BAPTISM STORIES

For much of my life, I carried a tremendous amount of shame, guilt, and embarrassment from things I had experienced and choices I had made. I tried to carry those burdens on my own, but eventually realized I could not heal, find peace, or move forward without Christ.

My friend Nicole Moore was someone God used to help lead me to Jesus. When I felt lost, confused, and like I was spiraling, she continually pointed me toward Christ and reminded me that he died for me and my sins. My husband, Brady Kerry, also played an important role. I had always admired his faith and the way he approached his relationship with God, even though I felt like I knew so little. Neither of them ever pressured me. After talking with Nicole in the summer of 2025 and feeling like nothing was going right, I fell to my knees, cried, and prayed. In that moment, I surrendered everything to Jesus. Romans 8:1 says “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.

Since welcoming Jesus into my life, I have experienced a peace and strength I could never find on my own. I have become a better mother and wife, and my relationship with Brady has grown stronger as we share our faith. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2026, my faith gave me strength to face something that would have otherwise been overwhelming. I know I am not walking through life—or its hardest moments—alone.

Most of my adult life has been spent on the fence. A lukewarm Christian, if you will. I was baptized previously, but without fully surrendering. I had asked for forgiveness but still tried to navigate life as the captain of my ship.

Over the past year, I’ve felt the pull from God to surrender everything and be baptized again. Through a series of unfortunate events, I was humbled by him. I had wandered so far astray that I found myself dealing with trouble I never thought I’d have to, again. I say unfortunate because they were, however, I have come to see the message in the mess. I lost sight of who God is to me.

He is my Lord and Savior. He is my redeemer. He is my everything. I’ve never been so lost that he hasn’t found me. He has shown up in my life repeatedly. He has been patient and loving, while I have been selfish and egocentric. This summer has been enlightening, to say the least. I’ve watched God work wonders through my wife. He transformed her from a person that claimed to be “allergic” to religion, to someone who has tabs in her tangible Bible, that she carries in her pretty Bible case, that stores all the notes taken in service.

I have come to realize that I can’t navigate life. I can’t lead my family. I can’t conquer my demons. I will never be the man that he has called me to be, unless I give everything up to him. I have more forgiveness to ask and I’m ready to surrender it all. I want to leave all my sin, guilt, shame, and unnecessary fear in the water. I look forward to emerging new and redeemed and saved by his grace.

Throughout childhood, my family has always encouraged me to believe in Jesus. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school when we started attending Christ Community that I began to learn more about God’s love. My friend invited me to youth group for the first time at church, where I got to meet other people my age who would also go through a journey of faith with me.

All that I had learned about Jesus through worship, leaders, friends, and family had come together to help strengthen my faith. One day I decided to surrender my life to Jesus because the weight of my past sins lay so heavily on me. I told God that I needed him desperately, and as time went on, God showed me that his grace is enough; he gave me peace through forgiveness. He helped me realize that I am not defined by sins but by his love, and thanks to that, he has shown me that I myself have so much love to give because he loved me first.

He has been my guide and the one I can go to pray for anything. He has helped me face my anxieties; the anxious thoughts that keep me from acting on daily tasks have slowly become a peaceful thing, knowing that God is with me always.

To me, being baptized is the most important moment in my life because I am showing people that I need Jesus in my life. I am showing that God’s love for me is stronger than my anxiety or sins. Everything society tells me I lack is a lie, because God loves me; that’s everything I will ever need. No human on earth or any kind of power separates me from God.

I started my religious path in Catholic grade school from 1st to 8th grade. As a class we went to church every week, and I served as an altar boy as well. I then attended Fenwick High School, a Dominican Catholic All-Boys High School, for my first 2 years of HS, which was my last extended experience with religion until I got married in 1998.

My wife and I both wanted to have a Catholic ceremony and to get married in the Catholic Church. However, after we became married, we didn't really make the effort to stay involved in the church until we had children. We have two sons, and we decided that we wanted to have both boys baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. But once again, after our youngest became confirmed in the Catholic church, our family seemed to simply drift away from the church. Whether due to our extremely busy schedules or just lack of interest, but probably both.

Even during that time as the boys got older, I found myself talking and praying to God on random occasions for years, but never really pushed myself to take that next step, even as I frequently drove by Christ Community Church. I seemed to feel a draw to this place, but never acted on those feelings...Until Mike Singletary in early 2024!

