Even though I was only eight years old, I understood what the preacher was saying. I knew that I needed my sins forgiven. I knew that I needed a Saviour, so I accepted the Lord into my life. It was at special meetings in my home community of Kikino (AB), where my Christian grandparents took me to church.

Unfortunately, I haven't lived for the Lord always since then. I'm now in my second year at KBI, but when I was in high school it got harder to live for the Lord. I started doing what my friends wanted. My rebellion started when my mom moved to study at KBI. I didn't want to move here, and at first I didn't like it at all. After high school I went to Grant MacEwan College (Edmonton), and that's when I was really not paying attention to God at all.

When I was 19 I decided I didn't want to live like that any more, into drugs and alcohol. Since then I've been seeking to live for Him completely. I guess it was necessary for God to break me, and show me that I really needed Him. After that happened I didn't know what to do with my life -- I already had it planned out. The idea of attending KBI came to me. My mom graduated from KBI, and it turned out to be a good thing. When I stopped being so stubborn, I saw that God really works in the lives of people here at KBI.

In my first year here I learned about being willing to do things for God. I can be shy, so a lot of times I could find excuses for not doing something -- singing, teaching children, leading devotionals, or just talking with people. But here at KBI there are "assignments" ... you have to talk! God showed me that He's willing to help me if I'm willing to do it. Another thing I'm carrying on from last year is an increasing desire to know God's Word, and that a strong prayer life needs to be a big part of the Christian life -- being in constant connection with God.

I've found opportunities to share what the Lord means to me. For Christian service I've taught children in religion classes in a public school, and I help with youth ministry in my home church at Kikino, which isn't far from Lac La Biche. I know it can be hard living for the Lord when you're a teen. That's why I'm glad for the opportunity to encourage the Christian teens and reach out to the others.

Also, I've sung with the "Praise I AM" music group. Through our KBI tours we've seen people get touched by the Lord through the music. People have told us they were encouraged.

The summer of 2009 I'll be going on the NMTC summer missions program. I know a bit about crossing cultures through a missions trip to South Africa. Even though I'll be among First Nations people next summer, there will still be the challenge of experiencing new things.