Help Ariana Wake Up A Sleeping Generation

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May 18, 2018, I was 16 years old; I had just finished performing a dance that my team had been learning and rehearsing for months; we were met with an uproar of applause, and I was on top of the world. My mom had come to greet me backstage, but something was eerie; she seemed heavy, darkness captivated her gaze. She told me to get my stuff because we had to go somewhere. I didn’t hesitate; I ran to get my things and met her in the parking lot. I remember the moment, sitting in the back seat of her bright red Mazda 3, she began to cry. My mom, the strongest woman I have ever known, began to cry. I was immediately confused. She looked at my two brothers and I through the rearview mirror and began to apologize, “babies, I am so sorry,” she continued, “your dad is in hospice; we don’t know how long he has left.” Immediately my world shattered; everything grew dark, I was numb. My dad, my hero, the one who would sing and play his bass day in and day out, the person who made me feel safe- invincible even- the man that was supposed to walk me down the aisle, laid lifeless, powerless, breathless. He was gone. My dad was gone.
My heart grew cold; a stone replaced the once lively and joyful one I had. Every dream I had, every ounce of joy that once filled me was brutally stripped away. I was angry. How could my dad be gone? My dad was the most amazing man I have ever known; he loved God with every fiber of his being and led his family to do the same. He was a worship leader; he spent every second he had honoring and serving God. He was kind and sincere, faithful to help anyone in need, no matter how much it inconvenienced him. How could God do that to me? How could such a ‘good God’ take away the person I needed most? How could God just sit there and watch my father get eaten away by cancer and do nothing about it? I resorted to the only possible solution to those questions consuming my mind; There was no God.
For two years, I upheld that belief; I resented anything that had to deal with religion or the Church, I was angry. I spent night after night sobbing and wishing my dad would magically return, but he never did. Then, I remember one night I was driving down 1604; my heart matched the speed of my car going 100 miles per hour, my foot was an unrelenting boulder set on the pedal. Suddenly, a distant feeling hit me, one I hadn’t felt in years; everything was still, I felt peace. With tear-stained cheeks, my heart felt a sense of relief; the monster enslaving me had finally made its escape. I am free.
For over two years, I was shackled to the monster of depression. Joy and hope were distant memories that had died with my hero. I had no desire to live or to do anything, I had felt so isolated and alone, yet, in an indescribable instant, everything changed. That night was the first time I had ever encountered the Holy Spirit. I heard Him say, “Ariana, you are not alone, your dad is here with me, he is safe, he is healed,” It was the first night, after two grueling years, that I felt peace. At that moment, the scales fell from my eyes, and I could see, feel, and believe again.
Two years later, I can still say that is true; Jesus has completely transformed me. He has turned my mourning into dancing and clothed me in righteousness. Yet, even having hated Him, Jesus has never stopped chasing me and never will. Instead, he has restored me, given me hope for the future, and now I want to do the same for others.
My name is Ariana Coiro; I am the 20-year-old daughter of Edward and Maria Coiro. It is my biggest dream and passion in life to reach the hurting and brokenhearted people and restore their hope and joy by becoming a Christian Counselor. I believe with all of my heart that God wants to use me to seek out those who have been hurt, abused, traumatized, and broken by this world and awaken them with the hope and joy that comes with not only knowing Jesus but also from being heard and loved. I believe in this upcoming generation, I know that they will create a better world for generations to come, but I also believe that they are one of the most hopeless and hurting generations to ever exist. I know that I have been called to be the person to wake up this generation. I have been called to step up and come alongside them and help to restore their hope, find their identity, and bring them the confidence they need to be who they were created to be. However, I cannot do so without the necessary training and education.
I have been accepted to transfer into Liberty University for the Fall of 2022, however, with only one source of income from a mother working tireless hours, it is not enough to support my educational aspirations. I have spent the past two years in community college where I have retained a 4.0 GPA and have consecutively made the presidents list, all while being heavily involved in various leadership roles within my church’s high school, college, and middle school ministries, discipling girls and walking alongside them through their struggles. It is my dream to go to Liberty, to learn and study under professors who love God and love people, and to develop not only as a leader, but as a student as well. However, as it stands, I cannot afford to go, even with the scholarships that have been offered to me. If you feel led to, please consider donating so that I might be able to accomplish my dream of helping those who are broken and hurting just like I once was.

Thank you,
Ariana Coiro
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    Ariana Coiro
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    San Antonio, TX

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