It is no secret that I am an avid sports fan, and a lifelong Bears and Cubs fan, so a co-worker of my wife, who also attends Christ Community, invited us to attend the service where Mike Singletary was discussing his life, his faith, his career, etc. Needless to say, thanks to that special event with Mike Singletary as the guest speaker, we have been attending Christ Community Church services ever since.

I took things very slowly...sitting in the highest seats in the balconies for my first few months of services, not taking communion and just taking everything in and wondering if I was truly worthy of being at Christ Community, being worthy of God's grace and forgiveness, etc. It took almost two years before I felt I was ready to take the next step, and during the late summer of 2025 I saw that there was a Rooted class coming up in the Fall, and I just felt like God was 'nudging' me to sign-up and that Rooted would be my next step on this journey with God.

As usual, God is always right, and Rooted was the best thing I could've ever done for my continued journey with Christ. Thanks to Rooted, I am now in a really great men's community group that meets weekly to discuss the Bible and strengthen our bond with Jesus. I have also felt called to serve more as well, so I served at the Pickleball Tournament and the Church in the Park at Panton Mill Park in South Elgin in the Spring, I served at the recently held Men's Kick-Off BBQ, and, if all goes well, I will soon be serving as part of the Production team as well.

None of this would've been possible if not for a coworker of my wife, a childhood idol speaking about his journey with God, and Jesus knowing exactly when I would be ready to surrender my heart to Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It is truly amazing how he works in our lives, and how his patience and love and grace has finally brought me to him and Christ Community Church.

I was baptized at a young age at a local church in Geneva. My baptism then was more of a scheduled formality through family planning. I really didn't know Jesus. Through my life I had the opportunity to watch a family member's faith grow as a young boy through adulthood. I watched from a distance. All the while knowing he was privately praying for me to know and eventually follow Jesus.

Those prayers have been answered. Specifically, finding Christ Community Church as my family's church home has changed my life. I am a better husband, father, son, brother and member of my community. I have been able to help serve with Love Your Neighbor serve opportunities. It is with community and Jesus walking with me in my journey that makes all the years of coasting seem like a lifetime ago.

Ephesians 6:11 helps guide me through my personal struggles. I know that with God my sins can be battled and overcome. God and Jesus aren't someone I seek and ask from, they are who I ask to be with. Baptism to me as an adult means to show that my faith and my walk with Jesus is part of my life.

I had built the life I wanted. It was perfect in my eyes. A beautiful home in an upper middle class neighborhood, newer cars, and most importantly a wife and two kids. Two amazing kids (still are). I was disciplined in my life and work. I studied Stoicism and Bushido, ancient writings of discipline and honor. I tried everyday to embody the lessons taught in those two belief structures. I trained my body and mind daily. My career was booming. I had achieved all the goals I had set there. I even began to share my “code to life” to others. I wrote and shared my “life hacks”. I had it all figured out, why would I not share this wisdom? I considered being something of a life coach. I did not have much time for prayer. I felt life was what you made it into and you were in charge of your own destiny. I felt you could forge the destiny you wanted and deserved. I mean, look at me, I was “crushing it’. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t.

My marriage fell apart. I found myself struggling to keep the marriage above water, but it didn’t work out that way. I worked at it and then worked at it some more. I was going to fix it myself. But, those plans failed. I suddenly found myself moving from a 3,000 square foot home into a much smaller rental. I had one chair, a mattress on the ground, a Samurai sword and poker table that doubled as my kitchen table. I had spent the last of my money on lawyer fees and then some. The ground had fallen apart beneath me. I would then spend tens of thousands more on a child custody battle. I was starting all over again and having to pay a lawyer to tell a judge why I wanted to see my kids more. I looked to the belief structures I relied on to build this world and found nothing. No answers. No reason. How could I be put in this place? I was once nicknamed “Clark Griswold” because of my devotion to my family and, now, here I was. I felt like a loser.

Five years passed since the divorce and things were slowly building themselves back up. But, patterns continued to delay my progress. I couldn’t get out of my own way. I felt I did not have a center, something was missing and no matter what I did, I found myself in the same habits and in the same relationships. I was hired to train church members. The job came to me and it was as if God had placed this opportunity in my path. I enjoyed working with the church members. They had such a positive outlook on life and I felt I had lost mine. My youngest son began to ask about God. I would catch him praying before the dentist. He told me he wanted to learn about Jesus. I was baffled as to where this had come from. We had lived a very secular life. His mother was an atheist (still is). But, somehow here he was asking about Jesus. I told him I would look into it.

