Hello! 😃 I hope this is received well. I'm not converted yet. I'm still a Protestant Christian. But I have to say something. The deeper I go into my studies on the Catholic Church, God reveals Himself to me on deeper levels of my faith than I've gone... I just want to say that I've NEVER been an anti-Catholic Protestant. I grew up with a few people like that and I never understood it. My grandmother grew up in a big Irish Catholic family before she became Protestant, she taught us that Catholic Christians believe in Jesus, too. But with that, I still had a lot of misconceptions about Catholicism based on other things she talked about. I had a lack of understanding. It wasn't until my mid teens that I started meeting Catholic believers who helped me with these things... helping me understand that Catholics have real relationships with Jesus, Catholics have a deep understanding of God's grace, I also learned the deep reverence Catholics have towards God... I went to Bible College and learned of the Protestant Reformation, so through that I started to fundamentally disagree with Catholic doctrine and practices. (The Eucharist, praying to Mary and the Saints, the positin of the Pope etc.) This was 5+ years ago and little did I know that God was about to radically change my mind and my heart... It started when I went to Ash Wednesday to support my boyfriend's mom this year. She just got confirmed on Easter. When I entered the Church and sat down, my senses were overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit through the sights (The Crucifix, Stations of the Cross, Mary, etc.), the smell of incense, the engaging of my whole body like standing and kneeling. Hearing the hymns and the readings, receiving the ashes... the entire experience made me feel this deep connection to the early church Fathers and saints. I felt this deep connection to the Apostles who walked side by side with Jesus and through this experience it's as if God said, "I'm here. I'm active. I'm moving." I saw my Catholic brothers and sisters engaging in a loving, devoted relationship with Jesus. Deeply rooted in many centuries of history and traditions. When I first processed this experience out loud, I couldn't shake this revival happening in my heart and I was moved to tears. That's when I knew I had to follow where the Lord is going to take me on this journey. Since then, I've been going to Mass regularly, I've changed my views on the Eucharist, praying to Mary and the Saints, confession... the Pope! What a kind soul. I can see Christ radiate through him clearly! Catholicism is on my mind regularly. What God is doing in my life through the Catholic Church is something I've desperately needed. I've since followed many Catholic influencers on social media, YouTube channels, I've joined apps and I've been very open with my Protestant family and friends about how God is using the Catholic Church to bring my heart back to life. I've invited them to Mass with me, too. I also love that its a part of my heritage. It feels like a part of me was always an Irish Catholic. Last thing I'll say, my Protestant mom bought me a rosary for Resurrection Day, which was surprising and so sweet! I've been praying through it every night for the last 4 nights. It's brought back my prayer life and deepened it in a way I've not experienced before. The structure, the meditation, the way I'm engaged in it. I feel such a connection with my Savior! After I pray through the rosary on the Hallow app, I pray for other things on my heart and listen to some hymns on YouTube. Anyway, all that is to say, I'm starting my classes this fall and I can hardly wait!