Throughout Primary school, my family sent me to the youth groups of the church where I heard the Bible talks given. Even though I did not really understand them, I still believed in God, as I had never heard differently. However, at one point, my Dad explained to me what atheism was, and at that time, I decided to follow what he was telling me. Obviously, it then became very difficult for me to carry on attending the youth groups of the church, so I ended up only attending when I felt I had the confidence to do so.
When I got to Senior school age, I decided to go along to the Thursday night Wypeout group. There I again heard the Bible talks, but being older now; I felt that I needed to find out more about what I was being taught. So after a while, I attend some of the main church services and events that were being held. In attending I not only received more teaching but also as the months went on I loved the friendship and fellowship I was having with the other members of the church family. These growing relationships enabled me to seek answers to the questions I had from the church members, and I felt that I could trust the answers I was being given concerning the Christian faith.
At this time I naively felt that I was a Christian, but it wasn’t until the day of Rebecca Snitch’s baptism that I realised that I wasn’t a Christian. I found out that it was only by asking for forgiveness of your sins that you could be saved. For months following that day, I kept on telling myself that I could not ask for forgiveness from my sins as I felt I had to be a good person for God to forgive me.
At the start of August 2014, I remember asking God to do anything, which was good for me, in that month. Later on that same month, I knew that God was telling me that He had sent His son to die for me, and that I needed to repent of my sins if I was to be saved. So I held my Bible and kneeled by the side of my bed and asked God for forgiveness from my sins and I was saved that evening.
One year later, following the teaching I received at Pioneer Camp 2015, I came to understand more about how forgiveness of my sins was only possibly because of Jesus dying on the cross for my sins. This knowledge made me realise that I needed to ask to be baptized. It took a lot of courage for me to ask to be baptized, but I am now looking forward to living for the Lord all the days of my life.