I came to a couple of services at Christ Community Church. I felt something. Something of meaning. I needed to learn more. I began to read the Bible. I started with Genesis and then read Job. I began to realize why my worldview had failed me. I needed to surrender to God’s plan. I began to understand the sacrifice Jesus had made for us. I began to realize God had been working in my life the entire time I had just not seen it. I surrendered God, I gave my worries, heartbreak, and addictions to him. I read the Gospels. I fell in love with Jesus. Who he was, what he stood for and what
he died for.

Now, my life seems to be going in the right path. And, if it's not, I know its God’s plan. I also know that I am not perfect, but Jesus has that covered for me. I can feel the Holy Spirit working its way in my life. I began to follow the path set forth and have surrendered to Jesus. Baptism will be another step in that surrender and in the acceptance of Jesus as my Lord and Savior. God has put the right people in my life as well, one in particular who brings so much light into my life. I feel incredibly blessed in a time in my life where I have less “stuff” then I once had, but I feel rich. I feel very rich.

When I was younger, my parents talked to me about Jesus a lot. As I grew up, I learned more and more about him. For my ninth or tenth birthday, I got a Bible, and I started flipping through the pages and reading different stories. I read about how God saved people and how Jesus rose from the dead. Those stories inspired me and made me want to know and love God more.

Even though I had known about Jesus my whole life, there was a time when I started feeling alone. I also began to understand that I was a sinner and that I needed Jesus. I realized that I couldn’t do everything on my own and that I needed God in my life.

The first time I really felt God’s presence was actually my first day at Christ Community Church this summer. That Sunday, I learned about how we need to confess our sins and ask Jesus for forgiveness. At church, I prayed the surrender prayer. I confessed my sins, asked Jesus to forgive me, and decided that I wanted to surrender my life to him and follow him.

After I prayed that prayer, I felt like something in my heart was different. I started becoming more sensitive to the way people treated each other and the things people said and did. I found myself wanting to be kinder to people and encourage other people to know and follow Jesus. It felt like those things started coming naturally to me because Jesus was changing my heart.

When I heard that I could get baptized at church, I felt like it was calling me. When I found out the baptism was going to be on my mom’s birthday, it made it feel even more special.

I want to be baptized because I want to show everyone that I love Jesus and that I have chosen to follow him. I also hope that my baptism can encourage other people to follow Jesus and make the decision to be baptized too.

Before I trusted Jesus, other things were the priority of my life, like friends, family and my hobbies, but then my mom started telling me “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 and it stuck with me. After joining KidsWorld, I learned what God did for me and everyone else. So in second grade I decided to give my life to Jesus.

God is the Almighty Father that created life and everything that has life. He keeps me safe and has blessed me with a loving family. So now getting baptized feels like the next step in my life for following Christ because he has led me all these years.

Baptism is like getting a new life with Jesus. I have God with me through everything and my actions will be more loving because that is how God wanted me to be made in his image. I’m grateful to get baptized and excited to start my new life with Jesus.

I’ve been going to Christ Community Church for a couple years now, and ever since this past Christmas and Easter services I knew I wanted to take my faith a step further. When I was at these services I prayed the surrender prayer and that one prayer made me take my faith more seriously. God to me is my Savior, my Father, and my Lord. He’s saved me from sin and death, and he’s taught me to repent from it. Also he’s blessed me countless times.

I want to follow Jesus out of love and gratitude for the sacrifices he’s made and the gift he’s given. I’ve been surrounded by so many people who have brought me closer to God. But especially my grandparents and parents who have been taking me to church since a young age, I’ve also had friends who’ve invited me to other church services which helped bring me closer to God. Baptism means to me as the next step in my journey as a Christian and a step in the right direction. My life will be different due to my faith and trust in Jesus, I will be standing on a stable ground, free from sin and death.

I have attended Cornerstone Christian School since kindergarten, so Jesus has been a part of my life from an early age. I learned about him at school, church, and from my parents. In fourth grade, I surrendered my life to Jesus. Since then, I have continued to learn what it means to follow him.

I decided I want to be baptized because I want to publicly declare my faith in Jesus. My parents, teachers, and elementary principal, Amanda Leonhart, have all helped me on my faith journey and encouraged me to grow closer to Christ. Being baptized is important to me because I want other people to know that I have chosen to follow Jesus.

