Stories through the Wilderness

Meeting Jesus in a Teenage Girl’s Diary
Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko

Meeting Jesus in a Teenage Girl’s Diary

Sometimes God meets us in the simplest moments — a quiet summer afternoon, a well-worn book, a whisper beneath the trees. For me, it was through the pages of Diary of a Teenage Girl that faith became personal. That story led me to pray my first honest prayer and begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus. What started as a child’s search for peace became the seed of salvation that still shapes my life today — proof that God can use even the smallest stories to call us home.

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The Invisible Burden of Growing Up in Two Worlds
Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko Faith Story Series Jessica Pavelko

The Invisible Burden of Growing Up in Two Worlds

Growing up between two worlds — one built on faith and structure, the other marked by addiction and chaos — left me carrying invisible burdens I couldn’t name. I learned to read every room, please everyone, and survive by adapting. What I once thought was rebellion was really a child trying to feel safe. Years later, God revealed how those survival patterns could be transformed into empathy, compassion, and purpose. Healing hasn’t meant erasing the past — it’s meant letting Him redeem it, one tender layer at a time.

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