Baptism - August 2007 

My mother became a Christian and I am grateful for all she taught me. My parents died when I was a teenager, but my hope and trust in God helped me through.

After completing my education, I worked in a travel agency – then I began travelling all over the world to many different countries. My family were worried about me. I was the “black sheep” of the family.

During my travels I met my husband in Gambia, and we stayed in Africa for 3 years. At that time I believed in “Voodoo”. I lost 2 babies and then had an ectopic pregnancy, which I carried for 7 months.

I came to the UK with my husband in August 1999, and had an operation for the ectopic pregnancy. After the operation the doctor told me that I had 100% risk of losing the other tube and 50% chance not to have children. I prayed, and God gave me 2 children – Bodacia and Gabriel.

4 years ago my husband and I separated, and I was alone with my 2 children. At that time I was smoking heavily, but eventually was able to give that up with the help of Jesus.

I began praying for guidance. As time went on I had more and more a longing to really find God. I began reading my Bible more, and desperately wanted to know Jesus more. I tried several churches but nothing seemed quite right and the children couldn’t settle.

One evening, I got down on my knees, praying earnestly that God would direct me to a church where I and my children could grow.

The following morning my car broke down. Someone stopped his car to see if he could help. That “someone” was Tony Norman. He took the children to school and sorted out my car problem. I said to him, “You must be a Christian – which church do you go to? I am looking for a church!” He told me all about Burlington, and then stopped at his house and found a Grapevine for me.

I read the Grapevine and fell on my knees thanking God because here I found all I needed to grow. I phoned Margaret Smith, and she enthused about everything that was going on at Burlington and about the Bible Study group. Margaret told me where the church was and said she would look out for me on Sunday morning.

On the way to Burlington on the Sunday, my children told me “Oh, look at the black people going into THAT church, and we are going where the white people are going. Is that right? But I told them, “No, it’s that one where the white people are going!”

I then met Margaret, who asked if I was Comfort and said “Welcome!”, and I felt very welcome.

Then I met Tony, and my children said, “Look – there’s Tony”, and I said to them, “I told you this is the right church”.

The praise songs were so beautiful that I couldn’t help myself but raise my hands in worship. Then later I thought I was doing something wrong because other people were not doing this. But God will always have his way, because Margaret came to me again, and said, “I love the way you worship – it gives me courage and more confidence to worship more freely myself”. – This helped me to feel more confident.

And Simon’s preaching was so beautiful – it was like he was talking to ME that day – and I said, “This really IS the church for us!”

And when I went to the Small Group for the first week, I met Kathryn and the others, and the study was beautiful. During the discussion that morning, I found I was not the only one who sometimes still had questions as to whether this was the right church for me, and we realised that it was Satan who put these doubts in our minds. We all felt better, knowing we weren’t the only ones this happened to. Since then I have no doubts about this.

I went to the Membership Course and Simon told us about Burlington Church and baptism. But I had always had the desire in my heart to be baptised in the River Jordon till one Sunday when David Potter was baptised, and in his testimony he was talking about the River Jordon. It was like he was talking to me. Then I decided to be baptised here at Burlington, and I went to Simon and said, “I want to be baptised”.

I know that I didn’t choose God – He chose me!

I’ve found Simon’s teaching and the Small Group teaching everything I’d longed for. I feel that I just cannot afford to miss coming to Church on Sundays, because I know I will come back stronger than when I went and filled again with the Holy Spirit. Every Sunday the message seems to speak to ME.

My children, Bodacia and Gabriel also feel very much at home here, and love coming to Sunday School and the Brigades.

I think I’d better stop here, or I will go on and on all day!

My special thanks to Tony and Val, and to Margaret, and to Simon for his good preaching, and to Kathryn – she’s so good in the Small Group, and all the members of the Small Group on Tuesday mornings - and Tony and Elizabeth, and my friends who come to witness my baptism today, and my friend Margaret Brennant whose birthday is today – Happy Birthday! From now on, we will be celebrating together because today, as I am baptised, I am showing everyone that I have died to sin and am now a new creature in Jesus.