I know I will still make mistakes, but I want my life to show that I belong to Christ. I want to make good choices, treat others the way Jesus would, and trust him when things are difficult. I know I don’t have to worry about tomorrow because I can put my trust in him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” I want my baptism to represent my new life in Christ and my commitment to follow him.

My life before trusting in the Lord seemed similar on the outside, but God was working in my heart. In college, I met my husband, Kyle, who was raised in a Christian home. He invited me to spend weekends with his family, including attending church on Sundays. Although I enjoyed church with friends during sleepovers while growing up, attending as an adult even at 18 was different. My eyes were opened to the truth of Jesus and his sacrifice for my sins, prompting me to consider living my life for Christ.

As I spent time with believers, worshiped, and read God’s Word, I felt him drawing me closer, fulfilling his promise in Jeremiah 29:13. The more I learned about Jesus, the more I wanted to know him personally. Kyle and I read “The Purpose Driven Life,” and I eagerly shared my learnings with my mom during car rides. Raised in a Catholic family, I was familiar with church and the Bible, and am so grateful to my parents for how I was raised and planting seeds of faith in my life, but attending a non-denominational Christian church introduced me to a personal relationship with Jesus. I understood Jesus’ words in John 14:6, realizing salvation was about a relationship with him, not religion or good works.

During a family trip to Florida, I felt a strong conviction to give my life to Christ. I prayed, confessed my sins, and declared my belief in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. I asked God to lead a life honoring him. Kyle and I became involved at Christ Community Church’s DeKalb location, and my love for Jesus grew. We listened to Pastor Jim Nicodem’s messages and planned to attend the St. Charles location after graduation and marriage. Looking back, I can see how God was fulfilling his promise in Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.” The
more I learned about Jesus, the more I wanted to know him personally.

Since trusting in Jesus, He is at the center of my decisions. I strive to live for him, and his love guides how I love my husband and children. Throughout my journey I have experienced the faithfulness of God. 1 John 4:7-8 reminds us “Let us love one another for love comes from God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The love Christ has shown me shapes how I love my family and how I desire to live each day for him. I hope my testimony shows that following Jesus is about more than being a good person. Without him, I would be lost. Although baptized as a baby, I feel called to be baptized as a believer to publicly declare Jesus as my Lord and Savior, celebrating his ongoing work in my life.

My name is Josie and I want to be baptized because I have surrendered my life to Jesus. When I was younger my parents would always read Bible stories to me, just like they still do. When I was younger this would always leave me with questions and wanting to know more about Jesus and why he did what he did. One day, I was in the car with my dad driving home from picking up some food and I started to talk to my dad about baptism and that I wanted to be baptized. My dad began to ask me questions about baptism and what it meant and why I wanted to be baptized. When we got home I ran into the house and told my mom that I was ready to be baptized and couldn’t wait. I believe that Jesus died for our sins and that he rose from the dead and that Jesus is right by us all the time and that he will always love us. The only way we can go to heaven is by giving our life to Jesus and believing in Him. Jesus died for our sins so that we don’t have to. I have given Jesus my life and I love him so much. I want to live my new life for Jesus and tell others about Him!

I gave my life to Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 6 years old. This was a very strange time for me, my family, and the whole world around us. The year I was six was during COVID. We were learning school remotely, which gave me so much more time to be with my parents. My parents would include special Bible shows like Super Book and stories like The Dangerous Journey in our everyday school curriculum. I would write about Jesus and all the amazing things he had done. I would ask more questions, beg to watch another episode or hear another story, and I was so excited to learn more. I remember asking my mom and dad how I can become a Christian, and praying with them to ask Jesus into my life.

I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again. I believe that he is the way, the truth, and the life. I want to live my life for Jesus and share the Good News with all those around me. Being baptized is just the beginning, and I want to publicly show my faith and obedience to God.

I grew up in a Christian household, with my dad serving as a pastor. For as long as I can remember, I was going to church, serving the community around me, and learning about God. I never had a deep relationship with him, just one that was in and out. He felt like someone I knew rather than someone I had a relationship with.

