When I was 12, my mom met a man who would become my step-dad a few years later. He was a Christian and brought my mom back to the church. They tried time and again to get me to go to church, but I refused... I had "better" things to do than sit in church all morning. They tried for years to get me to go to church. Once in a while, I would go for special occasions (such as their renewing their wedding vows) or because they convinced me to go and I really didn't have anything better to do. It never really sunk in though. I was merely going for their sakes and didn't really care to learn anything. My mom convinced me to start reading the Bible though. I was about to graduate when she convinced me to do so, and I decided to spend that summer reading the Bible from cover to cover; from Genesis to Revelation... to see what it was all about and get a good foundation of knowledge to see what exactly Christianity was about.
Now when it came time for me to graduate, some of my mom's friends took me to my rehearsal, since my mom had to work. Those friends were Roz Rabits and Christy Burkey (the daughter of the minister at the Rockledge church, Kerry Burkey,) and they went to my mom's church and were always at church and always there to make people feel welcome. They invited me to go to church and I said, "Okay." After all, I didn't have any plans and what had I to lose. Well I went to church that Sunday morning and they invited me back that night. And, sure enough, I went that night and they invited me back for Wednesday night. There I had just gone to church three times in a row! And our church is a very friendly church. Everybody took the time every time I showed up to greet me, invite me back and to say how wonderful it was to see me. Everybody at the church spends a lot of time before and after service fellowshipping and getting to know visitors at my church, and this is part of what kept me coming back.
Now after I had come three or four times in a row, God started to take over from there. I'm sure He had an active role in getting Roz and Christy to invite me and in me actually deciding to go all those times, but from there He started to actually speak to me Himself. I could feel His presence and I knew the Truth of His word. I knew this really was God and that Christianity really is true. Now when God spoke to me He didn't speak to me in words, but in Spirit. I could feel His Spirit, and He led me to study more. From that point onward, I knew about God and knew that Christianity was true. I have seldom missed a church service since that Sunday that Roz invited me to church. God really has worked a miracle in me. He softened my heart, and now I will follow Him always.
I was baptized on June 13th for the forgiveness of sins, and ever since I have tried to follow God's word as best I can. I have grown a lot and I still have a lot more growing to do. I know that I am only a babe in Christ, but I already feel the need to become a minister. Hopefully I can bring others to the Lord and be able to teach God's word and just be a servant to God and do things that are good in His sight. I still have a lot to learn, but I am definitely willing to do everything I need to learn God's word and be a good Christian soldier.
