God uses our talents to draw us nearer to Him. I fully believe the Lord gave me the gift of speed skating for the sole purpose of having a relationship with Him. If God hadn’t given me the desire to skate, I would never have moved to Utah and would not have a relationship with Him today.

I moved to Salt Lake City shortly after graduation from high school in order to pursue my dream of competing in the Olympics. My life was lived completely apart from God. At that time, skating was my religion. I used my talent to gain status and to appear successful within my social network. I was also completely skeptical of God. In fact, I hated Him. Just the mention of His name would cause me to disengage from any further conversation about Him.

But inside, I was tormented from depression and anxiety, heading toward an emotional low. And it certainly didn’t help that during that time I became involved in an abusive relationship which basically stripped me of all dignity and self-respect. My self-worth and image were completely distorted, based solely on my skating performance and ranking.

Shortly thereafter, I was driving in a friend’s car when I noticed, crumpled up on the floor, a flyer for a church called The Rock. Instantly, I was irritated. On top of that, a few days later I saw a commercial advertising The Rock Church. I recall burning with anger in my heart as I watched the commercial, so don’t ask me why I bothered to visit The Rock website! But I did — only to be made angrier.

If that weren’t enough, my brother called the next day asking me to go to church with him. Yup, you guessed it, The Rock Church. Since I kept hearing about this place, I reluctantly decided to go — but only to reassure myself and make sure my brother wasn’t involved in a cult!

I remember stepping into my first service as a complete cynic, determined to squeeze this congregation into my paradigm of hypocrites. I can’t remember what was said, but a revelation was set ablaze within me. Deep in my soul, it dawned on me that everything I was taught from the Bible as a child was true. Furthermore, I knew I had come to a point where I needed to spiritually define my life and gain some perspective apart from my past and my skating.

That night, I chose to make God the center of my life. I had exhausted what I thought were all the necessary means for me to find happiness, even to the point of reluctantly going to the last place on earth I ever expected to find peace. But church is exactly where I found it — in the person of Jesus Christ. And I have not looked back.

I have now been going to The Rock for six years. Since that pivotal faith decision, I have a joy and an anchor that surpasses all understanding. Yes, God allowed me to realize my dream and I was able to proudly represent my country at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but now I use my skating as a means of worship to God. It isn’t about skating, or me, but about God and His love. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take away my condemnation and give me life to the fullest. He is in my heart and lovingly uses my dreams and desires so I can know and love Him, and He personally offers that love and relationship to everyone.

What is The Rock Church? It’s a place that God uses to give us back our lives. It’s a place where I was saved and continue to grow. It’s a place where God changed me from a victim to a conqueror!