Celebrating Baptisms

The baptism service the evening of August 2 was truly international as young people from College Church and the Burmese church were baptized. Here are the testimonies of the people from College Church baptized that night. It was a great time of worship and celebration to see that many people baptized.

Lucy Sanders (age 11)

I have grown up in a Christian family, and that has encouraged me to follow Christ. My love of Christian music has also helped me to understand God more. And at my school, Clapham School, through discussions with my teachers and classmates, I have discovered more about God and the Bible.

When I was four years old, I became a Christian. My parents taught me how to pray to God to ask him to forgive my sins. Later, I went into a room by myself and prayed to the Lord to forgive my sins and asked the Holy Spirit into my heart. As I have gotten older, I have learned more about God's love, which has led me to love and care for my family and friends. I love God because of his love for me and because he sent his Son to lay down his life for me, even though I am a sinner.

Elliott Stringer (age 9)

I go to church every Sunday, but since COVID I stay home and watch church. A couple days ago [prior to the baptism service] I believed in Christ and realized he was my only Savior. I wanted to believe and go to heaven. I wanted to follow Jesus. I wondered what heaven was like and if you would go. My dad said it’s not an if—you can know. My dad shared I could repent and believe in Christ. I knew I wanted to because Jesus is the best person ever and I wanted to go to heaven. My dad read me Bible verses. I didn’t know how, but my dad helped me. I want people to see me baptized so they might believe and choose to be baptized. I want people to know about God and his Word.

Truett Stringer (age 11)

I don’t remember the date, but I gave my life to Jesus late winter. My dad and I were in the car. I was asking him questions about baptism. Then I asked him how I could become more Christlike. I can’t remember all the details. I want everyone to know I have been saved by Jesus Christ, and to encourage others to be baptized.

Reilly Roman (age 17)

I have been attending College Church for three years in HYACKS, and I am so grateful for the community and opportunities for service the Lord has provided for me through this. I grew up going to church with my family and have always been raised to value Christ at the center of my life. As a child, I struggled to fully grasp the enormity of Christ's sacrifice for my sins and did not have a very personal relationship with him. I was amazed at my dad's ability to live his life solely for Jesus and share so much love with every person he met.

When I was six years old, my dad told me that God did not have to let his only son die on the cross , but he loved us so much that he provided a way for us to be in heaven with him one day through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was the first time that I felt the weight of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and I wanted to have a relationship with this Savior. I accepted Jesus into my heart and committed to living a life for Him.

In elementary and middle school, I was relieved that it didn’t seem to be hard to follow Jesus. I was surrounded by Christian friends at school and church, and I was dancing ballet full time outside of school. In eighth grade, my left foot started bothering me when I danced. I remember the doctor telling me that I had an extra bone in both of my feet, and it would likely get worse unless I took a break from dancing. I stopped dancing and put my foot in a boot to let it rest for a while.

It was during this rehabilitation time that my right foot started bothering me. Two non-weight bearing casts later, I was now a freshman in high school, not dancing ballet and unable to walk on either of my feet without pain. I was devastated not to be able to do the one thing in life that made me the happiest and prayed for a miracle to heal my feet. By the spring of freshman year, my left foot had somewhat healed, but my right foot steadily got worse. I ended up having to get two surgeries on my right foot; one to remove the extra bone, and then another to repair the first surgery which had gone wrong. At this time in my life, I felt abandoned by God. I did not understand why a God who loved me so much would allow my feet to break and keep me away from ballet. I had lost almost all faith in my Savior because of the hardship with my feet and was tired of fighting the battle against temptation every day for a God who would let me hurt this much.

Yet in the middle of this dark place the Lord met me. I was reading my Bible and one verse stood out—Jeremiah 29:11, "'For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord,' plans to prosper you, and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.'" I couldn't help but break into tears as I laid in my bed postsurgery. I felt the presence of the Lord who I realized had been with me the entire time. Who had illustrated every moment of my life before I was born, and who was in control of everything always—even when everything felt out-of-control. I realized that while I was out of ballet, I had time to join an amazing small group, make incredible Christian friends in show choir at school and have opportunities right in front of me to really grow in my relationship with Christ. By no means is my life (or my foot) perfect after choosing to follow Jesus, but I am filled with his endless love and have purpose in this world. I know that as many times as I fall short of his glory, he will forgive me. And no matter how many hardships I face, they were put purposefully into my life for a more perfect reason than I could ever imagine.

I want to publicly declare my faith in Jesus Christ and choose to live my life solely for the advancement of his kingdom. Previously, I was scared to let go of my life to follow Christ with everything I am because it feels comfortable to be in control. I have realized that with Jesus, I need nothing more, and I want to completely surrender to his plans for the rest of my life and commit my life to him through baptism.

Parker Roman (age 14)

I have grown up in a Christian family that has always gone to church and read the Bible. When I was very little, I learned that Jesus saved me and forgave my sins when he died on the cross. I asked my parents and Sunday School teachers more about Jesus and that led me to asking Jesus into my heart and putting all my faith in my Savior. I want to be baptized to publicly show my faith to the College Church community and to strengthen my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Rachael Farrell (age 15)

I have grown up in a Christian home and have been read and taught the Bible since I was very little. The past couple years God has drawn me closer to him and it has been a remarkable experience. The Lord revealed himself to me through his Word and the discipleship of other Christians. By his grace, I have a relationship with him. I am so thankful for his perfect love and I want to seek my identity completely and fully in Jesus.

