Meet Megan.
Megan grew up in California with parents who adored her and gave her the best life possible. When she was 10 years old, her parents made the decision to divorce. This event began to affect Megan and decisions she would make up to adulthood. A few years later, in High School, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and in the same time period, they lost their home due to the recession. She said, “Those two things together were really difficult as a teenager to go through.” Growing up, Megan was always the promised student with high hopes for education. She began High School as an honor student. As the years passed, her motivation diminished and she barely finished High School.
Things felt unsettled for a while as she bounced around living situations. She said, “There was a period where I wasn’t living anywhere, between my car and some friend’s houses. I’ve never not had a place to go, I was just kind of a mess. My parents always did their best to provide something for me, and never made it seem like, ‘you’re on your own.’ I was just unstable in myself and my heart.” Megan felt alone with no friends who really understood her situation. Eventually she decided to start community college to begin making steps toward her future. This led her to also join a youth missionary program called Youth With A Mission, a global movement of Christian youth dedicated to serving Jesus. She said, “That is when everything really changed for me, going through that spiritual experience. It gave me more hope, purpose, and vision.”
After a year and half with this program and meeting her now husband, she had more determination and purpose to succeed. She moved to Grand Rapids and graduated from Grand Valley State University. When asked about her marriage, she said, “we dated for 4 years by the time we got married. It took a while according to some people, but by the time we were engaged, I knew he was the one I wanted to marry. I’ve never been against marriage… I just wanted to be sure.” Looking back, she then said, “My relationship with my parents wouldn’t be as close today if we hadn’t gone through all of that. It brought depth to our relationship and we are so much closer because of it.” Megan is now thriving as an adult, a home owner, married, pregnant with her first child, and loving life.