hi all. so i thought i had put my story here, but i can’t find it, so maybe i didn’t 😳

anyway, hi. i’m thea, i’m 23 from melbourne.

i don’t really have a dramatic story. it has been very gradual and amazing.

i first came out when i was 16. i didn’t actually come out, my friend asked me if i was more into girls than boys. my “dirty little secret” was out. my parents were great about it when i told them. and my friends have also been great.

at the start of 2004, i had a mini quarter life crisis. everything i thought i was, lifted up like dust, everything i help onto became slippery. i felt like i had lost my identity, and didn’t know who i was or what i was doing. in march, i started going to church, just randomly. i had spoken to a friends mum the year before about the church she went to. and i hadn’t thought of it since, until then. it was the vineyard in lilydale, melbourne. was a great place to become a christian. i made some really solid friendships. for about a year or two, i kind of kept my sexuality and my spirituality seperate. after a while, i couldn’t anymore. i spoke to two different friends about it. they both told me they still loved me etc, except i didn’t feel accepted. one told me i should go see debra hirsh (she runs an ex-gay type ministry in st kilda), and the other friend told me it was wrong. she actually referred to how, when she became a christian she used to smoke, but god convicted her in her heart to quite… not exactly the same thing dear.

so anyway, i’ve since changed churches (not because of that, it was time to move on anyway). i now go to treehouse vineyard and i absolutely love it. the people are so warm and lovely, and have accepted me completely.

i’m still working things out in my own mind. but i have amazing people around me, and am also absolutely in love with god.

🙂

So cool you shared your story Miss T D and that you have such a supportive church, so important.

🙂

there are about 15 regulars at my church at the moment. it’s growing very slowly. but it’s sort of an everyone church. one or two have the old school “christian” view on homosexuality and to others it’s not an issue at all. i’d love to catch up with you when you’re in melb.

hey avb 🙂

i just printed it out now from my email.

i’d love to come along, i know i’m busy that night, but i’ll definitely try my hardest to come along. are you doing any other appearances while you’re in melb?