Olympic Champion Missy Franklin was interviewed by Chad Bonham for Beliefnet.com, and you can read the whole interview HERE.
Excerpts about her strong faith, which she discovered during her first visit to her high school, Regis Jesuit, are reproduced below:
Bonham: Can you tell me about your faith journey?Franklin: Religion was not important in my parents’ upbringing. Therefore I never had a church home. We occasionally attended a church service but I felt so uncomfortable and self-conscious as I didn’t know what was expected. Before my freshman year I visited Regis Jesuit High School. As I walked in the main door, I felt at peace and knew I belonged there. From that first moment, I knew God was with me. Every day over the last three years, my faith has grown. One of my favorite times is going to our beautiful school chapel and spending time with God. This year, I attended Kairos with my Regis Jesuit sisters and it changed my life forever. I now really work on keeping my faith strong.Bonham: How has your faith in God specifically helped you deal with the challenges you’ve faced as an Olympic hopeful?Franklin: God is always there for me. I talk with Him before, during and after practice and competitions. I pray to Him for guidance. I thank Him for this talent He has given me and promise to be a positive role model for young athletes in all sports.Bonham: What are your expectations for what God might be doing collectively through the church at the Olympics?Franklin: Once every four years, athletes, families, friends and fans come together from all over the world. I know God will be there and I hope many of the people there will also feel His presence. He will offer us the opportunity to appreciate and love our similarities and differences. It will be up to each of us to take away as little or as much as we want from London.Missy Franklin (Photo by Michael Haaseth/NBC)
