The Trip That Changed Everything | EP3

I didn’t go to Dallas to find God.

I went because I couldn’t stay in my life anymore.

What began as a simple weekend escape — a ten-hour drive to visit a friend — became something I never saw coming.

In this episode, I share the story of that trip:
the quiet exhaustion I carried,
the unexpected invitation to church,
and the moment something inside me broke open.

There was no thunder.
No dramatic voice from the sky.

Just a presence.
A peace.
A love I had never known before.

This is the story of how I thought I was running away…
and discovered I was being led somewhere my heart had been searching for all along.

Email: elenaswy@gmail.com

IG: @elenaswenyu

Transcript

Hi, this is Elena. Welcome to How I Met Jesus —

Today, I want to take you to Dallas, Texas —

a city I went to - because I needed a break from my life.

I didn’t go to Dallas to find God.

I went because I couldn’t stay in my life anymore.

And somehow… that was exactly where He met me.

In the last episode, I shared that there was a heaviness inside me

I didn’t know how to name — a deep sense of worthlessness,

like the life I was living was no longer the life I wanted.

From the outside, everything still looked fine — even successful.

But inside… I was so exhausted. Not just physically. Soul-tired.

I knew I needed distance.

I needed a space to breathe.

Space to think, to hear myself again.

So when a friend from my time in China — her name is Katalia, 

mentioned she was studying in Dallas… I thought, oh, I hadn’t been there before. So I asked her, 

“Hey… this might sound random, but could I come visit for the weekend?”

She said yes immediately.

Then she added:

“My schedule is pretty full this weekend…

I might not have much time to show you around.”

I told her, “That’s okay. I’m not really looking to go sightseeing.

If you don’t mind… I’d love to just join whatever you already have planned.”

She laughed softly, “Of course. You’re welcome to come.”

Then she said something almost casually:

“I should probably mention…

most of my weekends revolve around church.”

At the time, that detail didn’t feel important.

I wasn’t searching for God.

I wasn’t even curious.

Honestly… I just needed somewhere that wasn’t my life.

So I got in my car and drove nearly 10 hours from Kansas City to Dallas.

Looking back now…

I’m still amazed at how that trip began.

Not with a big decision. Not with a clear plan.

Just a quiet thought: "I can’t stay where I am."

So I left.

What felt like a simple escape became the beginning of something far greater than I could have imagined.

That weekend in Dallas, I followed Katalia everywhere: a Chinese home church, a Bible study, even a baptism - where people cried, hugged, and shared stories of lives being changed.

I watched it all politely, curiously, but from a distance.

Because in my heart, I still saw myself as a loyal Buddhist. 

And if I’m honest...

A part of me felt that turning toward Jesus 

would somehow be a betrayal of where I came from.

So I observed, but I kept my guard up.

Then Tuesday night came. We went to Watermark Church.

The young adult gathering had just begun —

Music filled the room, voices lifted. The Pastor preach on the stage,

people lifting their hands in worship.

And suddenly… something inside me broke open.

I started crying, a deep, uncontrollable, soul-level crying that seemed to rise

from somewhere far beneath the surface.

And in that moment, I sensed something. 

Not with my eyes — but deep in my spirit.

It felt as if Jesus was walking toward me… arms open.

No condemnation.

No distance.

Just warmth.

Just love.

A presence that felt strangely familiar.

And inside me, a whisper I couldn’t ignore:

“I want Jesus come into my life. I want to follow Him.”

It wasn’t imagination. It wasn’t emotion. It felt like recognition.

It felt like being filled from the inside out — peace, warmth, and a love I had never known.

The pain, the loneliness, the heaviness I had carried for so long…… 

was suddenly gone.

In its place was a peace

I had never experienced before.

Not excitement.

Not emotional hype.

Just deep…

steady…

peace.

After the gathering,

I told Katalia what had happened.

She held my hands and said,

“Elena… you may not have understood every word tonight.

But you received the message. God spoke directly to your heart.”

And somehow…

I knew she was right.

I thought I was taking a trip to Dallas.

But that trip was never just about getting away.

While I was trying to escape my life,

God was quietly leading me into a new one.

To a place my heart had been searching for

even before I knew how to name it.

And if that night taught me anything…

it was this:

I am deeply beloved.

And maybe —

if you need to hear this today —

you are beloved too.

Not for what you do.

Not for how strong you are.

But simply because you are.

And that… is where the next chapter begins.

Because once you realize you are deeply loved by God…

everything starts to change.