My Testimony

Get ready to read a lot, because I'm going to tell you all about my story!

I was born in Florida, USA July 4th 2002. I moved to the UK with my family when I was four. There, I was raised as a Christian and was taught the value of what that meant. After my father moved back to America, when I was 12, I faced a number of hardships and the reality of life kicked in, as it does with most people. At 14, I turned away from my faith as a Christian and began to drink excessively, smoke weed, and party like I had something to prove. This lifestyle left me feeling lost and alone for a long time. In the summer of 2019, My brother and I moved to Oregon, USA to live with our father. I was running from my life in England but didn't want to admit it at the time. Even with a fresh start, in a new country, I continued to be a spiteful and angry youth. I had run-ins with the police, I stole my father's car, totalled it, and I drank and smoked more than ever before. In my mind, the world was unfair and cold. So I pushed away everyone who tried to get close, and shut them out by putting walls up around my heart.

On a night when I was feeling like there was nothing good in my life to live for anymore, I felt my hands being pulled together. I fought the feeling, but they clasped tight and I began to pray to the God I had forgotten about. I cried as I remembered who He was and how He loved even me. As time drew on from that moment, I brushed the experience off on account of me being tired and emotional. But God had a plan, and I was walking out that plan without even knowing it. 

A few months after that, I moved to Bend, Oregon for college. Where I carried on partying like I was going to die before the night was over. Many times I woke up not knowing where I was, or what happened the night before. I was still destroying everything around me, and was not at all behaving like I had been given a second oppurtunity by Jesus. Anyway, I managed to stay on top of my grades, because I didn't want to look like a screw up to my parents. I graduated from Central Oregon Community College with a two-year transfer degree, and seven years before I needed to be back in school to redeem that degree. 

So naturally, I wanted to travel around a bit with that time. You know, see the world and do the things. But I didn't want to just wander aimlessly, because that sounded lonely. So I talked it over with my father, and he recommended Youth With A Mission (YWAM). He had spent a number of years in YWAM when he was my age, and his parents had even started an outreach base in Belize, where they still are today. So I search YWAM up, and the first base I find is offering an SDTS (Snowboarding Discipleship Training School). I applied without really knowing what I was getting myself into. But I'm so happy I did.

Thanks to my family, friends, and anonymous donors I raised enough money to fund the school. I was on my way to Canada and had no idea what to expect. It soon became apparent to me that, this is exactly where God wanted me to be. I could not have imagined the impact my SDTS would have on my life. It showed me who I really was. Behind the walls of bottles and beer cans my heart still beat. I have found that beat again and I do not want to lose time anymore. So I'm sticking with the rythm God has given me, and I have applied to join staff in Vancouver. Where I will continue to walk along the path He is laying out for me. 

Thank you for taking the time to read that. God bless you.

Ezekiel Smith.