When I hit middle school, I fell into a deep hole. Being bullied became a regular thing for me. Every day was hard, especially since it was the people I had once called friends that decided I wasn’t good enough for them anymore. I struggled every hour of every day, wondering why this had to happen to me. If God was so good, why would he let me suffer? As the year passed, I did Bible studies for worried teens and continued to pray. I thought, if there really was a God, why would I not be able to ask for help? I prayed, and he started to deliver. Sunday messages suddenly began to relate to my current situation. New friendships arrived, and they weren’t short lasting. They were friendships that were deep, connected, and still around to this day. And even more, he provided a new place for me to learn and connect with others. My parents and I decided it wasn’t the right choice to send me back to public school. Although we didn’t know where I would get my education, we put our faith in the Lord, and he provided. Christ Community Church, at the end of that year, announced they were starting a new school, A Latere Academy.

This was my “WOW” moment. It was a big jump to go from public school into a homeschool hybrid, but I’m so thankful we did. Although it took some learning from me and my parents on how to homeschool, we took that leap of faith. Looking back now, I have realized how God had actually pulled me out of darkness. In just one year, he managed to pull me out of situations I didn’t even know I was in and provided me with new hope and friendships. God has been faithful, guiding, and patient. Although I had doubted God and had no faith he could do it, he was patient and willing to wait for me to come to him. Being baptized shows my journey through life with him through doubt and worry and saying I am now willing to wait for a response and trust in God's timing and in my relationship with him.

For much of my life, I believed in God, but over the last year I began to understand what it really meant to ask him to forgive me, lead me, and become the center of my life.

I have been through a great deal in my life. I survived injuries sustained in combat that gave me a second chance at life, and through that second chance God gave me one of the greatest reasons I am still here: my daughter. Looking back, I can see God's presence through so many moments in my life, even during times when I did not fully recognize him.

Over the past year, my life changed in ways I never expected. I went through divorce, relationship struggles, financial loss, abandonment, and some of the deepest emotional pain I have experienced. Those experiences forced me to look inward in a way I had not before.

My marriage, divorce, and the relationships that followed made me confront ways I had fallen short of being the man, husband, partner, father, and Christian I wanted to be. There were times when I acted selfishly, gave in to lust, mistreated people I loved, and made decisions that were not consistent with God's Word. At the same time, I experienced tremendous hurt, loss, and betrayal of my own.

Eventually, I reached a point where nothing made sense but him.

My traumas, trials, tribulations, flaws, sins, and even my capacity to love others ultimately led me toward Christ. I began to see the battle between good and evil not only in society, but within myself. That realization awoke something in me.

I came to understand that I could not build my life or my relationships on emotion, desire, or my own understanding alone. I needed Christ at the center.

Throughout that process, I was not alone. My family, friends, fellow veterans, and the women I have loved throughout my life all played a role in bringing me to where I am today. Christ Community Church, the Veterans group, the Elders, Kids Connection, and members of the church community supported me, guided me, and helped me see Christ more clearly during one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

Since beginning to live a more Christ-centered life, I feel lighter, at peace, more grounded, and capable of handling the things life puts in front of me. I have a renewed passion and purpose to become the person God intends me to be.

I want to lead with love and compassion, take accountability when I fall short, extend grace where I can, and live in a way that reflects the teachings of Christ.

Being baptized means everything to me. I want to immerse myself in Christ, his teachings, and the Bible. I want to lean into God with all of my heart, soul, body, spirit, and mind.

I believe God has carried me through suffering for a reason. Every day that I force myself back out into the world, keep moving forward, love others, and continue living despite what I have endured, I have an opportunity to reflect his light.

I want my life to show others that suffering does not have to be the end of the story.

You can suffer and still love.

You can lose and still have faith.

You can be hurt and still choose what is good.

And through Christ, you can continue to persevere with purpose.

That is the life I want to live, and that is why I am committing to being baptized.

I became a Christian many years ago at Bible camp where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and asked him to forgive me and live in my heart. I was raised in a Christian home and attended church and Sunday school with my family. I have continued to read my Bible and ask for God's forgiveness.

Most recently my father asked me why I have not been baptized. I really did not have a reason. I am now trusting with faith to be baptized as my next step, showing I am being welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven with other believers. I know I have been forgiven of my sins and will ask forgiveness when I fail. My favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 41:10.

Within the past few years I've struggled with a lot of anxiety and self confidence. I found myself often overwhelmed and upset with how things were going in my life and felt as though I had no control over anything. That’s when I turned to Jesus. “Lord I'm sorry” I repented and admitted to my sins and asked for forgiveness. From that day on I found myself feeling like I had more peace than ever before and that’s because I knew Jesus was in control and that he has a plan for me.

