Kristin Boyd

I grew up in a typical Canadian cradle-Catholic household and faith was important to my family.

In 2009, my whole world flipped upside down and I experienced a lot of tragedy - my friend died, my uncle was diagnosed with leukemia and my Nana passed away in an accident in her nursing home. I became angry with God and resented Him for all the pain He had caused. Week after week, I sat in the pew, furious with a God who was supposed to be good. I was mad because if God was good, why had He allowed bad things to happen to good people. Eventually, I just stopped going to Mass altogether because I couldn’t sit in a pew anymore.

Everything came to a crossroads and I was at the lowest point in my life, struggling with my mental health and almost dropped out of school after my second year of university. I decided to give God one more shot. I spent my summer vacation searching for Catholic youth conferences but found nothing. I listened to only Christian music and I tried to make better choices about my faith. I wanted so desperately for God to save me – I felt like I was drowning and He was my last shot.

Everything changed with one Facebook event invite. I was invited to a Catholic youth conference called SONfest. At that conference, in 2011, I said Yes to Christ for real for the first time in my life and I’ve been saying yes ever since.

Saying yes that weekend wasn’t easy. At that point in my life I knew I believed in God but I never felt good enough. I was mocked about my faith. And I had never met people my age who loved God. I remember introducing myself saying in our small group who I was and suddenly I was overwhelmed and burst into tears- I said something like for the first time in my life I met people like me who loved their faith and it was so nice to not be alone. That weekend I went to confession for the first time since grade two. I experienced Eucharistic Adoration for the first time. I said yes because I knew that I couldn’t do it without God. I had tried and failed. I wanted to experience a love beyond sin, beyond mistakes, beyond pain. Saying yes would change everything, and it was scary, but I knew He would guide me through it.

God pulled me out of the water that weekend. He breathed His life into me and gave me purpose. Shortly after saying yes, I got involved in the Church and Youth Ministry. When I graduated from University, I served as a full-time youth minister for four years, trying to bring His lost sheep back to the Church, just like I had been led.

Almost ten years later, I can honestly say my life is nothing I imagined it would be. I’ve struggled and I’ve failed God and others, but I’ve tried and fought hard every day not to give up. My favourite quote from St. Mother Teresa says “God wouldn’t give me anything I couldn’t handle – I just wish He wouldn’t trust me so much”. Every day I know God trusts a lot to me.

Currently, I serve God on the front line of our Catholic schools as a Grades 6, 7 & 8 teacher. God entrusts me to serve and lead the 40+ students I teach every day. I try to teach them how living a Catholic life can be done in the smallest of things and the simplest of ways. I am certainly not perfect as a Catholic or as a teacher, but I try and show my students humility and love.

As I live day by day, I trust in God and say this prayer from the Surrender Novena: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything”.