Five years ago, Ambry never imagined she would be teaching children about the Catholic faith. In fact, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to step inside a church again.

“Growing up, I had no true understanding of religion, which caused many issues later in my life,” she shared. “I faced numerous hardships and struggles.”

In high school, she began seeking God for the first time and joined a Pentecostal church. For a while, she thought she had found what she was looking for. But over time, the experience left her feeling more broken than whole.

“I don’t like to criticize others’ beliefs, but I ended up hating myself and feeling distant from God,” she said.

In the middle of that confusion and pain, tragedy struck — she experienced a miscarriage and endured abuse, leaving her heart shattered and her faith nearly gone.

Then came a turning point.

“Six months into my grief and heartache, I met my now-husband, who has been Catholic since birth,” she said. “I started going to Mass with him because it was important to him, and I wanted to understand both him and the liturgy. I loved him deeply, so I was willing to ‘put up with Mass’ to be closer to him.”

What began as curiosity soon became a journey toward healing and truth. As their relationship deepened, so did her questions about faith. When they decided to marry in the Church, she began the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) — a program that welcomes and teaches those entering the Catholic Church.

“I was hesitant at first,” she admitted. “There were moments of doubt when I wondered if this was the right path for me. But little by little, I started to fall in love with the faith.”

Her conversion wasn’t easy. She wrestled with her past, her anger, and even her relationship with God. But through the gentle witness of her husband, her parish community, and the grace of the sacraments, she began to experience something she hadn’t felt in years — peace.

“I realize now that my frustrations came from anger toward myself and God,” she said. “But we made it through those challenges. I completed my sacraments, and a few months later, we got engaged and married in the Church.”

Today, she radiates the same love and joy that helped bring her home. She now serves as an OCIA teacher for children and youth, helping others discover the same truth and beauty that transformed her life.

“Now, I am deeply in love with my Church and my relationship with God,” she said. “I absolutely love helping others find the same peace I did.”

At Newman Connection, we hear stories like this every day — stories of redemption, belonging, and rediscovered faith. Through your support, young people and adults alike are finding their way back to the Church, one personal connection at a time.

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