Makenzie Doran was raised in The Woodlands, Texas along with her older sister. From a young age, she learned to play tennis, and over the years developed into a very good player. Before middle school, Makenzie attended church services on occasion with her sister and her mom, but by her teenage years, they went on Christmas and Easter only — if they went at all. Most weekends they went out of town for tennis tournaments, and even if they were home, Makenzie remembers, “I would always rather be playing tennis than going to church. My life revolved around tennis, and that’s what I spent the majority of my time doing.” Nevertheless, Makenzie thought of herself as a Christian.
She left home after high school to play college tennis in east Texas. After her freshman year, Makenzie decided to transfer to Texas A&M to pursue a career in nursing. During her sophomore year, the boy she had dated since high school broke up with her. Because Makenzie had built much of her life and identity around their relationship, the breakup left her feeling devastated.
About this time, Makenzie met a fellow nursing student named Allison, who is a member of New Life. They quickly became friends and started spending a good amount of time together. One morning at breakfast, Allison shared the Gospel with Makenzie and then asked her what she believed. Makenzie recalls, “I told her that I was a Christian and that I just didn’t really know [what I believed]. But in reality I was leading an unchristian lifestyle.” Makenzie had assumed that because she grew up attending church occasionally, she was a Christian.
Allison gave Makenzie a Bible and invited her to attend worship at New Life. After attending for a few weeks, Makenzie knew that she really liked New Life and that she had never heard the Gospel presented from the Bible like it was at New Life. Even though Makenzie saw a real difference between her life and the lives of her new friends (including Allison’s), she continued to think of herself as a pretty good person.
Last summer, Makenzie continued to attend worship at New Life on a weekly basis. One day while listening to a sermon, God opened her eyes to the truth. “I became so aware of my sins, and that I had been living in unrepentant sin my whole life,” Makenzie remembers. “I repented of my sin and placed my faith in Jesus. Because of God’s grace my life has been forever changed from the inside out…All the things I had been doing that I thought were good that would make me right with God were no good…It was so clear that the only way to God was through His Son, and because of His perfect life, I was free in Him.”
From L-R: Allison, Elizabeth, Makenzie, and Rebekah, all members of New Life who have lived together since August 2011
After placing her faith in Jesus, Makenzie was baptized and joined New Life in Fall 2011. She says, “I will never forget how inviting and welcoming New life was to me when I first started coming. Through New Life I continue to learn about the Gospel…God has shown me how much of a blessing it is to be a part of a body of believers who prays for each other and supports each other every single day.”
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