When I was 8 years old, I went camping with my Dad, brother, and some friends. After setting up our tent, we decided to go on a hike. Somehow during this journey, I found myself alone and lost. I had no idea where I was. After walking in attempt to find my lost party for what seemed like hours, it started to get dark. If night came and I was lost and alone, I probably would never see my family again. At this point, I was terrified. Amidst this horrific predicament that I had found myself in, I resulted in performing what I had been taught to do since I could walk and talk: I knelt down and started to pray to God. I prayed for protection, and I prayed to be able to see my family again. As I opened my eyes and started to stand up, I saw the headlights to a truck. As I approached the light, I found that it was my father. I later learned that I had wondered off 3 miles away from the camp site. Being found that night was nothing short of a miracle. God was watching over me and protecting me then and continues to do so today. This I truly believe: There is a God.

There are many reasons why one wouldn't believe in God, and I don't blame them. How could an all omnipotent and omniscient Heavenly Father allow atrocities such as war and violence take place on this Earth? To be frank, I don't know. In fact, I think it's safe to say that no one has the answer to this tough question, but there is one thing that I do know: We are definitely not omniscient. For now, we simply don't know. But when we live in the presence of our God after this life, I'm sure we will learn of every justification and reason for all the pain and sorrow that was endured.

Those who believe in evolution and those who believe in God have been in a verbal war for years now. Why must these philosophical ideas contradict each other? Is it not reasonable to say that they go hand in hand? Why can't God use evolution as means through which the structure of life is organized? To believe in science is not to disbelieve in God. The same applies visa versa.

When it comes to believing in God, all it takes is faith. There is no concrete evidence of his existence, nor an instance where I have seen his face. There is just faith. With him, I can be happy. I have felt his love for me in my life. Because of him and his son, Jesus Christ, I can live after this mortal life and be with my family together forever. I simply cannot and refuse to accept that the happiness and love I feel throughout life is just a major coincidence. There just has to be a God.