Highlight Testimony: Olivia Martino

As a 'Preacher's Daughter', I grew up in the church and have been heavily involved in ministry all my life. For many of those years, I believed that I could thrive off of my parents' relationships with God, little knowing that one day God would meet me in my life's story with an invitation to come up higher and abide with Him in a personal relationship of my own.

Ever since first grade, I have played basketball. I have been blessed with skills and a love for the sport that opened doors for me to play increasingly at higher levels- AAU, HS, & College. Although my outward showed 'happy' in the sport, my inward was troubled by the demands the sport was beginning to have on my schedule. Due to practices and games, I began to miss church consistently. I always felt that basketball was separating me from God. This would be the catalyst to ignite a 'perfect storm' in my life.

My 'perfect storm' was the convergence of the slowly fading embers of my faith compass + middle school life + the pressures of the world and my desire to please everyone. The weight of it all was too heavy for this 12 year old to bear. I was quietly-yet, completely overwhelmed! Often, I struggled with suicidal 'thoughts' that eventually 'moved my feet' onto a downward path to end my life. Before I knew it, or anyone else for that matter, I had attempted suicide. And this, not just once, but on three different occasions.

It would be during my third suicide attempt that God met my desperate heart, flood of tears and 'child's cry' for help. I could now see His light in my darkness. His light exposed the deep of my heart and it actually felt good to be exposed, to repent, to be real, to be honest, and vulnerable before the Lord. I felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Even more, I knew in that moment that I had my very own personal relationship with the Lord and I would never look back.

Fast forward, I am now a graduate student-athlete at Sacred Heart University. I play on the SHU Women's Basketball team, though currently I've been sidelined from play, due to injury. However, and thankfully... not sidelined from the bigger purposes God has for me here on campus. Through my injury, I've learned that God can bring good out of any circumstance, even those meant to harm us or that we just don't understand.

Turns out, God has been using me on campus to bring my teammates to Christ and closer to Christ in many ways...first time commitments, rededications- even baptisms.

FCA was one of the major influences in shaping the way I think about my life and my various trials. While at Lafayette College, FCA led me deeper into the truth of God's Word and in my understanding of relationships with God and others. My mindset or worldview became increasingly 'kingdom-minded'. The word 'religion' was no longer suitable to describe the 'relationship' I'd come to know of personally, as a friend of God.

FCA has always had a place in my heart. And, that good seed in my heart, bore good fruit in my life and fruit that remains today. I want to pay FCA forward to my fellow athletes and students here at Sacred Heart University. FCA|SHU has now come to life, Fall 2021! I'm here for such a time as this!!

"...all things work together for good to those who love God..." Romans 8:28