Jess got baptised, and here's her story

So this Sunday just gone we baptised Jess. Here is her story:

I grew up in a Christian home, and attended church with my mum and sister. From a young age I was exposed to Christian teaching, but didn't really connect with it or apply it to my life.

Growing up, I never saw myself as a ‘Christian’, and stopped going church. I considered myself to be an ordinary teenager, doing things I thought were culturally normal and morally right, without even thinking of there being anything bigger besides the present.

I came to University in 2008, and felt a sense of belonging, being in a great group of friends, and living a typical student life.

By my 4th year however, I had completely lost my initial sense of belonging, and felt like there was something missing from my life. I knew I had started to consider that something was missing, but up until this point, I had explored every other avenue to try and fill it.

God kept on popping up in places I wasn’t expecting, at a time when I wasn’t really looking for Him. An ex-boyfriend became a Christian, my godmother sent me a prayer book, and I felt like

Christians kept being put in my path. After a while found that I couldn’t ignore it, and asked a friend if I could go to church with her.

As soon as I walked into RFC, I knew I was in the right place, and people were approaching me like I was the best part of their day. I felt overwhelmed with joy and was thankful that I had finally found a place where the hole in my heart could be filled.

During the worship, I couldn’t help but smile and cry. I didn’t know the words, and I wasn’t singing, but I sensed an overwhelming presence, and didn’t feel like an outsider. I felt like I was part of something.

I was invited along to Alpha, and after 3 weeks I knew that this was the truth, and found that I had run out of reasons not to believe in or follow Jesus. On May 8th I sat with my friend and gave my life to Jesus. I had found what I had been missing.

Since becoming a Christian I see things from a different perspective. I feel the feeling of being in love, of being in a relationship, but one that keeps on giving. I am happy, I smile and I no longer feel a pull towards things that I used to do to fill a gap. I am blown over by the grace that Jesus has poured over me, and that all the things I have done that are rebellious to God, my sin,  can be taken away, that I can be and have been washed clean, because of Jesus’ death on the cross.

I am now living as God’s witness, I want the things I do to reflect Jesus, and this amazing truth that is living in me. This is why I want to be baptised, so that I can publicly declare my love for Jesus and display that the wall of sin that was dividing us has been broken down, by Him.  I want to follow his example and be obedient to him.