"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." -Missy Franklin

Seventeen-year-old Missy Franklin is still in high school, but this summer she has also been catapulted to the world stage of the Summer Olympics in London, as she swims in 7 events, striving for medals. (Photo: Daily Mail)

Over the weekend, Missy won a bronze medal with teammates in the 400-meter freestyle relay—in the race, she helped set an Olympic record of 3 minutes, 33.15 seconds. Then on Monday, she took gold in the 100-meter backstroke.

But, Missy has had to deal with a huge distraction, as she attends high school and trains in Aurora, Colorado; ground zero for the recent tragic theater shooting.

When asked about it on the http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001-ra9cUxuaddwUmX72NWC-6028r-W5 nrzdx2J3BEmP1lrg4VP2eTkjsTspZceMAEzOOv50Rpz3SC0zsugUafs0axL5 rAfhP9zKRAULPFjZEXKwsFI48j1FtWYCphewtvNpbCC0zEdvIazYHjvnryEl sU6gniMf0BrsTKfccXvwa5OJT_JFTrh1qzc2BYqZsJgQ7MpOuhcjM4OZcXqH sS8bw== - , Missy said, "My thoughts and prayers are constantly with the victims of Aurora and anyone else affected. Hearing that news was so hard, because even a lot of people at home hadn't heard it yet—in France, the time zone was so far ahead—so…waiting to hear from all my friends and family, to make sure they were okay, was just miserable." (Photo: NBC/TODAY)

"I'm thinking about them constantly, but I know that… the only thing I can do to make that situation any better is [to] put my focus here and hopefully do the best I can, to shine some light on Colorado, and make them proud."

Fortunately, Missy leans on her faith in God, as expressed in a Beliefnet interview where she explains how her relationship with the Lord grew.

"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.

"God is always there for me," added Missy. "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."

Read the entire interview at the source link provided.

Source: Beliefnet.com