I’ve given my life to Jesus and every day I live for Jesus. To me getting baptized means me taking the next step in my faith after giving my life to Jesus. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to and honestly, one of the most, if not the most significant thing I'll do in my life.

I have learned about Jesus my whole life, and I am so thankful that God cares for me and my family. Getting baptized is a really important step for me because it shows that I have given my life to Jesus, trust him, and ask him to forgive me. I am also thankful for my mom and dad because they have helped and supported me as I grow in my faith.

I know Jesus will guide me and help me through hard times because he always does. Sometimes, when I am having a really bad day, it can feel like nothing is getting better. But I have learned that even when things are hard, I can trust Jesus because he is with me and helps me through it. I am so excited and grateful to take this next step in my faith by getting baptized.

When I asked God to lead me and forgive me, I was 9 and in fourth grade. I started praying every night that year and taking God and my faith more seriously. I asked him in my nightly prayer to bring me out of my old ways and help me become a new and better version of myself. God to me is my light. He helps me with anything and every situation. In my life, he has done so much for me, so much good. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for him. One of my favorite verses that keeps me going is Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

I want to follow Jesus because he is my light, my Savior, my best friend, and my everything. My faith in Jesus Christ has grown so much over the past few years and I am so extremely blessed to have the relationship I have with him today. The people who have helped me take these steps in my life are my parents, Janet and Bryan, my aunt Susie, my cousins, Paige and Mason, and my best friends. Being baptized means that I can be born again into my better life, being closer to Jesus, and so much more. I know God has my back at all times. Even when things get hard, there will be good things, since I trust Jesus with my life. I am so extremely grateful and blessed to have this opportunity to be baptized.

This year I prayed for forgiveness and goodness. God is my Savior, and He has helped me through hard times. I want to follow Jesus because He is amazing and He is my Savior.

My Mom, my Dad, and my church have helped me grow in my faith. Baptism means to me being made new and belonging to Jesus.

One of the hardest times in my life was when my big brother Jacob died 2 years ago, but I know it was God that helped me through it. He gave me strength when I was sad and helped me keep going.

I want to keep growing my faith, follow Jesus, and remember that God is always with me.

I reached a point where I realized I couldn't keep trying to handle everything on my own. I prayed and asked Jesus to take control of my life and lead me. I began learning to give my worries and difficult situations to him.

God has given me peace and has taught me to trust him, and let go of things I don't understand and become more patient, forgiving, and kind.

I want to follow Jesus because I know I can't do life on my own. I am grateful someone else can take the load off of me. I want him to guide my life and help me become the person he wants me to be. The church services here at Christ Community Church, the people God has placed into my life, and my own faith journey has helped me take these steps. I truly believe God has been telling me to do this for many years.

Baptism represents leaving my old way of living behind, surrendering control to God, and beginning a new life with Christ. I will continue to trust God. I want to live with more faith, peace, patience, forgiveness, and kindness, knowing that I can give every situation to God and let go. I just want to enjoy living each day in the peace he has blessed me with after all this time.

God works in the whispers. I have been emotionally moved nearly every service and baptism that I have been present. Even when having no personal connection to those being baptized. It was said to me, that is the Holy Spirit tugging on your shirt tail to be called closer to God. Sitting in reflection and asking God to lift the weight off my heart and show me I am in his light, is when I asked to be forgiven and led by God.

God is in my daughter, he is the love that I feel in my life, he is the relationship I have with my parents and the love I share with my husband. He has carried my burdens and brought me my greatest accomplishments.

I want to follow Jesus to have a deeper layer and connect to his kingdom that his grace provides. My biggest driving forces who have guided me are my dad and my husband. Being baptized, to me, means washing away my past struggles. It is turning toward God, changing the direction of my life. My life will be different in acknowledging and accepting that I am not in control and that I am welcomed as God’s child.

I have grown up in a Christian home and believed in Jesus. I have gone to church for as long as I can remember. I was dedicated as a baby, and have been in a Christian school or co-school my whole life. However, I was always hesitant to be baptized, even after putting my faith in Jesus. My parents talked about it, I knew friends who had been baptized, but I was still hesitant.

A conversation I had with my Dad really changed things. He challenged me to think and pray about it. He said ‘What would gentle Jesus say to you?’ As I prayed about it more, God started to move in my heart. Fears and hesitations didn’t exist anymore. I am excited to be baptized because I want to publicly declare my faith in Jesus. He is my Savior and King.