It is a significant privilege to be baptized. It is amazing to me that there are people in other countries who are risking their lives when they are baptized, but they do it anyway and with great joy. That’s how important the symbol of baptism is, and I am so excited to take part in it. I want others to know that I have been born again through the wonderful love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Ingrid Oslund (age 17)

I grew up in a Christian home and from a young age I was taught about Jesus and what he did for me. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was very young but grew in faith and understanding as I got older. Throughout middle school, I realized the importance of making my faith my own and seeing Jesus as my personal Savior. Now I am involved in HYACKS and Bridge Fellowship and continue to grow in my faith. I want to be baptized because it is an outward acknowledgement and sign of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior.

Nathan Gordeuk (age 16)

I grew up in a Christian household where both of my parents are strong Christians. I have been going to church my whole life and was always familiar with the gospel message. I gave my life to Christ in fifth grade but didn't fully understand what it meant to be a Christian until I took a class at Wheaton Academy called "Spiritual Formation" my sophomore year. A theme of the class is pursuing spiritual maturity, which we defined as "consistently and accurately reflecting the image of God.”

Through memorization of Scripture and analyzing how to pursue spiritual maturity in the class, I realized that being a Christian is more than a label that goes with attending church on Sundays. Being a Christian IS my life, and the Bible is not exaggerating when it tells us to give every aspect of our lives to the Lord. I also realized that it will often be a challenge to pursue Christ in my life, because of temptations, peer pressure or not looking as cool as others sometimes, but it is worth it to follow Christ because our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that awaits us in heaven, as Romans 8 says. I want to dedicate my life to Christ and follow him faithfully through the good and the bad. Being baptized is a public identification with Jesus, and I want my identity as a human to be a Christ follower.

Annabella Eckert (age 17)

When I was seven years old, I asked Jesus to enter my heart, and from then on, I've been growing in my relationship with the Lord. A huge turning point in my walk with Christ was in eighth grade on a church retreat when I truly surrendered every aspect of my life to him. I remember feeling so weighed down by my sin and accepting that I couldn't do life on my own, so I laid it all down at his feet. Jesus has forgiven me, restored my soul and completely changed my life. He has given me hope and a purpose!! Making a public proclamation of my faith in Jesus through baptism is something that I've wanted and needed to do for a while. I believe baptism is an important way to symbolize my rebirth in Christ.

Lydia Garrett (age 18)

I have been fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian home my whole life. As a result, I was instructed on what it looks like to live a life honoring God. When I was eight years old, my mother helped me give my life to Jesus. Since then, I have been surrounded by supportive and loving friends and family who have helped me along my spiritual journey. Though baptism has always been in my mind, I never truly understood why I should be baptized. After conversations with my peers, I realize how important it is in my walk with the Lord. One of my favorite verses is Romans 6:1-4. It says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

I want to be baptized because I want to publicly declare my commitment to Christ. In Matthew 28:18-20, it says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" My church and family have already helped me become a disciple, and the next step is to be baptized. Because God instructs me to be baptized, I want to obey him and carry out his command.

Jin Nam

My name is Jin Nam from South Korea. I'm 29 years old. I got married in 2018, and I came to the USA in August. I came with my wife because she goes to university in U.S. I had already studied Bible in high school because of my teacher. My religion was Buddhism, but I used to read the Bible out of curiosity because I liked to read books. But when I came to USA and met my wife's professor, Dr. Sojung, I got to know about Christianity once again. I was originally a baptized Buddhist. But I met God for the first time in America, studied, and learned about the truth of the world. Now I want to live in God.

Hyeon Jeong (Alice) Gong

I met Dr. Sojung at Judson University. She is a great piano professor to me. Judson University is a Christian school. This was my first time with Christianity, so she taught God by giving me stories and information. And every Sunday, I went to the university church as a visitor for three years with my husband. At first, I was excited. And I was curious to get interested in singing praises together. Also, I was not forced, and I was free to attend church with an open mind. As a result, I naturally developed an interest in God and a belief in God's presence of God's existence. I couldn't believe God and Jesus. Because I didn't know. Because he was there, and I couldn't see. Now I thank Judson and the College Church community that helped me understand these sacred things, and it fell together for me. I felt and understood about life when I studied the Bible with a choir professor at school. And I knew the reason of history and life at university. And I felt and learned more about my values and love for myself. I can now believe and love God without refusing. So, I want to be baptized because my mind has become clear.

Devin Moore

I grew up in a Christian family and attended College Church from a young age. At some point early in my life I prayed with my father, seeking to devote my life to Christ and welcome him into my heart as Savior. I believe I meant that prayer as much as a little kid can!

I remained devoted to Christ through my childhood. In my high school years, I walked alongside my closest friend, Matthew, during his battle with Leukemia. I wrestled with faith and pain and suffering for three years as Matthew ultimately went to be with Christ. I believe it was during those formative years that I really committed to walking with Christ and surrendering to him as Lord. I believe the Bible is clear that we are to be baptized as followers of Christ. I was dedicated as an infant in College Church, but I feel a pull to acknowledge publicly as an adult that I am a Christ follower. I want to be baptized to be faithful to what I believe the Bible calls me to do.

Lia Hurley (age 12)

My family has been reading the Bible to me ever since I was born, and over the years I slowly came to know more and more about God, until I decided to give my life to him. The reason I’m being baptized is because I want to have a new life with Christ and die to sin. I want God to be my master and not sin. I love God and want to let others know.