A Fresh Start in Jesus

Is Jesus still changing lives? Yes! On November 22–23, 81 people publicly declared through baptism at FAC that Jesus has been renewing their lives since they’ve decided to follow Him. Keep reading for some of these stories! 

EMMA WHITE  

“I felt alone and unsure about life when I moved here 2 years ago from Ontario. I started going to church, but I didn’t know why or really understood anything that was happening. I started asking questions, like: ‘If there’s a God so powerful, why does sin exist? Why do bad things happen in the world? Why did I have to go through the bad?’ 

Slowly, I began to realize that the world is broken because people have free will and turn away from God; just like Jonah who tried to run, just like Adam and Eve in the garden, and just like the Israelites who kept disobeying God. But even then, God still loves us and sent Jesus to save and heal us. 

At the campfire at Camp Chamisall this year, a lot of this became real to me. I realized that Jesus wasn’t just beside me or behind me…He was living in me. As Galatians 2:20 says, “It’s no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.” From that moment on, I began to pick up my Bible every day and pray. I’ve grown to love praying for other people, started talking more with others, caring for them, and learning to love everyone.  

Joshua 1:9 encourages me to be strong and courageous. It reminds me that God is with me wherever I go, so I can follow Him boldly. Since then, even when life is hard, I remember that if God allowed me to go through it, He knows I can handle it with His help. I want to be baptized to follow Jesus’ example and to show that my old life is gone and my new life is in Him.” 

RHYAN CORTEZ  

“My life felt empty, lonely, and hopeless. It was like I was carrying everything alone, with no lasting peace. No deep purpose in life. Even if I tried to be good, I felt misunderstood and a failure at everything. Without Jesus, it's like walking through life without direction. I was totally lost. But now everything has shifted. There's clarity, hope, and the strength to move forward. Not being alone but with Him and my loving support of my family.” 

Matthew 5:9 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” 

ONOME ANYAOKU  

“I believe I have always known Jesus because I was brought up in a Christian household. However, I truly started to develop my personal relationship with Him in 2018 and since then, I have known peace. Over the past few years, I have been trying to get to know Him better and I decided to do everything to follow His ways!

I am beginning to live for Him better now that I understand more about His love. He has given me unending peace! I tend not to be worried anymore because I know that I am not alone and He has great plans for me!” 

Philippians 4:6-7 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

PARKER MANDEL  

“My parents got divorced. I lost my friends and my things. We had to move houses. My grandma, my dad, my brother and I started coming to the Sunday service. We started coming more often. I found my stuff, made new friends, and I got everything sorted out. My favourite bible verse is “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) because it makes me want to know more about Jesus and the Lord. I want to get baptized to have a reset and to devote my life to Jesus.” 

PEYTON MANDEL 

“My life was full of stress and depression. When my parents got divorced, I found Jesus to strengthen me, and He did. He turned me from sad to happy. He gave me joy in my life. John 2:3 shows me that Jesus is forgiving, gives second chances, and that shows me His patience. I want to get baptized to dedicate my life to Jesus.” 

STEPH BRIARD  

“I attended the United Church in Newfoundland as a child, and was fairly active in Sunday School, choir and church band. When my parents got divorced, we stopped going to church with either parent. I eventually became agnostic and then an atheist as a teenager and an adult. One of my biggest fears was death, even as a child, and it grew greater into adulthood to the point that I could not think about it without extreme terror.  

I had relative success in my life, but carried family trauma from my parents’ divorce and how they both handled it and raised us. I have anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression as an adult. I repeated the cycle of my family in my marriage, and had the worst, hardest year of my life this year, which led to hospitalization and separation in my marriage.  

During my darkest hours, I met others who shared God’s love with me without pushing me into it. I experienced God when I felt like I lost every relationship in my life and was abandoned by my family.  

I had friends who invited me to attend FAC even as a non-believer, and I occasionally attended church on Sundays. I attended online in the hospital and regularly around May of this year. It made me thankful for going through the rock bottom of my life, because it brought me to Christ.

Even now when times are hard, I am able to rely on the knowledge that God has a plan, and to give worrying about the future or outcomes over to Him. It allows me to focus on myself and if I’m living in accordance with Jesus’ teachings instead of trying to change others’ actions.” 

ELEORA OWUSU-AMPONSAH 

“I accepted Jesus for the first time when I went to church. Jesus helped me when I had stage fright when I was 5. Now I don’t have stage fright. I want to get baptized because I want to get to know Jesus better.”  

Isaiah 40:31 

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” 

HADI ALI HOSSEINI 

“Before I knew Jesus, my life felt empty and without clear direction. I tried to find peace and happiness in many things, but nothing truly satisfied my heart. I came to know Jesus through hearing His message of love and forgiveness. When I understood that He died for me and offers new life, I decided to trust Him and follow His ways. Jesus has given me peace, hope and purpose. I no longer feel alone, and I know that I am loved no matter what happens.” 

Mark 10:14-15 

“When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 

In Jesus, life is made new. Ready to be baptized? Sign up for our next baptism weekend happening January 31/February 1, 2026!