Baptisms - December 2006

Rachel Healy's story

Hi,

My name is Rachel. I have been coming to Burlington ever since I can remember, so I’ve been brought up as a Christian. But in recent years I have found it hard with my dad and sister only coming to church on Christmas Day and when me or my brother are in the Christmas play, so it is a big confidence boost that they are here today.

I had been thinking about asking Claire if I could get baptised. I thought that this day in the holidays would be a good time to tell her because me, Claire, and my best friend Rachel were going out that day for coffee. When I got to Rachel’s house she said she had something to tell me. She told me she wanted to get baptised. I said that was what I was going to tell Claire today. I will always remember telling Claire because when we told her she nearly crashed the car, and I could not stop crying, I was so happy.

I have recently had a major downfall in my life, which has resulted in me changing schools. It all started when I moved from primary school to high school. I had been friends with a girl in my junior school for 7 years. But, as there was only me, her and one other girl who were good friends moving to this particular high school, things changed for the worst. They left me out and rubbed it in my face that they were doing things together without me. Because of this I would pretend that I was ill so I didn’t have to go to school and face them and get even more hurt.

I felt so cold and alone. I broke down and just couldn’t go on any more! So I had to tell someone. I told my best friend Rachel and her mum. I had never cried so much, but in a way they were tears of joy that I had finally told someone. We phoned my mum and told her everything.

I had a few choices of school, and I am convinced that I chose the right one. I am now a lot happier and will be forever grateful to those people who helped me through that time. I know that God helped me to choose the right path and I love the fact that He will always be there for me, whatever I do.

As you will hear in the words of the song I have chosen, I just want to thank God for taking the shackles off my feet so I can dance, and breaking the chains so I can lift my hands, and for that I just want to praise Him.

I will always remember when I became a Christian. I was about 9 years old, nearly 10. I was on a Burlington children’s camp. As we had our devotions time in our groups, we were all asked if we wanted to pray. I used to be quite shy and had never really prayed before. I remember thinking to myself, “Just give it a go”. So I did, and something inside of me just thought, “Wow! What an amazing feeling!”

I got more involved in church and in God, and now don’t know what I’d do without either of them.

So I am standing here today to say how much I love God and that I am going to get baptised so I can devote the rest of my life to serving Him.

Rachel Harris' story

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been coming to Burlington where my Dad has been the minister. I have grown up in a Christian family and therefore got to know many other Christians. This has helped me in my journey of faith and given me support in difficult times.

I’ve always believed in God and been told lots about him in Sunday school and by my parents and friends. So thank you to everyone who has helped me believe more and more. I became a Christian aged 5, and have continued telling God that I’m going to follow him forever. I don’t really remember that much but I can remember sitting on the stairs one night and asking my mum to pray with me and saying that I wanted to be a Christian and to ask for forgiveness. So I prayed with my Mum and became a Christian and I’m amazed that I still remember that moment.

In years 6 and 7 is when I have felt really close to God. In year 6 I had lots of problems with friends and as a result I thought I was silly and nobody liked me. Although this changed as the year went on and God helped me to change the way school was, and to always remember that I had other real friends, my church family and God. In year 6 I learnt a really important lesson, this was that God has and always will love me for who I am because he made me and no matter what he will stay with me forever and never let me down because I am his princess and he is my father. I have learnt to rely on God and to come to him with all my troubles. This has encouraged me to pray more, and I pray regularly with my parents and every time I have seen God answer my prayers. My mum has kept telling me that there is nothing that God and I can’t handle together and God has shown me that which has been amazing.
Whilst I was having problems at school I got to know Rachel much more and invited her round and soon after we became best friends. This has been a real answer to prayer. We have helped each other out in difficult times, prayed together and have always been there for each other. It has been really good knowing that I had a friend I could talk to and trust so thanks so much Rach.

Also at this time Claire invited me to start an emerge group with some other girls about my age and I have really enjoyed these sessions every fortnight. They have helped me to talk and pray with other Christians, learn more about God and helped me to talk more and more about God out of church. So thank you to Claire and everyone in my emerge group because you’ve really helped me. Because of all this I began to act more like myself again and I was looking forward to starting High school and having a new beginning to make new friends who I could trust and I can now say that I do as when I started year 7 I decided I would go in and be myself this worked because lots of people wanted to know me. In my time so far in year 7 I have met two girls called Annabelle and Sinead who I’m getting to know more and more and they are becoming really good friends.

In the past few years I have really heard God speaking to me and have felt so close to him at many times. I have always thought that I would get baptized to show everyone my commitment to God and have talked to my parents about this. But I never thought that I would choose the right time, although in the past few years I have really heard God speaking to me and have felt so close to him at many times.

I told my best friend Rachel about this and she told me that she had been thinking about this as well. Which was awesome. So we decided to tell Claire that day as we had planned to go out together.

For some reason we fell about laughing and Claire couldn’t work out why. We decided to tell her in the car although this wasn’t such a great idea as she nearly drove into next doors car because she was so excited for us! I was so pleased I nearly cried and I was smiling all day. When I got home I told my family and they were so pleased for me.

Since then I have had many times where I have really known for sure that I’m doing the right thing standing here today. These times have been in the Gatherings, at Christian events and lots of other times.

I have started going to more of the gatherings here and have found them a really good opportunity for me to worship God and listen to what he has to say to me. I have found them helpful fun times where I have been able to worship God in any way I want. At the last Gathering I started crying in some of the prayers when God was talking to me and it was an awesome feeling. That gathering was really powerful so thank you to everyone who was involved in it.

So far I have had an incredible journey and have been helped by many people such as my family, Claire Earl, Katie Ruffles, Chris Sheldrake, Rachel Healy, Carrie and many other people including my church family and I want to thank all of you.

I look back on my life so far and I can see where God has guided me and it just seems amazing that such an indescribable king knows and loves me so much. It’s wonderful to know that wherever I go whether it’s church or school I don’t have to pretend I’m some one else because my perfect God loves me and always will watch over me.

I want to get baptised because I love God and I have been shown faith in action by many people specially my parents, Claire and Katie. I have realised god is calling me to take this amazing step and live life to the full all for him. I think this is going to be the start of an indescribable journey that God has already planned for me. I have learnt to trust God and if I do then I know that he will carry me every step of the way. My God is absolutely awesome and he cares about me so much that he sent his son to die a cruel and painful death. So I am standing here today to show my commitment I’ve made to God and to tell everyone that I’m going to live an action packed Jesus journey!