Sydni’s story
“Exposing my grief and loneliness created a sense of vulnerability and connection in our community group.”
“I have never felt more alone than the night I got a text from my sister telling me that our young cousin had died. I had recently moved to San Diego, leaving my family and entire support system 3,000 miles east in Virginia. A few months prior, I started attending Redeemer (Trinity’s mother church) and a young adult community group. Attempting to process the funeral and the dysfunction in my family left me feeling broken and exhausted so, in a moment of desperation, I emailed the community group and asked for help. I wish I could copy and paste their responses here! Their immediate compassion and support showed me the love of Jesus in a way I had never experienced before. These Christians were not scared of my grief and they did not try to diminish my anger, they just showed up. Exposing my grief and loneliness created a sense of vulnerability and connection in our community group. This feeling of connection and safety allowed me to start exploring my faith honestly and brought me deeper into a relationship with God.”
—Sydni Brawley