I drive, I work. I do the same things everyone else does. I don’t consider myself disabled because I have yet to find anything I can’t do.

 


 

I grew up in a Christian home, but I never really owned my faith as my own. When I went away to college, I quickly fell away from attending church, but I didn’t think it was a big deal. With all the distractions of college, I didn’t search for a church or really see the need for one. But as college went on… I became frustrated and felt as if I had no direction in my life…like something was missing.

Community.

I’ve always been shy and never really engaged in social activities on campus, but decided I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I spoke to one of my oldest friends about this, and he invited me to his college group one night. It was called the C.I.A. (Christians In Action), how cool is that?!

That night, everything changed. They were welcoming and caring. They wanted to know me. Together, we unpacked some really hard stuff as I began to ask difficult questions pertaining to my life. Why do I not feel accomplished? Do I have a purpose in this life, and if so, what is it?

I began having late-night talks with God and slowly, I came to the realization that my injury was actually a miracle. God put me on this Earth for a reason, and He wasn’t finished with me. I know He has something great planned for me, and I’ll await patiently and faithfully until the day comes.

I know that my life wasn’t taken that day because God has plans for me. Big plans. For now, I’ll continue to serve at H2O, my home. I came here several years ago and I found that same sense of community I so longed for. Immediately upon coming here, I felt safe and welcomed. The lifelong friendship that have blossomed out of this church have forever changed me. At H2O, I am one of the truck drivers (literally bringing the church to people), I call it Trucking for Jesus, and I also get to help lead Hydro, our new middle school ministry. I’m thankful I get to help recreate the same atmosphere I experienced all those years ago at the C.I.A.

 


Contributing author: Jon M.

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Bonjour! I'm the Social Media Coordinator for H2O Church Orlando. Most of the stories I post are written by other members of the church. If you have a story to share or were impacted by one of the teachings, I'd love to hear it. Go on- reach out!

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