I got baptised on Easter Sunday

That's right. I got baptised on Easter Sunday (March 27, 2005 --> also Stanley's Birthday) I had a chance to stand in front of my family and friends to tell them that I am a follower of Christ. Please don't ask me why it took me so long to get baptised. (There's a very long boring story that goes along with that question. :))

For those of you who were not able to make it I've posted the testimony that I shared at the baptism.

Psalm 25 Of David.
1 To you, O LORD , I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6 Remember, O LORD , your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD .
8 Good and upright is the LORD ; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, O LORD , forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. 13 He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
Amen


Like David,I grew up in a Christian home but despite the fact that my parents showed equal love to all of my siblings I often felt that I had let them down. Also, because I was the last child in the family I often felt that I was the mistake child. I often compared myself to my brothers and sister, and when I did that I felt that my life had no value. My siblings were the smart, kind, polite, hardworking ones, and then there was me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up as a normal “Christian” child would. In my childhood I was really awful. I would steal and not think there was anything wrong with it. Go places without telling my parents and it was in grade two that I started stealing from my parents and skipping classes in order to go and play in playgrounds or to go to the pools in different apartment buildings.

When I was in grade seven it was an extremely dark period of my life and I was even contemplating suicide. But I was lucky enough to attend a winter camp where the gospel was shared with me for the very first time. It was during that winter camp that I put my trust in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my personal Saviour. One night the pastor asked our group if anyone wanted to receive Christ into their life. It was then that I knew that the stories I learned as a child had little value unless I put my trust in Him. So when the pastor asked us to raise our hands if we wanted to accept Christ into our lives I raised my hand as high as I could. That action made a huge difference in my life. It was then that I knew… I was a Child of God.

During my high school years I often experimented with different things. Though I didn’t totally neglect Christ I was very hypocritical in the way that I acted. However, I was lucky enough that each time I would run from Christ I would feel a “Kick in the butt” from God which told me that it was time to go back to Him in order to start living a more abundant life. In university it was then that I finally started to live a Spirit filled life. My new attitude and outlook on life allowed me to see the needs of others instead of always wanting to satisfy my own needs first.

Though I am by no means perfect I know that I am now very different from the person that I started out as and I know that our Heavenly Father will continue to mold me more in His own image.

I stand before you all this afternoon to say that Jesus is the ONLY way to get to Heaven. He is the only way to find true PEACE. Life may still difficult after you receive Christ and there will be times when you mess up big time, and you’ll feel like running from God, but it will hopefully seem easier because He will send His counsellor, the Holy Spirit, to help us out in times of trouble.

Today, I've got the only thing that matters in life. That’s having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who teaches me how to be filled and grow in the areas of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. I guess that brings me where I am today. Today I also have a new sense of peace as I have a new purpose in life. I am also experiencing a love which is filing me more than can be believed that is teaching me to care for others. Praise Be To YOU, FATHER!

Thanks to my family and my gals for being there to witness my baptism.
(ESP you guys.. Michelle, Val, Grace, and Jenny
for coming all the way
to the church and not getting lost. Even with my horrible instructions
P.s.I've also posted pictures...