God has been writing my story since I was a little girl. 

Growing up, church was always part of my life. I went to an English-speaking service in the mornings with my dad and a Korean-speaking service in the afternoons with my mom. My dad loved the Lord, and he was the one who led me to the Lord as a child and was my first role model of living for Jesus. 

My mom struggled with depression and addiction. This created tension in my life that caused me to strive even more, especially for her approval and acceptance. As a young adult, I was married, and when our first child was born, God, in his faithfulness, reminded me of what my dad had modeled for me—the responsibility I had to lead her to know Jesus one day. We found Southside Baptist Church and got plugged in. Looking back, I see God’s hand over my life, placing our family and me right where He wanted us. 

Then, at the age of 58, everything shifted. I learned that the man I had always known as my dad—the one who led me to the Lord and the man I considered my first role model—was not my biological father. That moment rocked my world. I wanted to understand. I began digging in to find answers. The enemy became louder with lies about my identity, my worth, and my value. Yet God, in His loving kindness, met me right where I was. 

In His sovereignty, this news came at the same time as our study of Matthew. Through this truth, God has made it clear that it’s never too late. Over the years, I’ve witnessed many baptisms at Fellowship and have tried to ignore His prompting to move forward in obedience. He has been waiting for me to surrender not just with my words, but with my whole heart, and to let Him heal the deep wounds. 

I want to be baptized because I want to respond in obedience. The truth God keeps showing me is that I have been adopted into His Kingdom, and my identity is secure in Christ. He is teaching me to live free from that truth and to know that I no longer need to strive for it.