Our Testimonies

Stephen's Testimony

I was blessed to be raised in a family where I came to be taught about Jesus when I was young. I remember from a young age being excited about Sunday school and vacation bible study. As I got older I became to feel as though I was being forced to go to church on Sunday. This feeling was reinforced by my families lack of continuous attendance to church service on Sunday. Safe to say I slowly began to be influenced by other things as I grew older.

My view on religion changed when I was a teen and my parents told my sister and I that they would be getting divorced. I became all the things parents worry about when this announcement was made. It didn't happen over night, but over the course of a few painful years. I struggled to find peace and happiness in high school and hoped that leaving for college would give me more control over my life.

As a wiser person now, I can only chuckle at how naïve my thinking was. The little control I had over my life was only proven more as I left for college. I spent every day pleasuring the desires of my flesh thinking I was giving my life purpose. I thought there would be no price or downside for taking unearned rest. It is safe to say that getting my degree in chemistry was no walk in the park. Not because the material was difficult; but because I was living with misaligned priorities in life.

As I began re-evaluating where my priorities were, and what people I could be surrounding myself with I knew I had only one choice. I returned to church where my close family attends. Watching the families and people of all walks of life come together to worship God really moved my spirit. Feeling joy and warmth was something I thought I had lost or wasn't good enough for anymore. Upon hearing a few weeks worth of sermons I began to realize that The Bible is the framework I was missing for my life.

The weight I felt leave my shoulders when I realized I didn't have to come up with the answers to the questions of life was immense. I felt so burdened for so long to have perfect answers (even when all the evidence indicated I had no answers at all!), but now I could see that I was never supposed to figure those things out.

My journey back to faith has been long and full of trials and tribulations. I recently learned that I was baptized when I was maybe five or six years old. This didn't sit right with me. Whatever understanding I had of the commitment I was making at the age can't hold a candle to my understanding now. As a result I was officially baptized on December 7th, 2025!

As someone wise said to me during pre-marital counseling "Don't delay obedience".

Bethany's Testimony

I grew up in church and was homeschooled the majority of my life. This all helped me grow and become a strong Christian at a pretty young age. I accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior of my life at age 11-12 and my life changed. I continued to grow through Bible studies, volunteering at the church, and being actively involved with my church community. I was living my life for Christ. 

This growth and focus on living for the Lord followed me through high school. I was able to lead multiple Bible studies and became an officer for our schools FCA club. From the outside I was doing all the right things and looking like a Christian, however my heart began to focus and chase after other things. I started playing club sports that took me away from my church family on Sunday’s and consumed most of my evenings after school, making it extremely difficult to keep up with a weekly Bible study. In addition to sports adding to my schedule, I also began to focus on dating relationships more than the Lord. All of these little things pulled me further and further away from God. 

In college I stopped attending church almost completely. I walked away from my faith and was more depressed and anxious than I had ever been in my whole life. My boyfriend broke up with me, I was not doing well in school, and it felt like everything I was trying to accomplish in my life kept falling through. I was broken and in need of healing from my loving and kind Father. 

He lovingly closed the doors to life in Texas and brought me to Florida to live with my family. He placed me in a church where community is at the center. He welcomed me back into his loving presence with open arms and without any shame or guilt. Since then I have become a stronger Christian than I ever was before. I have a desire to know Him and to love Him with my whole heart and soul. Even though I continue to fail every day, I know I am always welcome to run into my Fathers loving arms.